Members' News - April 2016

MEMBERS’ NEWS APRIL 2016

FULL MEMBER

NEW RSC FULL MEMBERS’ TICKET HOTLINE 01789 403458

BOOK ONLINE OR VISIT EXCLUSIVE MEMBERS’ PAGES AT www.rsc.org.uk/membership

2 SEPTEMBER 2016 - 18 MARCH 2017

D I R E C T F R O M S T R AT F O R D - U P O N - AV O N AT T H E B A R B I C A N

T HE AL C HE M I ST

D O C T OR FAU S TU S

C YMB E L I N E

K I NG L EAR

BEN JONSON

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

AT T H E T H E AT R E R O YA L H AY M A R K E T

LO V E ’S LABOUR ’S L O ST WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

M UCH ADO A B O U T NOTHI NG

(OR LOV E’S LABO UR’S WO N) WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

M E M B E R S ' P R I O R I T Y B O O K I N G D AT E S F O R L O N D O N S E A S O N F U L L M E M B E R S ' B O O K I N G O P E N S T H U R S D AY 2 1 A P R I L A S S O C I A T E M E M B E R S ' B O O K I N G O P E N S F R I D AY 2 2 A P R I L P U B L I C B O O K I N G O P E N S M O N D AY 2 5 A P R I L

www.rsc.org.uk/barbican

LONDON SEASON

WED

THU

FRI

01

02

No Perf

05

No Perf

BOOK FOR 2 OR MORE PRODUCTIONS FOR THE BARBICAN THEATRE AND SAVE UP TO 20%*

During the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death and following the acclaimed King & Country: Shakespeare's Great Cycle of Kings season which ran in London in January, we will transfer two plays from the Swan Theatre and two from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre summer season to the Barbican in London.

TUE

12

7.15 Doctor Faustus

19

7.15 Doctor Faustus

Book 2 shows from The Alchemist, Doctor Faustus, Cymbeline and King Lear and save 10%. Book 3 or more shows and save 20%

06

07

No Perf

7.15 F Doctor Faustus

13

7.00 P Doctor Faustus

20

14

7.00 P The Alchemist

21

7.15 The Alchemist

7.15 ● The Alchemist

SAT

7.15 F The Alchemist

08

7.15 Doctor Faustus

15

1.30 Doctor Faustus 7.15 Doctor Faustus

22

1.30 The Alchemist 7.15 Doctor Faustus

09

7.15 The Alchemist

16

7.15 The Alchemist

23

7.15 Doctor Faustus

03

7.15 The Alchemist

10

1.30 The Alchemist 7.15 The Alchemist

17

1.30 The Alchemist 7.15 Doctor Faustus

24

1.30 ■ Doctor Faustus 7.15 The Alchemist

26 NOVEMBER 27 28 29 30 01 10 - 1.30 23 DECEMBER 7.15 7.15 ● 1.30 7.15 ■ 7.15

To book please call your Ticket Hotline.

For more information visit www.rsc.org.uk/barbican *Terms and conditions apply. Tickets must be purchased in a single transaction.

Offer does not include A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Not available online.

L

The Alchemist

Doctor Faustus

Doctor Faustus

Doctor Faustus 7.15 The Alchemist

The Alchemist

The Alchemist 7.15 L Doctor Faustus

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

TICKET PRICES

THE ALCHEMIST/DOCTOR FAUSTUS

ALL PERFORMANCES

£49.50

£39.50

£29.50

S EPT EMB ER

MON

S EPT EMB ER

DIRECT FROM STRATFORD-UPON-AVON BARBICAN THEATRE, LONDON | 2 SEPTEMBER – 23 DECEMBER 2016

AUTUMN/WINTER PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

£15

OCTOBER

BARBICAN THEATRE, LONDON

£10

A LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATS ARE AVAILABLE AT £55

31 OCTOBER - 22 DECEMBER

10 NOVEMBER - 23 DECEMBER

17 – 21 MAY

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM:

DAILY TELEGRAPH TIMES WHATSONSTAGE STAGE

A PLAY FOR THE NATION

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

31

01

02

03

04

05

07

08

09

10

11

12

14

15

16

17

18

19

21

22

23

24

25

26

28

29

30

01

02

03

05

06

07

08

09

10

12

13

14

15

16

17

19

20

21

22

23

24

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

7.15 F Cymbeline

No Perf

NO V EM BE R

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

‘JOYOUS ’

7.15 King Lear

7.15 King Lear

7.15 Cymbeline

No Perf

7.00 P King Lear

7.15 King Lear

7.15 Cymbeline

No Perf

7.15 King Lear

7.15 King Lear

TIMES

An opportunity to see the work of one of Shakespeare’s finest contemporaries.

