Partnerships with universities open up and influence the way that we work.
The University of Birmingham has been working in partnership together with the RSC since 2016. We are now in our second five year collaboration with the University taking us to 2026.
The collaboration is rooted in a vision of theatre as an engine room for creative thinking and research and a commitment to the importance of arts and humanities disciplines. It embodies a shared commitment to enriching student experience and contemporary Shakespeare studies. Students have the opportunity to experience working with RSC artists and practitioners in their undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Professor Tom Lockwood, Head of the School of English, Drama and Creative Studies, said: “Two great institutions continuing to work together will create further enormous benefits, combining our world-leading arts research with the RSC’s cutting-edge artistic practice. Our students are at the heart of the collaboration and are encouraged to study and create theatre in Shakespeare's own daring spirit. They benefit from the expertise of RSC artists and practitioners through innovative modules, masterclasses, workshops and projects.”
This latest collaboration builds on a previous commitment, which saw the University become a founding partner of The Other Place as a unique hub for rehearsal, training, learning and creativity.
THE PROGRAMME INCLUDES
Across the University of Birmingham, students access specially programmed workshops, courses and events, featuring input from RSC artists and practitioners, and see RSC shows.
Catherine Mallyon, Executive Director of the RSC, said:
“Our partnership with the University of Birmingham is rooted in a shared commitment to and belief in arts and humanities subjects as fields that shape the world around us and contribute to a better and more equitable society. Together, UOB and the RSC create formal and informal opportunities for knowledge exchange about Shakespeare’s work and theatre practice – bringing together students, scholars and artists to explore the place and relevance of that work in our world today. It’s an incredibly rich partnership that we are privileged to be part of.”