New Theatre, The

Synopsis: Last episode in a three-part radio series exploring the story of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. In the final programme, presenter James Naughtie focuses on the role of the theatre architecture. He speaks with the key players about the problems with the Elisabeth Scott Shakespeare Memorial Theatre built in 1932, the innovative experiments at The Other Place and The Swan, and - built within the original walls - the brand new theatre with its thrust stage which opened with Michael Boyd’s production of Macbeth in April 2011.
BBC radio programme information: "Former Artistic Directors Trevor Nunn, Terry Hands and Adrian Noble tell Jim about their times with the company while Judi Dench recalls the terror and hilarity of performing with Ian McKellen in Nunn’s famously intense production of Macbeth at The Other Place in 1976. Architect Rab Bennetts and current Artistic Director Michael Boyd explain the challenge of creating the new space while the series culminates in an examination of why performing Shakespeare matters to the artistic well-being of the nation.
As Peter Brook says to Jim in a rare interview: ‘This is Shakespeare. Not "Shakespeare Memorial" but this is Shakespeare as the real, living example that there is something more’." (30 minutes)
Series: RSC at 50, The
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Radio
Transmission details: 19 Apr 2011 at 11:30 (Channel: BBC Radio 4)

Producer

Contributor

Cast

Patrick Stewart	Macbeth
Judi Dench	Lady Macbeth

Production type: Documentary/Educational/News
Plays: Macbeth
Subjects: Drama
Keywords: Royal Shakespeare Company; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); stage design; theatre history; Royal Shakespeare Theatre; Shakespeare Memorial Theatre; Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon; Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon

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; not to mention 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.

Shakespeare, "New Theatre, The". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av73344 (Accessed 25 Nov 2024)

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