Tom Patterson Theatre

Stratford, Ontario

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Tom Patterson Theatre

A Theatre on the River

The new Tom Patterson Theatre is named for the founder of the Stratford Festival and sits on the site of the former dance hall-turned-theatre, which had been a Festival venue since the 1970s. Hariri Pontarini Architects, in creating the new building, strove to maintain some of the intimacy of the old space while elevating it to embody the Stratford Festival’s world-class theatre experience. Situated along the Avon River, the building's curtain-like glass and bronze exterior mimics the river’s shape. Stunning gardens surround the theatre, interwoven with walking paths that encourage visitors to immerse themselves in colour and fragrance.
  • Client

    Stratford Festival

  • Location

    Stratford, Ontario

  • Sector

    Cultural

  • Discipline

    Wayfinding, Donor Recognition

  • Architect

    Hariri Pontarini Architects

  • Photography

    Scott Norsworthy (Exterior) and Karl Hipolito (Interior)

  • Tom Patterson Theatre marquee with building name in bronze.
  • Tom Patterson Theatre exterior with curving glass wall, greenery, and bronze walkway idenfication signage
  • Tom Patterson Theatre exterior with curving glass wall, flowering gardens, and free-standing entrance sign
Tom Patterson Theatre interior with bronze dimensional
Tom Patterson Theatre sign on back of building mounted on pegs to allow vines to grow.
Drama is in the Details
Our aim was to create a theatre venue where visitors feel that every bit is well designed and carefully crafted. All of the little details are elegant and unique: the placement and size of signs; the material choice (mostly bronze to suit the building’s other elements); and the signage design, which features dimensional lettering that is deeper than usual and a recessed front panel on the main entrance sign.

At the back of the building, long pegs that fasten the letters to the wall to create a dimensional effect and allow vines to grow up behind the sign.

Showcasing Support

The prominence of the donor wall reflects the importance of donor contributions in making this new theatre a reality. Names are aligned along the outer drum of the theatre hall, located at the main entrance for everyone to see. To address the fabrication and wall-mounting challenges posed by the curvature of the surface, we set each name on a pre-curved railing; this solution reduces the drill points dramatically. Varying name sizes and hues correspond to different levels of contribution.

  • Tom Patterson Theatre interior curved donor wall with dimensional letters in bronze, gold and silver colors
  • detail of donor wall names
  • Tom Pattterson Theatre welcome desk and box office with bronze dimensional letters
  • Tom Patterson Theatre door to exterior with
  • Named space with bronze dimensional letters.
  • Curved wall, with Tom Patterson bust in the centre. Theatre names and numbers in bronze dimensional letters, symmetrically arranged on each side of the bust.
Everything about the space was designed to prepare theatre-goers for the performance – to elevate their expectations and heighten their senses. We worked intensively with the architects, client and fabricators to achieve this elevated look and feel. The signage is understated yet highly empathetic to the place.
Members lounge identification signage in bronze dimensional letters adjacent to a Corporate Sponsors plaque.
Bust of Tom Patterson with bronze dimensional identififcation lettering.

From donor recognition plaques, row signage, wayfinding and building identification, we planned the program carefully to avoid clutter and allow visitors to focus on the experience.

Find out more about the Stratford Festival and the Tom Patterson Theatre in Dezeen.

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