Editing Royal Shakespeare Company

{{short description|British theatre company}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = Royal Shakespeare Company
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| abbreviation             = RSC
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| predecessor              = Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Ltd.
| merged                   = <!-- any other organization(s) which it was merged into -->
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| formation                = 23 April 1879
| founder                  = [[Peter Hall (director)|Peter Hall]]
| founding_location        = Stratford-upon-Avon
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| purpose                  = Promote [[Shakespeare]]'s plays to a truly diverse audience and their relevance to today's society.
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| headquarters             = [[Stratford-upon-Avon]]
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| leader_title2            = [[Patron]]
| leader_name2             = [[Charles III]]
| leader_title4            = Chief Executive Officer
| leader_name4             = Andrew Leveson
| leader_title5            = Artistic Directors
| leader_name5             = Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey
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| expenses                 = [[Pound Sterling|£]]82.98 million
| expenses_year            = 2019
| endowment                = [[Pound Sterling|£]]86.43 million
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<!--[[File:Royal Shakespeare Company.svg|thumbnail|Royal Shakespeare Company logo]]-->

The '''Royal Shakespeare Company''' ('''RSC''') is a major [[British theatre]] company, based in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]], Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in [[London]], 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 Theatre|Royal Shakespeare]] and [[Swan Theatre (Stratford)|Swan theatres]] as part of a £112.8-million "Transformation" project. The theatres re-opened in November 2010, having closed in 2007.

As well as the [[plays of Shakespeare]] and his contemporaries, the RSC produces new work from living artists.

==Company history==
[[File:Royalshakespearetheatre-080911.jpg|thumb|Renovated Royal Shakespeare Theatre in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] in 2011]]
[[File:Stratford RST.jpg|thumb|Royal Shakespeare Theatre in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] in 2003]]

===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]].<ref>Allardyce Nicoll, Kenneth Muir, ''Shakespeare Survey 19'', Cambridge University Press, 2006, p. 145.</ref> [[John Ward (actor)|John Ward]]'s [[Birmingham]]-based company, the [[Warwickshire Company of Comedians]], agreed to perform it. A surviving copy of the playbill records that the company performed ''[[Othello]]''.<ref name = "wind">Stanley Wells. Shakespeare for all Time. London, Macmillan, 2002, p. 220.</ref> 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 {{convert|2|acre|adj=on}} 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]], was unkindly described by [[George Bernard Shaw|Bernard Shaw]] as "an admirable building, adaptable to every purpose except that of a theatre." From 1919, under the direction of [[William Bridges-Adams (Theatre director)|William Bridges-Adams]] and after a slow start, its resident New Shakespeare Company became one of the most prestigious in Britain.  The theatre received a [[royal charter]] 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-timbered|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 [[United States|America]].

In January 1928, following an open competition, 29-year-old [[Elisabeth Scott]] 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.<ref>Pringle, p. 29</ref> George Bernard Shaw commented that her design was the only one that showed any theatre sense. Her modernist plans for an [[art deco]] structure came under fire from many directions but the new building was opened triumphantly on [[Shakespeare|William Shakespeare]]'s birthday, 23 April 1932. Later it came under the direction of Sir [[Barry Vincent Jackson|Barry Jackson]] in 1945,<ref name="Billington">''State of the Nation: British Theatre Since 1945'' by [[Michael Billington (critic)|Michael Billington]], Faber (2007) {{ISBN|978-0-571-21034-3}}</ref> [[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 (theatre director)|Peter Hall]] announced that the formation of a permanent company would be a primary objective. David Addenbrooke wrote of Hall's belief that Shakespeare, more than any other dramatist, needed a 'style', a tradition and unity of direction and acting.<ref>Addenbrooke (1974)</ref> 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 (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."<ref name="Billington"/>

