The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, Stratford-upon-Avon, and on tour across the UK and internationally. The company's home is in Stratford-upon-Avon, where it has redeveloped its Royal Shakespeare and Swan theatres as part of a £112.8-million "Transformation" project. The theatres re-opened in November 2010, having closed in 2007. The new buildings attracted 18,000 visitors within the first week and received a positive media response both upon opening, and following the first full Shakespeare performances. Performances in Stratford-upon-Avon continued throughout the Transformation project at the temporary Courtyard Theatre. As well as the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, the RSC produces new work from living artists and develops creative links with theatre-makers from around the world, as well as working with teachers to inspire a lifelong love of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

in young people and running events for everyone to explore and participate in its work. The RSC celebrated its fiftieth birthday season from April–December 2011, with two companies of actors presenting the first productions designed specifically for the new Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatre stages. The 2011-season began with performances of '' Macbeth'' and a re-imagined lost play ''

The History of Cardenio ''The History of Cardenio'', often referred to as simply ''Cardenio'', is a lost play, known to have been performed by the King's Men, a London theatre company, in 1613. The play is attributed to William Shakespeare and John Fletcher in a Stat ...

''. The fiftieth birthday season also featured ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' with Sir Patrick Stewart and revivals of some of the RSC's greatest plays, including a new staging of ''

Marat/Sade ''The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade'' (german: Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgrupp ...

''. For the

London 2012 Festival The 2012 Cultural Olympiad was a programme of cultural events across the United Kingdom that accompanied the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics. The Olympic Charter, the set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olym ...

as part of the

Cultural Olympiad An olympiad ( el, Ὀλυμπιάς, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the ancient and modern Olympic Games. Although the ancient Olympics were established during Greece's Archaic Era, it was not until ...

, the RSC produced the ''World Shakespeare Festival'', featuring artists from across the world performing in venues around the UK. In 2013, the company began live screenings of its Shakespeare productions – called Live from Stratford-upon-Avon – which are screened around the world. In 2016, the company collaborated with

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 ser ...

and

The Imaginarium Studios The Imaginarium, also known as Imaginarium Productions, is a production company linked to a digital performance-capture studio based in London, founded by actor-director Andy Serkis and film producer Jonathan Cavendish in 2011. The studio is ded ...

to stage '' The Tempest'', bringing performance capture to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for the first time.

Company history

The early years

There have been theatrical performances in Stratford-upon-Avon since at least Shakespeare's day, though the first recorded performance of a play written by Shakespeare himself was in 1746 when Parson Joseph Greene, master of Stratford Grammar School, organised a charitable production to fund the restoration of

Shakespeare's funerary monument The Shakespeare funerary monument is a memorial to William Shakespeare located inside Holy Trinity Church at Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, the church in which Shakespeare was baptised and where he was buried in the chancel two days afte ...

. John Ward's

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

-based company, the Warwickshire Company of Comedians, agreed to perform it. A surviving copy of the playbill records that the company performed '' Othello''.Stanley Wells. Shakespeare for all Time. London, Macmillan, 2002, p. 220. The first building erected to commemorate Shakespeare was David Garrick's Jubilee Pavilion in 1769, and there have been at least 17 buildings used to perform Shakespeare's plays since. The first permanent commemorative building to Shakespeare's works in the town was a theatre built in 1827, in the gardens of New Place, but has long since been demolished. The RSC's history began with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, which was the brainchild of a local brewer, Charles Edward Flower. He donated a site by the River Avon and in 1875 launched an international campaign to build a theatre in the town of Shakespeare's birth. The theatre, a Victorian-Gothic building seating just over 700 people, opened on 23 April 1879, with a performance of '' Much Ado About Nothing'', a title which gave ammunition to several critics. The Memorial, a red brick Gothic cathedral, designed by ''Dodgshun and Unsworth'' of

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

, was unkindly described by Bernard Shaw as "an admirable building, adaptable to every purpose except that of a theatre." From 1919, under the direction of

William Bridges-Adams William Bridges-Adams (1 March 1889 – 17 August 1965) was an English theatre director and designer, associated closely with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 1919 until 1934. Life and career Early years William Brid ...

and after a slow start, its resident New Shakespeare Company became one of the most prestigious in Britain. The theatre received a

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, b ...

of Incorporation in 1925, which gave it status. On the afternoon of 6 March 1926, when a new season was about to commence rehearsals, smoke was seen. Fire broke out, and the mass of half-timbering chosen to ornament the interior provided dry tinder. By the following morning the theatre was a blackened shell. The company transferred its Shakespeare festivals to a converted local cinema. Fund-raising began for the rebuilding of the theatre, with generous donations arriving from philanthropists in America. In January 1928, following an open competition, 29-year-old

