Royal Shakespeare Company Training Company

Royal Shakespeare Company Training Company
Name	Royal Shakespeare Company Training Company
Established	19??
Type	Theatre training programme
Location	Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Affiliated	Royal Shakespeare Company

Royal Shakespeare Company Training Company The Royal Shakespeare Company Training Company is a professional actor-training programme linked to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. It offers intensive practical preparation for stage careers with emphasis on Shakespearean repertoire and contemporary theatre, combining workshop-led practice, repertory performance and voice work. Alumni have progressed to major roles at the Globe, National Theatre and West End, and into film and television such as the BBC, Channel 4 and major international festivals.

History

Founded as a successor to mid-20th-century apprentice schemes associated with the Royal Shakespeare Company and preceding programmes at Stratford-upon-Avon training venues, the Training Company evolved during the 1970s and 1980s alongside artistic shifts under directors like Peter Hall, Terry Hands and Trevor Nunn. The company adapted practices influenced by institutions such as Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, while responding to touring demands across Europe and the United States including seasons at Sydney Theatre Company, Shakespeare's Globe and engagements at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Reforms under artistic leadership including Michael Boyd and Gregory Doran emphasized actor versatility for work at venues such as the National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse and Young Vic.

Admissions and Selection

Selection traditionally mirrors audition models used by Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and conservatoires like Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, requiring monologues and verse drawn from authors including William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson and John Webster. Candidates often present contemporary excerpts by playwrights such as Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Caryl Churchill and David Hare. The process attracts applicants from drama schools including Central School of Speech and Drama, Rose Bruford College and LAMDA, as well as graduates of universities such as Oxford University and Cambridge University. Panels have included casting directors from United Agents, producers from Royal National Theatre seasons and directors associated with Peter Brook-influenced workshops and Jacques Copeau-derived pedagogy.

Curriculum and Training

Training integrates classical text work, movement, voice and combat training drawing on methods from Stanislavski, Rudolf Laban and Voice and Speech Trainers Association practice. Courses include verse-speaking coached by specialists influenced by John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier traditions, stage combat certified through British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat standards, and movement inspired by Jacques Lecoq and Fellini-era physical theatre. Repertoire study ranges from William Shakespeare’s histories and tragedies to modern works by Arthur Miller, August Strindberg, Anton Chekhov and Samuel Beckett. Technical collaboration involves designers and practitioners from Juliet Stevenson-linked workshops, lighting innovators associated with Paule Constable, and costume teams experienced with Shakespeare's Globe reconstructions. The programme also offers modules in audition technique for casting at West End theatres and screen acting preparation for companies such as BBC Drama and production houses like Working Title Films.

Performance Opportunities

Trainees perform in rep seasons at Stratford venues including the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Theatre, and undertake touring productions to institutions like the Globe Theatre, Sheffield Theatres, Birmingham Rep and international festivals including Festival d'Avignon and the Edinburgh International Festival. Collaborations have resulted in co-productions with the National Theatre of Portugal, Brooks Atkinson Theatre transfers to Broadway, and site-specific work in partnership with organisations such as Tate Modern and English Touring Theatre. Showcase performances attract agents from Curtis Brown, casting directors for BBC, ITV and casting houses attached to Royal Court Theatre premieres.

Notable Alumni

Graduates have included performers who established careers at the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, West End and Hollywood: actors who later worked with directors like Kenneth Branagh, Sam Mendes, Richard Eyre and Trevor Nunn. Alumni frequently appear in productions by Nicholas Hytner and Stephen Daldry, star in films produced by BBC Films and Working Title Films, and receive recognition from awards such as the Laurence Olivier Awards, BAFTA and Tony Awards. Many went on to careers in television on BBC, Channel 4, ITV and streaming platforms that commission adaptations of works by Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Ibsen.

Faculty and Leadership

Teaching staff draw on directors and practitioners associated with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s artistic directors including Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Michael Boyd and Gregory Doran, and guest masterclasses by figures such as Alfredo Arias, Garry Hynes, Pina Bausch-influenced choreographers and voice coaches from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Movement and fight direction has been led by specialists formerly attached to Bristol Old Vic and The Young Vic, while text-based coaching has included tutors trained in traditions linked to John Barton and Ellen Terry-inspired conservatoires. Administrative leadership often liaises with casting agencies like Hamilton Hodell and funding bodies including Arts Council England.

Impact and Legacy

The Training Company has influenced actor-training standards across British theatre, contributing talent to landmark productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Globe Theatre and West End houses such as Royal Court Theatre and Old Vic. Its pedagogical legacies echo in curricula at RADA, Guildhall School and regional drama centres, and its alumni networks strengthen links between UK regional theatres like Birmingham Rep and international stages including Broadway and Festival d'Avignon. Institutional collaborations and touring have helped sustain classical repertoire circulation, informing contemporary stagings by directors such as Phyllida Lloyd and Emma Rice.

Category:Drama schools in the United Kingdom