[[John Barton (director)|John Barton]] had been appointed associate director in January 1960,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2006/feb/07/theatre.rsc|title=Interview: John Barton – Stage|last=Bllington|first=Michael|date=7 February 2006|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=3 December 2015|archive-date=19 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119120046/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2006/feb/07/theatre.rsc|url-status=live}}</ref> and was followed in 1962 by [[Michel Saint-Denis]], [[Peter Brook]] and [[Clifford Williams (actor)|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]] which – led by [[Viscount Chandos]] and [[Laurence Olivier]] – 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]] 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 (London)|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]], the company's first female director,<ref>Colin Chambers [https://books.google.com/books?id=u4QNOJgj0nQC&pg=PT67 ''Inside the Royal Shakespeare Company: Creativity and the Institution''], Abingdon: Routledge, 2004, p. 67</ref> drew up a plan for what would become [[The Other Place (theatre)|The Other Place]] studio theatre in Stratford, designed by [[Michael Reardon (English architect)|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]] 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]] critic [[Michael Billington (critic)|Michael Billington]] later wrote: "[In 1977] 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 [[Peter Nichols (playwright)|Nichol]]'s ''[[Privates on Parade]]'', Ibsen's ''Pillars of the Community'' and Brecht's ''[[The Days of the Commune]]''. At the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Terry Hands and actor Alan Howard had a marathon year working on ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'', a virtually uncut, ''[[Henry VI, part 1]]'', ''[[Henry VI, part 2]]'' and ''[[Henry VI, part 3]]'' and ''[[Coriolanus (play)|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".<ref>''One Night Stands'' by Michael Billington, Nick Hern Books (1993) {{ISBN|1-85459-185-1}}</ref>

Nunn and Hands were joint artistic directors of the RSC when the company opened [[Swan Theatre (Stratford)|The Swan]], its third theatre in Stratford. The Swan Theatre, also designed by [[Michael Reardon (English architect)|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]]'' by William Shakespeare and [[John Fletcher (playwright)|John Fletcher]] (not published until 1634 and thought to be Shakespeare's last work for the stage). It was directed by [[Barry Kyle]].{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

==== Costumes and props ====
The RSC's costume department is 'the largest in-house costume-making workshop in British theatre' and 'world-renowned'.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|date=10 June 2021|title=RSC completes £8m project to update theatre's costume department|url=http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/jun/10/rsc-completes-8m-project-to-update-theatres-costume-department|access-date=1 July 2021|website=The Guardian|archive-date=16 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716033011/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/jun/10/rsc-completes-8m-project-to-update-theatres-costume-department|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, the RSC raised over £8&nbsp;million for a project to update the costume and prop department.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sanderson|first=David|title=RSC shines spotlight on the magicians in its costume workshop|newspaper=[[The Times]]|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/theatre-dance/article/rsc-shines-spotlight-on-the-magicians-in-its-costume-workshop-lbj8mr995|access-date=1 July 2021|issn=0140-0460|archive-date=30 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630001304/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rsc-shines-spotlight-on-the-magicians-in-its-costume-workshop-lbj8mr995|url-status=live}}</ref> 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."<ref name=":1" />

The prop-makers design and make many of their own props for the many productions.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|date=8 January 2018|title=You want a flamingo? No problem! A rare glimpse inside the RSC's mind-boggling props HQ|url=http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jan/08/you-want-a-flamingo-no-problem-a-rare-glimpse-inside-the-rscs-mind-boggling-props-hq|access-date=1 July 2021|website=The Guardian|archive-date=18 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618035534/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jan/08/you-want-a-flamingo-no-problem-a-rare-glimpse-inside-the-rscs-mind-boggling-props-hq|url-status=live}}</ref> A 'Prop Shop' in Stratford-upon-Avon is the studio in which most of the props are made.<ref>{{cite web|title=Making Props|url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/about-us/how-we-make-theatre/props|access-date=1 July 2021|website=Royal Shakespeare Company|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182320/https://www.rsc.org.uk/about-us/how-we-make-theatre/props|url-status=live}}</ref>

====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]], 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.{{citation needed|date=March 2012}}

Shortly after that decision [[Adrian Noble]] 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,<ref>{{cite book|last=Chambers|first=Colin|title=Inside the Royal Shakespeare Company: Creativity and the Institution|year=2004|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-0-415-21202-1|page=108|chapter=Crisis and Modernisation}}</ref> 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 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Brave new world; Shakespeare|date=1 December 2001|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|page=53|location=London|quote=Adrian Noble, the Royal Shakespeare Company's artistic director, wants to demolish the main, unloved theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and replace it with a £100m theatre village}}</ref>

