RSC ANNOUNCES 2019 WINTER SEASON
Issued: Mon 28 January 11am
“Our Winter season ensures Shakespeare’s spirit is alive in the most exciting writers of today and demonstrates, as a company, we are investing in those new voices in order to better understand and reflect upon the world we live in.” Gregory Doran, RSC Artistic Director
New family musical to premiere in Stratford-upon-Avon
- THE BOY IN THE DRESS – a new musical. From the novel by David Walliams. Book by Mark Ravenhill. Music & Lyrics by Robbie Williams & Guy Chambers. Directed by Gregory Doran.
A season of new plays alongside Shakespeare’s King John in the Swan Theatre exploring contemporary issues of nationhood
- KING JOHN by William Shakespeare, directed by Eleanor Rhode
- A MUSEUM IN BAGHDAD by Hannah Khalil, directed by Erica Whyman
- THE WHIP by Juliet Gilkes Romero, directed by Kimberley Sykes
Shakespeare for everyone; on the road, in schools and at the heart of communities
- FIRST ENCOUNTERS WITH SHAKESPEARE: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE tours schools and theatres nationwide and plays in the Swan Theatre, directed and edited by Robin Belfield
Stand-up for top comedy talent, live on stage at the RSC
- LIVE AT THE RSC – STAND UP COMEDY. A fortnight of stand-up comedy announced in association with Underbelly
Download high-res images here
Hashtag: #RSCWinter19
In the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Artistic Director, Gregory Doran, today announced the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) Winter 2019 season which includes the world stage premiere of a new musical adaptation of The Boy in the Dress, based on the best-selling novel by David Walliams with songs by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. The new musical, directed by Gregory Doran, plays for eighteen weeks in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from November 2019 to March 2020.
David Walliams said: “I’m delighted to be working with the Royal Shakespeare Company to bring this, my first children’s novel, to the stage. It’s now 10 years since The Boy in the Dress was first published and we’ve come a long way in that time. Ultimately, I wanted to write a story that encouraged people to recognise that difference can be celebrated, that it’s ok to be yourself. I’ve always loved musicals and, somehow, I’d always imagined this book to be made into a musical so to be working with the RSC, Mark Ravenhill and song-writing partners Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers on this new production feels like a dream collaboration.”
Mark Ravenhill said: “I first came across The Boy in the Dress when I was Playwright in Residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company back in 2012. I remember thinking that it was such a gripping, entertaining and life-affirming story with all the ingredients of a great stage show. The Royal Shakespeare Company has a fantastic track record of producing family shows so when David suggested making his novel into a musical, I thought, let’s go for it! Creating and commissioning new work is very much at the heart of the RSC’s mission, and a musical collaboration of this kind is the perfect celebration of all of that energy, talent and generosity coming together to create, what will hopefully be a really fantastic theatre experience for audiences of all ages.”
Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers added; “We’re beyond excited to be working with the RSC on our first musical theatre collaboration. We are both big fans of David’s books, so when he approached us about writing the soundtrack to a new musical version of The Boy in the Dress for the RSC, we were genuinely delighted. There’s a real freshness, cheekiness and heart to David’s writing which we’ve worked really hard to capture in the music. It’s been a really exciting and rewarding journey and we can’t wait to share the show with audiences when it premieres in Stratford-upon-Avon this winter”.
In the Swan Theatre
Deputy Artistic Director, Erica Whyman, will curate a new season of work in the Swan Theatre including King John, directed by Eleanor Rhode; A Museum in Baghdad by Hannah Khalil, directed by Erica Whyman in a co-commission with Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre; and The Whip by Juliet Gilkes Romero which will be directed by Kimberley Sykes.
Gregory Doran said “Continuing our commitment to producing theatre that is relevant to everyone, this season brings together perhaps Shakespeare’s most contemporary of history plays and three new works, each of which – in their own way - channel Shakespeare’s spirit through beautifully crafted storytelling, richness of character and looking in the eye the biggest questions of our time.
