Triple celebration at RSC's annual Open Day
26 March 2007
On the 29 April, join the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) as it opens its doors for a triple celebration that marks the end of its year-long Complete Works Festival, Shakespeare’s birthday and the temporary closure of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST).
To mark this unique point in the RSC’s history, there will be an opportunity to say goodbye to the current RST stage with backstage tours throughout the weekend, as well as a host of events taking place on Sunday 29 April at the RSC’s annual Open Day. As well as workshops and events, the RSC will host a specially commissioned musical concert, a Shakespeare quiz, a football match, a theatre discovery zone, backstage and star tours and welcome RSC alumni including Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Juliet Stevenson and Patrick Stewart.
Highlights of the Open Day programme on Sunday 29 April include:
- Ten Years Older and What Not To Wear: Turning the popular TV series’ titles on their heads see RSC wigs, wardrobe and make-up practitioners transform our actors’ youthful good looks using all the tricks of the trade.
- On This Stage: RSC artists Sinead Cusack, Antony Sher and Juliet Stevenson share their memories of performing on the RST stage. For the second half of the event join RSC Artistic Director, Michael Boyd and former RSC Artistic Directors, Terry Hands, Adrian Noble and Trevor Nunn.
- The RSC in Concert: The RSC Band and RSC Director of Music, John Woolf, present music from the RSC’s recent history to commemorate 75 years of the RST.
- How Was It For You?: Join a panel discussion looking back on the Complete Works Festival and reflecting on an extraordinary year in the RSC’s history.
- Reworking The Works: To mark the launch of the RSC’s new edition of Shakespeare’s Complete Works, James Shapiro is in conversation with co-editors Professor Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen as they reveal a few textual surprises.
- Shakespeare: How the Text Helps the Actor – John Barton with Ian McKellen and Judi Dench: Veteran director John Barton reunites two of the country’s leading actors in an exploration of how to make meaning out of text in performance.
- Travelling With Shakespeare: Broadcaster Michael Wood leads a discussion with Tim Supple (director of Dash Arts’ Indian production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream), David Tse (director of South East Asian Yellow Earth Theatre) and John Kani (one of South Africa’s best known actors), on how Shakespeare translates across the globe.
- The Great Shakespeare Quiz: Gyles Brandreth is quizmaster leading two teams including Sinead Cusack, Judi Dench, Michael Wood, Ian McKellen, David Warner, Donald Sinden and Juliet Stevenson.
- Match of the Day: Join Dion Dublin (referee) as the Yorks and the Lancasters from the current Histories Acting Ensemble battle it out in a football match.
- Theatre Discovery Zone: Discover a world of wigs, hats, props, costume, vomit, blood and slime! Also take part in workshops including playwriting, set design, voice technique and how to win an argument using Shakespeare!
- Family and younger audiences: Take part in any number of workshops specifically designed for families and younger audiences including producing a play in a day, dance, costume and mask making, music, stage combat, dressing up and blood, guts and gore!
And if that isn’t enough, there are a number of other activities including the opportunity to record and share your memories of the RST, star tours with RSC actors, talks with directors and actors and theatre surgeries on voice, acting, directing and working in theatre. For full details of the day’s programme, times, venues and costs visit www.rsc.org.uk or call the ticket hotline on 0844 800 1110.
Ends
Further information
For more press information contact Jo Hammond in the RSC Press Office on 01789 272351 or joanna.hammond@rsc.org.uk
