Good and Bard of RSC’s new winter programme
The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced details of its winter programme that includes a newly commissioned series of Tales for Winter running until January 23.
The full schedule of events was due to be performed to a reduced-capacity, socially-distanced audience in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre with many performances being streamed to enable people further afield to take part.
Following the latest government announcement, the RSC will now offer livestream only versions of all shows taking place between December 5 and 12 that will be available for one week after broadcast, with a view to welcoming audiences back to the theatre from Saturday 19 December.
Full COVID-19 safety measures will be in place to make sure that up to 200 audience members can see events socially-distanced in a safe atmosphere, with the RSC welcome remaining as strong as ever.
The season features contributions from David Walliams with live music by Guy Chambers and performances by the 2020 RSC Acting Company.
RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran said: “Despite the latest lockdown announcements, we remain fully committed to producing our winter programme of events and to sharing the joy of live performance with our audiences, whether that’s back in person or online.
“We are keeping the situation under close review in line with government and public health guidance and look forward to welcoming visitors as soon as it is safe to do so.
“As the global pandemic continues to prevent us from being with one another in ways we could never have imagined, we need stories now, more than ever before. They help us to make sense of the world around us and to bring us together as a community, to celebrate, commiserate, reflect and rebuild.
“Tales for Winter is about storytelling, the most essential act of theatre. It is a
reminder of where we were when we closed our doors back in March and an opportunity to look forward with hope and optimism for the future.
“It explores both the epic and the intimate, the majestic poetry of ancient Greece passed down through the generations, festive fireside tunes and tales that sustain us through the long midwinter months.
“The timeless plots of William Shakespeare’s plays and the quick-witted, beautifully crafted storytelling of David Walliams.
“And, while we continue to look forward to the time when we can welcome back full-scale RSC productions to the RST, we are delighted to be opening our doors to reduced-capacity audiences once again this Winter to
share in the unique magic that is live theatre.”
Running over six weekends (excluding Christmas and New Year), Tales for Winter (Your Place or Ours) will welcome audiences back to the RSC with a series of stripped-back warm-up events, celebrating the essence of live theatre ... an actor, a stage and a story.
Performed by a company of RSC Actors against the iconic backdrop of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Tales for Winter is, at its heart, a celebration of the essential joy of storytelling and of the transformative power of live theatre.
Streamed events launch on Saturday with a look back on the most recent story to be brought magically to life on the RST stage, David Walliams’ The Boy in the Dress.