====A 21st-century renaissance====
None of Noble's plans came to fruition.  He left the job an unhappy man in March 2003.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/05/11/btnoble11.xml&sSheet=/arts/2004/05/11/ixartleft.html "Vile. Hateful. A horrible time"]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615011720/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=%2Farts%2F2004%2F05%2F11%2Fbtnoble11.xml&sSheet=%2Farts%2F2004%2F05%2F11%2Fixartleft.html |date=15 June 2006 }}: Daily Telegraph, 2004</ref> [[Michael Boyd (director)|Michael Boyd]] then assumed control of the RSC, now burdened with a deficit of £2.8&nbsp;million. By a combination of artistic excellence and quiet husbandry, including a year-long [[Complete Works (RSC festival)|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 (venue)|Roundhouse]] in London in 2008.<ref>[http://www.rsc.org.uk/content/5013.aspx RSC The Histories cycle] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209030442/http://www.rsc.org.uk/content/5013.aspx |date=9 December 2007 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/article-23425538-details/The+man+who+remade+the+RSC/article.do|title=The man who remade the RSC|last=Jury|first=Louise|date=4 December 2007|work=London Evening Standard|access-date=22 July 2009|archive-date=4 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204051121/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/article-23425538-details/The+man+who+remade+the+RSC/article.do|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, that same year the RSC commissioned a completely new edition of Shakespeare's First Folio, titled "[[William Shakespeare]] Complete Works" and published by [[Modern Library]].

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.<ref>Trowbridge, Simon: '' A Royal Shakespeare Company Book'' (Englance Press, 2017).</ref>

The RSC is the sole British member theatre of the [[Union of the Theatres of Europe]].

In March 2008, the RSC launched a manifesto 'Stand up for Shakespeare',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/12-2008/rsc-tells-schools-to-stand-up-for-shakespeare_17838.html|title=RSC Tells Schools to Stand up for Shakespeare???|date=12 December 2008|work=[[Whatsonstage.com Awards]]|publisher=WhatsOnStage.com|access-date=3 December 2015|archive-date=22 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222051911/http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/12-2008/rsc-tells-schools-to-stand-up-for-shakespeare_17838.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49906754|title=RSC ends BP partnership after student protest|date=2 October 2019|access-date=2 October 2019|archive-date=3 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003035506/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49906754|url-status=live}}</ref>

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]].

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]] by Shakespeare's Globe. The same year, planning permission was granted by Stratford District Council to reinstate [[The Other Place (theatre)|The Other Place]]. Funding for the new theatre came from a £3&nbsp;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 (play)|''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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-plays-the-thing/|title=The Play's The Thing – Exhibition – Royal Shakespeare Company|website=www.rsc.org.uk|access-date=1 December 2016|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102240/https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-plays-the-thing/|url-status=live}}</ref>

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]], [[Judi Dench|Dame Judi Dench]], [[Benedict Cumberbatch]] and even one from [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0791mqd|title=Shakespeare Live! From the RSC|website=BBC Two|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102223/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0791mqd|url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2019, the actor [[Mark Rylance]] resigned from the RSC over its sponsorship deal with oil company [[BP]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48721382|title=Rylance resigns from RSC over BP sponsors|date=21 June 2019|access-date=2 October 2019|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102226/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48721382|url-status=live}}</ref>

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".<ref name=":0" />

In February 2021, the RSC announced five new members to its board of trustees: Andrew Miller, Amanda Parker, [[Winsome Pinnock]], [[Justine Themen]] and [[Ayanna Thompson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/news/meet-our-new-trustees|title=Meet our new trustees|website=RSC|access-date=3 March 2021|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102250/https://www.rsc.org.uk/news/meet-our-new-trustees|url-status=live}}</ref>

