Hear from leading academics, actors, directors and RSC staff about Shakespeare, theatre and the shows on our stages.
ABOUT THE SUMMER SCHOOL
The 77th RSC Summer School will be held between 12 and 16 August 2024 in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Through a carefully curated programme, based in our main auditorium, you will meet and hear from leading members of the acting companies and creative teams to explore the choices made for the productions in the 2024/25 season. Participants will have the opportunity to find out more about how theatre is made at the RSC, step onto the main stage to fill the auditorium with Shakespeare’s language, understand music as an aural design for a production and learn how the impact of the play changes through composition and sound design. You will also hear from leading academics, curated by The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, who will challenge and enable us to look at the plays through a different lens.
Cost
£200 in person for the week (does not include performance tickets)
BOOK ONLINE
Day Tickets
If you can't join us for the whole week you can book book for individual days of the Summer School, excluding Thursday.
Cost: £50
Find out what's on each day and book in advance.
Monday
Speak the Speech with Michael Corbidge
The Short and the Long of It with John Hodgkinson and Samantha Spiro
Bawd Games: The Merry Wives of Windsor with Dr Miranda Fay Thomas
BOOK MONDAY
Tuesday
The Sweet Power of Music with Bruce O’Neil
Adrift in an Ocean of Grief with Tamara Harvey and Alfred Enoch
The Therapeutic Wanderings of Pericles with Professor Michael Dobson
Wednesday
What is a ‘comedy of manners’? with Dr Louise Curran
Big Wigs and Big Laughs with Geoffery Streatfeild and Siubhan Harrison
Words words words with Geoff Barton
Friday
How costume solves problems in As You Like It with Dr Ella Hawkins
The Power of Argument with Edward Bennett and Mariah Gale
Anton Lesser in conversation
BOOK FRIDAY
Session Tickets
A limited number of 50 tickets to individual sessions will be available to book in person at the Box Office, on the day of the event.
£20 per session.
Performances
Participants are encouraged to book to see the shows that will be discussed over the course of the week. You can book to see these in advance or if you wish to see them during the week of the Summer School we recommend:
The Merry Wives of Windsor, Monday 12 August, 7.15pm, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Pericles, Tuesday 13 August, 7.30pm, Swan Theatre
The School for Scandal, Wednesday 14 August, 7.15pm, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
As You Like It, Thursday 15 August, 5pm, The Holloway Garden Theatre
N.B performance tickets are not included in the cost of the Summer School
Speakers
This year will include speakers from our 2024/25 productions, RSC staff and leading academics. We are delighted to announce attendance from the following:
- Edward Bennett, RSC Associate Artist
- Michael Corbidge, Voice Practitioner
- Dr Louise Curran
- Professor Michael Dobson, Director, The Shakespeare Institute
- Alfred Enoch (Pericles)
- Mariah Gale, RSC Associate Artist
- Robyn Greenwood, RSC Collections Manager
- Siubhan Harrison (The School for Scandal)
- Tamara Harvey, Co-Artistic Director
- Dr Ella Hawkins
- John Hodgkinson (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
- Bruce O'Neil, RSC Head of Music
- Samantha Spiro (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
- Geoffrey Streatfeild (The School for Scandal)
- Dr Miranda Fay Thomas
The full programme of events and speakers will be published in due course.
Any enquires please contact summer@rsc.org.uk
The RSC Summer School is delivered in collaboration with The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham.
The work of the RSC Creative, Learning and Engagement department is generously supported by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The Clore Duffield Foundation, Foyle Foundation, GRoW @ Annenberg, The Polonsky Foundation, The Mackintosh Foundation, The Thompson Family Charitable Trust, Halabi Thomaz Foundation, Stratford Town Trust, LSEG Foundation, The Goldsmiths’ Company Charity, John S Cohen Foundation, HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust, Teale Charitable Trust, The Grimmitt Trust, Sir James Knott Trust, The Oakley Charitable Trust, Misses Barrie Charitable Trust, and The Wyfold Charitable Trust
