Manuel Harlan has photographed a huge range of RSC productions including the current productions of Twelfth Night and A Christmas Carol. He’s also photographed the RSC’s West End production of Matilda The Musical and for the UK’s leading theatres including the National Theatre, Old Vic, Hampstead Theatre and the Royal Court. 

Topher McGrillis has worked on some of the RSC’s most photographically challenging productions including the UK tour of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where he photographed all 682 company members and the RSC’s co-production with Intel and in association with the Imaginarium Studios, The Tempest, featuring for the first time a character as an avatar live on stage. In addition to his photography, he is an award winning self-shooting director working extensively in broadcast and film.

Michelle Morton is Image Manager at the RSC, responsible for developing and managing the digital image archive of the Company. She licenses images and AV content for commercial and editorial use as well as advising on copyright.

Helen Maybanks most recently photographed the RSC’s Rome Season currently showing at the Barbican in London, she also photographed the RSC debut of HRH Prince Charles at Shakespeare Live! At the RSC, shown on the BBC to mark 400 years since the death of Shakespeare. Her other work includes commissions for Dreamworks, Michael McCabe Productions, Playful Productions, the National Youth Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith.

Erica Whyman is the Deputy Artistic Director of the RSC. In the Spring 2018 Season she will direct Romeo and Juliet in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which will tour nationally in 2019.

Liz Thompson is the RSC’s Director of Communications, her department are responsible for commissioning photography for all RSC productions, ensuring the images truly represent the essence of every production.

If you are shortlisted for the competition we will contact you on Instagram to ask you for more information about yourself. You must respond within 48 hours. The winners will then be announced on Monday 18 December 2017.

We will contact you via Instagram if you have been shortlisted. If you are then selected as one of the winners we will contact you via email and then discuss with you your commission to work as the rehearsal photographer for one of our 2018 Summer Shakespeare productions. 

Yes. You must be aged 16-25 at the time of your entry so it’s okay if you turn 26 after posting your entry. Just make sure you join the RSC Key before you turn 26!

You can only enter one photo so make sure it’s your best work! Pick the photo that you feel is the best example of your style and work as a photographer. If you tag us in more than one photo, we will only judge the first one that we see from you.

If you win the competition, you will need access to a digital camera that is suitable for taking high quality professional photographs. A phone camera won’t be good enough quality. You may have your own camera, but you may alternatively be able to get access to one via your school, university or a course that you are on.

No. There is no charge to enter the competition.

To enter the competition, you must be: (a) UK resident; and (b) aged between 16 and 25 years old at the time of entry and (c) be a registered member of the RSC Key at the time of entry.

Yes. If you are one of our four winners you will receive a fee of £250 plus £65 for expenses.

No. You have to make sure your Instagram account is not set to private otherwise we will not be able to see your entry.

If the photo you enter has been taken within a professional capacity it is still eligible to enter as long as you are the copyright owner of the photo and it is not subject to restrictions of reproduction by the RSC. 

We don’t recommend Instagram filters, because we want to see your photo in its original form. But you are welcome to edit your photo as you would when processing your images, for example adjusting the brightness levels.

As long as you took the photo and own the copyright, it doesn’t matter when it was taken, but we recommend submitting a recent photo.

Yes, your entry can be taken on a camera phone. But if you win the competition you will need access to a professional camera, a camera phone won’t be able to produce the required high quality photos needed from rehearsal. 

We may share your entry.

You must use your own Instagram account. It can be a new account set up for the competition. 

You retain the copyright of the photo you submit into the competition. Your commission to be the rehearsal photographer will be on a buyout copyright contract, which means the RSC will own the rights to the photos.

No. We will match the winning photographers to the production based on each individual's location and availability. 

The rehearsal photographs will be taken in either London or Stratford-upon-Avon depending on the production you are allocated to work on.

You will need to be available in January/early February or in June 2018, depending on the production for which you have been chosen to take rehearsal photos.

We will work with you and the Director of the production to identify a date to do the rehearsal photos, so you don’t have to be available every day in January, February and June. But if you are away for that whole period of time you will not be eligible. We will check your availability at the point of shortlisting.