Elisabeth Scott Elisabeth Whitworth Scott (20 September 1898 – 19 June 1972) was a British architect who designed the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon, England. This was the first important public building in Britain to be designed by a f ...

was unanimously appointed architect for the new theatre which became the first important work erected in the United Kingdom from the designs of a female architect. George Bernard Shaw commented that her design was the only one that showed any theatre sense. Her modernist plans for an

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

structure came under fire from many directions but the new building was opened triumphantly on

's birthday, 23 April 1932. Later it came under the direction of Sir Barry Jackson in 1945,''State of the Nation: British Theatre Since 1945'' by Michael Billington, Faber (2007) Anthony Quayle from 1948 to 1956 and Glen Byam Shaw 1957–1959, with an impressive roll-call of actors. Scott's building, with some minor adjustments to the stage, remained in constant use until 2007 when it was closed for a major refit of the interior. Timeline: 1932 – New Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opens, abutting the remains of the old. 1961 – Chartered name of the corporation and the Stratford theatre becomes ‘Royal Shakespeare.’ 1974 – The Other Place opened, created from a prefabricated former store/rehearsal room in Stratford. 1986 – The Swan Theatre opened, created from the shell of the 1879 Memorial Theatre. 1991 – Purpose-built new Other Place, designed by Michael Reardon, opens. September 2004 – The vision for the renewal of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre transformation is announced. July 2006 – The Courtyard Theatre opens with a staging of Michael Boyd's Histories. November 2010 – The Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres re-open following their transformation. March 2016 – The Other Place was reinstated as a 200-seat studio theatre.

The RSC

Foundation and history

In 1959, while still the director-designate of the Memorial Theatre, Peter Hall announced that the formation of a permanent company would be a primary objective.

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wrote of Hall's belief that Shakespeare, more than any other dramatist, needed a 'style', a tradition and unity of direction and acting. On 14 January 1960, Hall's first policy statement as director also proposed the acquisition of a second theatre, in London, to be used as a city outlet for selected Stratford productions. The RSC was formally established on 20 March 1961 with the royal announcement that the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre would henceforth be known as the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the company as the Royal Shakespeare Company. The critic Michael Billington, summarising these events, wrote: "In 1960 the twenty-nine-year-old Peter Hall formally took charge at Stratford-upon-Avon and set about turning a star-laden, six-month Shakespeare festival into a monumental, year-round operation built around a permanent company, a London base and contemporary work from home and abroad. Looking back, it is difficult to realise just how radical Hall's dream was at the time; or indeed how much opposition there was to the creation of what became officially known in March 1961 as the Royal Shakespeare Company." John Barton had been appointed associate director in January 1960, and was followed in 1962 by Michel Saint-Denis, Peter Brook and Clifford Williams who joined the company as resident directors. John Bury was appointed head of design in 1964. The repertoire was also widened to take in modern work and classics other than Shakespeare. In 1962, strong opposition to the establishment of a London base for the RSC came from the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

which – led by

Viscount Chandos Viscount Chandos, of Aldershot in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and held by a branch of the Lyttelton family. It was created in 1954 for the businessman and public servant Oliver Lyttelton. He was th ...

and

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

– wished to be the sole subsidised company operating in London. Following a deal with Prince Littler, managing director of Associated Theatre Properties, the RSC established the Aldwych Theatre as its London base for productions transferred from Stratford to London, its stage redesigned to match the RST's apron stage. Twenty years later, in the summer of 1982, the company took up London residence in both the Barbican Theatre and The Pit studio space in the Barbican Centre under the auspices of the City of London. The RSC was closely involved in the design of these two venues. In 2002 it left the Barbican after a series of allegedly poor seasons, partly because the then artistic director

Adrian Noble Adrian Keith Noble (born 19 July 1950) is a theatre director, and was also the artistic director and chief executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1990 to 2003. Education and career Noble was born in Chichester, Sussex, England. After le ...

wanted to develop the company's touring performances. His decision means the company has no regular London home.

Innovation and growth

The RSC had first tackled its need for a small auditorium in 1971. At the insistence of Sir Trevor Nunn (who had taken over as artistic director in 1968), the company hired The Place off the Euston Road in London and constructed its own theatre space for an audience of 330, seated on raked wooden benches. Two seasons of plays were staged in 1972 and 1973, none suitable for the Aldwych. In December 1973

Buzz Goodbody Mary Ann "Buzz" Goodbody (25 June 1946 – 12 April 1975)Jennifer Uglow, et al. ''The Macmillan Dictionary of Women's Biography'', London: Macmillan Papermac, 1999, p.232. As the press/opening night of Buzz Goodbody's production of ''Hamlet'' was ...

