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Dateline: 1st December, 2010
RSC Announces Open Stages The Royal Shakespeare Company is inviting every amateur theatre group in the UK to apply to take part in RSC Open Stages. Each group will be asked to ‘pitch’ for a production within a specific brief – for instance, the production has to be performed by an amateur or community group (not led by professionals) and the production should be a Shakespeare play or adaptation, or have a Shakespeare theme. It should be ambitious, embrace an exciting new challenge for the audience and show a spirit of adventure - for example, by working with a new practitioner such as a circus performer or poet, or by making the performance site-specific. Both large and small productions from amateur companies with experience of Shakespeare and those who have never tried it before are equally welcome. In return, successful applicants will become ‘members’ of RSC Open Stages. They will receive an RSC Open Stages marketing pack, to help with publicity and recruiting for their performances. They will be invited to attend Regional RSC Open Stages Exchange events hosted by the participating regional theatres where they can take part in workshops aimed at exchanging skills and inspiring ideas for use in the productions. The eight participating regional/national theatres will then host regional showcases, featuring performances of selected RSC Open Stages productions. These showcase events will provide an opportunity for amateur groups to celebrate their work and give audiences a chance to see a huge range of work exploring responses to Shakespeare. Further opportunities to perform will be available through the All England Theatre Festival’s RSC Open Stages Shakespeare Festival, a competition for amateur groups running through 2011/2012. Each theatre will also work in collaboration with a group of amateurs in their region to create their own new Shakespeare-themed production. This may be devised by the group or be a piece of new writing commissioned by the theatre. The project culminates in a national celebration, when a selection of RSC Open Stages groups are invited to perform their productions on the stage at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, as part of the World Shakespeare Festival, performing alongside the Company’s own festival productions and those from theatre companies from around the world. The partner regional theatres involved in the project are National Theatre of Scotland, the Lyric Theatre Belfast, the Sage Gateshead, Contact Theatre Manchester, Hall for Cornwall, The Nuffield Theatre Southampton, the New Wolsey Ipswich and the RST in Stratford-upon-Avon. Partner amateur organisations include Voluntary Arts, the National Operatic and Drama Association (NODA), the All England Theatre Festival, the Little Theatre Guild, International Theatre Exchange, Drama Association of Wales, Scottish Community Drama Association, and The Bear Pit in Stratford-upon-Avon. The RSC and BBC Learning are working together to develop resources and opportunities for wider participation in Shakespeare's work as part of Festival 2012 and more details will be announced next year. RSC Artistic Director Michael Boyd said of the project, “There are over 5,000 amateur theatre groups in the UK, with over a million people taking part each year. Theatre is definitely alive and kicking and it seems madness to ignore the passion and creativity on our doorstep without harnessing it. Open Stages is slap bang in the middle of our ambitions to connect people with Shakespeare and celebrate live theatre. I want the RSC to lead a step change in the relationship between professional theatre and the amateur sector; to celebrate its rich traditions, open our doors to its work and collaborate with partners nationally to leave a significant legacy. We have achieved such a change in our relationship with schools and teachers, with an extraordinary increase in the quantity and quality of collaborative work on Shakespeare with young people over the last 20 years. It’s time to make the same offer of collaboration to all those adults who share our obsession with live theatre.” Groups wishing to find out more can get full details on the RSC's special Open Stages website.
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