“Building on a successful tradition of new work created by the RSC for Christmas, we open our season with our new musical production of The Boy in the Dress, adapted by Mark Ravenhill, which I will direct. Based on the much-loved children’s novel, this funny and life-affirming story has been over six years in the making and features the coming-together of some of the UK’s best-loved creative talent: comic writer and performer, David Walliams, and chart-topping songwriters Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. It’s a beautifully crafted story about football and fashion, and a passionate celebration of individuality.
“We are now two thirds of the way through our project to stage every Shakespeare play in the First Folio. For our 25th Shakespeare production in the canon, we welcome emerging talent Eleanor Rhode in her RSC debut directing King John in the Swan Theatre. When I directed this fascinating play in 2001, it was only the fourth time the play had been produced by the RSC in its entire history. Since then, it has been explored much more frequently which surely attests to a growing interest in how the play speaks to our world today.
“The cross-fertilisation of the classics and new writing has always been part of the RSC and Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman will curate a new season of plays to accompany King John in the Swan Theatre. Together, these plays shine a spotlight on two fascinating – if overlooked – moments in British imperial history: the founding of the nation-state of Iraq and the government bail-out of British slave-owners to secure the Abolition of Slavery Act in 1833. As with all great history plays, Hannah Khalil’s A Museum in Baghdad directed by Erica Whyman and Juliet Gilkes Romero’s The Whip directed by Kimberley Sykes demonstrate a deep respect for telling untold stories, exploring issues of power, responsibility and identity through the lens of a group of remarkable human beings, navigating their own place within a changing world.”
Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman added;
“As we approach 2019, there’s no way of escaping the fact that we, as a nation, are looking long and hard at our position within the wider world, which is why it feels like an appropriate moment to reflect, not only upon the state of our own nation, but also upon what nationhood means to us today. Like Shakespeare’s King John, A Museum in Baghdad and The Whip are plays which aren’t afraid to confront big issues and ideas. What does it mean to be a post-imperial nation? Black-British? Middle Eastern British? Fundamentally, this is a season about what it means to be ‘British’ and what responsibility must we take for our past as we embark on an uncertain future.
“It’s particularly thrilling to have two ambitious, historical works by women performed alongside the epic yet intimate King John in the Swan Theatre. In doing so we are helping to ensure that new writing remains central to what we do and that we continue to channel the inquiring spirit of Shakespeare’s own age through the interrogation of our own history and place in the wider world, in all of its complexity and contradiction”.
First Encounters with Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice
Building on the success of the 2018 production of The Comedy of Errors, the RSC First Encounters with Shakespeare series continues with a new production of The Merchant of Venice directed and edited by Robin Belfield. The production will open at local schools followed by a week of performances in the Swan Theatre. The production will then embark upon a seven-week tour of schools and regional theatres across England. Adobe will co-present the 2019 tour which, for the first time, will include a digital learning experience through Adobe Spark and Creative Cloud.
For over a decade the RSC has been taking First Encounters productions - edited versions of the plays performed using Shakespeare’s original language - on the road into the heart of communities and they have been enjoyed by over 100,000 people to date.
In collaboration with our Regional Theatre Partners and Associate Schools, this production also sees 24 young actors from the RSC’s Next Generation Company take on the parts of Jessica and Lorenzo, the two young people caught up in a clash between family, money and culture. Next Generation ACT is made up of young people under the age of 18 who show a talent for performance but otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to develop it. Next Generation ACT is a national company with young people drawn from each of the English regions meaning that wherever the production plays, the roles of Jessica and Lorenzo will be taken by young people from that area.
Live at The RSC: Stand up Comedy
The RSC, in association with Underbelly, brings together some of the biggest names in UK stand-up comedy this Autumn as part of a fortnight of live performance on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage.
Underbelly last visited the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 2015 with Comedy Hullabaloo, a five-day festival which saw over 5,000 visitors watch 25 of the UK’s best comedians in iconic and intimate settings across Stratford-upon-Avon.
The programme, which runs from Thurs 12 to Sat 21 September, forms part of Live at the RSC, which offers audiences the best in new music and comedy.
Past events have seen Al Murray, David Baddiel, Jenny Eclair and Russell Kane all taking to the RSC stages.
Further details of acts will be announced in February 2019.
