The Royal Shakespeare Company produces theatre at its best, made in Stratford-upon-Avon – Shakespeare’s birthplace – and shared around the world for everyone to enjoy. It produces a year-round programme of theatre and events, focussing on the work of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries as well as new writers.

The RSC’s programme of live performances runs from the July 13 with The Comedy of Errors, directed by Phillip Breen and performed in the newly-constructed Lydia & Manfred Gorvy Garden Theatre. The Garden Theatre is a temporary, outdoor performance space for up to 500 people, situated in the Swan Gardens behind the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

As well as staging Shakespeare, the RSC has a range of other events in Stratford this summer, including:

• Fun family activities, including workshops and pop-up gigs, many of which are free to attend. These take place during the school holidays from 27 July – 20 August
• The Next Generation Act young company perform All Mirth and No Matter in the Garden Theatre on 23 July. The company is formed of 24 young people from RSC Associate Schools across the country, and the piece will be their creative response to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
• Food and drink, including the Riverside Cafe next to the Avon and the renowned Rooftop Restaurant with its panoramic views of Stratford, serving a range of food and drink, including pre-theatre dining.

The RSC also has a broad online and streaming offer, including broadcasts on the BBC and iPlayer, and online projects such as 2021’s Henry VI Part One: Open Rehearsal Project where audiences follow the entire RSC rehearsal process for a Shakespeare play.

Every Christmas the RSC produces a family show. This year is no exception as the Company will premiere The Magician’s Elephant, a new musical by Marc Teitler and Nancy Harris, based on the prize-winning novel by Kate DiCamillo and running in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre between 14 October and 1 January.

The RSC also has a full range of online resources which are free to access, including the award-winning Shakespeare Learning Zone, which supports students and young people studying Shakespeare to engage with the texts in a new way. The RSC’s website and YouTube channel also has resources to help those with ambitions to build a career in the arts and much, much more.

The RSC welcomes over 1 million visitors to its Stratford-upon-Avon theatres every year. Its multi-award winning production Matilda The Musical, which is due to reopen at the Cambridge Theatre in London on 16 September, has been seen by more than 9 million people worldwide.

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a 1,000-seater theatre with an unusual thrust stage which means that audiences are close to the action wherever they sit. The smaller Swan Theatre is reminiscent of wooden theatres of Shakespeare’s day and hopes to reopen in 2022.

Also in Stratford-upon-Avon is The Other Place, which is home to the RSC’s 200-seat studio theatre, rehearsal rooms and vast Costume Hire stores. The RSC is hoping to re-open The Other Place in 2022.

The Company has been running under its current name since 1961, and its stages have hosted performers of the likes of Laurence Olivier, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen. It is led by Artistic Director Gregory Doran, Executive Director Catherine Mallyon and Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman.

More information and tickets: rsc.org.uk, 01789 331111.