Writtle CARDS

On the eve of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 50th birthday year, the Company celebrates the central importance of amateur theatre in the cultural life of the UK as it launches RSC Open Stages, an unprecedented collaboration with eight regional/national theatres and organisations representing amateurs from across the UK.  RSC Open Stages invites every UK amateur group to sign up to celebrate Shakespeare and live theatre.  Those who do will receive professional support with opportunities for performance and skill sharing, encouraging learning and collaboration to create a genuine legacy for future amateur and professional theatre makers.

Writtle CARDS, as part of a one-off collaboration with Phoenix Theatre Company, are proud to have been accepted as members of the Open Stages project for our forthcoming joint production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in June 2012.

RSC Artistic Director Michael Boyd said of the project...

"There are over 5,000 amateur theatre groups in the UK, with over a million people taking part each year.  Theatre is definitely alive and kicking and it seems madness to ignore the passion and creativity on our doorstep without harnessing it.  Open Stages is slap bang in the middle of our ambitions to connect people with Shakespeare and celebrate live theatre.  I want the RSC to lead a step change in the relationship between professional theatre and the amateur sector; to celebrate it's rich traditions, open our doors to its work and collaborate with partners nationally to leave a significant legacy.  We have achieved such a change in our relationship with schools and teachers, with an extraordinary increase in the quantity and quality of collaborative work on Shakespeare with young people over the last 20 years.  It's time to make the same offer of collaboration to all those adults who share our obsessions with live theatre."