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE
The Boy in the Dress
From the Novel by David Walliams
Book by Mark Ravenhill
Music & Lyrics by Robbie Williams & Guy Chambers
Director Gregory Doran
Designer Robert Jones
Choreographer Aletta Collins
Lighting Mark Henderson
Sound Paul Groothuis
Fri 8 November 2019 – Sun 8 March 2020*
Press night: Wed 27 November 2019, 7pm**
#RSCBoyinDress
'I think I might be different. I might not be the same'.
Dennis is twelve years old and his school football team's star striker. But when Mum leaves home, life is tough. The only reminder Dennis has of Mum is a photo of her in a beautiful yellow dress. A dress rather like the one on the cover of Vogue on sale at Raj's newsagents. And also a bit like the one that Lisa James, the coolest girl in the school, is sketching in her note book. What do you do if you like both football and dresses? And what will Mr Hawtrey the headteacher do when he discovers that his strict uniform code has been broken by a boy in a dress?
David Walliams’ heart-warming comedy is brought to the stage for the first time in a musical with all new songs from Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers, book by former RSC playwright in residence Mark Ravenhill and in a production for all the family directed by RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran, who will also direct Measure for Measure in Summer 2019.
The Boy in the Dress is supported by RSC Production Circle members Elizabeth Boissevain and Andrew Jeffreys, Charles Holloway and Kathleen J. Yoh.
The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams with illustrations by Quentin Blake is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books.
*The Boy in the Dress is suitable for all the family and we have scheduled some 5pm performances on Wednesdays in January 2020 as well as introducing a 7pm performance start time during the week throughout the season, to encourage families to attend.
A relaxed performance of The Boy in the Dress will take place on Thurs 13 February when the ambience of the auditorium and theatre 'rules' are relaxed. These performances are ideal for people with learning disabilities or autism, or anyone who would benefit from a more relaxed environment. A semi-Integrated BSL Interpreted performance of The Boy in the Dress will take place on Fri 24 January
**Reviews for The Boy in the Dress embargoed until 11.30pm on Thurs 28 November 2019
Live at The RSC: Stand Up Comedy
Royal Shakespeare Company in association with Underbelly
Thurs 12 - Sat 21 September
The RSC, in association with Underbelly, bring together some of the biggest names in UK stand-up comedy in a festival of live performance on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage.
Underbelly is a UK based, live entertainment company. Their events and festivals division operates one of the largest operations at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe selling over 291,000 tickets for over 150 shows over 25 days in 2017. This year marks the tenth year of Underbelly on the Southbank with Udderbelly and London Wonderground festivals – already two of the biggest multi-arts offerings in London – joining forces for Underbelly Festival Southbank.
Full programme details to be announced in Spring 2019.
SWAN THEATRE
King John by William Shakespeare
Director Eleanor Rhode
Designer Max Johns
Thurs 19 September 2019 – Sat 21 March 2020
Press night: Thurs 26 Sept 2019, 7pm
#RSCKingJohn
‘Mad world! mad kings! mad composition!’
Richard the Lionheart is dead. His brother John is King of England. Threatened from all sides by Europe, the English noblemen and even his own family, King John will stop at nothing to keep hold of his crown.
Shakespeare’s rarely performed tale of a nation in turmoil vibrates with modern resonance in this vivid new production by director Eleanor Rhode in her debut at the RSC.
King John will be filmed for later broadcast to cinemas as part of our Live From Stratford-upon-Avon series.
A Museum in Baghdad by Hannah Khalil
Director Erica Whyman
Designer Tom Piper
Lighting Charles Balfour
Music Oguz Kaplangi
Fri 11 October 2019 – Sat 25 January 2020
Press night: Tues 22 October, 7pm
#RSCMuseum
A story of treasured history, desperate choices and the remarkable Gertrude Bell.
In 1926, the nation of Iraq is in its infancy, and British archaeologist Gertrude Bell is founding a museum in Baghdad. In 2006, Ghalia Hussein is attempting to reopen the museum despite the looting during the war.
Collapsing the decades that separate them, these two women seek the same prize: to create a fresh sense of unity and nationhood, to make the world anew through the museum and its treasures. But in such unstable times, questions remain. Who is the museum for? What rights do we have to try and shape someone else’s history? And why does that matter when people are dying? Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman (Romeo and Juliet and Miss Littlewood, 2018) directs this imaginative new play.
