In summer 2006, the 1050-seat Courtyard Theatre was opened in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. This new temporary facility serves as the main stage of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford while refurbishment work is taking place on the nearby Royal Shakespeare Theatre, built in the 1930s. In 2011 the Courtyard Theatre will be dismantled. Despite its 14-metre height, the simple cube blends well with the small-scale development around, the Corten steel on its outer walls harmonising with the red of the surrounding brick buildings without forfeiting any of its industrial charm.