We were in Newcastle Theatre Royal with Measure for Measure, As You Like It, and The Taming of the Shrew, and about to head for Blackpool Grand for the final leg of the UK Tour. Then The Taming of the Shrew company would set out for Chicago, Washington, South Korea and Tokyo (just ahead of the Olympics). In Stratford, the get-out of The Boy in the Dress was underway in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and the fit-up was about to start in preparation for the technical rehearsals to begin for the new summer season of The Winter’s Tale and The Comedy of Errors. The company in the Swan were preparing for the last week of performances of The Whip and King John, and at The Other Place, Projekt Europa was in the final stage of rehearsals for Europeana and Peer Gynt, which would follow. At the Cambridge Theatre, Matilda The Musical was about to enjoy its tenth birthday in the West End, while at the Ambassadors Theatre Kunene and the King was entering the final week of its run and A Museum in Baghdad was preparing to open at London’s Kiln Theatre. Then the theatres closed. It was a devastating end to the year, and one that nobody could have predicted for the RSC, or for our many friends and colleagues in the theatre industry. Although we have been unable to produce our usual Annual Review, we wanted to celebrate all that had been achieved before the Covid-19 crisis hit and closed theatres around the country overnight. With memorable successes for the Company in 2019/2020 it is important to acknowledge the exceptional work of so many people, and of course the ongoing support that has been so clearly 2019: Jackson Laing (Dennis). Photo by Manuel Harlan © RSC demonstrated and welcome since the pandemic began. The Boy in the Dress, Thank you to all who continue to support us in so many ways. Nobody knew what the RSC and the theatre industry faced as we entered the new Financial Year, but we face those challenges with optimism that live theatre will return, and the RSC will continue to inspire and captivate audiences © RSC Cover image: . Photo by Steve Tanner and transform lives through amazing The Whip experiences of Shakespeare’s plays and of great theatre. GREGORY DORAN, Artistic Director CATHERINE MALLYON, Executive Director Photo credit: Corey Montague-Sholay. REFLECTING OUR NATION ON STAGE WITH A CROSS-CAST ENSEMBLE OF 27 ACTORS ACROSS THREE SHAKESPEARE PRODUCTIONS We continued our journey through Shakespeare’s canon with As You Like It, a reverse gendered The Taming of the Shrew, which saw the roles of Kate and Petruchio flipped, and Measure for ‘This season Measure, particularly relevant today as reflects the power Shakespeare’s #metoo play, performed of storytelling in in Stratford-upon-Avon, at the Barbican its most essential Theatre London and on a nationwide form, with the tour. Sadly, the international visits to actor at the centre Tokyo, South Korea, Washington and of the work’. The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by Chicago were cancelled due to the GREGORY DORAN, The Gatsby Charitable Foundation and The Kovner Foundation global pandemic. Artistic Director Royal Shakespeare Theatre productions sponsored by Darwin Escapes 2019. Photo by Ikin Yum ©RSC 2019. Photo by Ikin Yum The Taming of the Shrew The Taming SHARING THE EXCITEMENT OF THEATRE WITH FAMILIES AND YOUNG PEOPLE The world première of our new musical, The audience reaction was overwhelming. The Boy in the Dress, played to sell out ‘Blown away by @TheRSC audiences across 18-weeks, with a future #RSCBoyinDress fabulous, uplifting and West End run in the pipeline. moving. Just wonderful.’ ‘I wanted to write a ‘#RSCBoyinDress is simply astounding’. story that encouraged The pandemic has delayed our future people to recognise plans for The Boy in the Dress just as that difference can be it has interrupted the West End run of celebrated, that it’s ok to our ever-popular Matilda the Musical. be yourself. I’ve always We are committed to bringing these back loved musicals and, to life and sharing them with audiences somehow, I’d always as soon as we can. imagined this book to be made into a musical so to be working with the RSC, Mark Ravenhill and song-writing partners The Boy in the Dress was supported by RSC Production Circle members Elizabeth Boissevain and Robbie Williams and Guy Andrew Jeffreys, Charles Holloway, Ms Teresa Tsai and Kathleen J. Yoh Chambers on this new production feels like a dream collaboration‘. DAVID WALLIAMS Photo by Manuel Harlan (c) RSC The Boy in the Dress 2019. CELEBRATING MOMENTS IN HISTORY THROUGH NEW PLAYS The world première of Kunene and Shakespeare’s rarely performed King ‘As a nation we are looking long and hard at our the