Royal Shakespeare

THE COMPANY'S PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES LAID DOWN IN THE ROYAL CHARTER ARE TO CONSERVE, ADVANCE AND DISSEMINATE THE DRAMATIC HERITAGE OF SHAKESPEARE AND TO ADVANCE AND IMPROVE THE DRAMATIC ART, BOTH IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE COMPANY IS CHARGED WITH PRODUCING AND PRESENTING DRAMATIC PERFORMANCES OF ALL KINDS, AND WITH TEACHING AND TRAINING AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES.

STRATFORD STRATEGY:WITH THE UNCERTAINTY AROUND PERFORMING INDOORS CONTINUING, WE TOOK A DECISION EARLY IN THE 2021 CALENDAR YEAR THAT WE WOULD BUILD AN OUTDOOR THEATRE TO ENSURE THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO PERFORM REGARDLESS OF ANY RESTRICTIONS.HOWEVER PRIOR TO REOPENING, IN APRIL 2021, THE WINTER'S TALE WAS REIMAGINED FOR THE SCREEN AND BROADCAST ON BBC FOUR, BEFORE MOVING ONTO IPLAYER, WITH A BSL VERSION ALSO AVAILABLE. THE PRODUCTION WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO PLAY IN THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE IN 2020 IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE BUT WAS RECONCEIVED FOR THE FILMED VERSION GENERATING IN EXCESS OF 87,000 VIEWS ACROSS THE LICENCED PERIOD.IN APRIL 2021 WE ANNOUNCED OUR THREADS YOUNG PEOPLE'S PROGRAMME FOCUSSING ON COSTUME AND HERITAGE FOR PEOPLE AGED 16-25. THE BROADER THREADS PROGRAMME SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND, CELEBRATED THE HISTORY OF COSTUME MAKING IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON AND RAN THROUGH SUMMER AND AUTUMN 2021. ACTIVITY INCLUDED WORK WITH MANY COMMUNITY GROUPS AND A MEMORABLE COSTUME DAY IN AUGUST 2021 - A FREE FESTIVAL OF COSTUME MAKING THROUGH THE AGES IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON. JUST UNDER 7,000 PEOPLE JOINED US FOR PERFORMANCES, WORKSHOPS, EXHIBITIONS AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES, GIVING EVERYONE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET CREATIVE AND BE ENTERTAINED WHILST LEARNING ABOUT THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF OUR COSTUME WORKSHOP AND THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE COSTUMES YOU SEE ON STAGE.IN MAY 2021, WE STARTED BUILDING THE LYDIA & MANFRED GORVY GARDEN THEATRE WITH A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THIS PROJECT FROM THE GORVY FAMILY. THE TEMPORARY OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE SPACE WAS HOME TO THE COMEDY OF ERRORS OVER THE SUMMER AND WAS DESIGNED TO ALLOW AUDIENCES BACK TO SEE OUR PRODUCTIONS CONFIDENTLY, SAFELY AND IN LINE WITH GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES. WE BEGAN WITH FULLY SOCIALLY DISTANCED SEATING SLOWLY INCREASING THE CAPACITY AS RESTRICTIONS EASED. THE MAXIMUM CAPACITY WAS 500.THE THEATRE WAS COMPLETED IN JULY 2021 AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 16 MONTHS OUR ACTORS PERFORMED ON STAGE IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE. PHILLIP BREEN'S PRODUCTION OF THE COMEDY OF ERRORS WAS ORIGINALLY MEANT TO OPEN IN THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE ("RST") IN APRIL 2020 ALONGSIDE THE WINTER'S TALE. IT FINALLY MADE IT TO