A History of the RSC in 50 Objects (Online)

Dress worn by Peggy Ashcroft

The Wars of the Roses, 1963

Director: Peter Hall
Designer: John Bury

Peggy Ashcroft (1907 – 1991) was one of the first to sign a contract with the RSC in 1961. She had already been acting in Stratford for ten years and was a well-known Shakespearean actress.

The Wars of the Roses series were three plays adapted from Shakespeare's three Henry VI plays and his Richard III. They were generally considered to be the pinnacle of the new company's achievements. Bury's style of set design was considered modern and it dominated RSC stages for years to come. This and the way of speaking verse encouraged by Peter Hall became known as the 'Hall-marks' of an RSC production.