It was announced that [[Daniel Evans (actor)|Daniel Evans]] and [[Tamara Harvey]] would become joint Artistic Directors from June 2023.<ref>{{cite web |date=20 September 2022 |title=Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey are an inspired duo to lead the RSC |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/sep/21/daniel-evans-and-tamara-harvey-inspired-duo-to-lead-rsc |access-date=23 September 2022 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922212255/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/sep/21/daniel-evans-and-tamara-harvey-inspired-duo-to-lead-rsc |url-status=live }}</ref> Their first season was announced on 16 January 2024 commencing from April.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Latest Press Releases {{!}} Royal Shakespeare Company |url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/press/releases/daniel-evans-and-tamara-harvey-announce-their-inaugural-season-as-co-artistic-directors-of-the-royal-shakespeare-company |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=www.rsc.org.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Artistic directors==
* [[Peter Hall (theatre director)|Peter Hall]] (1960–1968)
* [[Trevor Nunn]] (1968–1978)
* [[Trevor Nunn]] and [[Terry Hands]] (1978–1986)
* [[Terry Hands]] (1986–1991)
* [[Adrian Noble]] (1991–2003)
* [[Michael Boyd (director)|Michael Boyd]] (2003–2012)
* [[Gregory Doran]] (2012–2022)
* [[Erica Whyman]] (2021–2023) (Acting Artistic Director)
* [[Daniel Evans (actor)|Daniel Evans]] and [[Tamara Harvey]] (2023– )
<ref>{{cite news|title=Gregory Doran named as RSC chief|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17472325|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=22 March 2012|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102230/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-17472325|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Theatres==
The RSC has three permanent theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon:
* The [[Royal Shakespeare Theatre]], a 1,060-seat theatre with [[Stage (theatre)#Thrust stage|thrust stage]] (re-opened 24 November 2010 after Transformation project)<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-11827482
|title=Royal Shakespeare Company theatre opens doors to public
|date=24 November 2010
|work=BBC News
|access-date=26 November 2010
|archive-date=20 March 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102237/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-11827482
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
* The [[Swan Theatre (Stratford)|Swan Theatre]], a smaller [[Stage (theatre)#Thrust stage|thrust stage]], capacity 461<ref>Transformation: Shakespeare's New Theatre, by Daniel Ward, published by the RSC</ref>
* [[The Other Place (theatre)|The Other Place]], a studio theatre, rehearsal room and development space that opened in April 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/your-visit/the-other-place|title=The Other Place {{!}} Royal Shakespeare Company|website=www.rsc.org.uk|access-date=24 May 2016|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102244/https://www.rsc.org.uk/your-visit/the-other-place|url-status=live}}</ref>

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]] 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Shakespeare's The Other Place in Stratford begins revamp|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-31352422|publisher=BBC|access-date=18 January 2016|work=BBC News|date=10 February 2015|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102242/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-31352422|url-status=live}}</ref> 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]] 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 theatre was resurrected and renamed as The Holloway Garden Theatre for the summer 2024 production of ''As You Like It'', directed by Brendan O'Hea.

The company's London presence has included tenancies of the [[Aldwych Theatre]], [[The Place (London)|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 [[Almeida Theatre]] (1988 and 1989), the [[Roundhouse (venue)|Roundhouse]] in Camden, the [[Young Vic]], the [[Playhouse Theatre]], the [[Novello Theatre]] and the [[Gielgud Theatre]].

The [[Theatre Royal, Newcastle|Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne]] is the third home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, alongside Stratford-upon-Avon and London.<ref>Lloyd, A. The Music Hall and Theatre History Website.</ref>