THE STAGE IN A THEATRE THAT HAD NEVER BEEN CONCEIVED OF WHEN THE PRODUCTION STARTED REHEARSING. THE WHOLE PROJECT FROM CONCEPTION TO COMPLETION TOOK JUST 6 MONTHS AND THE SITE HAS NOW BEEN RETURNED TO ITS ORIGINAL STATE AS THE THEATRE GARDENS. THE THEATRE STRUCTURE IS NOW IN STORAGE FOR USE IN FUTURE YEARS BY US OR OTHER COMPANIES. ACROSS THE SEASON ALMOST 30,000 TICKETS WERE SOLD.THE SUMMER 2021 MONTHS ALSO SAW MUCH OUTDOOR ACTIVITY FOR FAMILIES (AND ALSO IN THE WINTER WITH AN ADVENT TRAIL ACROSS THE TOWN) AS WELL AS THE REOPENING OF OUR CATERING FACILITIES INCLUDING A NEW 'CLICK AND COLLECT' SERVICE FOR PICNIC BOXES AND DRINKS. THE SIMPLIFIED MENU (DUE TO AVAILABILITY OF PRODUCTS AND PRODUCE) PROVED POPULAR, AS DID A CHANGE TO THE WINTER MENU FOR THE CHRISTMAS SHOW.IN JUNE 2021, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE WELCOMED DIGITAL AUDIENCES INSIDE OUR FULL REHEARSAL PROCESS FOR A SHAKESPEARE PLAY (HENRY VI PART I) WHICH CULMINATED IN A FINAL LIVE ONLINE REHEARSAL ROOM RUN THROUGH OF THE ENTIRE PLAY. OUR COMPANY OF ACTORS WORKED WITH DIRECTORS GREGORY DORAN AND OWEN HORSLEY AND THEIR CREATIVE TEAM TO STREAM DAILY SESSIONS FROM THE REHEARSAL ROOM IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON THAT WAS AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE.IN THE WINTER MONTHS WE FINALLY REOPENED OUR MAIN SPACE TO LIVE AUDIENCES PRESENTING A NEW LARGE-SCALE MUSICAL FOR FAMILIES THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT. THE SHOW WAS A GREAT SUCCESS WITH AUDIENCES AND CRITICS. WE DID LOSE SOME PERFORMANCES DUE TO OMICRON AND RARELY A PERFORMANCE WENT BY WHERE EXTENSIVE UNDERSTUDY PLANS WERE NOT IN PLACE - BUT IT IS TESTAMENT TO THE WHOLE COMPANY COVERING EACH OTHER - WE ONLY CANCELLED A SMALL HANDFUL OF PERFORMANCES.IN FEBRUARY 2022 WE OPENED OUR FIRST INDOOR SHAKESPEARE PRODUCTION FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS WITH A DAZZLING AFRO FUTURISTIC PRODUCTION OF MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING DIRECTED BY ROY ALEXANDER WEISE IN HIS RSC DEBUT. THE PRODUCTION WAS ALSO FILMED FOR BBC4 AS PART OF THEIR NEWS ARTS STRAND. TO DATE WE HAVE ACHIEVED IN EXCESS OF 127,500 DIGITAL VIEWS.NATIONAL ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY:THE RSC'S 12 ASSOCIATE REGIONAL THEATRE PARTNERS (OUR PARTNER THEATRES) REMAIN HARD HIT BY THE CRISIS ALONGSIDE THE WIDER SECTOR, REINFORCING THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR NATIONAL ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY. OUR NATIONAL NETWORK OF PARTNER THEATRES ARE THE ALHAMBRA THEATRE BRADFORD, THE GRAND THEATRE BLACKPOOL, HALL FOR CORNWALL, HULL TRUCK THEATRE, INTERMISSION YOUTH, THE MARLOWE THEATRE CANTERBURY, NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL, THE NEW VIC THEATRE, NORTHERN STAGE, THE THEATRE ROYAL & ROYAL CONCERT HALL NOTTINGHAM, YORK THEATRE ROYAL, SILHOUETTE YOUTH THEATRE. FOLLOWING ITS RUN IN THE LYDIA & MANFRED GORVY GARDEN THEATRE, IN THE SUMMER OF 2021, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, THEN WENT ON A SHORT THREE-WEEK UK TOUR TO THREE OF OUR ASSOCIATE REGIONAL THEATRE PARTNERS - NOTTINGHAM THEATRE ROYAL, THE MARLOWE IN CANTERBURY