Ben Jonson’s hilarious satire, revels in just how vain we humans can be, and still resonates gloriously today. Directed

by Polly Findlay (The Merchant of Venice 2015, Arden of Faversham 2014), the greedy trio of con-artists, Face, Subtle and Doll Common, are played

by Ken Nwosu, Mark Lockyer and Siobhán McSweeney.

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE

Maria Aberg (The White Devil 2014, As You Like It 2013) returns to the RSC to direct Christopher Marlowe’s notorious tale of vanity, greed and damnation. The roles of the embittered academic Faustus and the demon Mephistophilis are shared by Sandy Grierson (The Tempest, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors 2012) and Oliver Ryan (As You Like It, Hamlet 2013) with the decision as to who plays which role, made live on stage each night.

C YM B E L I N E WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Cymbeline is Shakespeare’s coming of age romance. A story of power, sexuality and identity - stunningly retold for the 21st century. Directed by Melly Still (The Cunning Little Vixen, Glyndebourne Opera, Coram Boy, National Theatre), Shakespeare’s rarely performed tragicomedy casts Gillian Bevan in the role of Cymbeline, the first woman to take on the role for the RSC and Bethan Cullinane, as Innogen.

K I N G L E AR

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

This new production of the seminal play about the proud and ageing king is directed by Artistic Director Gregory Doran. Following his performance as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s great 20th century tragedy Death of a Salesman (2015), Antony Sher returns to the RSC to play King Lear, one of the greatest parts written by Shakespeare.

This promises to be unmissable theatre.

2016 Media Partner

DE C E M BE R

BEN JONSON

D OCTOR FA USTUS

Photo by Paul Stuart

TH E A LCH E MIS T

7.15 King Lear Peter Johnston/Arcangel

With amateurs from Tower Theatre joining the professional cast as the Rude Mechanicals, and pupils from Eastbury Community School and Bean County Primary School in Barking and Dagenham playing Titania’s fairy train. www.rsc.org.uk/dream

Photo by Topher McGrillis

GUARDIAN

Photo by Helen Maybanks

‘BLISSFULLY FUNNY ’

Miguel Angel Munoz/Arcangel

7.15 Cymbeline

7.15 King Lear

7.15 King Lear

7.15 King Lear

7.15 King Lear

7.15 King Lear

7.15 King Lear

7.15 King Lear

7.15 Cymbeline

7.15 King Lear

7.15 Cymbeline

7.00 P Cymbeline

7.15 Cymbeline

7.15 King Lear

7.15 F King Lear

7.15 King Lear

7.15 ■ Cymbeline

1.30 Cymbeline 7.15 King Lear

7.15 ● Cymbeline

1.30 L Cymbeline 7.15 King Lear

CYMBELINE/KING LEAR

ALL PERFORMANCES

£55

£35

1.30 Cymbeline 7.15 King Lear No Perf

7.15 L King Lear

TICKET PRICES

1.30 Cymbeline 7.15 King Lear 1.30 King Lear 7.15 Cymbeline

7.15 ● King Lear

1.30 King Lear 7.15 Cymbeline

1.30 Cymbeline 7.15 Cymbeline 1.30 ■ King Lear 7.15 Cymbeline

7.15 King Lear

1.30 King Lear 7.15 Cymbeline

£45

7.15 King Lear

7.15 Cymbeline

1.30 Cymbeline 7.15 Cymbeline

1.30 Cymbeline 7.15 Cymbeline

NO V E M B ER

7 SEPTEMBER - 1 OCTOBER

D EC EM B ER

2 SEPTEMBER - 1 OCTOBER

O C T O B ER

ALSO PLAYING

£25

£10

A LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATS ARE AVAILABLE AT £75 KEY

F = First Performance P = Press Night L = Last Performance ■ = Audio Described Performance ● = Captioned Performance = Pre-or Post-Show on stage event

KING LEAR’S SUBJECTS: THE FOOL, CORDELIA AND KENT

SAT 19 NOV, 3 DEC AND 10 DEC 10.30-11.30AM ONSTAGE, £8 Actors in the roles in current and past productions explore the actions of King Lear through the eyes of their characters.

THEATRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET, LONDON

9 DECEMBER 2016 – 18 MARCH 2017

‘THESE PRODUCTIONS ARE A JOY’ SUNDAY TIMES

Christopher Luscombe directs Shakespeare’s matching pair of comedies that rejoice in our capacity to find love in the most unlikely places.