, the company's first female director, drew up a plan for what would become The Other Place studio theatre in Stratford, designed by Michael Reardon to seat 140 people, which opened to a first and highly successful season in 1974. The name chosen for the new studio space was favoured within the company because it implied an alternative theatre, but also because it is a quotation from ''Hamlet''. In August 1976, Nunn staged '' Macbeth'' with a minimalist set at The Other Place, playing for 2 hours 15 minutes without an interval. The small, nearly round stage focused attention on the psychological dynamics of the characters. Both Ian McKellen in the title role and

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

as Lady Macbeth received exceptionally favourable reviews. The production transferred to London, opening at the Donmar Warehouse in September 1977 before its further transfer to the larger Young Vic venue for a two-month season. It was also recorded for transmission by Thames Television. In 2004, members of the RSC voted Dench's performance the greatest by an actress in the history of the company. Summing up this triumphant period,

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

critic Michael Billington later wrote: "

n 1977 N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

the RSC struck gold. This was, in fact, the perihelion of Trevor Nunn's ten-year reign as the company's sole Artistic Director and Chief Executive (in 1978 he began to share power with Terry Hands). In London, the company opened a new studio space at the Donmar Warehouse with plays by Barker, Taylor, Bond and Brecht. Its Aldwych repertory combined the usual Stratford transfers with Nichol's '' Privates on Parade'', Ibsen's ''Pillars of the Community'' and Brecht's ''

The Days of the Commune ''The Days of the Commune'' is a play by the twentieth-century German dramatist Bertolt Brecht. It dramatises the rise and fall of the Paris Commune in 1871. The play is an adaptation of the 1937 play ''The Defeat'' by the Norwegian poet and drama ...

''. At the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Terry Hands and actor Alan Howard had a marathon year working on ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

'', a virtually uncut, '' Henry VI, part 1'', '' Henry VI, part 2'' and '' Henry VI, part 3'' and '' Coriolanus''. And the action at The Other Place included Jonson, Ford, Musset, Gems and Rudkin. No other company in the world could match that output for quantity and quality". Nunn and Hands were joint artistic directors of the RSC when the company opened The Swan, its third theatre in Stratford. The Swan Theatre, also designed by Michael Reardon, has a deep thrust stage and a galleried, intimate 450-capacity auditorium. The space was to be dedicated to playing the works of Shakespeare's contemporaries, the works of European writers and the occasional work of Shakespeare. The theatre was launched on 8 May 1986 with a production of ''

The Two Noble Kinsmen ''The Two Noble Kinsmen'' is a Jacobean tragicomedy, first published in 1634 and attributed jointly to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare. Its plot derives from " The Knight's Tale" in Geoffrey Chaucer's '' The Canterbury Tales'', which ...

'' by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher (not published until 1634 and thought to be Shakespeare's last work for the stage). It was directed by Barry Kyle.

Costumes and props

The RSC's costume department is 'the largest in-house costume-making workshop in British theatre' and 'world-renowned'. In 2021, the RSC raised over £8 million for a project to update the costume and prop department. Alistair McArthur, head of costume, called the old working space "Dickensian" and added, “If we knew there was rain coming we’d have to clear everything off the table the night before.” The prop-makers design and make many of their own props for the many productions. A 'Prop Shop' in Stratford-upon-Avon is the studio in which most of the props are made.

Troubled times

Nunn (who had been appointed to follow Hall's tenure at the National Theatre in 1968) ceded his RSC executive directorship in 1986 to his co-artistic director

Terry Hands Terence David Hands (9 January 1941 – 4 February 2020) was an English theatre director. He founded the Liverpool Everyman Theatre and ran the Royal Shakespeare Company for thirteen years during one of the company's most successful periods; h ...

, who bore the brunt of media hostility during a difficult few years for the company. Hands took the decision to suspend the RSC's residency at The Barbican Theatre and The Pit during the winter season of 1990–91, thus vacating the capital for the first time in 30 years. This was seen as essential if the RSC was to secure an increase in subsidy from the Arts Council. Shortly after that decision

returned to the RSC to take over from Hands as artistic director and chief executive. The company had serious funding problems. Noble's decision to sever all RSC connections with the Barbican Centre, funded by the Corporation of the City of London, was widely condemned, and towards the end of his tenure things began to go terribly wrong, partly through his pursuit and support of the so-called

Project Fleet A project is any undertaking, carried out individually or collaboratively and possibly involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular goal. An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of even ...

