Royal Shakespeare Company announces Winter 2020 programme and announces cast album of The Boy in the Dress
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
The RSC has announced details of its winter season including a newly commissioned series of Tales for Winter, running from Saturday 5 December 2020 - Saturday 23 January 2021.
Prior to the announcement of a second national lockdown, the full programme of events were due to be performed live to a reduced capacity, socially distanced audience, as well as certain performances being streamed online. However, the RSC will now live stream all shows taking place between 5-12 December, which will be available for seven days after broadcast. It is then hoped that live audiences can be welcomed back to the theatre from 19 December.
The programme opens launches on Saturday 5 December with no. 1 best-selling children’s author David Walliams visiting the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to read from his original book, The Boy in the Dress. He will be joined by songwriter and musician Guy Chambers alongside members of the original cast and creative team for the launch of the official cast album, which will be available to pre-order on 16 November ahead of its release on 4 December.
On Saturday 12 December, online audiences are invited to join members of the RSC Acting Company on an epic journey through the twists and turns of ancient Troy with a dramatic re-telling of the history of the Trojan war in five parts, based on the Greek classics - The Iliad, The Odyssey and The Aeneid - from translations by John Dryden and Alexander Pope.
On 19 & 20 December, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre will host a weekend of music and reflection. Festive Tales will feature carols, songs and festive readings celebrating the spirit of Christmas and the Royal Shakespeare Community.
In January, Tales for Winter continues with a weekly programme of online performances inspired by the work of former Children’s Laureate and best-selling author Michael Morpurgo who has joined the Royal Shakespeare Company to present a special series of preview events inspired by his new book, Tales from Shakespeare.
Other highlights in January include a specially curated programme of Shakespeare performances by the RSC’s Next Generation ACT company and Youth Advisory Board and a new musical concert inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
RSC Artistic Director, Gregory Doran, said: “Despite the latest lockdown announcements, we remain fully committed to producing our Winter programme of events and to sharing the joy of live performance with our audiences, whether that’s back in-person or online. We are keeping the situation under close review in line with government and public health guidance and look forward to welcoming visitors as soon as it is safe to do so.
“As the global pandemic continues to prevent us being with one another in ways we could never have imagined, we need stories now, more than ever before. They help us to make sense of the world around us and to bring us together as a community, to celebrate, commiserate, reflect and rebuild.
Full programme details to be announced in December.