A Museum in Bagdad was co-commissioned by the RSC and the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh.
The Whip by Juliet Gilkes Romero
Director Kimberley Sykes
Sat 1 February – Sat 21 March 2020
Press night: Tues 11 February 2020, 7pm
#RSCWhip
As the 19th Century dawns in London, politicians of all parties come together to abolish the slave trade once and for all. But the price of freedom turns out to be a multi-billion pound bailout for slave owners rather than those enslaved.
As morality and cunning compete amongst men thirsty for power, two women navigate their way to the true seat of political influence, challenging members of parliament who dare deny them their say.
In this provocative new play, directed by Kimberley Sykes (Dido, Queen of Carthage, 2017; As You Like It, 2019) the personal collides with the political to ask what is the right thing to do and how much must it cost?
The work of Juliet Gilkes Romero was supported through our collaboration with the University of Birmingham
First Encounters with Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice
Directed and Edited by Robin Belfield
Mon 30 September – Sat 5 October 2019
Press performance: Thurs 26 September. Time tbc*
The RSC’s First Encounters with Shakespeare production of The Merchant of Venice continues the company’s commitment to creating live theatre for young people right in the heart of local communities.
The production, directed and edited by Robin Belfield, will visit the Swan Theatre from Monday 30 September to Saturday 5 October, before touring to schools, regional theatres and local communities with full details to be announced shortly.
*The Merchant of Venice will have its press performance during the afternoon of Thursday 26 September in a Midlands school, giving critics the chance to see it before the evening press performance of King John in the Swan Theatre.
-ends-
For further information on the RSC Winter 2019 season, please contact:
Kate Evans kate.evans@rsc.org.uk 01789 412622 or 07920 244434
For review tickets, please contact Dean Asker dean.asker@rsc.org.uk
For press images, please register free of charge at https://images.rsc.org.uk/
Booking information:
BOOKING: 01789 331111 or rsc.org.uk
RSC Major Supporters, Artists Circle
and Gold Patrons Mon 18 February
RSC Silver Patrons Tues 19 February
RSC Bronze Patrons Thurs 21 February
RSC Members Mon 25 February
RSC Subscribers Mon 11 March
PUBLIC BOOKING Mon 18 March
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
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by THE GATSBY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION and THE KOVNER FOUNDATION
The work of the RSC Literary Department is generously supported by THE DRUE HEINZ TRUST
The work of Juliet Gilkes Romero was supported through our collaboration with the University of Birmingham
The Boy in the Dress is supported by RSC Production Circle members Elizabeth Boissevain and Andrew Jeffreys, Charles Holloway and Kathleen J. Yoh
Live From Stratford-upon-Avon is generously supported by SIDNEY E. FRANK FOUNDATION
The work of the RSC Education Department is generously supported by PAUL HAMLYN FOUNDATION, THE ALLAN AND NESTA FERGUSON CHARITABLE TRUST, THE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER FOUNDATION, THE POLONSKY FOUNDATION, THE ERNEST COOK TRUST and TAK ADVISORY LIMITED
RSC Next Generation is generously supported by THE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER FOUNDATION, THE HAROLD HYAM WINGATE FOUNDATION and THE JOHN S COHEN FOUNDATION
RSC Next Generation is generously supported by THE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER FOUNDATION, GROW @ ANNENBERG, THE HAROLD HYAM WINGATE FOUNDATION AND THE JOHN S COHEN FOUNDATION.
The RSC Key and BP £5 tickets for 16-25s - supported by BP
The RSC Key is supported by BP and gives access to BP £5 tickets for 16-25s for all RSC productions, whether we are performing in Stratford-upon-Avon, London or on tour. The RSC Key is a free membership scheme for 16-25 year olds which offers a range of additional discounts and benefits, including special events with RSC Actors and Directors, competitions and exclusive content. BP £5 tickets can be booked in advance on the phone, online or in person, with some available for sale on the day of the performance.
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. Registered charity no. 212481 rsc.org.uk
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