Edward Bennett reprises his critically acclaimed performances as Berowne and Benedick.

For details of Chichester Festival Theatre performances please visit www.cft.org.uk

TIMES

M AR C H 2 0 17

Shakespeare’s comic romance plays out amidst the brittle high spirits of a post-war house party, as youthful passions run riot, lovers are deceived and happiness is threatened – before peace ultimately wins out.

Photos of original Stratford-upon-Avon cast by Manuel Harlan

TIMES

‘SIMON HIGLETT’S DAZZLING SET...

A GLORIOUS SCORE

BY NIGEL HESS’

F EB R U A RY 201 7

‘CHRISTOPHER LUSCOMBE’S PRODUCTIONS ARE SPARKLINGLY FUNNY’ Winter 1918. A group of soldiers return from the trenches.

The world-weary Benedick and his friend Claudio find themselves reacquainted with Beatrice and Hero. As memories of conflict give way to a life of parties and masked balls, Claudio and Hero fall madly, deeply in love, while Benedick and Beatrice reignite their own altogether more combative courtship.

FRI 09 7.30 F Much Ado

SAT 10 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

12 7.30 F Love's

13 7.30 Love's

14 7.30 Much Ado

15 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

16 7.30 Love's

17 2.00 P Love's 7.00 P Much Ado

19 7.30 Much Ado

20 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

21 7.30 Love's

22 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

23 7.30 Love's

24 2.30 Much Ado

26 No Perf

27 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

28 7.30 Much Ado

29 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

30 7.30 Love's

31 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

02 7.30 Much Ado

03 7.30 Love's

04 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

05 7.30 Much Ado

06 7.30 Love's

07 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

09 7.30 Love's

10 7.30 Much Ado

11 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

12 7.30 Love's

13 7.30 Much Ado

14 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

16 7.30 Much Ado

17 7.30 Love's

18 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

19 7.30 Much Ado

20 7.30 Love's

21 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

23 7.30 Love's

24 7.30 Much Ado

25 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

26 7.30 Love's

27 7.30 Much Ado

28 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

30 7.30 Much Ado

31 7.30 Love's

01 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

02 7.30 Much Ado

03 7.30 Love's

04 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

06 7.30 Love's

07 7.30 Much Ado

08 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

09 7.30 Love's

10 7.30 Much Ado

11 2.30 Love's 7.30 Love's

13 7.30 Much Ado

14 7.30 Love's

15 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

16 7.30 Love's

17 7.30 Love's

18 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

20 7.30 Love's

21 7.30 Much Ado

22 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

23 7.30 Love's

24 7.30 Much Ado

25 2.30 Love's 7.30 Love's

27 7.30 Much Ado

28 7.30 Love's

01 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

02 7.30 Much Ado

03 7.30 Love's

04 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

06 7.30 Love's

07 7.30 Love's

08 2.30 Much Ado 7.30 Much Ado

09 7.30 Love's

10 7.30 Much Ado

11 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

13 7.30 Much Ado

14 7.30 Love's

15 2.30 Love's 7.30 Much Ado

16 7.30 Much Ado

17 7.30 Love's

18 2.30 L Love's 7.30 L Much Ado

MON

TUE

FRI

J ANU ARY 2 0 1 7

J ANU ARY 2 0 1 7

Summer 1914. In order to dedicate themselves to a life of study, the King and his friends take an oath to avoid the company of women for three years. No sooner have they made their idealistic pledge than the Princess of France and her ladies-in-waiting arrive, presenting the men with a severe test of their high-minded resolve.

Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy delights in championing and then unravelling an unrealistic vow, and mischievously suggesting that the study of the opposite sex is in fact the highest of all academic endeavours. Only at the end of the play is the merriment curtailed as the lovers agree to submit to a period apart, unaware that the world around them is about to be utterly transformed by the war to end all wars.

THU 08 No Perf

DAILY MAIL

D E CE MB E R 2 0 1 6

DAILY TELEGRAPH

WED 07 No Perf

FE B RU ARY 2 0 17

‘A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN’

TUE 06 No Perf

MAR C H 20 1 7

‘BLISSFULLY ENTERTAINING...

MAGNIFICENT’

Following their original staging last Winter in Stratford-upon-Avon and their revival this Autumn at Chichester Festival Theatre, these glorious productions of Christopher Luscombe’s heart-warming double bill Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing (Love's Labour's Won) will transfer to the Theatre Royal, Haymarket for a limited West End season.

