RSC hosts Olympic athletes
Two sporting stars visiting Stratford-upon-Avon from the US found they had more in common with the RSC's actors than they expected.
Olympic gold medallist Nastia Liukin and Paralympic gold medallist Allison Jones visited the RSC on Thursday (15 September) as part of a UK tour in advance of next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games.
After visiting Shakespeare's birthplace, the two athletes were shown around the RSC by actor Steve Toussaint, joining the actors' warm-up for A Midsummer Night's Dream and having lunch in the Rooftop Restaurant.
Speaking about her warm-up with the cast, five times Olympic medal-winning gymnast Nastia said: 'It is really amazing, but I feel like there is a similarity between us and the actors.
'As athletes, we are gearing up every single day for our performance and that is what they do too. We warm up in the morning and have a training session and that is what they do.'
The two athletes are part of a team of seven Olympians and Paralympians, coming from the US to see what Britain has to offer, prior to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Allison, a Paralympic cyclist and skier, has competed in four Paralympic Games, winning gold and silver medals in both sports.
She said: 'It was good to actually see places. Normally when you travel, you only see the competition and the venue. I was in Copenhagen and all I saw was the loop I competed in.'
Alongside the Olympic Games next year, the World Shakespeare Festival takes place, produced by the RSC and part of the London 2012 Festival, the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad, which brings leading artists from all over the world together in a UK-wide celebration.