Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2018 - 26

drama, performers and audiences were
nonetheless reminded that this magical world created in Stratford was only
a canvas flap away from the outdoors.
Spectators noted that the sound of rain
hitting the tarp drowned out the voices
on stage and the proximity of a railroad
level crossing meant the shrill whistle
of steam locomotives frequently unsuspended the disbelief the performers
worked hard to instill in their rapt audience.
Guthrie remained as artistic director for the first three seasons at Stratford, leaving before a permanent home
for Moiseiwitsch's stage was built in
1956. Robert Fairfield was given the assignment to design the Festival Theatre
on the strength of his initial tent solution, and the design indeed evoked the
canvas with an upturned "pie-crust" perimeter and a single peaked top in the
centre. It is important to note that when
the tent came down, the stage remained
in place and the new structure was built
around it. The Festival Theatre was dedicated on June 30, 1957, and opened with

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WINTER 2018

Christopher Plummer in Hamlet to a full
house of 2,192 spectators. Refinements
to the hall made over the years included,
in 1962, a greatly expanded rear façade,
moving the side doors outwards opposite the "voms" or stage entrances from
the tunnels beneath the auditorium seating; the stage balcony was also raised by
eight inches, and the number of supporting pillars reduced from nine to five. In
1975, then Artistic Director Robin Phillips rearranged the performance levels,
changed the acting area, and made the
balcony removable, though this is rarely
done.
By 1997, the then 40-year-old theatre was in need of refurbishment. This
included renovating the lobby and adding new administrative offices, and even
a greenhouse. In the auditorium, the
previously mentioned arc was reduced
to 175 degrees; 450 seats were removed
and the 20-inch-wide seats replaced
with 22-inch seats, bringing the total to
1,742. Zigzag sidewalls were installed to
improve acoustics, an acoustical canopy
was suspended above the stage, and a

tunnel linked the two voms.
The enduring stage created by Guthrie and Moiseiwitsch has had a profound
influence on the development of Canadian theatre. The ongoing success of Stratford has fostered generations of actors
and brought leading international stars
to the rural countryside of southwestern Ontario. As the Festival's Prosser
explains, "The combination of the technique and naturalism required for Stratford's Festival Stage and its sister thrust
stage, the Studio Theatre (2002, 260
seats) has arguably had a huge impact
on the Canadian theatre profession as
a whole, with actors from our stages
taking the lessons learned there across
the country-and beyond-in their other
work."

Inspiring Other Designs

Shortly after departing Stratford, Guthrie solicited interest through a newspaper ad to develop a resident theatre
company in the United States. Minneapolis proved most willing to support the
project and the Guthrie Theatre, with a
http://www.hhspecialties.com http://historicalemporium.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2018
