RSC OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES EXTENDED
- Socially distanced ‘pop-up’ performances to run throughout September in the Dell Gardens
- Riverside Cafe and Rocket takeaway service extended throughout September
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The Royal Shakespeare Company has today announced the extension of its popular pop-up programme of outdoor performances to run throughout September in the Dell Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Running until the end of September and sponsored by Darwin Escapes, RSC Snapshots will take place from Friday to Sunday for 45 minutes at 1pm and 3pm each day.
These free, high-energy, no-frills performances will be different each week, taking inspiration from both well-known Shakespearean texts and the works of some of the most promising new writers of today.
The performances will be delivered by actors from the RSC’s postponed productions of The Winter's Tale and The Comedy of Errors and will be directed and curated by a different company member each week. Audiences will be asked to make a donation, if they can, to support the Keep Your RSC campaign.
Featuring a mixture of socially-distanced speeches and scenes from Shakespeare’s best-loved plays, plus a selection of exciting new works and contemporary pieces, the performances are the perfect re-introduction to live theatre and are suitable for theatre enthusiasts, newcomers and Stratford day-trippers too.
Performances will be first come, first served, with space for up to eight household groups (maximum 6 people each), plus some standing spaces.
Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September - RSC Deputy Artistic Director, Erica Whyman (who was due to direct the RSC’s postponed production of The Winter’s Tale this Autumn) will join forces with Assistant Director Aaron Parsons to curate ‘The Truth and Nothing but the Truth; an epic yet intimate celebration of truth and self-hood combining well-loved extracts from Shakespeare with excerpts from a selection of new works produced by the RSC including Can Dundar’s #wearearrested, Anders Lustgarten’s The Seven Acts of Mercy and Alice Birch’s implosive Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again among others.
Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September - This will be followed by a celebration of music, poetry, songs and sketches from 11 to 13 September as members of the RSC acting company gather for an open-mic afternoon with a difference.
Friday 18 – Sunday 20 September - Hal Chambers – Assistant Director of the RSC’s postponed production of The Comedy of Errors – invites audiences to revel in the royal history of Kings and Queens past.
Friday 25 – Sunday 27 September - RSC actors Kemi Bo-Jacobs and Assad Zaman will curate a celebration of new writing produced under lockdown to wrap up RSC Snapshots.
RSC Artistic Director, Gregory Doran, said: “Despite our theatres being closed for full productions until 2021, our acting company continue to work on events and activity, including our programme of outdoor Shakespeare in Stratford, which has proved incredibly popular with audiences throughout August. Whilst we continue to do everything we can to bring our buildings back to life as soon as possible, we are pleased to announce the continuation of our outdoor performance throughout September.
“This month’s programme will see extracts from Shakespeare’s plays feature alongside a selection of exciting new works by the playwrights of today. I am delighted to see Stratford audiences embracing this unique programme of socially-distanced, outdoor theatre and look forward to a time when we can welcome them back to our buildings to share the experience of live theatre with them.”
The RSC has also announced that visitors can continue to take advantage of a daily takeaway service from the Riverside Cafe throughout September, which is open from 10am to 4pm daily. Customers are asked that they observe social distancing throughout their visit, using the markings on the pavement and payment is by contactless card only.
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Kate Evans kate.evans@rsc.org.uk 01789 412622 or 07920 244434
For press images, please register free of charge at https://images.rsc.org.uk/
BOOKING INFORMATION: 01789 331111 or rsc.org.uk
WITH THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
Royal Shakespeare Theatre productions sponsored by Darwin Escapes
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation and The Kovner Foundation
Charles Holloway Season Supporter, The Winter's Tale and The Comedy of Errors
Shakespeare Snapshots are sponsored by Darwin Escapes
The Winter’s Tale is supported by RSC Production Circle members Mark Thompson and Jane Blumberg-Thompson
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Royal Shakespeare Company creates theatre at its best, made in Stratford-upon-Avon and shared around the world. We produce an inspirational artistic programme each year, setting Shakespeare in context, alongside the work of his contemporaries and today’s writers.
We have trained generations of the very best theatre makers and we continue to nurture the talent of the future. We encourage everyone to enjoy a lifelong relationship with Shakespeare and live theatre. We reach 530,000 children and young people annually through our education work, transforming their experiences in the classroom, in performance and online.
Everyone at the RSC - from actors to armourers, musicians to technicians - plays a part in creating the world you see on stage. All our productions begin life at our Stratford workshops and theatres, and we bring them to the widest possible audience through our touring, residencies, live broadcasts and online activity. So wherever you experience the RSC, you experience work made in Shakespeare’s home town.
We recognise the climate emergency and work hard to embed environmental sustainability into our operations, creative work and business practice and have made a commitment to reduce continually our Carbon Footprint. We have measures already in place from green electricity to replace energy consuming equipment with high efficiency, using low carbon equipment, and delivering programmes to raise environmental awareness across the RSC. We acknowledge that sharing our work with audiences across the world will involve travel and that we need to mitigate the impact of that on our carbon footprint.
Registered charity no. 212481 rsc.org.uk
Darwin Escapes
Darwin Escapes currently operate 21 luxurious holiday resorts and 3 golf courses across the UK offering holiday breaks and holiday home ownership. A wide variety of holiday styles are accommodated, ranging from romantic boutique escapes to luxury lodge retreats and traditional family focused holiday parks, all of which boast state-of-the-art and diverse accommodation and on-site facilities including spas, gyms, restaurants and activities.
The company strives to provide the best possible holiday experience for holiday makers and holiday home owners with resorts in stunning UK locations with accommodation and facilities that rival those of 5 star hotels.
For further information about Darwin Escapes and its numerous holiday destinations and facilities visit www.darwinescapes.co.uk or follow them on Twitter or Facebook: @DarwinEscapes