Frequently asked questions

Please find below questions frequently asked of specific departments at the RSC. To jump straight to the area you're interested in, please click on one of the links below.

Buying tickets
Gift vouchers
Supporting the RSC

Sending in a script
Acting with the RSC
Work experience
Courses for actors
Hiring costumes

Visiting Stratford-upon-Avon
Theatre tours

RSC's Annual Report and Accounts

RSC Box Office

How do I book tickets?
Tickets are available to book online, by telephone, by post and in person.

When is the Box Office open?
The Box Office in the foyer of The Courtyard Theatre is open 9.30am (10am on Tuesdays) - 8pm, Monday - Saturday (6pm on non-performance days).

The RSC Ticket Hotline on 0844 800 1110 is available from 9am - 8pm Monday - Saturday. Calls are answered in rotation.

RSC Literary Department

Can I send you my script?
We only read scripts where the writer is known, and we are unable to read unsolicited scripts.

Why won't you ready my script?
The Literary Department does not have the resources to be able to read unsolicited material. Our resources are focussed on working with established writers.

Where should I send it then?
We recommend theatres that have a new-work reading policy. In London these include The Royal Court, The Bush, The Tricycle or Hampstead Theatres, and regionally, such theatres as Liverpool Everyman, Live Theatre in Newcastle, Birmingham Rep, Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, etc. Please see their websites for more details, or consult the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.

I have a great idea for a play, adapted from my own novel or poetry.
We deal only with playwrights and adapters that we have under commission.

I've written a play based on Shakespeare.
Our commissioned writers are working on plays that act as counterpoints to the classical repertoire rather than adding to it. We are also not looking for historical or modern verse dramas.

I'd like to invite you to my reading.
By all means do – send us a letter or email and we will do our utmost to attend.

How can I get an agent?
Submit your work to them, but be aware that many have strict rules about what they will and won’t read. Again, consult their websites or the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.

I'd like to contact a one of your writers or directors.
Contact Dan Usztan, the Literary Assistant, and he will endeavour to get a message to the writer, or contact the writer’s agent. We do not give out personal contact information under any circumstances.

I’d like to get hold of an RSC promptbook.
All our archives are held by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford (www.shakespeare.org). They will photocopy and send promptbooks for a fee.

How can I get hold of an RSC script?
Many of our writers are published, and their scripts are readily available to buy. Please see the RSC Online Shop or www.amazon.co.uk for many of them.

How do I find out what you have under commission?
At any one time we will have around thirty writers under commission to us, including new plays, adaptations of novels and translations. Due to confidentiality agreements, we are unable to give out details of any of these. We currently programme at least 18 months in advance, so there is plenty of time for us to publicise our new plays. Keep checking our website for more details.

I'm doing a dissertation on dramaturgy – can I ask you some questions?
We’d love to hear from people with an interest in dramaturgy. Submit your query in writing or over email and we’ll endeavour to answer as many as we can.

RSC Casting Department

How to I become a member of the Company?
Our Casting Department are constantly on the look out for new talent and attend productions around the country, on the fringe, at drama schools and in the West End several times a week as well as watching film and television. This part of their work is vital both to get to know actors they may not have seen in performance before and to keep up to date with actors work. They are then in a position to introduce actors to directors and invite them to audition. We do not hold open or general auditions. Instead actors are invited to meet a director for a specific part in a planned production.

Many actors return to work with the company after their debut. Sometimes it may be for a consecutive season, or seasons as actors become regular members. On other occasions it can be many years later but every new company will include a percentage of performers for whom it is their first time with the company. There are scores of screen and stage 'stars' who played with the RSC at the beginning of their careers and happily we are able to attract many of them back for the right project.

Do you employ actors who are based abroad?
Due to Home Office employment regulations and UK work permit application criteria it is very difficult for the RSC to be able to employ actors in our company who are based abroad unless they already have a valid work permit or have dual nationality.