AND THE IN ALHAMBRA IN BRADFORD, BEFORE PLAYING AT THE BARBICAN IN LONDON. THERE WAS ALSO A CAST CHANGE DURING THE RUN OF THE SHOW, WHEN ADRIANNA ACTOR HEDYDD DYLAN WAS REPLACED BY NAOMI SHELDON AS SHE WENT ON MATERNITY LEAVE. HEDYDD PLAYED ADRIANNA IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, THEN THE PAIR SHARED THE ROLE DURING THE TOUR, WITH NAOMI TAKING OVER FULLY FOR THE BARBICAN SHOWS. THE CHARACTER WAS PLAYED AS PREGNANT, ADDING AN INTERESTING NEW ELEMENT TO HER RELATIONSHIP WITH HER HUSBAND.IN JANUARY 2022 WE LAUNCHED OUR NEW TICKETS SCHEME, SPONSORED IN PART BY TIKTOK, FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 14-25 YEARS OLD TO INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION OF THEATRE AUDIENCES, DEVELOPING A LASTING COMMITMENT AND LOVE OF THEATRE AND LIVE PERFORMANCE. DEVELOPED IN CONSULTATION WITH THE RSC'S YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD, TIKTOK TICKETS OPENS FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO SEE RSC SHOWS IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON OR IN LONDON FOR 10 (5 FOR REDUCED-PRICE PREVIEWS), WHETHER THEY ARE BOOKING INDEPENDENTLY OR VISITING WITH THEIR SCHOOL. STATE SCHOOLS CAN ALSO BOOK 10 TIKTOK TICKETS FOR GROUP VISITS IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON.EDUCATION STRATEGY:IN OUR LEARNING WORK OUR AIM CONTINUES TO BE TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH VIVID, NEW ENCOUNTERS WITH SHAKESPEARE'S WORK AND THEATRE MAKING. DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR WE CONTINUED TO DEEPEN OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH SCHOOLS AND REGIONAL THEATRES ACROSS ENGLAND THAT HAVE BEEN BUILT OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS. OUR NATIONWIDE NETWORK OF PARTNERS INCLUDES 25 LEAD ASSOCIATE SCHOOLS EACH LEADING A CLUSTER OF 10 OTHER SCHOOLS (250 SCHOOLS IN TOTAL) AND 12 ASSOCIATE REGIONAL PARTNER THEATRES. ALL BASED IN AREAS OF STRUCTURAL DISADVANTAGE. IN TOTAL THIS FINANCIAL YEAR WE WORKED WITH 1,037 SCHOOLS, REACHED 321,429 CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE (AGED FROM 3 UPWARDS), AND WORKED WITH OVER 2,000 TEACHERS.IN ADDITION, OUR NEXT GENERATION, BACKSTAGE AND DIRECT PROGRAMMES PROVIDED TALENT DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR 201 YOUNG PEOPLE (AGED 13 TO 18), ALL FROM BACKGROUNDS UNDER-REPRESENTED IN THE ARTS AND CULTURAL SECTOR. WE HAVE RECRUITED, TRAINED, AND DEVELOPED 345 YOUNG SHAKESPEARE AMBASSADORS (AGED 9-16) AND 30 YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD ('YAB') MEMBERS (AGED 9-21), TO HELP INFLUENCE OUR WORK AND PRACTICE AND ENSURE THAT THE VOICES OF YOUNG PEOPLE ARE AT THE HEART OF OUR DECISION MAKING.WE PRODUCED 16 REGIONAL PERFORMANCE FESTIVALS OF MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE, SCHOOLS AND REGIONAL THEATRES, AND DEVELOPED 6 CO-PRODUCTIONS WITH ADULT COMMUNITY GROUPS, IN ALL CASES TARGETING COMMUNITIES IN AREAS OF STRUCTURAL DISADVANTAGE THAT HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN UNDERSERVED BY THE ARTS AND CULTURAL SECTORS. WE DELIVERED 7 LIVE BROADCASTS FREE TO ALL UK SCHOOLS WITH A COMBINED AUDIENCE OF 114,000 YOUNG PEOPLE.