ACCESS MATTERS Welcome to the September 2015 – January 2016 season and the latest edition of Access Matters.
In the Royal Shakespeare Theatre This Autumn in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre we continue our journey through Shakespeare’s History Plays with Henry V. It has been fascinating to look at Richard II, Henry IV Parts I & II individually as stand-alone plays, and now we will approach Henry V in its own right, but perhaps with a deeper understanding of Prince Hal’s journey so far; from the slums of Eastcheap to the climactic battle at Agincourt. Following Henry V we will revive Wendy & Peter Pan as our Winter family production. It was such a success two years ago, we are delighted to give more people the chance to see it. Ella Hickson and Jonathan Munby were also keen to revisit the production and it is great to welcome them back into the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
In the Swan Theatre In the Swan Theatre we continue to present work by living writers, Shakespeare’s contemporaries or other classic plays. Opposite Henry V, Marina Carr’s version of Euripides’ Hecuba tells the story of the fall of Troy. Together the two plays provide very different perspectives on war, essentially from a male and female point of view.
Photo by Kwame Lestrade
For the recent Roaring Girls season, we looked back at Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the way they created such extraordinary parts for women. Part of the legacy of the season is our new play, Queen Anne by Helen Edmundson. It tells the little known story of the relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough, against a backdrop of power politics and manipulation.
www.rsc.org.uk/access
We wanted to partner this new play with a play from Anne’s lifetime; and I’m delighted we are presenting Congreve’s wonderful Restoration comedy Love for Love. The Swan Theatre really lends itself to the witty, teasing intimacy of plays of that period. I look forward to welcoming you to the theatre soon. Gregory Doran Artistic Director
01789 403436
September 2015 – January 2016 Stratford-upon-Avon
Henry V
William Shakespeare
Royal Shakespeare Theatre 12 September – 25 October 2015 Live in cinemas on 21 October Henry IV is dead and Hal is King. With England in a state of unrest, he must leave his rebellious youth behind, striving to gain the respect of his nobility and people. WI LL IA M
Gregory Doran continues his exploration of Shakespeare’s History Plays with Henry V performed in the 600th anniversary year of the Battle of Agincourt. Following his performance as Hal in Henry IV Parts I & II Alex Hassell returns as Henry V. Audio Described Performances Saturday 10 October, 7.15pm (Touch Tour 5pm) Saturday 24 October, 1.15pm (Touch Tour 11am) Captioned Performance Thursday 8 October, 7.15pm 2
SH AK ES PE AR E
Photo by Kwame Lestrade
Laying claim to parts of France and following an insult from the French Dauphin, Henry gathers his troops and prepares for a war that he hopes will unite his country.
Company Includes: Oliver Ford Davies Alex Hassell Director Gregory Doran Designer Stephen Brimson Lewis Lighting Tim Mitchell Music Paul Englishby Sound Martin Slavin Movement Michael Ashcroft Fights Terry King
Wendy & Peter Pan
By Ella Hickson Adapted from the novel by JM Barrie
Royal Shakespeare Theatre 17 November 2015 – 31 January 2016 Join us this Winter as we return to Neverland with Ella Hickson’s acclaimed re-telling of JM Barrie’s classic children’s story. Jonathan Munby’s spectacular sell-out production wowed audiences when it opened in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 2013 and we are delighted to bring it back for 2015. Wendy, Peter, Tink, Captain Hook and the Lost Boys are waiting to take you on an unforgettable journey... Suitable for ages 7+
A M A G I C A L V ER SION
Audio Described Performance Sunday 10 January, 2pm (Touch Tour 12pm) Saturday 30 January, 1.15pm (Touch Tour 11am) Captioned Performances Wednesday 16 December, 7.15pm Friday 29 January, 7.15pm Semi-Integrated British Sign Language Performance Wednesday 20 January, 7.15pm Relaxed Performance Thursday 28 January, 1.15pm
Photo by Manuel Harlan
OF JM BARRIE'S CLASSIC CHILDREN'S STORY
BY ELL A HICKSON ADAPTED FROM THE NOVEL BY JM BARRIE
Director Jonathan Munby Designer Colin Richmond Lighting Oliver Fenwick Movement Michael Ashcroft Fights Terry King Relaxed Performances These are for people with an Autistic Spectrum Condition, sensory and communication disorders, a learning disability or for anyone who would benefit from a more relaxed environment. Adapted with a relaxed attitude to noise, moving round the auditorium, reduced special effects and house lights kept on low.
