{"id":120,"date":"2017-02-27T21:32:23","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T21:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/?p=120"},"modified":"2017-02-27T21:32:56","modified_gmt":"2017-02-27T21:32:56","slug":"why-i-love-the-royal-shakespeare-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/?p=120","title":{"rendered":"Why I love the Royal Shakespeare Company"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>One evening in 2009, I walked into the RSC&#8217;s Courtyard Theatre with my parents. We had arrived to see Julius Caesar. This was not my first experience of Shakespeare in Stratford-Upon-Avon but it was the first that did not result in me returning to a classroom to write an essay.<\/p>\n<p>I had read <a href=\"http:\/\/www.selfmadehero.com\/books.php\">Self Made Hero&#8217;s\u00a0Shakespeare Manga Julius Caesar<\/a> in preparation, but nothing can really prepare you for the experience. I was hooked from the moment that the cast took to the stage. The RSC Ensemble were, on this occasion, led by Greg Hicks in the role of Julius Caesar, but a huge part of the charm was that there was not a &#8216;star&#8217;, but an ensemble of very talented actors telling the story of the Emperor of Rome. I left that evening exhilarated with a new appreciation of the Bard (I already loved Romeo and Juliet but that was probably thanks to Baz Luhrmann casting Leo in the film&#8230;). It was clear from that moment that nothing could beat seeing these plays on the stage. I was lucky enough to see a number of the plays at the Courtyard with the RSC Ensemble and have never looked back since and now visit the beautiful RSC Theatre.<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"124\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/?attachment_id=124\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?fit=2988%2C2988\" data-orig-size=\"2988,2988\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_20161024_184928\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?fit=660%2C660\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-124 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=300%2C300\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=300%2C300 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=150%2C150 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=768%2C768 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=836%2C836 836w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=418%2C418 418w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=660%2C660 660w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=1320%2C1320 1320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=1000%2C1000 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161024_184928.jpg?resize=2000%2C2000 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Over the years, going to the RSC productions have become something of a family tradition. And, if we have not had the same desire to see some of the productions, then I have gone with friends who have a similar passion for the theatre. However, none of us restrict ourselves to the tales of Shakespeare. The wonderful musical &#8216;<a href=\"http:\/\/uk.matildathemusical.com\/\">Matilda<\/a>&#8216; started at the Courtyard and &#8216;Wendy and Peter Pan&#8217; was a fabulous retelling of J.M Barrie&#8217;s classic.<\/p>\n<p>Memories are made each\u00a0time we visit this wonderful town and its theatre, and I can not wait for the fast-approaching <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rsc.org.uk\/whats-on\/\">Rome Season<\/a>\u00a0and making many more memories.<\/p>\n<p>Top 10 memories (in no particular order &#8211; and I have probably still missed something):<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Matilda on a very snowy December day.<\/li>\n<li>Othello with Hugh Quarshie in the title role and Lucian Msamati as Iago.<\/li>\n<li>Richard II with David Tennant (and spotting him in the street on the morning of the play).<\/li>\n<li>Wendy and Peter Pan (on both occasions).<\/li>\n<li>Love&#8217;s Labours Lost, sitting on the same row as Prince Charles.<\/li>\n<li>Julius Caesar &#8211; that first grown-up RSC experience.<\/li>\n<li>The Merchant of Venice with Sir Patrick Stewart as Shylock.<\/li>\n<li>Twelfth Night with the very funny Richard Wilson as Malvolio.<\/li>\n<li>Much Ado About Nothing with Meera Syal and a truly exotic setting.<\/li>\n<li>The wonderful Hamlet with the award-winning Paapa Essideu in the lead role.<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"125\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/?attachment_id=125\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?fit=2988%2C2988\" data-orig-size=\"2988,2988\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_20161112_204028\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?fit=660%2C660\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-125 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=300%2C300\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=300%2C300 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=150%2C150 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=768%2C768 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=836%2C836 836w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=418%2C418 418w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=660%2C660 660w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=1320%2C1320 1320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=1000%2C1000 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/IMG_20161112_204028.jpg?resize=2000%2C2000 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One evening in 2009, I walked into the RSC&#8217;s Courtyard Theatre with my parents. We had arrived to see Julius Caesar. This was not my first experience of Shakespeare in Stratford-Upon-Avon but it was the first that did not result in me returning to a classroom to write an essay. I had read Self Made [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5,50,49,17],"class_list":["post-120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-theatre","tag-shakespeare","tag-stratford-upon-avon","tag-the-royal-shakespeare-company","tag-theatre"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8jrc7-1W","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.bookwormandtheatremouse.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}