The Royal Shakespeare Company have announced the rescheduling of their 2020 Winter season, with hopes to reopen theatres as soon as possible- starting with rescheduled performances of The Winter’s Tale and The Comedy of Errors.
The news comes after all RSC shows were cancelled or postponed back in April, until 30th June at the earliest. Matilda the Musical will return to the Cambridge Theatre in London in September 2020, but it remains unclear when the Royal Shakespeare Theatre will reopen.
The RSC’s Barbican annual residency for 2020 and the RSC Summer School have both been cancelled.
In regards to reopening, Gregory Doran (Artistic Director) said: “While we continue to explore every opportunity to open our Stratford buildings as soon as we possibly can, ideally later this year, I am pleased to share this hopeful news of the confirmed schedule for our Winter 2021 season.”
Having had plans to debut this summer, The Winter’s Tale and The Comedy of Errors were in rehearsal before Coronavirus-related closures. Further details are to be announced, but arrangements rely on government guidelines and the financial viability of reopening.
The Magician’s Elephant, The War of the Roses and First Encounters with Shakespeare: Twelfth Night, originally expected to debut in their 2020 Winter season, have all been pushed back by a year.
First Encounters will debut in September 2021, with a new adaptation of Twelfth Night directed and edited by Robin Belfield. Twelfth Night will be performed in local schools, before embarking on a seven-week tour of schools and regional theatres across England. It is no longer expected to be staged at the Swan Theatre.
Words by Olivia Emily.