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September 2015 – January 2016 Stratford-upon-Avon
Hecuba
Euripides A New Version by Marina Carr
Swan Theatre 17 September – 17 October 2015 Troy has fallen. It’s the end of war and the beginning of something else. Something worse. As the cries die down after the final battle, there are reckonings to be made. Humiliated by her defeat and imprisoned by the charismatic victor Agamemnon, the great queen Hecuba must wash the blood of her buried sons from her hands and lead her daughters forward into a world they no longer recognise.
In a world where human instinct has been ravaged by violence, is everything as it seems in the hearts of the winners and those they have defeated?
© Tony Watson, Arcangel images
Agamemnon has slaughtered his own daughter to win this war. But now another sacrifice is demanded...
EURIPIDES A NEW VERSION BY MARINA CARR
Audio Described Performance Saturday 17 October, 1.30pm (Touch Tour 11.15am) Captioned Performance Thursday 15 October, 7.30pm 4
Director Erica Whyman
Love for Love William Congreve
Swan Theatre 28 October 2015 – 22 January 2016 ‘The miracle today is that we find A lover true: not that a woman’s kind’ Valentine, Sir Sampson’s dissolute eldest son, finds himself at a standstill; the only way out of his financial difficulties is to give in to his father’s pressure to sign over his right of inheritance to his younger brother.
Selina Cadell makes her RSC directorial debut with Congreve’s glorious Restoration comedy where love for love is stronger than love for money. Audio Described Performances Saturday 19 December, 1.30pm (Touch Tour 11.15am) Friday 15 January, 7.30pm (Touch Tour 5.15pm) Captioned Performances Wednesday 6 January, 1.30pm Thursday 21 January, 7.30pm
© Mary Evans Picture Library
Seeing a chance to escape his debtors Valentine accepts the deal but, fearing he will now be spurned by his beloved Angelica, takes drastic action to ensure he retains what is rightfully his. W I L L I A M C O N G R E V E
Director Selina Cadell Set Designer Tom Piper Costume Designer Rosalind Ebbutt Lighting Vince Herbert Sound Claire Windsor
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September 2015 – January 2016 Stratford-upon-Avon
Queen Anne Helen Edmundson
1702. William III is on the throne and England is on the verge of war. Princess Anne is soon to become Queen, and her advisors vie for influence over the future monarch. Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, a close friend with whom Anne has an intensely personal relationship, begins to exert increasing pressure as she pursues her own designs on power. Contending with deceit and blackmail, Anne must decide where her allegiances lie, and whether to sacrifice her closest relationships for the sake of the country. Helen Edmundson’s gripping new play exploring the little known story of a monarch caught between friendship and duty is directed by Natalie Abrahami. Audio Described Performances Friday 8 January, 7.30pm (Touch Tour 5.15pm) Saturday 23 January 7.30pm (Touch Tour 5.15pm) Captioned Performances Tuesday 22 December, 7.30pm Wednesday 13 January, 7.30pm 6
Willem Wissing and Jan van der Vaardt, commons.wikimedia.org
Swan Theatre 19 November 2015 – 23 January 2016
H E L E N
E D M U N D S O N
Director Natalie Abrahami
British Sign Language interpreted performances In January, we held our first ever Semi-Integrated Sign Language Performance. We are delighted to announce that we have two upcoming future British Sign Language performances:
The Jew of Malta
Wendy & Peter Pan
Christopher Marlowe Swan Theatre British Sign Language Performance: Tuesday 8 September 2015, 7.30pm
By Ella Hickson Adapted from the novel by JM Barrie
‘Religion hides many mischiefs from suspicion’ Vengeance and villainy run riot in Christopher Marlowe’s subversive story of religious hypocrisy and political corruption. This controversial play that influenced one of Shakespeare’s greatest works, The Merchant of Venice, follows the Jewish outcast Barabas, played by Jasper Britton, as he plots a bloody revenge on the Christians and Turks he believes have wronged him.
Royal Shakespeare Theatre Semi-Integrated British Sign Language Performance: Wednesday 20 January 2016, 7.15pm See page 3 for further details about this show. Both performances are followed by a BSL interpreted post-show talk back.
London
Oppenheimer
A Mad World My Masters
The race to build the bomb has begun and J Robert Oppenheimer is about to change the world forever. Oppenheimer follows one man's struggle to balance his tempestuous personal and political life while building a catastrophic weapon that may end all war.
