Remembering the opening of Stamford Shakespeare Theatre’s auditorium in Tolepthorpe

Jun 29, 2023

It is 30 years since a Hollywood star opened one of Stamford and Rutland’s most popular attractions.

On July 31, 1993, Sam Wanamaker – actor, director and father of Zoe Wanamaker – officially opened Stamford Shakespeare Company’s outdoor theatre auditorium at Tolethorpe Hall on the edge of Rutland.The company, founded in 1968 by Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) graduate Jean Harley, produced plays in the Monastery Garden of Stamford’s historic George Hotel. When the hotel could no longer accommodate the company, a new venue had to be found.

Tolethorpe Hall was acquired in 1977 when the property, though in a near-derelict state after being unoccupied for nine years, came on the market.

With a natural amphitheatre in the grounds, it was an excellent fit for the company's open-air Shakespeare productions.

Concrete steps were laid, turning a bank of grass and weeds into a raked auditorium. A canvas canopy to protect the auditorium from showers was purchased together with 382 plastic chairs.

In the early 1980s, general manager Derek Harrison took on publicity and relaunched the company’s profile. He oversaw increases in attendance from 6,000 in 1985 to 12,000 in 1986 and to more than 34,000 by 1994.

More chairs and a larger canopy were purchased and the auditorium size increased from 382 to 450. When the canopy began to leak it was decided to find a way of building a permanent structure to keep audiences dry.

A brick-walled structure with a tiled roof was out of the question because it would look like an indoor theatre, would be unlikely to win planning permission, and the cost would have been prohibitive. Modern technology provided the answer and on Derek’s research-based recommendation a high tensile fabric canopy was ordered from Landrell Fabric Engineering of Chepstow in Wales.

At the time, it was one of only four companies in Europe with the knowledge and experience of fabricating and installing such a structure. In 1993, after seven weeks of site preparation in February/March, the steel frame and the canopy were put up in less than two weeks.

The canopy, a high tensile fabric made of PVC-coated, reinforced polyester and designed to withstand winds of up to 100mph, was manufactured in Germany and fabricated and erected by Landrell Fabric Engineering. It is similar material to the high tensile fabric used for the roof of London’s Millennium Dome. The Tolethorpe theatre is thought to be the only one of its kind in Europe.

The construction of the steel frame to support the fabric walls and roof necessitated increasing the size of the auditorium again. Three extra rows of 50 seats each were added and seating increased from 450 to 600.

The new theatre was officially opened by Sam Wanamaker, who at the time was responsible for the reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on London’s South Bank. Sam and his wife Charlotte loved Tolethorpe and, from 1987-1993, were regular visitors to the Company’s Shakespeare season. The plaque commemorating this occasion can be seen on the side of the Tech Box close to the door 2 entrance to the auditorium.

The canopy is now 30 years old and still going strong – members of the company hope it will continue to shelter audiences for at least another 30 years. Their actors, meanwhile, continue to chance it with the English summer and often endure a drenching.