, a radical scheme aimed at rescuing the RSC from its financial crisis by replacing the Royal Shakespeare Theatre with a crowd-pleasing 'Shakespeare Village' and streamlining the company's performance structure and ensemble principle.

A 21st-century renaissance

None of Noble's plans came to fruition. He left the job, an unhappy man, in March 2003. Michael Boyd then assumed control of the RSC, now burdened with a deficit of £2.8 million. By a combination of artistic excellence and quiet husbandry, including a year-long Complete Works of Shakespeare Festival (begun in April 2006 in collaboration with other theatre companies) plus a financially successful London season at the Novello Theatre in 2006, Boyd slowly rebuilt the company's fortunes and reputation In 2007 he launched the long-awaited Stratford theatre redevelopments, including construction of the temporary Courtyard Theatre while work was in progress, designed to house his RSC Histories cycle before its transfer to the Roundhouse in London in 2008. Talking of these achievements with typical modesty he told the ''Evening Standard'' in December 2007 ('The Man Who Remade the RSC'): "There was a bit of gardening to do, but we are now beginning to show signs of walking the walk." 'The Histories' ensemble went on to win three Olivier awards in 2009. In addition, that same year the RSC commissioned a completely new edition of Shakespeare's First Folio, titled "

Complete Works" and published by

Modern Library The Modern Library is an American book publishing imprint and formerly the parent company of Random House. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, Modern Library became an ...

. To provide balance, Simon Trowbridge in ''A Royal Shakespeare Company Book'', published in 2017, is highly critical of aspects of the Boyd years, including his decision to redevelop the Royal Shakespeare Theatre as a second Swan Theatre. The RSC is the sole British member theatre of the

Union of the Theatres of Europe The Union of European Theatres (UTE; french: Union des Théâtres de l'Europe) is an alliance of European public theatres. It serves to promote European integration through cultural interaction. It does intensive transnational theatre work compr ...

. In March 2008, the RSC launched a manifesto 'Stand up for Shakespeare', a campaign to promote a positive experience of Shakespeare for children and young people. The tenets of this manifesto, ''Do It on Your Feet, See It Live, Start It Earlier'' form the basis of the work of the Education department. In 2010, the RSC opened a new suite of education spaces on Waterside. In 2011, BP began to subsidised the RSC's £5 ticket scheme for 16 to 25-year-olds. In summer 2011 the company undertook a residency in Park Avenue Armory, New York, running a series of performances and an accompanying education programme in partnership with the

NYC Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...

. In 2012, the RSC produced the World Shakespeare Festival, a celebration of 'Shakespeare as the world's playwright' working with UK and international arts organisations, and including the

Globe to Globe Festival The Globe to Globe Festival ran at Shakespeare's Globe from 23 April to 9 June 2012 as part of the World Shakespeare Festival, itself part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad The 2012 Cultural Olympiad was a programme of cultural events across the Unite ...

by Shakespeare's Globe. The same year, planning permission was granted by Stratford District Council to reinstate The Other Place. Funding for the new theatre came from a £3 million grant from the Arts Council England, raised through the National Lottery. Funding was also received from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, The Backstage Trust, and from public donations; this is the final phase of the Transformation project. Live from Stratford-upon-Avon, a new project to broadcast the company's productions in cinemas around the world and stream them into schools was announced in May 2013. The project began with Shakespeare's ''Richard II'', starring David Tennant, in November 2013, and followed up with ''Henry IV'' parts 1 and 2 and ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' in 2014. In February 2016, Artistic Director Gregory Doran's productions of ''Henry IV Part I'' and ''Henry IV Part II'', and ''Henry V'' went on tour in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong as part of the King & Country Tour. The same year, the Royal Shakespeare Company also opened their first permanent exhibition, entitled The Play's The Thing. On 23 April 2016, the RSC performed a one night extravaganza, called ‘Shakespeare Live!’. Broadcast on BBC Two from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, it marked the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's Death. It involved a collection of Shakespeare scenes and monologues with appearances from David Tennant, Catherine Tate,

Dame Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

, Benedict Cumberbatch and even one from Prince Charles. In June 2019, the actor

Mark Rylance Sir David Mark Rylance Waters (born 18 January 1960) is a British actor, playwright and theatre director. He is known for his roles on stage and screen having received numerous awards including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Laurence ...

resigned from the RSC over its sponsorship deal with oil company BP. In October 2019, the RSC announced that it would be ending its partnership with BP at the end of year following criticism of its association with the oil company. A week before, school students threatened to boycott the theatre company if it did not sever links with the firm. A spokesperson for the RSC explained that "Young people are now saying clearly to us that the BP sponsorship is putting a barrier between them and their wish to engage with the RSC". In February 2021, the RSC announced five new members to its board of trustees: Andrew Miller, Amanda Parker, Winsome Pinnock,

Justine Themen Justine Themen is a theatre director who has lived and worked in Coventry since 2003. She is currently deputy artistic director of the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, as well as being a co-artistic director of the Belgrade's 2021 City of Culture pr ...

and

Ayanna Thompson Ayanna Thompson is Regents Professor of English at Arizona State University and Director of the Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies (ACMRS). She was the 2018–19 president of the Shakespeare Association of America. She specializes ...

