Caroline Dinenage MP met our Artistic Director Gregory Doran to talk about the challenges of reopening our theatres in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Minister of State for Digital and Culture visited the Royal Shakespeare Theatre with Gregory and stood on the now silent stage that last hosted our hit musical The Boy in the Dress.
From the stage, Gregory talked through some of the challenges of re-opening the Royal Shakespeare Theatre with full social distancing in place, describing how the 1,400-seat theatre is designed to create a unique intimacy between the actors and audience.
Gregory also talked about what we have been doing whilst we haven’t been able to perform in our theatres, including:
- Our actors answering young people’s questions for our Homework Help project
- Online conversations through the Talking Shakespeare series
- Outdoor performances as we bring live theatre back to Shakespeare’s hometown
He explained how we are working towards reopening, modelling how we can put on indoor performances once we have green light from the government, hoping to present our postponed productions of The Winter’s Tale and The Comedy of Errors.
The visit ended with a tour of our newly redeveloped Costume Workshops which, when we are able to return to our buildings, will give our team of skilled costume makers the space, light and facilities to help them continue to create beautiful costumes for our audiences to enjoy.