Open Stages and the Rosehill Shakespeare Players

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) believes that Shakespeare belongs to everyone, not just to watch but to perform, and the Open Stages project enables the RSC to engage with amateur, grass roots, theatre. Through Open Stages, the RSC provides professional training and mentoring for amateurs.

In summer 2013, around 200 amateur companies from across the UK applied to the RSC Open Stages scheme, describing the productions they wanted to put on and explaining why they wanted to take part in the scheme. The Rosehill Shakespeare Players were fortunate enough to be one of the 96 companies selected.

The Rosehill Shakespeare Players show will be called 'Fanfare for the Common Wo/Man' and it will be performed in early January 2015. It will include scenes from several Shakespeare plays, focusing on the ordinary people - the artisans, traders, inn-keepers and foot-soldiers - rather than the kings and queens.

As Rosehill will be closed for refurbishment, the show will be performed at the Theatre Royal in Workington. There are also plans to take it on tour - to other venues in Cumbria.

This is a very exciting opportunity for local amateur theatre practitioners. Several members of Rosehill Shakespeare Players and Rosehill Theatre staff have already benefited from RSC workshops held at the Contact Theatre in Manchester (see photos), and some RSC practitioners will be visiting West Cumbria over the coming months.

To find out more about the RSC Open Stages project, please click on the following link: http://www.rsc.org.uk/explore/projects/open-stages/