. It was announced that Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey will become joint Artistic Directors from June 2023.

Artistic directors

* Peter Hall (1960–1968) * Trevor Nunn (1968–1978) * Trevor Nunn and

(1978–1986) *

(1986–1991) *

(1991–2003) * Michael Boyd (2003–2012) * Gregory Doran (2012–2022) * Erica Whyman (2021–2023) (Acting Artistic Director) * Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey (2023– )

Theatres

The RSC has three permanent theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon: * The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, a 1,060-seat theatre with thrust stage (re-opened 24 November 2010 after Transformation project) * The

Swan Theatre The Swan was a theatre in Southwark, London, England, built in 1595 on top of a previously standing structure, during the first half of William Shakespeare's career. It was the fifth in the series of large public playhouses of London, af ...

, a smaller thrust stage, capacity 461 * The Other Place, a studio theatre, rehearsal room and development space that opened in April 2016 The Courtyard Theatre was built as a temporary replacement for The Other Place theatre to house the Company's work when the RST and Swan were closed for the Transformation project. It provided a full-scale working prototype for the new RST's auditorium, seating 1,045 people around a thrust stage. It was also used in 2012 for productions in the

World Shakespeare Festival The World Shakespeare Festival was a programme of events about William Shakespeare and his work. They took place mostly in London and Stratford-upon-Avon as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad which accompanied the Olympic Games. It was produced ...

including ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in an Indian setting. The Courtyard Theatre was replaced by The Other Place, which was reinstated as a 200-seat studio theatre in 2016. In July 2021, a temporary 500-seat outdoor theatre was built in the Swan Gardens named the Lydia & Manfred Gorvy Garden Theatre. The theatre was built due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

to allow productions to return following the Government guidance, beginning with Phillip Breen's production of ''The Comedy of Errors'' running during summer 2021. The company's London presence has included tenancies of the Aldwych Theatre, The Place in Duke's Road, Euston, the Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden, the Barbican Theatre and The Pit at the Barbican Centre in the City of London. There have also been seasons at The

Mermaid Theatre The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre encompassing the site of Puddle Dock and Curriers' Alley at Blackfriars in the City of London, and the first built in the City since the time of Shakespeare. It was, importantly, also one of the first new th ...

, the Almeida Theatre (1988 and 1989), the Roundhouse in Camden, the Young Vic, the Playhouse Theatre, the Novello Theatre and the Gielgud Theatre. The Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne is the third home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, alongside Stratford-upon-Avon and London.

Key productions

* '' Coriolanus'', directed by Peter Hall and starring

as Coriolanus,

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...

as Valeria,

Robert Hardy Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...

as Sicinius Velutus, Edith Evans as Volumnia, and Albert Finney and

Mary Ure Eileen Mary Ure (18 February 1933 – 3 April 1975) was a British stage and film actress. She was the second Scottish-born actress (after Deborah Kerr) to be nominated for an Academy Award, for her role in the 1960 film ''Sons and Lovers''. Ear ...

as Roman citizens. (1959) * ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

'', directed by Peter Brook and starring Paul Scofield as Lear, Irene Worth as Goneril, Patience Collier as

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...

, Diana Rigg as Cordelia,

Peter Jeffrey Peter Jeffrey (18 April 1929 – 25 December 1999) was an English character actor. Starting his performing career on stage, he would later have many roles in television and film. Early life Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence ...

as the Duke of Albany, Tony Church as the Duke of Cornwall, Alan Webb as the Earl of Gloucester, Tom Fleming as the Earl of Kent, Brian Murray as

Edgar Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and '' gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, r ...

, James Booth as

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings an ...

