We are leading the feasibility studies for a sensitive redevelopment of Corpus Playroom for Corpus Christi College at the University of Cambridge.
The brief sought a reconfiguration of the existing building to remove physical barriers, improve backstage and dressing room provision and create a more welcoming public entrance that better serves performers and audiences.
Our upgrades to improve accessibility and adaptability at Corpus Playroom will allow the space to continue its legacy as a home for new writing, experimental performance and student-led creativity.
Our approach to Corpus Playroom has been careful to retain its intimate character and spatial identity, much-loved by students and audiences for almost 50 years.
From St Edward’s Passage, a new step-free entrance creates an improved arrival experience leading to an expanded foyer with more legible and generous circulation spaces. A bar and dwell space is positioned facing the street to increase visibility whilst vastly improving the existing offer.
The auditorium layout is re-worked to increase wheelchair capacity through a flipped internal arrangement which preserves scale and atmosphere.
Backstage provision is significantly improved with an accessible dressing room, green room and warm-up space at stage level, alongside new basement dressing rooms, WCs and showers. Basement access is upgraded through a rebuilt stair, improving usability and safety.
Operational flexibility is strengthened through stage door and get-in options to both front and rear, ensuring efficient multi-production turnover without compromising the building’s character.
The upgraded Playroom will retain its intimate character while being flexible enough to support efficient multi-show programming and expand its usability for student and external companies year-round.
A more visible, accessible and welcoming theatre will be able to support a wider range of performers, audiences and productions and secure its long-term viability.