MON 05 No Perf

D E CE MB E R 2 0 1 6

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

WED

THU

TICKET PRICES

PREMIUM

A

MON TO SAT

£87.50

£67.50 £57.50 £45 £35 £25

£15

REDUCED PRICE PREVIEWS £77.50

£57.50 £47.50 £35 £25 £25

£15

B

SAT C

D

E

F

A limited number of discounts, including Over 60s and Family tickets, are available exclusively to Members and Supporters during the Priority Booking period.

‘QUITE SIMPLY THE BEST PLAYS YOU’LL SEE ANYWHERE’ SUNDAY MIRROR

KEY F

= First Performance

P

= Press Night

L

= Last Performance

= Reduced Price Preview

ABBREVIATIONS

Much Ado = Much Ado About Nothing (or Love's Labour's Won) Love's = Love's Labour's Lost

www.rsc.org.uk/haymarket

THE OTHER PLACE - ERICA WHYMAN SUSIE’S CAFE BAR

When you enter the foyer of The Other Place you will see our new cafe bar. Named for the Deputy Chairman of the RSC Board, and generous and dedicated supporter of The Other Place, Susie Sainsbury, it is an informal and relaxed cafe during the day and a vibrant bar in the evening. Open Monday to Saturday from 10am, there is comfortable furniture where you can relax with a fair trade beverage and a slice of freshly baked cake. Alternatively, the booths, with free wi-fi, will be the ideal space for lunch or for some creative thinking.

In the foyer you can also learn the story of The Other Place: from Buzz Goodbody’s vision in 1974 through the revolutionary productions in the 1970s and 80s to the plans for 2016 and beyond.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

We are excited to welcome you all to our new building, The Other Place, which is now open for business.

Photo by Simon Harper

When you enter the building you will see people using the public foyers who are busy creating theatre in our energetic, multi-purpose space.

COMMUNITY USE AND PUBLIC HIRE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

Primarily, The Other Place is a rehearsal and development space. We have three rehearsal rooms which we will use all year round, and a flexible studio theatre. We will rehearse all our Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatre shows here. The actors will be geographically closer to the theatres, our creative teams and visiting artists.

We have a five-year collaboration with the University of Birmingham, who are founding partners of The Other Place.

We will work with undergraduates, graduates and senior academics by providing a creative space for research and contemporary thinking about theatre. They will spend time in our building, working closely with professional theatre-makers.

FROM PAGE TO STAGE AND COSTUME HIRE

The Studio Theatre, for an audience of up to 200, is a simple design. A dark box, which equally will work well with scenery, installations and a range of seating layouts. It will be a very flexible space to make theatre.

If you have ever wondered what happens behind the closed doors of the rehearsal room, The Other Place will offer you an insight. A new guided theatre tour will lead you through the rehearsal process from first artistic conversations to opening night, and show you some of the spaces utilised. You will see the Studio Theatre, glimpse into the rehearsal spaces and learn the directors and actors’ processes to get the words off the page of the printed text and onto our stages for public performance.

Photos by Stuart Hemley

The Studio Theatre at The Other Place is a festival theatre for new voices, not a year-round performance space. We will announce our first festival in your next newsletter for performances in July and August. The festival will have an adventurous spirit. The spirit of Midsummer Mischief in 2014. A daring spirit. The spirit The Other Place has had in Stratford for the last 40 years.

2016’s festival will respond to the provocation “what is unsayable in the 21st century, and why?”. It will look at who controls the narrative in the media and on our stages.

It will have a political and social conscience.

It will mirror some of the emotional and political themes, the “difficult” territory, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Cymbeline and King Lear.

Each year the RSC works with around 60 theatre makers to develop new scripts or ideas or to experiment in design, lighting and other technical techniques. Previously this has mainly happened in London, but with the facilities in The Other Place we can welcome this work to our Stratford-upon-Avon home and the creative engine of the RSC.

In rehearsals, costumes are used to help give actors a sense of their character and the tour ends in Costume Hire. Having outgrown the current storage at Timothy’s Bridge Road (an industrial estate in the north of Stratford-upon-Avon), 30,000 costumes are being moved to purpose-built storage at The Other Place. When a production ends, all appropriate costumes find their way to Costume Hire and as well as being used in RSC rehearsals and productions, we hire to Film and TV companies, other theatres, schools and the general public. This will be the first time the public has had the chance to see the costumes for themselves, and you never know, it might just give the perfect excuse to dress up!

