RSC WELCOMES SPRING WITH SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHDAY ACTIVITIES, RIVERSIDE DINING, FAMILY THEATRE TOURS, ACTIVITIES AND MORE
DATE ISSUED: 9 APRIL 2025
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The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has today released further details for its new programme of offstage events and activities taking place throughout the Spring. Upcoming highlights include free puppet-making and performance workshops to celebrate Shakespeare’s Birthday, a newly expanded programme of theatre tours plus the opportunity to experience over 100 years of theatre-making with the newly revamped The Play’s The Thing exhibition, now seen by over 50,000 visitors per year.
Jacqui O’Hanlon, Director of Creative Learning and Engagement said:
“The RSC is open to all and, whatever their age, we hope visitors and audiences will find something to engage, entertain and inspire them. Throughout this year, we are celebrating ‘Playfulness and Imagination’ across all our activities; whether you choose to get creative with puppet-making, discover more about Shakespeare on one of our Family Activity Trails, settle down to a free pop-up performance in the Avonbank Gardens or simply enjoy coffee and a slice of cake in one of our cafes.”
The RSC will celebrate Shakespeare’s Birthday with a free programme of themed activities, workshops and performances taking place on Saturday 26 April. The festivities begin with the town’s Shakespeare Birthday Parade, which is free to join from 10am on 26 April, and leaves from the Bancroft Gardens. The event features contributions from Bridgetown, Shottery, Bishopton and Stratford Primary Schools who have worked with the RSC’s Creative Learning team to create a series of four banners, which will be on display and accompanied by large aerial puppets inspired by the animals depicted in their designs.
In the Avonbank Gardens, families can take part in free puppet-making workshops, whilst enjoying performances by local community groups taking place throughout the day. A new Family Activity Trail is also available to pick up on arrival at the theatre. Further details of the family activities throughout the birthday weekend can be found here.
The Play's The Thing, the RSC’s award-winning, free exhibition re-opens to coincide with Shakespeare’s Birthday and includes a selection of new items celebrating over 100 years of theatre-making history in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the heart of the exhibition will be a new film which follows the creation of the RSC’s 2024 production of King Lear, which premiered in The Other Place and was created in partnership with the Theatre Studio of Internationally Displaced People (IDP) Uzhik; which is formed of people displaced during the war in Ukraine including teachers, students, labourers, salesmen, doctors and others who sought refuge in the town of Uzhhorod during the conflict.
Located in the Swan Wing of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre building, the newly launched exhibition has been co-curated in collaboration with the Theatre Studio of Internationally Displaced People (IDP) Uzhik, Bradford College and Welcome Here Ukrainian Refugee Network. The Play’s The Thing re-opens to visitors on Saturday 26 April and is free to attend with no advance booking required.
Visitors of all ages can enjoy the best in British food overlooking the beautiful River Avon at the Riverside Terrace, as well as in front of the main building this Spring. The expanded Riverside Terrace opens with the launch of a refreshed All-day Menu on Saturday 12 April, including full English breakfast and American style pancakes as well as a popular lunch menu featuring range of freshly prepared burgers salads, flatbreads and ice cream sundaes.
Elsewhere in The Other Place, Susie’s Café re-opens for business, serving up a range of deli sandwiches, flatbreads, baked potatoes delicious home-made cakes and barista-made coffee. Further information about the Riverside Cafe and Terrace can be found here.
Visitors can immerse themselves in the little-known history of Shakespeare’s theatres throughout the centuries, with the launch of the RSC’s new Riverside Tour. Taking in the stunning views of the river at the site of the current Royal Shakespeare Theatre, these fully accessible, 60-minute walking tours are available to book alongside the RSC’s hugely popular Theatre, Scenic Workshop and Costume tours, plus a newly expanded Ghost, Gore and Folklore tour, in which audience members can learn about theatre superstitions and supernatural sightings over the Company’s 140+ year history. Full details of all RSC tours can be found here.
For a chance to delve deeper into the RSC’s upcoming productions of Much Ado About Nothing and Titus Andronicus, the RSC’s popular Discover Days series returns on 17 and 24 May. Taking place from 10.15am to 3.45pm at the Clore Learning Centre, participants will explore the meaning behind the text and share ideas around bringing it to life on stage through a series of interactive talks and workshops, bringing audiences closer to the many teams that work across the RSC. Full details of our Discover Days can be found here.
ENDS
For further press information please contact: Olivia Scull, Media Relations Officer, RSC Olivia.Scull@rsc.org.uk, 0778 9937759
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Discover Shakespeare Trail
Pick up your copy of the map from the RST box office
12 April 2025 – 18 July 2025
Designed by Milly Rolle, this active trail encourages participants to explore the FOH spaces, find props and follow playful instructions, to discover more about Shakespeare, the history of the company and the RSC’s buildings.
