The Early Years
In 1875, Charles Edward Flower, a Stratford brewer, launched an international campaign to build a theatre in the town of Shakespeare's birth. His donation of the now famous two-acre site began a family tradition of generosity to the theatre which continues today.
The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was a Victorian Gothic building. It opened in 1879 with a performance of Much Ado About Nothing. From 1907 star visitors began to appear in Stratford such as Ellen Terry and H Beerbohm Tree and under the direction of F R Benson, a month-long summer season was added in 1910. Europe and the USA helped to broaden the company's outlook.
The Royal Charter
Almost 50 years of excellence were recognised in 1925 by the granting of a Royal Charter, but only a year later the theatre was destroyed by fire.
The festival director, William Bridges-Adams, continued productions in a local cinema, and a worldwide campaign was launched to build a new theatre. In 1932 the new Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, designed by Elisabeth Scott, was opened by The Prince of Wales on 23rd April, Shakespeare’s birthday.
1932 – 1961
Over the next thirty years the Company continued to build its reputation, working with established Shakespearean actors, as well as nurturing new talent. From 1945 the company’s work began to win critical acclaim.
Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier acted alongside new faces such as Richard Burton. It was in the late 1950s that invitations to perform in Russia, Europe and the USA helped to broaden the company’s outlook.
The 1960s
In 1960, Peter Hall formed the modern Royal Shakespeare Company and in 1961, the Memorial Theatre was renamed the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The repertoire widened to take in modern work and classics other than Shakespeare.
The sixties brought a new generation of actors and directors to the company – David Warner, Judi Dench, Ian Richardson, Janet Suzman, Clifford Williams, John Barton, Trevor Nunn and Terry Hands – and landmark productions like Peter Hall’s Wars of the Roses.
Over the next thirty years the company continued to expand under a succession of visionary and creative Artistic Directors: Peter Hall (1960 – 1968), Trevor Nunn (1968 – 1978), Trevor Nunn jointly with Terry Hands (1978 – 1987), Terry Hands (1987 – 1991) and Adrian Noble (1991 – 2003).
The Swan Theatre
The 1986 season in Stratford saw the opening of another theatre. Built inside part of the shell of the Memorial Theatre that survived the 1926 fire, the Swan is a unique, modern theatre space based on the design of the playhouses of Elizabethan England.
The Swan Theatre continues to be a favourite space for many actors and audiences owing to its intimate staging and the close proximity of the audience to the action.
The RSC today
In July 2002 Michael Boyd was announced as the new Artistic Director for the RSC replacing Adrian Noble from March 2003 and signalling a new chapter in the company’s history.
Michael became an Associate Director of the company in 1996 and has directed numerous productions for the RSC. In 2000/2001 he won an Olivier Award for Best Director for the productions Henry VI, parts I, II, III and Richard III. The productions formed part of the RSC’s This England – The Histories cycle.
Despite the growth from Festival theatre to international status, the values of the RSC today have changed very little since 1905: the RSC is still formed around an ensemble of actors and a core of associate actors who continue to give a distinctive and unmissable approach to theatre. The RSC also continues to be a superb training ground for the artistic and technical talents of British and international theatre.