A wide range of spaces around The Other Place are available to community use and public hire. King Edward VI School were our first guests, performing in the Studio Theatre in March, as part of our building testing process. We will host amateur theatre productions throughout the year and enhance our current family programme with activities not currently provided by our events team – for example, weekly Baby Ballet classes start in the spring.

PARTIES AND WEDDINGS

As well as hiring our spaces for theatrical productions, we would like to help add theatrical flair to your next party. Whether it is a birthday celebration, a wedding reception or a product launch we have technical staff on hand to ensure all goes smoothly and that your guests are fed and watered to our renowned high standards.

The Other Place is a thrilling addition to our campus in Stratford, with many memories of the past and exciting opportunities for the future. We hope you will join us there soon.

ERICA WHYMAN RSC DEPUTY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N PLEASE VISIT THE OTHER PLACE TOURS (FROM PAGE TO STAGE)

www.rsc.org.uk/theatretours SUSIE’S CAFE BAR

www.rsc.org.uk/your-visit/eating-and-drinking COSTUME HIRE

www.rsc.org.uk/costumehire VENUE HIRE, WEDDINGS AND PARTIES

www.rsc.org.uk/hires

The Other Place has been made possible thanks to the support of private and public funders, including very generous donations from ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND, THE GATSBY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, BACKSTAGE TRUST, J PAUL GETTY JR CHARITABLE TRUST and a new creative partnership with the UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, Founding Partner of The Other Place.

N O W P L AY I N G

HAMLET WILLIAM

SHAKESPEARE

R O YA L S H A K E S P E A R E T H E AT R E | S T R AT F O R D - U P O N - AV O N

UNTIL 13 AUGUST 2016 LIVE IN CINEMAS ON 8 JUNE 2016

Photos by Manuel Harlan

COMPANY | Hiran Abeysekera | Romayne Andrews | Doreene Blackstock | Eke Chukwu | James Cooney | Bethan Cullinane | Marième Diouf | Paapa Essiedu | Kevin N Golding | Marcus Griffiths | Byron Mondahl Tanya Moodie | Cyril Nri | Theo Ogundipe | Natalie Simpson | Clarence Smith | Ewart James Walters | Temi Wilkey DIRECTOR Simon Godwin | DESIGNER Paul Wills | LIGHTING Paul Anderson | MUSIC Sola Akingbola | MUSIC ASSOCIATE Jon Nicholls | SOUND Christopher Shutt | MOVEMENT Mbulelo Ndabeni | FIGHTS Kev McCurdy

www.rsc.org.uk/Hamlet

DREAM 16 ON TOUR

12 – 16 APRIL ALHAMBRA THEATRE

BRADFORD br adfor d-t heat r es.c o.uk

19 – 23 APRIL THE MARLOWE THEATRE

C A N T E R B URY mar lowet heat r e.c om

26 – 30 APRIL THEATRE ROYAL

N O RW I C H

‘ THE

NATION IS IN FOR A TREAT’ EVENING STANDARD

t heat r er oyalnor wic h.c o.uk

‘ RSC’S

DELIGHTFUL PLAY FOR THE NATION ’

3 – 7 MAY THEATRE ROYAL

NOTTINGHAM t r c h.c o.uk

GUARDIAN

10 – 14 MAY HALL FOR CORNWALL

T R UR O

‘A ROARING SUCCESS ’

hallfor c or nwall.c o.uk

17 – 21 MAY BARBICAN

TIMES

LONDON

‘THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH’ With a feuding Fairy King and Queen, Bottom, Quince and their friends presenting their play within a play, and chief mischief-maker Puck on-hand, games of fantasy, love and dreams ensue in Shakespeare’s most fun and beguiling comedy.

The nation’s favourite Shakespeare play is performed as never before; Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman (The Christmas Truce 2014 and Hecuba 2015), directs 18 professional actors with local amateur groups as Shakespeare’s Mechanicals. Returning to the RSC is Ayesha Dharker (Othello 2015, Arabian Nights 2009) in the role of Fairy Queen Titania and Chu Omambala (Hecuba 2015) as Oberon, King of the Fairies.

Also joining the Company are Lucy Ellinson as Puck, Laura Riseborough as Helena, Mercy Ojelade as Hermia, Jack Holden as Lysander and Chris Nayak as Demetrius.

Join us for an unforgettable Midsummer adventure...