Building on the success of the items on display for The Shoemaker’s Trail, the trail will include ‘stations’ of props and items on display as well as highlighting features of the building itself. The trail will feature fun facts gathered from RSC staff and jhas been tested for ‘playfulness’ with children from local primary schools.
Community Shakespeare Stage
Avonbank Gardens
12 – 5pm – Saturday 26 April
Free, no booking required
A celebration of Shakespeare on his birthday with performances from local Stratford-upon-Avon schools, community and theatre groups.
Follow the puppets from the parade to our pop-up stage in Avonbank Gardens for an afternoon of playful scenes from Shakespeare. The stage will be hosted by members of the RSC’s Youth Advisory Board.
Seasons of Shakespeare
12.30pm - Saturday 26 April
Avonbank Gardens
Free, no booking required
Four Stratford schools bring their banners from the parade and onto our outdoor stage as they perform a scene from Shakespeare, each linked to the four seasons, including excerpts from As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing and The Winter’s Tale.
Drop in Craft - Making Puppets
12 – 4pm - Saturday 26 April
Avonbank Gardens
Free, no booking required
Make your very own bird puppet inspired by the aerial puppets seen in Shakespeare's Birthday Parade. Suitable for all ages, children must be accompanied by a parent/carer.
Speaking Shakespeare Workshops
12.30pm, 2pm, 3.30pm - Saturday 26 April
The Welcome Space, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Free, booking required via www.rsc.org.uk
Join us as we explore speaking Shakespeare’s words through a combination of games, playful activities and performance, in this introductory workshop.
The Play’s The Thing
Level 1 Swan Theatre
Open from midday on Saturday 26 April
Free, no booking required
Reopening on Shakespeare’s birthday, enter the ever-changing world of the RSC, and explore our 100-year history and work here in Stratford-upon-Avon. Each year different community groups engage with our collections, sharing their perspectives and selecting objects for display.
For 2025, three groups with experience of displacement from home have helped co-curate this exhibition, reflecting themes of imagination and playfulness. Their choices and words show the power of theatre to inspire ideas and illuminate emotions across cultures, languages, and borders.
Riverside tours
Book at RST box office
Multiple dates and times available
Uncover the little-known history of Shakespeare's theatres throughout the centuries along the Stratford-upon-Avon riverside
Begin with stunning views of the river at the site of the current Royal Shakespeare Theatre building. Then take a stroll through over 140 years of theatre history, exploring significant historical figures, milestones and iconic features, while visiting several historic RSC sites along the riverside and gardens.
Learn about tales of floods, fires, Shakespeare and more, with fascinating stories to explore about Stratford-Upon-Avon's theatrical heritage.
Discover Days – Much Ado About Nothing
Clore Learning Centre
17 May, 10.15am-3.45pm
£8 for Unwrapped only, £40 for full day
Discover the world of Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare's classic romantic comedy, looking at the staging and interpretation of the play in the current productions as well as past productions. Exploring meaning in the text and share ideas for bringing it to life on stage.
Discover Days – Titus Andronicus
Clore Learning Centre
24 May, 10.15am-3.45pm
£8 for Unwrapped only, £40 for full day
Discover the world of Titus Andronicus, one of Shakespeare's goriest and most controversial plays, looking at the staging and interpretation of the play in the current productions as well as past productions. Explore meaning in the text and share ideas for bringing it to life on stage. Enjoy an onstage Unwrapped session in the morning followed by workshops and talks in the afternoon.
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The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund
The RSC is generously supported by RSC America
RSC £10 Tickets for 14-25s supported by TikTok
With thanks to Season Supporter Charles Holloway OBE
Pragnell – Craft and Design Sponsor
Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) creates exceptional theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, London and around the world, performing plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as commissioning a wide range of original work from contemporary writers. Our purpose is to ensure that Shakespeare – and theatre as a whole – is for everyone, and we do that by unlocking the power of his plays and live performance, and with our learning and engagement work throughout the UK and across the world.
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
We’re an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which means funding thanks to taxpayers and National Lottery players is vital in supporting our work.
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Pragnell is a British family run jeweller, with a rich and royal heritage spanning over 170 years. As one of the UK’s last full-service jewellers, all Pragnell fine jewellery is handcrafted in British workshops by our highly trained craftspeople, using gemstones of exceptional beauty and quality. Pragnell showrooms are located in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Mayfair and Leicester. Discover Pragnell Stratford-upon-Avon showrooms in the heart of the town on Wood Street just a few minutes’ walk from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Pragnell has proudly supported The King’s Trust since 2015, as a Patron, employing watch technicians through an apprenticeship scheme. In 2023, Pragnell partnered with The King’s Foundation, pledging proceeds to support protecting and promoting heritage craft skills.
