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Post by zahidf on Apr 22, 2021 6:41:47 GMT
Performances from July
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353 posts
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Post by cirque on Apr 22, 2021 16:27:48 GMT
Where Theatre Begins. Claim the RSC today......rather where it ends given the response by others.
Largely a community festival
Not for me.
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Post by Jan on Apr 23, 2021 6:18:25 GMT
Reading about this outdoor theatre they've built it seems the RSC think no-one will want to go back into an indoor theatre until October. Every other theatre I follow thinks it will be in May. Let's see who is right.
Offering tickets for people to watch on-line rehearsals of Henry VI is an interesting approach to trying to recoup the millions of pounds they have to pay back on their Covid loan. On the whole the NT's idea of staging a musical every year looks a bit more likely to succeed. Still, it gets Henry VI crossed off the list so they can proceed with the full cycle of plays, I assume they're not going to actually stage the play properly now ?
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Post by theatremad on Apr 23, 2021 8:51:01 GMT
Reading about this outdoor theatre they've built it seems the RSC think no-one will want to go back into an indoor theatre until October. Every other theatre I follow thinks it will be in May. Let's see who is right. Offering tickets for people to watch on-line rehearsals of Henry VI is an interesting approach to trying to recoup the millions of pounds they have to pay back on their Covid loan. On the whole the NT's idea of staging a musical every year looks a bit more likely to succeed. Still, it gets Henry VI crossed off the list so they can proceed with the full cycle of plays, I assume they're not going to actually stage the play properly now ? Tweet the RSC sent me when I asked about the staging of the Henry VI plays and Richard III going forward: "Our plan is to still stage Henry VI Part II, III & Richard III. We’re working on future plans for this & will share more info in the coming months - these plans have had to evolve from those we had back in early 2020. This will be the only opportunity to see Henry VI Part One." |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Apr 23, 2021 8:53:48 GMT
That is a ludicrous position for the RSC to take. The H6 plays make for great theatre if you see the whole narrative unfold. Chopping off part 1 in this way shows they don't understand at all.
Doran has to go
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Post by Jan on Apr 23, 2021 9:33:24 GMT
That is a ludicrous position for the RSC to take. The H6 plays make for great theatre if you see the whole narrative unfold. Chopping off part 1 in this way shows they don't understand at all. Doran has to go My guess would be they’ll also combine II and III into a single play. Just a guess because R-III would be a RST show so H-VI would have to be moved from the originally planned Swan (?) where they normally consign plays they deem unpopular. |
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Post by lynette on Apr 23, 2021 16:29:00 GMT
A generous couple have paid for the outdoor theatre, or made substantial contribution, not sure which. Very visible, tangible sort of thing. I’m not a buildings person tbh; I’m a person person. By that I mean invest in individuals and groups which do stuff, make stuff, show stuff. Other than to provide work for scaffolders I’m not sure why a theatre is necessary in the garden beside the two theatres and a few feet from the third they already have. You still need the toilets, the bar, the shepherding staff, so I’m wondering why not open the big theatre for fewer people? My instinct would be to rip out the seats and go full round in the big theatre ( or nearly round) and open out the foyers etc as much as possible. But Jan you can’t compare Jermyn St ( well, you can and I do) because JS doesn’t have the hundreds of staff to deal with so it is a more flexible, light on the feet set up. RSC is like a huge tanker, stuck in the Suez Canal...to be continued
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Post by Jan on Apr 23, 2021 19:43:21 GMT
A generous couple have paid for the outdoor theatre, or made substantial contribution, not sure which. Very visible, tangible sort of thing.br] They’re building an entirely new outdoor theatre and only doing one production in it (Comedy of Errors). That is quite a squandering of resources. |
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Post by lynette on Apr 24, 2021 13:32:19 GMT
A generous couple have paid for the outdoor theatre, or made substantial contribution, not sure which. Very visible, tangible sort of thing.br] They’re building an entirely new outdoor theatre and only doing one production in it (Comedy of Errors). That is quite a squandering of resources. I think the kind of flat pack they can bring out every summer and possibly transport to other locations for a season. Maybe. 😳 |
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Post by Jan on Apr 24, 2021 20:56:59 GMT
They’re building an entirely new outdoor theatre and only doing one production in it (Comedy of Errors). That is quite a squandering of resources. I think the kind of flat pack they can bring out every summer and possibly transport to other locations for a season. Maybe. 😳 😂 |
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Post by TallPaul on Apr 25, 2021 8:12:56 GMT
The RSC's "staged for the screen" production of The Winter's Tale has its premiere tonight on BBC4, starting at 7pm. "Set across a span of 16 years, from the coronation to the moon landings..." I'm no expert, but I wasn't aware Bill had ever written about the space race! www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vkk7 |
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Post by Jan on Apr 25, 2021 12:21:59 GMT
The RSC's "staged for the screen" production of The Winter's Tale has its premiere tonight on BBC4, starting at 7pm. "Set across a span of 16 years, from the coronation to the moon landings..." I'm no expert, but I wasn't aware Bill had ever written about the space race! www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vkk7We are also promised, of course, the spectre of the Nazis still looming over Europe. I like this type of production concept, what I don’t like at all is having it explained to me in advance. |
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Post by Fleance on Apr 25, 2021 19:01:33 GMT
I regret that the RSC have chosen Marquee TV for their international streaming, because Marquee is primarily a dance and music service. Those of us who don't have access to the BBC have to forgo RSC performances at the moment. There just isn't enough theater on that service for me.
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Post by lynette on Apr 25, 2021 22:02:06 GMT
Did we watch The Winter’s tale then? Spoilers: why didn't Leontes and Paulina look older after 16 years? Why did Autolycus shout? Apart from that not bad. I won’t dwell further.