24 – 28 MAY NEW THEATRE

CARDIFF newt heat r ec ar diff.c o.uk

31 MAY – 4 JUNE GRAND OPERA HOUSE

B E L FA S T goh.c o.uk

Photos by Topher McGrillis

On a Midsummer’s night, four young lovers find themselves wrapped in the mischievous arms of an enchanted forest where sprites lurk and fairies rule.

bar bic an.or g.uk

15 JUNE – 16 JULY ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE

S T R AT F O R D - UP O N - AV O N r sc .or g.uk This is an arrangement developed between the RSC and Equity A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation is supported by Arts Council England Cross-Border Touring Fund

SAVE THE DATE

MAGIC AT MIDSUMMER

R E M AI N I N G UK TO UR D ATE S

A CO-PRODUCTION BETWEEN THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY AND AMATEUR THEATRE COMPANIES ACROSS THE UK

SLUNG LOW: FAIRY PORTAL CAMP SUNDAY 19 – SATURDAY 25 JUNE AVONBANK GARDENS (BETWEEN THE SWAN THEATRE AND HOLY TRINITY CHURCH) The world is in imbalance. We have seen the seasons altered and the seas are rising.

A band of adventurers and poets believe they have the solution: unblock the fairy portal and restore the natural order of things.

Join us during the week and help create the ceremony. Beginning with a feast and going on until the very pitch black moment of midsummer, the Ceremony will contain dancing and fire, singing and feasting, poetry and you.

This special collaboration with Slung Low is inspired

by A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the beliefs that were widely held in Shakespeare’s time about the magic of Midsummer’s night.

More information will follow in your next newsletter.

SHAKESPEARE CELEBRATIONS

MA KE THIS TH E YEAR TO C ELEB RATE SHAKESP EARE It is 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare, our house playwright. We are proud to celebrate his lasting legacy in Stratford-upon-Avon, the town in which he was born and where he is buried.

Explore our newly reopened rehearsal studio complex, The Other Place. Take a guided theatre tour that explains the rehearsal process, sample our new Cafe Bar, or drop in to see Radio 3 broadcasting live from the foyer.

Throughout the weekend BBC Radio 3 will broadcast a programme of music and performance inspired by Shakespeare, live from a pop-up studio at The Other Place.

Join presenters including Sean Rafferty, Ian McMillan and Sara Mohr-Pietsch as well as actors, musicians, poets and singers as they perform songs, symphonies, film scores and world music inspired by Shakespeare’s words.

FREE FAMILY FUN - SAT 23 APRIL

RSC SHAKESPEARE ON SCREEN

HIGHLIGHTS

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE 15 MINUTES BEFORE EACH EVENT.

CURATED BY JOHN WYVER, RSC DIRECTOR OF SCREEN PRODUCTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH STRATFORD-UPON-AVON PICTUREHOUSE Screen versions of some of the RSC’s most admired productions, adapted for television and cinema.

9.45 – 10.45pm THE VERB – BROADCAST LIVE Ian McMillan presents

BLOOD, GUTS AND GORE 12 - 12.45pm Join former RSC Head of Wigs and Makeup, Brenda Leedham, as she shows you the tricks of creating bruises, cuts and scars.

DANCE WORKSHOP 2 - 2.30pm Learn the Bergomask Dance from our current production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

STAGE FIGHTING 2.45 - 3.45pm In this active workshop learn how to pull a punch.

DROP IN ACTIVITIES

SINGING 2 - 2.45pm Sing your heart out and learn some simple songs. No musical knowledge required.

ACTIVE STORYTELLING – A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM 3 - 3.45pm Become an actor and tell the story of Shakespeare's Dream. Make music, dress up and join in with the fun.

THEATRE SKILLS WORKSHOPS SWAN THEATRE GARDENS MARQUEE STAGE FIGHTING 11.45am - 12.45pm In this active workshop learn how to pull a punch.

VOICE 1 - 1.45pm Warm up and bring Shakespeare's words to life with an RSC Voice Practitioner.

MEET THE ARTISTS PACCAR ROOM, SECOND FLOOR, ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE 12 noon - 1.30pm & 2.30 - 3.30pm Meet some of the artists who created pieces for our free exhibition, Well Said! inspired by some of Shakespeare’s most famous words.

SONNETS ON THE FERRY 1.30 - 4.30pm Take a short trip across the River Avon on the chain ferry while listening to Shakespeare’s words, spoken by RSC Actors.

Cost 50p each way WONDROUS STRANGE PERFORMANCE 2pm & 4pm BANCROFT GARDENS Acrobatic theatre company Mimbre present a specially-commissioned performance. Watch Shakespeare’s most iconic characters in unexpected encounters, celebrating the physical and visual imagery of some of the best known moments in his plays.

Photo by Angus McBean

ACTIVE STORYTELLING – HAMLET 1 - 1.45pm Become an actor and tell the story of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Make music, dress up and join in.