==Key productions==
{{div col|colwidth=50em}}
*  ''[[Coriolanus]]'', directed by [[Peter Hall (theatre director)|Peter Hall]] and starring [[Laurence Olivier]] as Coriolanus, [[Vanessa Redgrave]] as Valeria, [[Robert Hardy]] as Sicinius Velutus, [[Edith Evans]] as Volumnia, and [[Albert Finney]] and [[Mary Ure]] as Roman citizens. (1959)
*  ''[[King Lear]]'', directed by [[Peter Brook]] and starring [[Paul Scofield]] as Lear, [[Irene Worth]] as [[Goneril]], [[Patience Collier]] as [[Regan (King Lear)|Regan]], [[Diana Rigg]] as [[Cordelia (King Lear)|Cordelia]], [[Peter Jeffrey]] as the [[Duke of Albany]], [[Tony Church]] as the [[Duke of Cornwall]], [[Alan Webb (actor)|Alan Webb]] as the [[Earl of Gloucester]], [[Tom Fleming (actor)|Tom Fleming]] as the [[Earl of Kent]], [[Brian Murray (actor)|Brian Murray]] as [[Edgar]], [[James Booth]] as [[Edmund (King Lear)|Edmund]], [[Clive Swift]] as Oswald, and [[Alec McCowen]] as the [[Shakespearean fool|Fool]].<ref name=RSCGreatest>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1469918/Scofields-Lear-voted-the-greatest-Shakespeare-performance.html|title=RSC greatest Shakespeare performances|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=22 April 2016|date=21 August 2004|last1=Nikkhah|first1=Roya|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102301/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1469918/Scofields-Lear-voted-the-greatest-Shakespeare-performance.html|url-status=live}}</ref> (1962)
* ''[[Measure for Measure]]'' directed by John Blatchley and starring [[Marius Goring]] as [[Angelo (Measure for Measure)|Angelo]], [[Judi Dench]] as Isabella, [[Tom Fleming (actor)|Tom Fleming]] as Vincentio, [[Ian Richardson]] as Lucio, [[Peter Jeffrey]] as Escalus, [[Clive Swift]] as Pompey and [[Ian Holm]] as Claudio. (1962)
* ''The [[The War of the Roses (Shakespeare)|Wars of the Roses]]'', adaptation of the ''[[Henry VI, part 1|Henry VI]]'' and ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' plays, directed by Sir [[Peter Hall (theatre director)|Peter Hall]] and starring [[Ian Holm]] as [[Richard III of England|Richard III]], [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]] as [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]], [[Peggy Ashcroft]] as [[Margaret of Anjou]], [[Donald Sinden]] as the [[Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York|Duke of York]], [[Paul Hardwick]] as the [[Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester|Duke of Gloucester]], [[Janet Suzman]] as [[Joan of Arc]], [[Brewster Mason]] as the [[Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick|Earl of Warwick]], [[Roy Dotrice]] as [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]]. (1963)
*  ''[[Marat/Sade]]'' by [[Peter Weiss]], directed by [[Peter Brook]] and starring [[Ian Richardson]] as the herald, [[Clive Revill]] as Marat, [[Patrick Magee (actor)|Patrick Magee]] as de Sade and [[Glenda Jackson]] as [[Charlotte Corday]]. (1964)
*  ''[[The Homecoming]]'' by [[Harold Pinter]], world premiere directed by [[Peter Hall (theatre director)|Peter Hall]] (June 1965)
* ''[[Staircase (play)|Staircase]]'' with [[Paul Scofield]] and [[Patrick Magee (actor)|Patrick Magee]] (1966)
* ''[[Hamlet]]'' directed by [[Peter Hall (theatre director)|Peter Hall]] with [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]] in the title-role (1965)
* ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', directed by [[Peter Brook]] (1970)
* ''[[Old Times]]'' by [[Harold Pinter]] directed by [[Peter Hall (theatre director)|Peter Hall]] (1971)
* ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' directed by [[Trevor Nunn]] (1973)
* ''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]'' directed by [[Trevor Nunn]] starring [[Janet Suzman]] (1973)
* ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]'', directed by [[John Barton (director)|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 (director)|Peter Wood]] (June 1974)
* ''The Marrying of Ann Leete'' by [[Harley Granville Barker]], starring [[Mia Farrow]], directed by [[David Jones (director)|David Jones]] (September 1975)
* ''[[Hamlet]]'', starring [[Ben Kingsley]], directed by [[Buzz Goodbody]] (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]]'' by [[Eugene O'Neill]], with Alan Tllvern taking over the role of Hickey from the "indisposed" [[Ian Holm]], directed by [[Howard Davies (director)|Howard Davies]] (May 1976)
* ''[[The Comedy of Errors (1976 musical)|The Comedy of Errors]]'', a musical by Trevor Nunn and [[Guy Woolfenden]] (September 1976)
* ''[[Wild Oats (play)|Wild Oats]]'' by John O'Keeffe, starring [[Alan Howard (actor)|Alan Howard]] and [[Jeremy Irons]], directed by Clifford Williams (December 1976)
* ''[[Macbeth]]'', directed by [[Trevor Nunn]] starring [[Judi Dench]]<ref name=RSCGreatest/> and [[Ian McKellen]] (1976–77)
* ''[[Privates on Parade]]'' by [[Peter Nichols (playwright)|Peter Nichols]], world premiere directed by [[Michael Blakemore]] (February 1977)
* ''Destiny'' by [[David Edgar (playwright)|David Edgar]], world premiere directed by Ron Daniels (May 1977)
* ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' directed by [[Jon Amiel]] with [[Ian McKellen]], [[Bob Peck]], [[Edward Petherbridge]] and [[Roger Rees]] (1978)
* ''The Greeks'' directed and adapted from [[Aeschylus]], [[Euripides]] and [[Sophocles]] by [[John Barton (director)|John Barton]] (1980)