Transported to the seedy surroundings of 1950s Soho, Thomas Middleton’s wickedly funny comedy arrives in London for a limited season, having delighted audiences in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Tom Morton-Smith 27 March – 23 May Vaudeville Theatre, London
Audio Described Performance Thursday 14 May, 7.30pm Captioned Performance Thursday 21 May, 7.30pm Access Performances for Oppenheimer can only be booked via the Vaudeville Box Office: 0844 482 9677 access@nimaxtheatres.com
by Thomas Middleton Edited by Sean Foley and Phil Porter 29 April – 9 May Barbican, London
Audio Described Performance Friday 8 May, 7.30pm (Touch Tour 6.30-7.00pm) Captioned Performance Thursday 7 May, 7.30pm (plus post-show talk with Captions) Access Performances for A Mad World My Masters can only be booked via the Barbican Box Office: 020 7638 8891 www.barbican.org.uk/access
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September 2015 – January 2016 MON TUE
FRI
SUN MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN MON
WED
7 7.30 Malta
8 7.30 L Malta
9 10 11 12 13 7.30 7.30 7.30 1.30 Volpone Volpone Volpone Volpone 7.15 F Henry V 7.30 L Volpone
14 15 16 7.15 7.15 7.15 Henry V Henry V Henry V
1 1.15 PUP Henry V 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
2 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
3 4 1.15 Henry V 1.30 Hecuba 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
5 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
6 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
7 1.30 Hecuba 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
8 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
9 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
10 11 1.15 Henry V 1.30 Hecuba 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
12 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
13 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
14 1.30 Hecuba 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
17 7.15 F Peter
18 7.15 Peter
3 7.30 Love
4 7.00 P Love
5 7.30 Love
6 7.30 Love
7 1.30 Love 7.30 Love
8
9 7.30 Love
10 7.30 Love
11 7.30 Love
12 7.30 Love
13 7.30 Love
14 1.30 Love 7.30 Love
15
16
1 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
2 1.30 Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
3 1.15 Peter 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
4 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
5 1.15 Peter 1.30 Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
6
7 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
8 1.15 Peter 1.30 PUP Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
9 1.30 Q Anne 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
10 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
11 1.15 PUP Peter 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
12 1.15 Peter 1.30 Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
13
14 15 7.30 7.15 Q Anne Peter 7.30 Q Anne
16 1.30 Q Anne 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
1 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
2 3 4 5 2.00 7.30 7.15 1.15 Peter Peter Q Anne Peter 1.30 7.30 Love Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
6 1.30 Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
7 1.15 Peter 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
8 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
9 10 2.00 1.15 Peter Peter 1.30 Q Anne 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
11 7.30 Love
12 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
13 1.15 Peter Pan 1.30 Q Anne 7.30 Q Anne
WED
THU
FRI
TUE
WED
MON TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN MON
TUE
SAT
SUN MON
KEY: = Access Performances F = First Performance P = Press Night L = Last Performance PUP = Public Understudy Performance LIVE = Live to Cinema ■ = Audio Described Performance = Signed Performance ▲ = Relaxed Performance ● = Captioned Performance =P re-or Post-Show on stage event 8
TUE
5 6 1.30 Volpone 7.30 Volpone
JAN 2016
DEC
SAT
4 7.30 Malta
NOV
2 7.30 Love
THU
2 3 7.30 1.15 Venice Malta 1.30 Volpone 7.15 L Venice 7.30 Volpone
OCT
SEP
1 7.15 Venice 7.30 Volpone
WED
Performance Schedule THU
FRI
21 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
15 1.15 Henry V 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
16 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
17 18 1.15 Henry V 1.30 Hecuba 7.15 Henry V 7.30 L Hecuba
19 7.15 Peter 7.30 F Q Anne
20 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
21 22 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
17 1.15 Peter 1.30 PUP Q Anne 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
18 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
14 1.15 Peter 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
15 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
22 7.00 P Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
23 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
24 1.15 Henry V 7.00 P Hecuba 7.15 Henry V
25 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
19
20
21 22 23 24 25 26 7.15 LIVE 1.15 7.15 1.15 2.00 L Henry V Henry V Henry V Henry V Henry V 7.15 7.15 Henry V Henry V
23 7.15 Peter
24 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
25 1.00 Peter 7.00 P Peter 7.30 Q Anne
26 1.00 Q Anne 7.00 P Q Anne 7.15 Peter
27 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
28 29 1.15 Peter 1.30 Q Anne 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
30 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
19 20 21 2.00 7.30 1.15 Peter Peter Q Anne 1.30 Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
22 1.15 Peter 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
