The Stratford Festival will offer a first look inside its new Tom Patterson Theatre with a four-part documentary series premièring Thursday, June 10, at 7 p.m. ET at a live viewing party on its YouTube channel. 

This series of digital tours and interviews reveals the exceptional architecture, the inspiration behind it and the technology that will make it one of the most remarkable theatres in the world. 

The $70-million building was designed by Siamak Hariri, of Toronto-based Hariri Pontarini Architects, who was selected for the project after an international search. The result, says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino, is “a work of art, not a conventional building.”

Prior to the pandemic, the Tom Patterson Theatre was scheduled to open officially at a ceremony on June 11, 2020, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tom Patterson, the founder of the Stratford Festival. Instead, the viewing party will mark the hometown hero’s 101st birthday.

VIEWING PARTY DETAILS

 EVENT: Discover the New Tom Patterson Theatre

DATE: Thursday, June 10

TIME: 7 p.m. ET 

*The viewing party will remain available for 36 hours. The documentaries will be accessible on the Stratford’s Festival’s YouTube channel and its subscription service Stratfest@Home following the première. 

LOCATION: www.youtube.com

DOCUMENTARIES:

Inside the Jewel: Discover the Experience that Awaits You

Take a guided tour of what you’ll experience when you see a show at the Stratford Festival’s new Tom Patterson Theatre.

A Space of Significance: Architecture that Stirs the Heart

The experts and visionaries behind the Tom Patterson Theatre discuss designing for the human experience, architectural influences, building components and much more.

Beyond Beautiful: The Inspired Design of a Riverside Gem

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino and architect Siamak Hariri discuss the impulses and inspirations behind the new Tom Patterson Theatre, and walk us through the exciting journey from idea to completion.

Machinery of Magic: The Technology that Supports the Art

Technical Director Greg Dougherty pulls back the curtain on some of the state-of-the-art technology that makes the magic happen behind the scenes at the new Tom Patterson Theatre.

Photo: Tom Patterson Theatre. © 2021 Ann Baggely.