RSC Gags Unhappy Employees???

According to The Times, the Royal Shakespeare Company is reacting to increasingly negative media coverage – including the recent departure of director Edward Hall and cries of outrage over redundancies, withdrawals from the Barbican and the proposed demolition of Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre - by cracking down on disgruntled employees who may be leaking information. Allegedly, new contracts have been drawn up for the 600 staff which include various confidentiality clauses and warnings of severe disciplinary action should they speak about internal RSC business with anyone external to the company. Taken to the letter, that would mean not just refraining from tipping off the press but also discussing with family members anything from upcoming productions and casting to the larger restructuring issues. Despite the gags, The Times reports that many employees have continued to complain that artistic director Adrian Noble has lost his way and that staff morale on the whole has never been lower.

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