Caryl Churchill Theatre

The Drama Department at Royal Holloway University of London is housed in Sutherland House, which is a Grade II-listed Regency house set in a wooded garden.

The project consists of a new building, linked to Sutherland House, together with improvements within the existing building.

The new building provides a studio theatre, workshops, dressing rooms, rehearsal studios and a passenger lift, providing wheelchair access to all areas.

A new glazed foyer links the new building to Sutherland House, allowing the large extension to be expressed as a separate satellite to the existing listed house.

The studio theatre is a galleried performance space, with a capacity of 178 seats, suitable for both teaching and performance. The flat floor can be reconfigured with retractable and moveable seating on three sides of the acting area or can be withdrawn to provide a large floor area for teaching and workshops.

The first gallery level provides audience seating, surrounding the acting area, and the upper gallery is a technical level, incorporating stage lighting positions and a technical control room.

At the rear of the site there are two storeys of accommodation, linked to the theatre, with a large workshop and dressing rooms on the ground floor and two large rehearsal studios on the first floor.