Bard Blood Between RSC & Globe???

Back in July when the Royal Shakespeare Company announced programming details for its year-long Complete Works in Stratford-upon-Avon (See News, 11 Jul 2005), we commented here that one organisation notable by its absence from the press materials for the event, involving a multitude of companies from around the world, was Shakespeare’s Globe (See The Goss, 12 Jul 2005). At the time, RSC artistic director Michael Boyd told journalists “we’ve been banging on (the Globe’s) door for two years now” without a commitment, though he hoped that, with the arrival of Dominic Dromgoole, who has succeeded Mark Rylance as Globe artistic director, there might be “some element of collaboration”, perhaps for the later festival programming. That now looks highly unlikely. The RSC organised a press conference for lunchtime this Wednesday to outline details for the second half of the Complete Works. However, it has had to reschedule because the event clashed directly with a press launch being held by the Globe to announce its own plans for 2006. Meanwhile, the outspoken Dromgoole has been complaining about the amount of public money being spent on advertising for the RSC’s Complete Works, especially as compared to the zero subsidy received by the Globe. Collaboration or no collaboration, it will be interesting to see what ambitious plans both companies have in store. Dromgoole, best known for his new work at the Bush and Oxford Stage Company, has previously said that he intends to have two to three new plays in an annual programme of nine or so productions. According to the Sunday Times, the new director’s inaugural season will feature a new play by Howard Brenton. Brenton’s most infamous work, The Romans in Britain, is revived next month at Sheffield Crucible; his latest, Paul, is currently running in rep at the National’s Cottesloe.

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