All the World's A Stage: Project Management in the Royal Shakespeare Company

  PM Network  

The history of the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance space in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England is, well, Shakespearean.

Throughout its existence, the historic performance center has seen as much drama as one of the Bard’s famed tragedies. In the 1900s, a devastating fire laid waste to much of the structure. Three decades later, it was subject to an ambitious but flawed reconstruction attempt.

It was time for a second act.

In March 2005, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) began the planning phase of a £112.8 million, government-funded project to reconstruct its main theater. Spanning six years, the project aims to modernize the facility while restoring the original Shakespearean theater experience.

Despite good intentions, the project came up against high expectations from stakeholders and complex environmental issues when Peter Wilson—fresh from running the Tate Modern museum transformation project in London, England— took the lead as project director.

The short and long of it

During Mr. Shakespeare’s lifetime, his work was considered entertainment for the masses and was often performed to an audience packed into a standingroom- only section right in front of the stage. In fact, the author created his plays with that intimate environment in mind.

Alas, the 1930s revamp had dramatically altered the…

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.