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Post by Jan on Apr 26, 2021 8:03:28 GMT
Did we watch The Winter’s tale then? Spoilers: why didn't Leontes and Paulina look older after 16 years? Why did Autolycus shout? Apart from that not bad. I won’t dwell further. I only lasted 10 minutes for the "live" version I'm afraid. It is on iPlayer so I skipped through a few other scenes just now. What is the point of filming a stage production which will never actually be produced on stage ? Pointless. It should have been re-directed for film. The NT's Romeo & Juliet made at least some attempt to do this. Just one example - we know that sets for the RST are always very sparse and boring because it is a thrust stage - big empty space and a few bits and pieces at the back - but why keep the planned stage set for the film ? It made it visually very very dull and static. Another symptom of this was some of the the actors projecting and emoting like crazy to reach the back row of the balcony - totally unnecessary - less is more on film. |
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Post by lynette on Apr 26, 2021 15:28:20 GMT
Yes, a strange combo of a staged performance filmed and a performance filmed for tv.
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Post by Jan on Apr 26, 2021 16:14:59 GMT
Yes, a strange combo of a staged performance filmed and a performance filmed for tv. If it is a staged performance filmed then I think you need a full audience you can hear. If not just redirect it for TV - famously when Trevor Nunn filmed his main stage Romans plays (years ago) he did lots of it with close-ups of the actor’s faces with just a few props suggesting the location. There are other ways of doing it - one of the very best films of a play is a film of a rehearsal of the play which transitions in a quite ambiguous way into the play itself. But just filming actors striding around for no reason on what is obviously a stage doesn’t work. |
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Post by cirque on Apr 29, 2021 17:17:05 GMT
I am very angry with RSC...daily theatres are bringing out summer plans and the invention and solutions on the whole very good.In Stratford the company will build a full scale open air theatre for one production....no attempt to open other three auditoria at all.If you don’t want Comedy of Errors....there is a rehearsal of Henry V1 part one which will not be staged.
I simply cannot believe how this once radical,transformative and groundbreaking company have become so irrelevant on the theatre landscape.
They seem to suggest audiences are going to be frightened to return.....they open a kindness shop in town .....crow about being in front line of education and claim Where Theatre Begins.
The board have a lot to answer for and the artistic leads must go....is it not time we deserved an RSC that places the inspiration back at forefront.
I really find this whole year plus one of dreadful letdown and their screen work from dreadful Dream to bland overacted Winters Tale places them out of frame.
Look at Jermyn Street .......and everywhere else. Disgraceful leadership.
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Post by Jan on Apr 29, 2021 17:47:44 GMT
I am very angry with RSC.... They don’t care. |
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Post by properjob on Apr 29, 2021 21:07:59 GMT
When these threads about the RSC in the the pandemic started I thought people were being a bit harsh. I've changed my mind since. Every other theatre in the country seems to have done anything they can to try amd put some shows on somehow and the RSC has done almost nothing.
It is good they are building an outdoor theatre but then have massively let themselves down by only put one show in it! Last year when Regent's park was almost the only theatre that could open, any night their in house production wasn't on they had comedy or similar on.
I also remembered that they own cottages so I am sure they would have been able to get guest companies to bubble up and put shows on.
I think they have let the country down in its hour of need. I hope the funding bodies will take note and spend money on other companies instead.
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Post by Jan on Apr 30, 2021 7:26:02 GMT
"{Doran} decided on the outdoor reopening route in February at a time when there was no guarantee that audiences would be able to go indoors over the summer. Plus, said Doran, “we still don’t know whether people are going to feel like coming back in to the theatre space in a socially distanced manner or not.”
All the agility of an arthritic elephant.
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Post by zahidf on Apr 30, 2021 7:41:36 GMT
I assume ( they wont say it of course) is that they are heavily reliant on tourist trade and dont think its financailly viable to open fully.
Which is ridiculous of course. Everyone else is giving it a go
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Post by Jan on Apr 30, 2021 8:10:18 GMT
I assume ( they wont say it of course) is that they are heavily reliant on tourist trade and dont think its financailly viable to open fully. That assumes the tourist trade in Stratford will be much reduced - I'm not sure that's true though - there is a great demand for UK-based holidays from people who don't want to risk booking to go abroad over the summer. As soon as it was allowed to book self-contained holiday flats a few weeks ago it was very difficult to book dates, I expect this will be the same when hotel bookings are allowed. And in any case they could have staged stuff at the Barbican as there already seems to be fair demand from London-based theatre-goers. One thing that strikes me is that they haven't really changed their plan at all from pre-pandemic days, their plan was to stage Winters Tale, Comedy of Errors, and rehearse Henry VI - they've just ploughed on with that but changed how they are being staged. |
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Post by lichtie on Apr 30, 2021 13:25:12 GMT
You can book hotels already - whilst the Friday/Saturday dates in August are already pricy, every other day is dirt cheap compared to normal. That's where the tourists tend to fill the places in their coach loads in Stratford.
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Post by cirque on May 4, 2021 15:58:17 GMT
Wokespeare
The debate following Dorans letter in Telegraph echoes my feeling that this company has destroyed the values of RSC.
It is now about Act For Change and demonstrating how social engineering works.
Not about audiences or the plays...it’s about the policies.
I never thought the RSC could destroy my love of going to Stratford.....they have and I bitterly regret this.
Doran and Whyman care nothing for the loyalty and passion of audiences....they must be replaced and very soon.
Watermill open As You Like It in their garden...feel much happier about this,I do feel they care about the experience.
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