SHAKESPEARE

Synopsis

Second episode in a three-part radio series exploring the story of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Presenter James Naughtie looks at the RSC’s formative first decade interviewing Peter Hall and Peter Brook about the stultifying 1950s theatre culture which they inherited. As Brook recalls, "those old laddie codger actors just boomed away".

BBC programme information: "The two Peters discuss other aspects which were ripe for change - the need for a European-style ensemble, for training in verse-speaking, for longer and more open rehearsals, for productions which arose from a particular time rather than simply being wheeled out again and again - all RSC hallmarks which are now taken for granted. Veteran members of the company Patrick Stewart and Judi Dench recall the joys of that time, including, in Dench’s case, the indiscrete joys of affairs which inevitably arose due to the geographical isolation of Stratford. Contemporary Associate Director Greg Doran explains the attraction of working in Stratford - walking daily, on his way to rehearsals, past the church where Shakespeare was baptised and buried; while Hall explains how vital it was to start up a London season if he was to succeed in turning a group of actors into a world-class company."

Meanwhile, the current Company dramaturge Jeannie O’Hare explains how productions of new works by contemporary writers - Pinter, Bond, Hare - helped re-energise the RSC, culminating in what is often seen as its aesthetic high-point - Brook’s Dream in 1971 - which, in a rare interview, the great Peter Brook himself recalls for the programme." (30 minutes)

Series

RSC at 50, The

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Radio

Transmission details

12 Apr 2011 at 11:30 (Channel: BBC Radio 4)

Credits

Producer

Beaty Rubens

Contributor

Adrian Noble; Cicely Berry; Gregory Doran; James Naughtie; Jeanie O’Hare; John Evans (3); John Woolf; Judi Dench; Michael Boyd; Patrick Stewart; Peter Brook; Peter Hall

Cast

Alan Howard

Puck (Robin Goodfellow)

Additional Details

Production type

Documentary/Educational/News

Plays

Midsummer Night’s Dream, A

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

actors; Royal Shakespeare Company; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); theatre directors; theatre history

Notes

Notes

Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 12/4/2011

General

From the BBC Radio 4 programme information: "In this three-part series, James Naughtie explores how the company first came into being in 1961; the creation of its unique ensemble system; its landmark productions; the opening production in April 2011 in its newly built state-of-the-art auditorium within the historic theatre on the banks of the Avon in Stratford.

This series has enjoyed an exclusive breadth of access to the key players of the last half century. It includes the voices of all five of the artistic directors - Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Terry Hands, Adrian Noble and Michael Boyd; luminaries such as Peter Brook, Cicely Berry, Judi Dench, Patrick Stewart and David Tennant and many members of the wider team of artists, technicians and crafts-people who support the actors on stage. James Naughtie explores not only the history of the company but also why the work it does matters to the British cultural scene."

History

Three-part radio series marking the occasion of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 50th birthday and reopening of its main theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Reviews

Source: BBC programme information http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01061hm (accessed 6/2011)

Online Availability

Online URL

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01061hm

Online price

free

Online format

Streamed

Production Company

Name

BBC Radio 4

Web

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 External site opens in new window

Archive

Name

BoB

Email

bob@learningonscreen.ac.uk

Web

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Phone

020 3743 2345

Address

Learning on Screen - the British Universities and Colleges Film and Video Council
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London
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Notes

Formerly a service from BUFVC, British Universities Film & Video Council

Name

British Library Sound Archive

Email

listening@bl.uk

Web

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Phone

020 7412 7676

Fax

020 7412 7441

Address

96 Euston Road
London
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Name

Learning on Screen Off-Air Recording Back-up Service

Email

services@bufvc.ac.uk

Web

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Phone

020 7393 1514

Fax

020 7393 1555

Address

For Learning on Screen Members only
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Distributor

Name

BBC iPlayer