# Tom Patterson Theatre

The Tom Patterson Theatre is a theatre located along the Avon River in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. A project delayed since 2018 by COVID, in 2022 it joined the lineup of Stratford Festival theatres.

## Team

Hariri Pontarini Architects are the designers of the new theatre. Partner Siamak Hariri was point person on this project.

## History

The theatre is named for Tom Patterson, a trade journalist who initiated the festival. After returning from World War II, Patterson wanted to bring Shakespeare to Stratford. Stratford was a struggling town that had a dwindling railroad industry.
In 1952, Patterson contacted the British director Tyrone Guthrie and also reached out to Tanya Moiseiwitsch for theatre design. These three started the first season in 1953; the festival did not have a building yet and therefore performed in a tent. Actors and staff worked three seasons of outdoor theatre productions before getting their first building, the Avon Theatre, now Studio Theatre, in 1957.

## Performances and uses

Since opening in 2022, Tom Patterson Theatre is a part of the yearly festival which showcases Shakespeare plays and other theatre productions. It also has a secondary performance hall.
The Stratford Festival provides educational experiences for both students and teachers which includes workshops, meet and greets, and camps.

## Construction

Originally the Kiwanis Community Center, at 111 Lakeside Drive, was deemed inadequate by the community. The choice of site was also due to the performance space being seen as “Rock in a metaphorical stream”. Originally there was a curling rink on this site; however, the community felt it did not serve the needs of the community. Construction on the theatre began in 2018, was stalled in 2020 due to COVID restrictions, and was finally finished in 2022. The final cost of the building was around Can$72 million.

## Structural system

The structural system includes reinforced concrete below grade and a steel frame above. There are continuous perimeter steel outriggers to frame out the curves of the building. The perimeter framing is supported by exposed custom steel plate columns. The front entrance canopy consists of a large double cantilever supported by one exterior cruciform column. The Theatre walls are made of concrete to ensure acoustic isolation from the remaining gathering space. There are twenty-four-meter-span Vierendeel trusses that support the roof and hanging catwalks above the performance space.

## Material

Built using all sustainable and natural materials, the interior of the building and theatre places include oak floors and ceilings. The stage was custom made from Canadian birch, whereas the wall cladding was made of oak in order to give the dark colour required in theatre spaces. However, the primary theatre has walnut finishes because it was designed to ensure the openings would not degrade the acoustic performance of the space.

## Exterior of the building

The landscaping was designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects with Holbrook & Associates and The Planning Partnership.

### Ophelia Lazaridis Garden

The Ophelia Lazaridis Garden includes a walking path surrounded by drought-resistant and native plants. These include:
* Amsonia hubrichtii - Narrowleaf Bluestar
* Anemone hupehensis - 'September Charm' Japanese Anemone
* Baptisia australis x alba- 'Purple Smoke' False Indigo
* Calamintha nepeta sub.sp. Nepeta - Calamint
* Echinacea purpurea - 'Magnus' Purple Coneflower
* Eryngium yuccafolium - Rattlesnake Master
* Eupatorium maculatum - Joe-Pye Weed
* Helleborus x weicsmithii - 'Ivory Prince'
* Liatrus spicata - Gayfeather
* Nepeta faassenii - 'Walker's Low' Catmint
* Salvia yangii - 'Little Spire' Russian Sage

## Select awards

* Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award, 2023
* Governor General's Medals in Architecture - 2022 Recipient
* Civic Trust Award, 2022
* Architecture MasterPrize – Cultural Architecture, 2022
* Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) Design Excellence Award, 2022
* Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) People's Choice Award, 2022
* The PLAN Award – Finalist, Cultural Architecture, 2022
* Architecture MasterPrize - Best of the Best Award, Cultural Architecture, 2021
* LEED gold standard