RSC MARKS 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE SKELETON OF RICHARD III IN LEICESTER
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In the year that marks the 10th anniversary of the discovery of the skeleton found beneath a Leicester car park, which was later confirmed as that of English king Richard III, Arthur Hughes (currently playing the title role in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Richard III) and Director Gregory Doran paid a visit to the King Richard III Visitor Centre in Leicester to rediscover the man behind one of Shakespeare’s most notorious ‘villains’.
The visit took place on 31 August 2022, ten years to the day since the University of Leicester Archaeological services applied for permission to exhume human remains from the Greyfriars dig site. It saw the RSC actor and director take part in a Guided Tour of the historic Visitor Centre, which was purchased from an old school building by Leicester City Council in 2012 to tell the story of the remarkable search for – and at that point unconfirmed discovery of – King Richard III.
The incredible transformation of the former Alderman Newton’s School, located right next to the spot where the king’s remains were found, was completed in record time and the King Richard III Visitor Centre opened its doors to the public on 26 July 2014.
The remains of King Richard III were later reinterred at Leicester Cathedral on 26 March 2015 following extensive anthropological and genetic testing.
Highlights of the visit included an audio-visual tour through the history of the Wars of the Roses, charting Richard’s rise to power and the unsolved mystery of the murder of the Princes in the Tower, an interactive timeline of the archaeological dig and a 3D reconstruction of the King’s skeleton, which revealed him to suffer from scoliosis, a condition characterized by a curvature of the spine.
The visit concluded with a viewing of the site upon which Richard’s remains were buried over 500 years ago, which has since been transformed into a glass-floored contemplative space for visitors.
Commenting on the visit, Arthur Hughes said: “After spending the last nine months with Shakespeare’s Richard III, to finally be in the site where his body was found was a fantastic experience. As a disabled actor, I’ve spent a lot of time understanding the psychological shape of Richard III. To finally understand the physical shape of him and to know that this was a famous disabled king, is something very important as is to be playing this very famous disabled part, which historically has – not enough – been played by a disabled actor.”
Rachel Ayron, Learning and Interpretation Manager at the King Richard III Visitor Centre added: “Before 2012, most people’s perception of Richard III was shaped by Shakespeare’s play. Love it or hate it – that’s what we thought of the man. Shakespeare’s play is amazing but Richard III is, ultimately, portrayed as an out-and-out villain whereas – in real life – people tend to be much less black and white. Now of course, we have the information that came from the analysis of his remains, about his scoliosis, the fact that he had a spinal disability and that shaped how he thought of himself as a person at a time when disability was treated very differently to today.”
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s current production of Richard III runs until Saturday 8 October 2022 in Stratford-upon-Avon. The production will be broadcast to cinemas across the UK from 28 September 2022 and will also be broadcast live into UK classrooms for free on Thursday 24 November.
Shakespeare originally wrote the role of Richard III for Richard Burbage. From the 1590s to the present day, this charismatic and demanding role has been one of the most prized in theatre, made famous by such stars as Laurence Olivier, Ian McKellen, Michael Grandage, Kenneth Branagh and Kathryn Hunter.
RSC productions of Richard III over the years have included many famous actors playing the title role including FR Benson 1886-1919; John Laurie in 1939; Marius Goring in 1953; Christopher Plummer in 1961; Ian Holm in 1963; Ian Richardson in 1975; Alan Howard in 1980; Antony Sher in 1984; Robert Lindsay in 1998 and Henry Goodman in 2003.
William Shakespeare’s Richard III completes the cycle of plays covering the War of the Roses. The play tells the story of Richard, Duke of Gloucester’s villainous plan to take the throne.
The RSC’s current production features Arthur Hughes in the title role of and is the first time that the part of Richard III has been performed by a disabled actor in the company’s history.
The RSC’s current season – which includes productions of Richard III and All’s Well That Ends Well, directed by Blanche McIntyre – completes Gregory Doran’s journey through Shakespeare’s canon during his decade as Artistic Director. Gregory announced that he was stepping down as Artistic Director earlier this year, after 35 years with the RSC including the last ten years as Artistic Director.
He will remain with the company as Artistic Director Emeritus until the end of 2023, where he will lead specific projects and direct a production in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre as part of the Shakespeare’s First Folio celebrations. This will be his 50th production for the RSC.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Kate Evans (Media and Communications Manager), kate.evans@rsc.org.uk
07920 244434
Listings Information:
Richard III
Thursday 23 June – Saturday 8 October 2022
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Box office rsc.org.uk 01789 331111
Broadcast to UK cinemas from 28 September 2022
Directed by Gregory Doran
‘Conscience is but a word that cowards use’
Young Richard of Gloucester uses the chaos of the Wars of the Roses to begin his unscrupulous climb to power. Despite being manifestly unfit to govern, he seizes the crown, as King Richard III. But how does he do it?
How do we let tyrants get away with it? How does it happen? How do they find their way to power? Who enables them? Why do we buy in to it? And how can it be stopped?
Richard III is a darkly comic analysis of the exercise of power. It reminds us both of the dangers of tyranny, and of our duty not to let it go unchecked.
Directed by Gregory Doran and featuring Arthur Hughes as Richard, this is the thrilling climax to Shakespeare’s first great history cycle.
Notes to editors:
The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The RSC is generously supported by RSC America
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund
Richard III is supported by Season Supporter Charles Holloway
TikTok Tickets sponsored by TikTok
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation and The Kovner Foundation
Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
The Royal Shakespeare Company creates world class theatre, made in Stratford-upon-Avon and shared around the world, performing plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as commissioning an exceptionally wide range of original work from contemporary writers. Our purpose is to ensure that Shakespeare is for everyone, and we do that by unlocking the power of his plays and of live performance, throughout the UK and across the world.
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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.
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