23 1.30 Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
24 1.15 Peter
25
26 1.30 Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
16 17 18 2.00 7.30 1.15 Peter Peter Q Anne 1.30 Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
19 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
20 1.30 Love 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
21 1.15 Peter 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
22 7.15 Peter 7.30 L Love
23 24 2.00 1.15 Peter Peter 1.30 Q Anne 7.15 Peter 7.30 L Q Anne
SAT SUN MON TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SUN MON TUE
26 27 1.15 Henry V 1.30 Hecuba 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
SAT
27 1.15 Peter 7.15 Peter
28 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
WED THU
29 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
30 1.30 Hecuba 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
27
28 7.30 F Love
29 7.30 Love
28 7.30 Love
29 1.15 Peter 7.15 Peter 7.30 Q Anne
30 1.30 Q Anne 7.15 Peter 7.30 Love
31 1.15 Peter 7.30 Love
25
26 7.15 Peter
27 7.15 Peter
28 1.15 Peter 7.15 Peter
FRI
SAT SUN
SEP
19 20 1.15 Henry V 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
SAT
30 7.30 Love
31 7.30 Love
29 7.15 Peter
30 1.15 Peter 7.15 Peter
OCT
18 7.15 Henry V 7.30 Hecuba
FRI
WED
NOV
17 7.15 Henry V 7.30 F Hecuba
THU
SAT SUN MON TUE
SUN MON TUE
WED THU
DEC
FRI
FRI
31 2.00 L Peter
JAN 2016
THU
SAT SUN
ABBREVIATIONS: Venice = The Merchant of Venice, Malta = The Jew of Malta, Love = Love for Love, Peter = Wendy & Peter Pan, Q Anne = Queen Anne. Royal Shakespeare Theatre: The Merchant of Venice*, Henry V, Wendy & Peter Pan Swan Theatre: Volpone*, The Jew of Malta*, Hecuba, Love for Love, Queen Anne *For more information on March - September 2015 productions visit www.rsc.org.uk
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Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Booking Tickets
Tickets for productions in Stratford-upon-Avon for disabled people are £16 - whenever you visit or wherever you choose to sit. If you require the services of a companion their ticket will also be £16. To book please call 01789 403436. Alternatively you can book online using the access booking form at www.rsc.org.uk
Theatre access
Both the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatre have lift access to all levels of the building. There are wheelchair spaces on all levels of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatre stalls. Adapted toilets are available on all levels of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and on the ground floor and first gallery level of You can book for Captioned and BSL interpreted the Swan Theatre. performances online. To buy tickets, select the production you want to see, click the ‘Buy Tickets’ button and enter the code 10408 in the promo box The Royal Shakespeare Theatre and at the right hand side. This will bring up the Swan Theatre auditoria are fitted with a loop appropriate performances and link directly system as are the Box Office and shop counters. to the best seats.
Induction loop
Assistance Dogs can be taken into the auditorium, please tell Box Office staff when booking your seat if you are bringing your dog. Alternatively you can leave your dog with a member of staff in the foyer, please let us know when booking.
Photo by David Tett
There are four seats available at every performance in the front row of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and Swan Theatre stalls for people with either a visual or a hearing impairment. Please ask Box Office staff about the availability of these seats when booking your ticket.
Hearing and Guide Dogs
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Photo Courtesy of Guid Dogs
Front row seats
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Braille
Touch Tours
Photo by Stewart Hemley
We produce Cast Lists in Braille. If you would like We offer free Touch Tours before Audio Described to receive Access Matters in Braille please contact performances. Touch Tours offer the opportunity us at access@rsc.org.uk or call 01789 403436. to get close to the set, costumes and props used in the play. During a tour backstage, the audio describers will guide you through important props and character costumes used in the production. There are seven allocated parking bays for Please call 01789 403436 to book your blue-badge users on Waterside directly outside free place. the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and ten further bays on Chapel Lane, the road opposite the Swan Theatre. There are ten allocated blue-badge Julia Grundy, Ellie Packer, Mary Plackett, parking bays at the side and rear of The Carolyn Smith, Ridanne Sheridan. Courtyard Theatre in Southern Lane. These are free of charge and do not have a time limit. These spaces are controlled by the local authority and are not for Royal Shakespeare Company Janet Jackson, Ridanne Sheridan. visitors only. Please ensure you correctly display a current blue-badge.
Accessible parking
Audio Describers Captioners
There is a car drop off point directly outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and a coach drop off point just past the Swan Theatre.
British Sign Language Interpreters Becky Allen, Clare Edwards.
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Our philosophy is to make everything we do accessible to our audience.
www.rsc.org.uk/access 01789 403436 Royal Shakespeare Company, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6BB This leaflet was printed in March 2015. Every effort is made to ensure that the information remains correct, but please check with the Box Office for full and final details. Registered charity number 212481.