* ''[[The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (play)|The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby]]'' adapted for the stage by [[David Edgar (playwright)|David Edgar]] with music by opera composer Stephen Oliver, world premiere directed by [[Trevor Nunn]] and [[John Caird (director)|John Caird]] (1980), winner of a [[Drama Desk Special Award]] in 1982
* ''[[Carrie (musical)|Carrie]]'', based on [[Stephen King]]'s [[Carrie (novel)|1974 horror novel]], directed by [[Terry Hands]] with a book by [[Lawrence D. Cohen]], lyrics by [[Dean Pitchford]], and music by [[Michael Gore]]. The Royal Shakespeare Company co-produced the Pre-Broadway try-out in the U.K.
* ''[[King Lear]]'' directed by [[Adrian Noble]] starring [[Michael Gambon]] and [[Antony Sher]] (1992)
* ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' directed by [[Terry Hands]] starring [[Derek Jacobi]] and [[Sinéad Cusack]]
* ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'', directed by [[Bill Alexander (director)|Bill Alexander]] starring Sir [[Antony Sher]] (1984)
* ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]'' by [[Claude-Michel Schoenberg]] and [[Alain Boublil]] directed by [[Trevor Nunn]] (1985–2019)
* ''[[Les liaisons dangereuses (play)|Les liaisons dangereuses]]'' by [[Christopher Hampton]] starring [[Alan Rickman]], [[Lindsay Duncan]], and [[Juliet Stevenson]], world premiere directed by [[Howard Davies (director)|Howard Davies]] (1985)
* ''[[Macbeth]]'' directed by [[Adrian Noble]] starring [[Jonathan Pryce]] (1986)
* ''[[Titus Andronicus]]'' directed by [[Deborah Warner]] starring [[Brian Cox (actor)|Brian Cox]] (1988)
* ''The Plantagenets'' adaptation of ''[[Henry VI, part 1]]'', ''[[Henry VI, part 2|part 2]]'' and ''[[Henry VI, part 3|part 3]]'' and ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'', directed by [[Adrian Noble]], starring [[Anton Lesser]] as [[Richard III of England|Richard III]], [[Ralph Fiennes]] as [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]] and [[David Waller]] as Duke of Gloucester (1988)
* ''[[Othello]]'' directed by [[Trevor Nunn]] with [[Willard White]] as [[Othello]] and [[Ian McKellen]] as [[Iago]] (1989)
* ''[[The Master Builder]]'' directed by [[Adrian Noble]] starring [[John Wood (English actor)|John Wood]] (1989)
* ''[[The Winter's Tale]]'' directed by [[Adrian Noble]] (1992)
* ''[[Hamlet]]'' directed by [[Adrian Noble]] starring [[Kenneth Branagh]] (1992)
* ''[[King Lear]]'' directed by [[Adrian Noble]] starring [[Robert Stephens]]<ref name=RSCGreatest/> and [[Simon Russell Beale]] (1993)
* ''[[Coriolanus (play)|Coriolanus]]'' directed by David Thacker starring [[Toby Stephens]] (1994)
* ''[[This England: The Histories]]'', a season of all Shakespeare's sequential history plays (2000)
* ''[[Hamlet]]'' directed by Michael Boyd starring [[Toby Stephens]] (2004)
* ''[[The Crucible]]'' by [[Arthur Miller]] directed by [[Dominic Cooke]] (2006)
* ''[[Pericles, Prince of Tyre|Pericles]]'' directed by [[Dominic Cooke]] (2006)
* Repertory performances of ''[[King Lear]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/RSClearPF-rev.htm|title=King Lear|last=Fisher|first=Philip|year=2007|publisher=British Theatre Guide|access-date=22 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516150816/http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/RSClearPF-rev.htm|archive-date=16 May 2008}}</ref> and ''[[The Seagull]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/RSCseagullPF-rev.htm|title=The Seagull|last=Fisher|first=Philip|year=2007|publisher=British Theatre Guide|access-date=22 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705054439/http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/RSCseagullPF-rev.htm|archive-date=5 July 2008}}</ref> starring [[Ian McKellen]] and [[Frances Barber]], directed by [[Trevor Nunn]] (2007)
* ''The Histories'' in Stratford-upon-Avon and at the Roundhouse (2008)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org.uk/content/6039.aspx |title=The Histories at the Roundhouse |publisher=RSC |access-date=22 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204125710/http://www.rsc.org.uk/content/6039.aspx |archive-date=4 December 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/theatre/drama/story/0,,2266431,00.html|title='We're going to need therapy'|last=Costa|first=Maddy|date=19 March 2008|work=The Guardian|access-date=22 July 2009|location=London|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102240/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/mar/19/rsc.theatre|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[Hamlet]]'' directed by [[Gregory Doran]], with [[David Tennant]] as Hamlet and [[Patrick Stewart]] as Claudius (2008)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/20934/tennants-hamlet-confirms-west-end-transfer|title=Tennant's Hamlet confirms West End transfer|last=Smith|first=Alistair|date=9 June 2008|work=The Stage|access-date=22 July 2009|archive-date=12 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612015837/http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/20934/tennants-hamlet-confirms-west-end-transfer|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Roald Dahl]]'s ''[[Matilda the Musical]]'', book by [[Dennis Kelly (writer)|Dennis Kelly]], music and lyrics by [[Tim Minchin]], directed by [[Matthew Warchus]] (2010)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.matildamusical.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410145830/http://matildamusical.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 April 2010|title=Matilda, A Musical|publisher=Royal Shakespeare Company|access-date=26 January 2010}}</ref>