, Clive Swift as Oswald, and

Alec McCowen Alexander Duncan McCowen, (26 May 1925 – 6 February 2017) was an English actor. He was known for his work in numerous film and stage productions. Early life McCowen was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, the son of Mary (née Walkden), a dance ...

as the Fool. (1962) * '' Measure for Measure'' directed by John Blatchley and starring Marius Goring as

Angelo Angelo is an Italian masculine given name and surname meaning "angel", or "messenger". People People with the given name *Angelo Accattino (born 1966), Italian prelate of the Catholic Church * Angelo Acciaioli (bishop) (1298–1357), Italian Ro ...

as Isabella, Tom Fleming as Vincentio, Ian Richardson as Lucio,

as Escalus, Clive Swift as Pompey and

Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020) was an English actor who was knighted in 1998 for his contributions to theatre and film. Beginning his career on the British stage as a standout member of the Royal Shakespeare Compan ...

as Claudio. (1962) * ''The

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the throne of England, English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These w ...

'', adaptation of the '' Henry VI'' and '' Richard III'' plays, directed by Sir Peter Hall and starring

as Richard III, David Warner as Henry VI, Peggy Ashcroft as Margaret of Anjou, Donald Sinden as the Duke of York,

Paul Hardwick Paul Hardwick (15 November 1918 in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire – 22 October 1983, London) was an English actor. Career Theatre *''The Wars of the Roses'' (1965) – Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county ...

as the Duke of Gloucester, Janet Suzman as

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

Brewster Mason Brewster Mason (30 August 192214 August 1987) was an English stage actor who also appeared in films and on television. He was born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire and made his stage debut at the Finsbury Park Open Air Theatre in 1947. He then appear ...

as the Earl of Warwick, Roy Dotrice as

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...

. (1963) * ''

'' by Peter Weiss, directed by Peter Brook and starring Ian Richardson as the herald,

Clive Revill Clive Revill is a New Zealand actor, best known for his performances in musical theatre and the London stage. A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has also starred in numerous films and television programmes, often in character parts. ...

as Marat, Patrick Magee as de Sade and Glenda Jackson as

Charlotte Corday Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armont (27 July 1768 – 17 July 1793), known as Charlotte Corday (), was a figure of the French Revolution. In 1793, she was executed by guillotine for the assassination of Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat, who ...

. (1964) * '' The Homecoming'' by Harold Pinter, world premiere directed by Peter Hall (June 1965) * '' Staircase'' with Paul Scofield and Patrick Magee (1966) * ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' directed by Peter Hall with David Warner in the title-role (1965) * ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

'', directed by Peter Brook (1970) * '' Old Times'' by Harold Pinter directed by Peter Hall (1971) * ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

'' directed by Trevor Nunn (1973) * '' Antony and Cleopatra'' directed by Trevor Nunn starring Janet Suzman (1973) * '' Richard II'', directed by John Barton, starring Ian Richardson and Richard Pasco, alternating the roles of Richard and Bolingbroke (1973–74) * '' Travesties'' by Tom Stoppard, starring John Wood, world premiere directed by Peter Wood (June 1974) * ''The Marrying of Ann Leete'' by Harley Granville Barker, starring Mia Farrow, directed by David Jones (September 1975) * ''

'', starring Ben Kingsley, directed by

(1976) * '' Romeo and Juliet'', starring Ian McKellen and Francesca Annis, directed by Trevor Nunn (March 1976) * '' Much Ado About Nothing'', starring Judi Dench and Donald Sinden, directed by John Barton (April 1976) * ''

The Iceman Cometh ''The Iceman Cometh'' is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939. First published in 1946, the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 9, 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling, where it ran for 136 perf ...

'' by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earli ...

, with Alan Tllvern taking over the role of Hickey from the "indisposed"

, directed by Howard Davies (May 1976) * ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. It ...

'', a musical by Trevor Nunn and Guy Woolfenden (September 1976) * '' Wild Oats'' by John O'Keeffe, starring

Alan Howard Alan Howard may refer to: * Alan Howard (actor) (1937–2015), English actor * Alan Howard (cricketer) (1909–1993), English cricketer * Alan Howard (engineer) (1905–1966), American engineer * Alan Howard (hedge fund manager) (born 1963), hedge ...

and Jeremy Irons, directed by Clifford Williams (December 1976) * '' Macbeth'', directed by Trevor Nunn starring

and Ian McKellen (1976–77) * '' Privates on Parade'' by Peter Nichols, world premiere directed by

Michael Blakemore Michael Howell Blakemore OBE, AO (born 18 June 1928) is an Australian actor, writer and theatre director who has also made a handful of films. A former Associate Director of the National Theatre, in 2000 he became the only individual to win ...

(February 1977) * ''Destiny'' by David Edgar, world premiere directed by Ron Daniels (May 1977) * '' Twelfth Night'' directed by Jon Amiel with Ian McKellen,

Bob Peck Robert Peck (23 August 1945 – 4 April 1999) was an English actor who played Ronald Craven in the television serial ''Edge of Darkness'', for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He was also known for his role as game warden Robe ...

