Artistic director blames ‘class’ for Globe departure

EMMA RICE, the outgoing artistic director of the Globe, has suggested that the theatre’s board disapproved of her because she has a working-class background and only two A-levels.

Ms Rice lasted two seasons in the job before announcing her departure, having clashed with the board over her decision to introduce lighting rigs and amplified sound.

On BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, she conceded that the Globe had made a mistake in hiring her. Asked by host Samira Ahmed if she would have lasted longer in the job if she were a man, Ms Rice said: “Actually, I think that it’s possibly down to my education – possibly more down to class than gender. I got two A-levels and I went to a comprehensive in Nottingham.”

Ms Rice said she was “heartbroken for the adventure to be stopped so quickly” and was shocked that the board wanted her out because she judged her first two seasons to have been a critical and popular success. The Globe declined to comment.