* ''[[Love's Labour's Lost]]'' directed by Christophe Luscombe, with [[Edward Bennett (actor)|Edward Bennett]] and [[Michelle Terry]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/11167470/Loves-Labours-LostLoves-Labours-Won-Royal-Shakespeare-Theatre-review.html|title=Love's Labour's Lost/Love's Labour's Won, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, review: 'blissfully entertaining'|date=16 October 2014|last1=Cavendish|first1=Dominic|access-date=2 April 2018|archive-date=20 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620120411/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/11167470/Loves-Labours-LostLoves-Labours-Won-Royal-Shakespeare-Theatre-review.html|url-status=live}}</ref> (2014)
* ''[[Wolf Hall Parts One & Two|Wolf Hall]]'' based on the two novels by [[Hilary Mantel]], adapted for the stage by [[Mike Poulton]], directed by [[Jeremy Herrin]], produced in [[London's West End]] and on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=498312|title=Wolf Hall Part One|author=The Broadway League|publisher=ibdb.com|access-date=13 June 2015|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915161851/http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=498312|url-status=live}}</ref> (2015).
*  ''[[Oppenheimer (play)|Oppenheimer]]'' by [[Tom Morton-Smith]], directed by Angus Jackson and starring [[John Heffernan (British actor)|John Heffernan]] as J Robert Oppenheimer. (2015)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jan/23/oppenheimer-review-rsc-atomic-bomb-drama-tom-morton-smith|title=Oppenheimer five-star review – father of atomic bomb becomes tragic hero for RSC|first=Michael|last=Billington|date=23 January 2015|website=The Guardian|access-date=25 July 2018|archive-date=4 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404074129/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jan/23/oppenheimer-review-rsc-atomic-bomb-drama-tom-morton-smith|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[The Tempest]]'' directed by [[Gregory Doran]], with [[Simon Russell Beale]] and Mark Quarterly, designed by [[Stephen Brimson Lewis]], in collaboration with [[Intel]] and [[The Imaginarium Studios]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/nov/18/the-tempest-review-simon-russell-beale-rsc|title=The Tempest review – Beale's superb Prospero haunts hi-tech spectacle|first=Michael|last=Billington|date=18 November 2016|website=The Guardian|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102304/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/nov/18/the-tempest-review-simon-russell-beale-rsc|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[Imperium (play cycle)]]: Conspirator'' and ''Imperium: Dictator'' adapted from [[Robert Harris (novelist)|Robert Harris]]' trilogy by [[Mike Poulton]], with [[Richard McCabe]] as Marcus Tullius [[Cicero]] and [[Peter De Jersey]] as Gaius [[Julius Caesar]] (2017, Stratford Season) (2018, London Transfer).
* ''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]'' directed by [[Iqbal Khan (director)|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 ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' 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 (Shakespeare poem)|Venus and Adonis]]'' in 2017.
* [[Simon Godwin]] directed [[Paapa Essiedu]] in ''[[Hamlet]]'' in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2016, before it came back for a UK tour and shows in America in 2018.
* ''[[King Lear]]'', directed by [[Gregory Doran]] and with [[Antony Sher]] 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]]'' directed by [[Gregory Doran]], with music from [[Evelyn Glennie]] (2018).
* ''[[Timon of Athens]]'' directed by [[Simon Godwin]] (2018).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/timon-of-athens/past-productions/simon-godwin-2018-production|access-date=25 February 2019|title=Timon of Athens|publisher=Royal Shakespeare Company|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320102232/https://www.rsc.org.uk/timon-of-athens/past-productions/simon-godwin-2018-production|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[The Boy in the Dress (musical)|The Boy in the Dress]]'' by [[David Walliams]], book by [[Mark Ravenhill]], music and lyrics by [[Robbie Williams]] and [[Guy Chambers]], directed by [[Gregory Doran]] (2019)
* ''[[The Comedy of Errors]]'' directed by Phillip Breen (2021)
* [[Kate DiCamillo]]'s ''[[The Magician's Elephant (musical)|The Magician's Elephant]]'', book and lyrics by [[Nancy Harris]], music and lyrics by Marc Teitler, directed by Sarah Tipple (2021)
* ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' directed by [[Gregory Doran]], starring [[Arthur Hughes (British actor)|Arthur Hughes]] (2022)
* [[Studio Ghibli]]'s ''[[My Neighbour Totoro (play)|My Neighbour Totoro]]'' adapted by [[Tom Morton-Smith]], directed by [[Phelim McDermott]] (2022)
* ''[[Cowbois (play)|Cowbois]]'' by Charlie Josephine, co-directed by Charlie Josephine and [[Sean Holmes (theatre director)|Sean Holmes]] (2023)
* ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', directed by [[Eleanor Rhode]], starring [[Mathew Baynton]] (2024){{div col end}}

