I have kept EVERY programme right back to the first and probably have around 50 - Christine Knibb-Scarff, Member Friend

I first came to the RSC in 1969 or 1970 ( !! )  and was brought by my father when I was in Lower Sixth and doing ‘ Hamlet ‘ for ‘ A’ level . I saw the wonderful Alan Howard in the title role.

I never knew whether I should read English or be a Biologist ( my first love ) and ‘ mixed ‘ my A levels, doing Biology, Chemistry and English Literature , getting Grade A in all of them . I considered doing a 5 year course at York University giving a BSc , a BA and then in the 5th year you got an MA or MSc , but my dad said at some stage I had to decide whether I was a scientist or ‘arty farty' so I applied to do a straight Biology degree instead. Because I only had 2 science A levels lots of good universities didn’t want me ( despite the fact I got my school’s prize for A levels ) but Leicester University gave me an offer ignoring my English A level !

I loved my degree but found a lot of my fellow scientists VERY boring, so I did acting with The Humanities’ Society, did presenting of the ‘ Campus ‘ student radio programme actually from the studios of Radio Leicester and (partly cos quite a few of the girls with whom I was friendly in my Hall of Residence were doing Combined Arts) I joined them and others from The Humanities’ Society when we hared over after lectures by coach on a Thursday evening to the RSC . We had wonderful seats because one of the senior English lecturers got us concessions on prices .

I can’t remember what we saw, but I do remember that the programmes all had posters in which we put up on our walls !

After Leicester I went to a more southerly university , then got married  (was impecunious !) and lived in the South , so there were years when my connection with the RSC was lost.

It resumed probably around the early ‘80s and over the years my husband and I ( and more recently our daughter , then my father and occasionally my MIL ) have seen some WONDERFUL productions !

I remember ( totally out of chronological order probably ! )  Kenneth Brannah as Hamlet, Anthony Sher as Richard III, Jane Lapotaire in Henry VIII, The Taming of the Shrew with Alan Bates  ( think that was when I was at University ), Jeremy Irons in Richard 2nd , Judy Dench in The Merchant of Venice and more recent productions of Hamlet, Christmas productions , and the current production of ‘ Much Ado’ ( which I thought was absolutely fantastic ) .

I have kept EVERY programme right back to the first and probably have around 50 !

Ironically I moved to SOA a few years ago and applied for a part time front of house job with the RSC ,as I’d retired from my long term career, and they didn’t want me after interview!!