, Edward Petherbridge and Roger Rees (1978) * ''The Greeks'' directed and adapted from

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Gree ...

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars ...

and

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...

by John Barton (1980) * '' The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' adapted for the stage by David Edgar with music by opera composer Stephen Oliver, world premiere directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird (1980), winner of a Drama Desk Special Award in 1982 * ''

'' directed by

starring Michael Gambon and

Antony Sher Sir Antony Sher (14 June 1949 – 2 December 2021) was a British actor, writer and theatre director of South African origin. A two-time Laurence Olivier Award winner and a four-time nominee, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 a ...

(1992) * '' Much Ado About Nothing'' directed by

starring

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as '' Hamlet'', '' Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', '' Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ' ...

and Sinéad Cusack * '' Richard III'', directed by Bill Alexander starring Sir

(1984) * ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' by Claude-Michel Schoenberg and Alain Boublil directed by Trevor Nunn (1985–2019) * '' Les liaisons dangereuses'' by Christopher Hampton starring

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakesp ...

, Lindsay Duncan, and Juliet Stevenson, world premiere directed by Howard Davies (1985) * '' Macbeth'' directed by

starring Jonathan Pryce (1986) * '' Titus Andronicus'' directed by

Deborah Warner Deborah Warner (born 12 May 1959) is a British director of theatre and opera, known for her interpretations of the works of Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht, Benjamin Britten and Henrik Ibsen. Early life Warner was born in Oxfordshire, England, to ...

starring Brian Cox (1988) * ''The Plantagenets'' adaptation of '' Henry VI, part 1'', '' part 2'' and '' part 3'' and '' Richard III'', directed by

, starring Anton Lesser as Richard III, Ralph Fiennes as Henry VI and

David Waller David Waller (27 November 1920 – 23 January 1997) was an English actor best known for his role as Inspector Jowett in the British television series ''Cribb''. He also appeared as Stanley Baldwin in ITV's ''Edward & Mrs Simpson'' (1978), and in ...

as Duke of Gloucester (1988) * '' Othello'' directed by Trevor Nunn with Willard White as Othello and Ian McKellen as Iago (1989) * ''

The Master Builder ''The Master Builder'' ( no, Bygmester Solness) is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's more significant and revealing works. Performance The play was published ...

'' directed by

starring John Wood (1989) * '' The Winter's Tale'' directed by

(1992) * ''

'' directed by

starring Kenneth Branagh (1992) * ''

'' directed by

starring

Robert Stephens Sir Robert Graham Stephens (14 July 193112 November 1995) was a leading English actor in the early years of Britain's Royal National Theatre. He was one of the most respected actors of his generation and was at one time regarded as the nat ...

and

Simon Russell Beale Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He is known for his appearances in film, television and theatre, and work on radio, on audiobooks and as a narrator. For his services to drama, he was knighted by Queen Elizabe ...

(1993) * '' Coriolanus'' directed by David Thacker starring Toby Stephens (1994) * '' This England: The Histories'', a season of all Shakespeare's sequential history plays (2000) * ''

'' directed by Michael Boyd starring Toby Stephens (2004) * '' The Crucible'' by Arthur Miller directed by Dominic Cooke (2006) * '' Pericles'' directed by Dominic Cooke (2006) * Repertory performances of ''

'' and ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises ...

'' starring Ian McKellen and Frances Barber, directed by Trevor Nunn (2007) * ''The Histories'' in Stratford-upon-Avon and at the Roundhouse (2008) * ''

'' directed by Gregory Doran, with David Tennant as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart as Claudius (2008) * ''

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

'' by Roald Dahl, book by

Dennis Kelly Dennis Kelly is a British scriptwriter for theatre, television and film. His play ''DNA'', first performed in 2007, became a core set-text for GCSE in 2010 and has been studied by approximately 400,000 students each year. He wrote the book ...

, music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, directed by

Matthew Warchus Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015. Personal life Warchus is married to American actress L ...

(2010) * '' Love's Labour's Lost'' directed by Christophe Luscombe, with Edward Bennett and

Michelle Terry Michelle Terry is an Olivier Award–winning English actress and writer, known for her extensive work for Shakespeare's Globe, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, as well as her television work, notably writing and star ...

(2014) * '' Wolf Hall'' based on the two novels by

Hilary Mantel Dame Hilary Mary Mantel ( ; born Thompson; 6 July 1952 – 22 September 2022) was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, '' Every Day Is Mother's Day'', was relea ...