LIVE MUSIC SWAN THEATRE BAR

Eric Richmond

Photo by Gina Print

DROP IN CRAFTS COLONNADE 11.30am - 4.15pm

Sunday 24 April, 2.30pm, £10.50 RSC LIVE FROM STRATFORD-UPON-AVON: THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, 2014 with Mark Arends, Michael Marcus, Pearl Chanda, Sarah MacRae, directed by Simon Godwin To more information or to book tickets please call the Picturehouse Box Office on 0871 902 5741 or visit www.picturehouses.com/ cinema/Stratford_Upon_Avon

FRIDAY 22 APRIL 4.15 – 6.30pm IN TUNE – BROADCAST LIVE Sean Rafferty presents

SATURDAY 23 APRIL 10 – 11am RECORD REVIEW – BROADCAST LIVE Shakespeare on record with Andrew McGregor 12.30 – 2pm SATURDAY CLASSIC – BROADCAST LIVE Richard Sissons the BBC singers and musical friends

2 – 3pm EARLY MUSIC – BROADCAST LIVE Lucie Skeaping presents 3– 4pm SOUND OF CINEMA – BROADCAST LIVE The Levi Fox Hall, King Edward School Matthew Sweet presents. With the BBC Concert Orchestra SUNDAY 24 APRIL 10.45am – 12 noon PIANO MUSIC INSPIRED

BY SHAKESPEARE – BROADCAST LIVE 5.15 – 6.45pm WORDS AND MUSIC – BROADCAST LIVE

For free tickets and full schedule visit www.rsc.org.uk/radio3

Tuesday 19 April, 6pm, £10.50 AS YOU LIKE IT, BBC TV, 1963 with Vanessa Redgrave and Patrick Allen Wednesday 20 April, 12 noon, £9.50 THE WARS OF THE ROSES: RICHARD III, BBC TV, 1965 with Ian Holm, Janet Suzman, Peggy Ashcroft and David Warner, adapted and directed by Peter Hall and John Barton

On a crazy island swirling with sounds, exiled Duke Prospero uses magic to create a home within the wilderness.

Thursday 21 April, 3pm, £9.50 KING LEAR, 1971 with Paul Scofield, directed by Peter Brook Friday 22 April, 12 Noon, £9.50 MACBETH, THAMES, 1979 with Ian McKellen and Judi Dench, directed by Trevor Nunn Saturday 23 April, 2.30pm, £10.50 RSC LIVE FROM STRATFORD-UPON-AVON: RICHARD II, 2013 with David Tennant, Michael Pennington, Jane Lapotaire and Oliver Ford Davies, directed by Gregory Doran

FREE FIREWORKS DISPLAY We end the day of celebrations with a free fireworks display from the top of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Photo by Simon Annand

FAMILY WORKSHOPS UPPER CIRCLE BAR, ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE

Saturday 23 April, 8.15pm, £15.50 SHAKESPEARE LIVE! FROM THE RSC This special event celebrates Shakespeare’s lasting legacy across a wide range of art forms.

Live from Stratford-upon-Avon is generously supported by SIDNEY E. FRANK FOUNDATION

BANCROFT GARDENS, OUTSIDE THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE. Display starts at approximately 10.30pm, after Shakespeare Live!

From the RSC.

www.rsc.org.uk/celebrations

As his beloved daughter Miranda falls in love with a shipwrecked stranger from their homeland, she rebels against his power. Prospero must risk forgiving those who betrayed him, or lose her forever.

Fun, fantasy and sorcery collide in this gripping story of how love and reconciliation can conquer fear and control. It is an ideal first experience of Shakespeare for anyone aged 8 and above. Using Shakespeare’s original language, this edited version lasts 90 minutes and includes a fully interactive introduction to the world and characters of the play.

www.rsc.org.uk/firstencounters

THE ROYAL MINT

PUT MONEY IN THY PURSE

The commemorative coins come in a range of metals and finishes.

The Brilliant Uncirculated coins are housed together in a display folder that tells the story of William Shakespeare the playwright, complete with quotes from his plays to inspire and delight.

The commemorative coins are also available individually in silver and gold, and are finished to perfection in Proof standard – this highly polished, part frosted finish is the highest standard of commemorative coin produced by The Royal Mint.

The Royal Mint celebrates the life and works of William Shakespeare on UK coins.