Do I need to have an agent?
It is also worth noting that we do employ actors who have not been to drama school or are not represented by an agent. However it is certainly a bonus to have an agent with good contacts working on your behalf.

Should I do a drama course?
The Casting Department would also advise anyone who is serious about going into acting professionally to apply for a vocational drama course. There you will learn skills and techniques, get experience of working with professional directors on productions fulltime and have an opportunity to show your work to industry professionals.

Information on courses can be found through the Conference of Drama Schools. A free copy of their publication CDS Guide Professional Training in Drama and Technical Theatre can be obtained from French's Theatre Bookshop.

You can telephone French's Theatre Bookshop on 020 7255 4300 or email on theatre@samuelfrench-london.co.uk The CDS also publishes a Guide to Careers Backstage which is also available free from French's Theatre Bookshop.

Work experience at the RSC

Can I do work experience at the RSC
We offer a variety of work placements throughout the year in almost every department across the Company. Having a work placement at the Royal Shakespeare Company will give you a first-hand opportunity to see a fully professional, internationally renowned theatre company at work.

Occasionally, the Literary Department offer work experience places and do consider individual applications. For work experience in the Literary Department only, please send your CV to daniel.usztan@rsc.org.uk

Courses for actors

Do you have courses for actors?
The RSC doesn't run actual courses for actors, but there are often short courses recommended in The Stage.

Also, information on courses can be found through the Conference of Drama Schools. A free copy of their publication CDS Guide Professional Training in Drama and Technical Theatre can be obtained from French's Theatre Bookshop.

Hire Wardrobe

Does the RSC ever hire out the costumes once used on stage?
RSC Costume Hire specialises in Elizabethan and Jacobean costumes but also covers periods ranging from Early English to the twentieth century. RSC Costume Hire is an invaluable resource for theatre companies, film, television, school and university drama productions as well as amateur dramatic societies (but not for parties, sorry).

RSC Costume Hire works on an appointment basis - to book an appointment, please ring 01789 205920 or email hire.wardrobe@rsc.org.uk

Support the RSC

How can I support the RSC?
There are many ways you can help the RSC including becoming an RSC Member, joining Shakespeare's Circle which starts at £8.50 a month, becoming an RSC Patron, offering Corporate Support or by leaving a bequest in your will.

Visiting Stratford-upon-Avon

Can I eat at the theatre?
At the Courtyard Theatre, the outdoor seating area provides the perfect venue for lunch or supper during warm summer days.

The Café Bar is open Monday to Saturday from 10.30am - 8.30pm and from 10.30am - 5pm on Sunday, no booking required, indoor seating also available for when the weather is less hospitable. See a sample menu >>>

Where can I park near the theatre?
We've a PDF document of the area close to the theatre with the large car parks marked. There is also pay and display parking available on the roads close to the theatre.

Is it possible to get back to London by train after a performance?
It may depend on how long the performance is, but the Chiltern Railways website allows you to plan journeys and see schedules up to three months in advance. As well as trains from Stratford-upon-Avon, there are also trains from Birmingham and Warwick Parkway to London.

Whereabouts are the theatres?
We've a PDF map showing where the theatres are in Stratford-upon-Avon.

What else is there to see in Stratford-upon-Avon?
Why not visit Shakespeare's Houses, Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried, or take one of the tours of the town. We've more information available in our 'plan your visit' section.

Theatre tours

How do I book a theatre tour?
Theatre Tours will be available soon. Please call +44 (0)844 800 1114 for more information.

Gift vouchers

Can I buy RSC gift vouchers?
RSC Gift Vouchers are available from the RSC Box Office on 0844 800 1114 or by visiting one of the Box Offices in Stratford-upon-Avon. RSC Gift Vouchers can be purchased for any amount, and are valid for 12 months.

RSC Annual Report

Where can I read the RSC's Annual Report?
The RSC's Annual Report and Accounts are available to read online or you can contact us to request a copy.