I helped chaperone a school party to Stratford upon Avon to see Measure for Measure - Sylvia Woodhurst, Subscriber

Thank you for the opportunity to reminisce about all the wonderful opportunities I’ve had with Shakespeare. My first Shakespeare play was at Stratford, Ontario in their new theatre in the round—the magic of “Twelfth Night” introduced by trumpet fanfare. I was 14. I have seen so many interpretations of his plays including “The Tempest” performed in a school gym in French by a group visiting Toronto from Haiti! But my first RSC had to wait until 1974 when I moved to the UK and taught in Hertfordshire; I helped chaperone a school party to Stratford upon Avon to see “Measure for Measure”—I don’t remember what any of them thought about the programme cover [see attachment]. The next RSC production I was able to see was Henry V at the Aldwych in 1976 with Alan Howard as Henry V and Barrie Rutter as the Earl of Cambridge [see attached photo from the programme]. Years later I moved to Nottinghamshire and got to know Barrie Rutter’s Northern Broadsides very well as I enjoyed many of their Shakespearian plays, especially Rutter’s last one, Richard III, performed in the Hull Truck. My favourite Shakespeare play is “Othello”—so much to think about and such a challenge for the Theatre company. As much as I like the RSC and the joys of walking by the river before and after the play, I have to say the most inspired production I’ve seen was at the Sheffield Crucible in 2011 with Clarke Peters and Dominic West. I may not be very loyal to the RSC because I do try to support regional theatres near where I live, but I do appreciate your being a crucible for talent and an inspiration to so many young people in your outreach programmes. And I do love the often interactive Swan Theatre Productions and your commitment to live music.