King was by and starred acclaimed John, performed alongside two new position within the wider world, which is why it South African actor John Kani, plays which shone a spotlight on feels like an appropriate moment to reflect, not only playing opposite Antony Sher. two fascinating moments in British upon the state of our own nation, but also upon In a co-production with Cape Town’s imperial history: the founding of what nationhood means to us today…new writing The work of the RSC Literary Department is generously supported Fugard Theatre we celebrated the nation-state of Iraq in Hannah remains central to what we do and we continue to by The Drue and H.J. Heinz II Charitable Trust 25 years since the ending of Khalil’s A Museum in Baghdad, and channel the inquiring spirit of Shakespeare’s own Miranda Curtis CMG - Season Supporter, Swan Theatre Winter 2019-2020 Apartheid in South Africa. Juliet Gilkes Romero’s The Whip, age through the interrogation of our own history and place in the wider world, in all of its King John was supported by RSC Production Circle member which explored the government bail- Marcia Whitaker out of British slave-owners to secure complexity and contradiction.’ The work of Juliet Gilkes Romero was supported through our the Abolition of Slavery Act in 1833. ERICA WHYMAN, Deputy Artistic Director collaboration with the University of Birmingham Photo by Ellie Kurrtz © RSC Kunene and the King. John Kani and Antony Sher in A PROJECT LIKE NO OTHER Our season celebrating the best of We wanted to ask creative questions Sadly our audiences never got to European theatre making was sadly about our changing continent, to reflect see the work, but we are committed the first casualty of the pandemic. on what we shared as theatre-makers and to working with the Projekt Europa to celebrate our different traditions and artists to try to find a way for these This unique project, conceived and led instincts. What emerged was a captivating productions to make it to the stage. by Maria Å berg and curated by exploration of our shared histories and the Maria and Judith Gerstenberg, should questions we share about our ever more have opened to audiences in the uncertain future. Swan Theatre in April 2020. Photo by Hanna-Katrina Jedrosz © RSC . in rehearsal Europeana WELCOMING OUR AUDIENCES AROUND THE COUNTRY In London at the Barbican, Ambassadors Theatre, Arcola Theatre and Cambridge Theatre in the West End, and out on the road for a UK wide tour, we enjoyed seeing our audiences outside of Stratford-upon-Avon. For the first time we took out all three of our main Shakespeare productions on a UK wide tour. As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew and Measure for Measure took up residency across a two-week period in each city playing the three productions in repertoire. Our audiences joined us at The Lowry Theatre in Salford, the Marlowe Theatre Canterbury, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Royal Nottingham and Theatre Royal Newcastle. Sadly the Newcastle visit was cut short and theatres were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic which meant we missed our visit to the Grand Theatre Blackpool, the final date of the tour. ‘I cannot stop Our access performances, including thinking about integrated BSL, attracted a large number the fact that our of first-time theatre goers. We welcomed children will people who had never seen the RSC remember the with 23% of audiences visiting us for last week for the first time. And it was lovely to see the rest of their many young people join us in their local lives. I know it’s theatre. a cliché to talk about making We waved goodbye to our UK and memories Ireland Tour of Matilda The Musical that will last a which finished its phenomenally lifetime, but that successful run with performances in undoubtedly Edinburgh, Bristol, Southampton and happened’ Norwich with standing ovations all Class teacher, round. The accompanying education Portswood Primary, programme, Change My Story, involved Southampton on 8,855 children and young people Change My Story through performances, workshops and onstage events. RSC work in America and the UK is generously supported by RSC America A new version of our production of The RSC’s London production of The Taming of the Shrew Timon of Athens opened in New York is kindly supported by Cockayne – Grants for the Arts and Washington with a US cast. Our and the London Community Foundation. Photo by Helen Maybanks © RSC As You Like It at the Barbican was supported by ICBC Associate Artist, Kathryn Hunter, reprised Edwardian Hotels London - Preferred Hotel Partner her role as Timon and played to great for Matilda The Musical in London critical acclaim.