My wife and I have seen a multitude of great productions and performances, many of which live long in the memory - Graham and Nohline Ruff, Members

I have been a regular visitor to the RSC for nearly 50 years and attend around 5 or 6 times a year. My wife and I have seen a multitude of great productions and performances, many of which live long in the memory. I recall sitting on those hard, uncomfortable benches in the front row of the old Atcost Barn, then soon forgetting the discomfort as the action was played out within spitting distance. I do miss the intimacy of that space. I also remember early visits to the Swan when you could still smell the resin from the new wooden structure.

Some of the wonderful nights in the old Old Place include Jane Lapotaire as Piaf, Derek Jacobi in Peer Gynt, the glorious Les Liaisons Dangereuses with Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan and a blood curdling version of Edward Bond’s Lear. Another memory is of the innovative promenade performance of The Dillen wandering around Stratford and its environs done unfortunately on my visit in the rain.

Great nights in the main theatres include Derek Jacobi again in a wonderful version of Much Ado set in a reflective glass box,so good I went twice.There was also the great Nicole Williamson as one of the best Malvolios I have seen.I will always remember the two parts of Nicolas Nickleby and  Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies (I do hope the third part will eventually get to Stratford).Finally who can forget that brilliant actor Anthony Sher? His Richard III was a triumph as were his Lear, Cyrano and Tamburlaine.Even as the Porter in MacBeth he stole the show apart from when he came to me in the front row exclaiming “Knock Knock” and I like a rabbit in the headlights fluffed my line. A verbal and elbow prompt from my wife finally clued me in.