Acoustical Considerations Behind the Stratford Festival’s New Performance Space

In 1952, Tom Patterson had a vision that would help spur the economic engine of his hometown of Stratford, Ont. Inspired by the town’s name, shared with the birthplace of William Shakespeare, he wanted to create a six-week Shakespeare Festival. That vision became a reality, with the Festival eventually becoming the largest not-for-profit theatre in North America. With four venues, the Festival welcomes half a million theatregoers each year and more than 28 million since its first season in 1953.

Originally constructed within a repurposed curling rink, the previous Tom Patterson Theatre had cramped seating, limited backstage areas and no space for patrons to mingle before and after a show. This spring welcomed a new $72 million, 7,150-sq.-m. (77,000-sq.-ft.) theatre that corrects these shortcomings and adds a wide array of amenities including a light-filled lobby, café, members’ lounge, education lab and a forum performance space called Lazaridis Hall. At the centre of it all is a state-of-the-art, acoustically advanced auditorium designed to enrich the theatrical experience as well as be a landmark for the city of Stratford and a symbol of its renowned festival.

The building was on track for inauguration in 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of Tom Patterson’s birth, but the pandemic delayed the tribute, and now opens for the Stratford Festival’s 70th season.