, adapted for the stage by Mike Poulton, directed by

Jeremy Herrin Jeremy Herrin is an English theatre director. He is the artistic director of Headlong Theatre. Career Having trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Herrin was an assistant director under Stephen Daldry at the Ro ...

, produced in London's West End and on Broadway (2015). * '' Oppenheimer'' by Tom Morton-Smith, directed by Angus Jackson and starring John Heffernan as J Robert Oppenheimer. (2015) * '' The Tempest'' directed by Gregory Doran, with

and Mark Quarterly, designed by Stephen Brimson Lewis, in collaboration with

and

. * '' Imperium (play cycle): Conspirator'' and ''Imperium: Dictator'' adapted from Robert Harris' trilogy by Mike Poulton, with Richard McCabe as Marcus Tullius

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

and Peter De Jersey as Gaius

(2017, Stratford Season) (2018, London Transfer). * '' Antony and Cleopatra'' directed by Iqbal Khan, with Josette Simon and Antony Byrne in the title roles (2017). * '' Coriolanus'' directed by Angus Jackson, with Sope Dirisu as Coriolanus (2017). * Angus Jackson also directed ''

'' in 2017. * '' Titus Andronicus'' directed by Blanche McIntyre, with David Troughton in the title role (2017). * Adrian Edmondson starred as Malvolio in Christopher Luscombe's '' Twelfth Night'' (2017). * Gregory Doran directed a puppet-based production of '' Venus and Adonis'' in 2017. * Simon Godwin directed

Paapa Essiedu Paapa Kwaakye Essiedu (; born 11 June 1990) is an English actor. For his performance in the miniseries '' I May Destroy You'' (2020), he received Primetime Emmy and British Academy Television Award nominations. He won the 2016 Ian Charleson Awar ...

in ''

'' in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2016, before it came back for a UK tour and shows in America in 2018. * ''

'', directed by Gregory Doran and with

in the title role, premiered in 2016 and was revived for a short run in 2018. * '' Macbeth'' directed by Polly Findlay, with Christopher Eccleston and Niamh Cusack (2018). * '' Romeo and Juliet'' directed by Erica Whyman, premiered in 2018, with a UK tour scheduled for 2019. * '' The Merry Wives of Windsor'' directed by Fiona Laird (2018). * ''

Troilus and Cressida ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. Me ...

'' directed by Gregory Doran, with music from Evelyn Glennie (2018). * '' Timon of Athens'' directed by Simon Godwin (2018). * '' The Boy in the Dress'' by David Walliams, book by Mark Ravenhill, music and lyrics by

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

and Guy Chambers, directed by Gregory Doran (2019) * Kate DiCamillo's ''

The Magician's Elephant ''The Magician's Elephant'' is the thirteenth book written by American author Kate DiCamillo. It was released on September 8, 2009, and illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. Synopsis Peter Augustus Duchene has many questions, but there is one he wishes ...

'' by Nancy Harris and Marc Teitler (2021) * ''

'' directed by Phillip Breen (2021) * '' Richard III'' directed by Gregory Doran (2022) * Studio Ghibli's ''

My Neighbour Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten. The film—which stars the voice actors Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, and Hitoshi Takagi—tells the story ...

'' adapted by Tom Morton-Smith, directed by

Phelim McDermott Phelim McDermott (born 21 August 1963) is an English actor and stage director. He has directed plays and operas in Britain, Germany, Spain, the United States, and Australia. McDermott was a co-founder of the Improbable theatre in 1996. Career McDe ...

(2022)

Notable actors past and present

References

Sources

* Addenbrooke, David: ''The Royal Shakespeare Company: The Peter Hall Years'', William Kimber (1974) * Beauman, Sally: ''The Royal Shakespeare Company: A History of Ten Decades'', Oxford University Press (1982) * Hall, Peter: ''Making an Exhibition of Myself: The Autobiography of Peter Hall'', Sinclair-Stevenson (1993) * Pringle, Marian: ''The Theatres of Stratford-upon-Avon 1875–1992: An Architectural History'', Stratford upon Avon Society (1994) * Trowbridge, Simon: ''The Company: A Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company'', Oxford: Editions Albert Creed (2010) * Trowbridge, Simon: ''A Royal Shakespeare Company Book'', Oxford: Englance Press (2017) * Theatre Record and its annual Indexes * RSC programme notes (including those for ''Richard II'' at the Courtyard, August 2007)

External links

*
Royal Shakespeare Company at Google Cultural Institute
* {{Authority control 1879 establishments in England Shakespearean theatre companies Theatres companies in Warwickshire Theatre companies in England Theatre companies in London Theatre companies in Newcastle upon Tyne