The RSC Collection was started by Charles Edward Flower in 1879. It contains costumes, props and many other items of theatre history, from 1600 to the present day. The Play's The Thing reopens in April 2023 after three years of closure.

Curating with community groups

We worked with three Stratford-based community organisations to choose items from the RSC Collection to be displayed in the exhibition, which tell the story of performance in Stratford-upon-Avon through the eyes of its residents. They were students from Stratford-upon-Avon, refugees who are new to the UK and knitters and crocheters supporting vulnerable people in marginalised communities.

Their selections of costumes, fine art, props and sculpture show how interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays have changed, and how theatrical and costume design have developed over time. 

Other items on display in The Play's The Thing include: 

• Armour worn by Laurence Olivier as Coriolanus in Coriolanus (1959)
• Costume worn by John Gielgud as Prospero in The Tempest (1957)
• Cap worn by Deborah Findlay as Olivia in Twelfth Night (1987)
• Headdress worn by Mark Rylance as Ariel in The Tempest (1981)
• Chain worn by Kenneth Branagh as Henry V in Henry V (1984)

ثلاثة خيوط ذهبية Three Gold Threads

As part of The Play's The Thing there will be a video presentation of  ثلاثة خيوط ذهبية Three Gold Threads a new artistic commission which captures the comedies, tragedies, and histories of nine women who are part of the refugee community in Stratford-upon-Avon.  

Recordings capture people talking about their life before moving to the UK, the hardship of that, the love for their families and friends, but also their sense of hope and optimism moving to the UK and feeling safe here.

ثلاثة خيوط ذهبية Three Gold Threads brought the group, who are supported by Welcome Here, together with artist and composer Liz Gre, to explore Shakespeare's First Folio and the types of stories it contains. They used these to create a series of questions about their own lives and the elements of comedy, tragedy and history of their own stories.