==Notable actors past and present==
{{main|List of actors in Royal Shakespeare Company productions}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Addenbrooke, David: ''The Royal Shakespeare Company: The Peter Hall Years'', William Kimber (1974) {{ISBN|0-7183-0103-X}}
* Adler, Steven: ''Rough Magic: Making Theatre at the Royal Shakespeare Company'', Southern Illinois University Press (2001) {{ISBN|978-0-8093-2377-7}}
* [[Sally Beauman|Beauman, Sally]]: ''The Royal Shakespeare Company: A History of Ten Decades'', Oxford University Press (1982) {{ISBN|0-19-212209-6}}
* [[Peter Hall (theatre director)|Hall, Peter]]: ''Making an Exhibition of Myself: The Autobiography of Peter Hall'', [[Sinclair-Stevenson]] (1993) {{ISBN|1-85619-165-6}}
* Pringle, Marian: ''The Theatres of Stratford-upon-Avon 1875–1992: An Architectural History'', Stratford upon Avon Society (1994) {{ISBN|0-9514178-1-9}}
* Trowbridge, Simon: ''The Company: A Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company'', Oxford: Editions Albert Creed (2010) {{ISBN|978-0-9559830-2-3}}
* Trowbridge, Simon: ''A Royal Shakespeare Company Book'', Oxford: Englance Press (2017) {{ISBN|978-1-9997305-3-6}}
* [[Theatre Record]] and its annual Indexes
* RSC programme notes (including those for ''Richard II'' at the Courtyard, August 2007)

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.rsc.org.uk/}}
* [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/royal-shakespeare-company Royal Shakespeare Company at Google Cultural Institute]
* {{cite web |url= https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/ |title= Search the collection |publisher= Shakespeare Birthplace Trust }}

{{Shakespeare|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1879 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Shakespearean theatre companies in England]]
[[Category:Theatre companies in Warwickshire]]
[[Category:Theatre companies in London]]
[[Category:Theatre companies in Newcastle upon Tyne]]