Roundhouse

From modest Victorian beginnings - as a steam engine repair shed -to a legendary cultural venue, the Roundhouse has an enviable heritage. Since playwright Arnold Wesker established Centre 42 at the Roundhouse in 1964 - the first time the building was used as an arts venue it has played host to many seminal performances.

In June 2006, this renowned north London landmark reopened following extensive refurbishment, transforming the Grade II listed building into a state-of-the-art performance venue. The original features were restored giving it its distinct and much loved character whilst also creating a facility that can accommodate and develop an international performance programme.

In 2008, the RSC arrived at the Roundhouse with 'one of the great events of modern theatre' (Guardian). We recreated a thrust stage auditorium within the walls of this iconic venue for our epic History Cycle of eight plays, with over 34,000 people joining us during the sold-out season. The Courtyard Theatre auditorium inside the Roundhouse structure became fondly known within the RSC as the 'Roundyard'.

The RSC returns to London's Roundhouse in November 2010 to present a ten-week repertoire of eight plays by Shakespeare - six full-scale productions and two specially adapted for children and families.

The season opens with Rupert Goold's production of Romeo and Juliet and runs in repertoire to 5 February next year, with Michael Boyd's production of Antony and Cleopatra; The Winter's Tale directed by David Farr; Julius Caesar directed by Lucy Bailey; As You Like It,directed by Michael Boyd; and David Farr's King Lear. All six productions have been developed throughout their time in the repertoire and are revised and re-rehearsed with each revival in Stratford, Newcastle, London and finally for next year's residency in New York.

The season also includes the RSC's two recent Young People's Shakespeare (YPS) productions created especially for children and families, and inspired by the Stand Up For Shakespeare campaign which calls for more children and young people to See Shakespeare Live, Start Shakespeare Earlier and Do Shakespeare on their Feet - Hamlet, directed by Tarell Alvin McCraney, and The Comedy of Errors (in association with Told by an Idiot), directed by Paul Hunter. These shows have already toured schools in the Black Country and London, acclaimed by critics and children alike ('I've rarely seen the myth that schoolchildren find Shakespeare boring so effectively punctured' The Guardian).

The RSC will once again construct a specially-built thrust stage with a 750 seat auditorium wrapped around it, within the columns of the iconic Roundhouse. Watch a video of the Roundyard being built.