Such is William Shakespeare’s contribution to culture – not just in Britain but across the world – that no single coin could honour his genius. The Royal Mint will this year strike a range of coins which celebrate his timeless works as well as the man himself. Three £2 coins have been created depicting three of Shakespeare’s most famous bodies of work, his histories, tragedies and comedies, with each design featuring props from the world of theatre. It is the first time that three United Kingdom £2 coins have been struck in the same year, to mark the same occasion. The coins will enter circulation later this year, putting the playwright in the palms of millions, and they’re also available in special commemorative editions which have been released this month.

The reverse designs for these coins have been created by seasoned coinage artist John Bergdahl. His other designs for The Royal Mint have covered a wide variety of themes, celebrated royal occasions, commemorated the First World War and recalled important events in our history, such as the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, which also features on a 50p this year.

To celebrate the man himself, The Royal Mint has created a further commemorative coin, a five-ounce coin designed by Tom Phillips RA, a renowned sculptor, artist, printmaker and writer. The impressive coin, which is available in gold and silver, features a portrait inspired by the First Folio and the most appropriate Shakespeare quotation for a coin, ‘Put money in thy purse’.

“My first design embodies Shakespeare’s histories which, often written about the Kings of England, frequently told of blood and downfall. I chose to place the sword thrusting through the crown, the coronet toppling and falling to one side, recalling the drama that unfolds in his tales of times past.

DANIEL OLIVER, SOCIAL MEDIA AND CONTENT MARKETING MANAGER AT THE ROYAL MINT KERRY WILLECOME, PRODUCT MANAGER AT THE ROYAL MINT

Shakespeare’s tragedies are interwoven with the theme of love – wherever there is tragedy there is love, in Romeo and Juliet, Othello and even Hamlet. Combining the skull with a rose, the eternal symbol of love, seemed to capture that sense of doomed romance.

For his comedies I chose the traditional jester’s hat and stick – I like that they both look cast aside, set down as if between acts. For all the coins I chose props, tools of the actor’s trade, and I hope I have conveyed that sense of them being abandoned but for a moment, ready to be brought back to life as the play goes on, just as his work is brought alive time and again.” JOHN BERGDAHL

Photos: © JonesMillbank / The Royal Mint

He is a man who needs no introduction, a voice that speaks across the centuries. William Shakespeare is perhaps the greatest writer who ever lived! His plays are still performed, his poetry still read, and his works are still celebrated 400 years after his death.

You will find many references to coins in Shakespeare’s works, so it is apt that this year, to mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, The Royal Mint honours the great playwright on UK coinage.

All of the commemorative coins are available to purchase now at www.royalmint.com

Matilda The Musical is the multi award-winning musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company, inspired by the beloved book by the incomparable Roald Dahl. With book by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda The Musical is the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.

Winner of over 50 major international awards, including 13 for Best Musical, Matilda The Musical continues to delight audiences in London, Australia, on Broadway and on tour around the USA. MORE TICKETS RELEASED ON 18 APRIL BOOKING UNTIL MAY 2017 CAMBRIDGE THEATRE, LONDON www.rsc.org.uk or call your Ticket Hotline

THE MUSICAL

CAMBRIDGE THEATRE, LONDON Photos by Manuel Harlan

NO BOOKING FEE FOR RSC MEMBERS when booked through the RSC Ticket Hotline

MAKING A SCENE TALKS As part of Shakespeare's 400th anniversary year, award winning playwright David Edgar curates a series of talks that explore the dramatic structure of Shakespearean scenes and his continuing influence on modern playwrights.

MAKING A SCENE – SHAKESPEARE’S STRUCTURE

Join David Edgar and guests for a day of talks examining Shakespeare’s structural skills in playwriting, exploring some of his most famous scenes with writers, actors and directors.

Sunday 24 July, 11.00am - 4.30pm SWAN THEATRE £30 (lunch not included)

MAKING A SCENE – SHAKESPEARE AND PLAYWRIGHTS TODAY David Edgar talks to RSC playwrights about their favourite scenes from Shakespeare and where they find inspiration in his work.

Saturday 13 August Alice Birch (RSC: Revolt. She Said.

Revolt Again)

IN YOUR NEXT NEWSLETTER ■ Details of the summer New Writing Festival at The Other Place ■ A review of the Shakespeare Celebrations ■ Magic at Midsummer update

Saturday 17 September Tom Morton-Smith (RSC: Oppenheimer)

11.30 - 12.30 THE OTHER PLACE £5 To book tickets please call your Ticket Hotline or visit www.rsc.org.uk/making-a-scene

Photo by Lucy Barriball

Photo by Ellie Kurttz

Saturday 12 November Ella Hickson (RSC: Wendy & Peter Pan)