Immerse yourself in the unique history of the RSC, from the 1800s to the present day

The hidden history of the RSC is at your fingertips as we begin the journey of the company in the most-seen areas of the building, introducing you to the people and stories that have made the theatre what it is today.

On the journey, you could get a glimpse inside the iconic Royal Shakespeare Theatre or the beautiful Swan Theatre – as well as the chance to get up close to some of our costumes, explore our hair and make-up box, and try on some items of headwear - maybe a crown or a helmet?

No day at the RSC is the same so depending on what is happening on the day of your tour, you will get to see a part of the building that isn't usually accessible to the public.

What you need to know

Get close up to our fabulous costumes and discover the expert tailoring and craft techniques that go into making them

You will be shown around our state-of-the-art Costume Workshop to see at first-hand how our costumes are made, from cutting, tailoring and stitching to finishing techniques such as dyeing, printing and beading.

After seeing the workshops where our costumes are made, you will visit our Costume Hire at The Other Place where we store and hire out more than 60,000 items of costume. There you will get close up to our huge selection of gowns, crowns and many other items and you will also get the chance to handle and even try on original RSC costumes.

What you need to know

Start the day like a VIP with access to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre where you'll have the building to yourselves to visit places that are usually off limits to the public

Arriving at Stage Door, you'll enter through where thousands of actors have begun their theatrical journey. As you venture backstage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre you'll learn about the magic of live performance, from discovering the actor’s secret changing spaces to admiring the amazing inner workings of the technical control room, the vibrant world of music in the band box, and much more.

These special tours offer a rare insight into how theatre is created.

What you need to know

Did someone say "Macbeth"? Learn about theatre superstitions and supernatural sightings

There has been a theatre on our site since 1879 and this tour will take you through some of the stories that have arisen during that 140+ years, including ghostly exits and entrances, but also the history of theatre superstition.

You will visit either the Royal Shakespeare Theatre or Swan Theatre, or both, then move through to other parts of the buildings where visitors are normally not allowed, to find out more about how we achieve some of the gory and ghostly effects in our performances.

What you need to know

What were the influences behind William Shakespeare’s Queer love stories? Who else may he have been writing about and to? And what other LGBTQ+ stories does the RSC continue to tell?

As you walk around the RSC’s creative spaces to hear all about the LGBTQ+ history of Shakespeare’s life, influences and plays, you'll get to delve deeper into plots, poems and prominent playwrights from within the company’s past, present and future.

What you need to know

Discover how our skilled carpenters, engineers and artists build the world of a performance

See the life cycle of a set, from the Drawing Office, where our skilled engineers create the drawings and plans for each object of scenery that appears on the stage. Then to the Scenic Engineering Workshop where a team of engineers fabricate and weld materials together, building the sets and their underlying structure.

Step into the carpentry workshop to see our skilled carpenters create scenery from wood, plastic and canvas, and discover some unusual items in the Prop Workshop where expert propmakers create the objects you see on stage.

Every tour will be unique - your visit takes place in our workshop/warehouse environment on a normal working day where we are building sets and props for our shows. This is a chance to see parts of a show taking shape before they appear on the stage and there is likely to be heavy machinery in use and forklifts in operation to move larger items around the workshop. 

Finally there will be a rare opportunity to explore our Prop Hire store, a treasure trove of objects, small and large, where we store the furniture and props used in our shows and hire them out.

What you need to know

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.

What you need to know

By showing your tour ticket on your visit you can get 10% off unique and theatre inspired gifts and souvenirs in the RSC shop and tasty treats and drinks in the Riverside Cafe.

Also if you book on one of our Theatre or Costume tours, you can enjoy a 10% discount when you book for the other.* Just bring the ticket for your first tour to the Box Office on the day of your visit and they’ll assist you in booking the second tour. 

*Please note, this discount does not apply to the Scenic Workshop tour, Ghost, Gore and Folklore tour or Riverside tour. 

All of our tours can be tailored for school visits - just let us know the ages of the students taking part when booking and we will do the rest. Please note that one adult is required for every 10 students.

Schools can book a Theatre Tour by emailing learning.boxoffice@rsc.org.uk or call the Learning Hotline on 01789 331259 (midday – 6pm, Monday – Friday, excluding Bank Holidays).

We have a range of packages for groups running  throughout the year. For more details about what we offer for your group, visit our bring your group the the RSC page.

Cost: £10 per person for groups of 10+.

To discuss which package will work for you and make a booking call 01789 331111 from midday to 6pm (UK time) Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays, or email groups@rsc.org.uk