“The curtain has come down for the last time on the vast space at the heart of the RST – perched right on the banks of the River Avon and just a few hundred yards from the grave of the bard himself – as it prepares for a £100m rebuilding programme. While the theatre world generally acknowledges that the 1930s Art Deco building needs updating, there will be many a nostalgic tear shed at what is the end of an era.”