Based in the town in Warwickshire that was the birthplace of the great bard, the Royal Shakespeare Company also regularly performs in London. The UK's capital is home to many of the Royal Shakespeare Company's productions, some of which are first staged in the city. Staging in the region of 20 productions per year in its various bases, the company is one of the largest in the country, employing around 1,000 people. As well as touring, the company also stages live cinema showings of its work. Given the name of the company, by far the majority of the productions put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company are plays written by the bard. Nonetheless, the company regularly engages with works by other famous writers, and occasionally supports the work of new playwrights.

Royal Shakespeare Company London's history

A company that was born out of the Memorial Theatre in Stratford, the Royal Shakespeare's first great artistic director was Peter Hall. In 1960, he insisted that Shakespeare's works were unlike that of any other writer in the English language, and a permanent company needed to be set up to perform his works in an established style. Although this had been done in Stratford-Upon-Avon already for some time, Hall's vision was to acquire a theatrical space in London that would mirror the work being done there.

In 1961, the Royal Shakespeare Company was officially incorporated by a Royal Decree. A London home for the company was not immediately forthcoming, largely due to the objections of rival companies, particularly that run by Sir Laurence Olivier. By the mid-1960s, however, the Aldwych Theatre was used for the company's London-based productions. In 1971, Sir Trevor Nunn, who then ran the company, helped the group to acquire The Place, a small theatrical space in Euston that became the company's home.

In 1982, the Royal Shakespeare Company moved to a new location in the heart of the City of London. The purpose-built, multi-art complex at the Barbican Centre offered the company an enlarged stage, a superior auditorium and the resources to produce its costumes and scenery in a central location.

Royal Shakespeare Company London's productions

Other than Shakespeare's plays, the company has staged many other productions. For example, Matilda the Musical was first put on by the company. A notable production of The Crucible by Arthur Miller was staged in 2006. A staged version of Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel, a play that transferred to Broadway in New York, was another first for the company.

Similar to the Royal Shakespeare Company London

Search at StubHub for Twelfth Night at Stratford or Being Shakespeare London.