tom patterson theatre

The productions are intriguing, innovative and engaging. This is a must in the summer season for any play that is running. Prepare to think.

This review is primarily about the theater building itself, not the performances. That said, I can't resist writing a bit about the performances as well. We've seen some good ones at the Tom Patterson over the years and some that were not so good. Richard III with Seana McKenna was super a couple of years ago. She was good this year in Mother Courage although Bertolt Brecht doesn't compare well to Shakespeare. Anthony and Cleopatra was okay this year although, as another reviewer noted, it was too long....but that's not the fault of the theater building. What IS the theater's fault is its very inconvenient and uncomfortable seating. The seats are hard to get to and afford little knee room once you've arrived. This building was formerly a badmitten court and still resembles that earlier incarnation. Its metamorphosis into a theater was ill conceived and badly executed. Parking nearby is hit or miss at best. I suppose if you arrive a few hours before curtain time you won't always find the parking spots all taken by patrons of the Kiwanis Community Center which actually shares the other half of same building as the Tom Patterson Theater. But don't count on it. Better to walk there if you can. Physically, this theater is a disgrace to the Stratford Festival and a dishonor to its founder, Tom Patterson, of ever honored memory.

We had tickets for Anthony and Cleopatra. The play was way too long and the seating was difficult to access...narrow steps and aisles - w had to either kneel on top of our seats or move to the stair exit to allow other patrons get to their seats. The performance was okay but difficult to hear the actors depending upon how the actors position themselves in the stage.

This theatre, in a converted indoor tennis court, is more intimate than the main Festival Theatre and a good place to get a real feel for the work of the actors.

We always enjoy seeing showstopper n this theater where the small size and the thrust stage make the audience feel a part of the action. This was especially true with the performance of King John which we saw.

Stratford needs to spend some money on new seating in this venue. The hard, small cramped seats detract from enjoying any performance here. I sat besides a very large man whose body spread way onto my space. When one person wants to exit, everyone needs to get out of the row.I actually did not return after intermission because I was so uncomfortable.

only 2 handicapped parking spots, get there 2 hours before play starts in order to snag one otherwise go all the way to the arena where there are a couple of spots. Chairs could be better suited to 3 hour plays.

There are four theaters at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The largest is the world-famous Festival Theatre. It has a thrust stage, so the audience essentially sits in a semi-circle around the stage. The Avon Theatre is a converted movie theater, with a proscenium stage. It's an excellent theater, but not particularly artistically noteworthy. The Patterson Theatre is the third theater at the Festival. It has a long narrow stage, and the audience is seated on three sides of the stage. You are just a few feet away from the performers, and it's almost as if you're part of the production. Naturally, sometimes an actors has his or her back turned to you, but they are highly trained professionals, and they manage to include almost everyone at almost every moment on stage. Because the theater is small, you're not likely to find the big, blockbuster productions there. However, if there's something you want to see, and if you note that it's at the Patterson, don't be concerned. The directors know what will work on which stage. If your play is in the Patterson, it will work well there.

People love the Tom Patterson Theater, I do not. The seats are hard to sit on and there is almost no leg room Everyone between me and the aisle had to leave the row for me to exit. Some call it theater in the round, but it is a thrust stage which means that there are no bad seats for viewing.

The Patterson Theatre holds a long thrust stage where no seat is more than 50 feet from the actors. This intimate space, when used by a director who understands it, can create a magical atmosphere. When in the hands of a lesser director (as in this season's "Antony and Cleopatra") it becomes a nightmare. 2/3's of the audience is along the sides of the stage, if a director has his actors play everything forward, the majority of the audience see no faces. But on performances like this year's "Mother Courage" and "King John" where the director really understood the space, the effect is one of actually being in the scene. Too bad the lobby is smaller than the living room in my mother's house. Wait outside before the show, it is much more comfortable.

I fell down the steps. What else do you need to know? But other than the steps, the play's the thing, and that's what matters.

This theatre is perfect for the Shakespeare plays that incorporate the audience into the full experience of the action.

A strange theatre. This place is long and narrow/ Most seats are on the side but the best seats are front center unless you get seats on the side which are close to the action and low row. We did see the two best Phakespeare Plays there; Antony andCleopatra and King James

King John is one of Shakespeare's problem plays. In the hands of the festival company this is an engaging, accessible performance. The performances are exceptional. The politics of the plot are complex - the performers make the meaning clear and understandable. Stunning!

Chairs were so close together it made you feel almost claustrophbic. Play mother courage was average. Not our kind of play.