The RSC is a national and international centre for performance, teaching, training, learning and research about Shakespeare and theatre arts.
Research plays a critical role in the development and shaping of our work and sector, from exploring the role of immersive technologies in performance, to engaging a more diverse talent base; from understanding how Shakespeare can improve learning outcomes to thought stewardship around the future of cultural practice.
International Fellowships (IF) programme
Crafted in collaboration with UK and international research and cultural organisations, the RSC IF is part of a wider thought leadership programme. This feasibility study is initiated by the RSC and funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as we develop and build a research centre. The study includes an annual, year-long fellowship centred on historically underrepresented voices, bringing together a global community of artists, researchers and cultural workers responding to the cultural and societal change needs of the performing arts sector and beyond. The Fellowships form part of AHRC’s PORTIA (Participatory and Open Research through Technology in Action) programme which seeks to create the spaces, places and platforms that enable creativity-led R&D to thrive.
The programme has been developed in collaboration with seven global organisations including Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), The Music Center Los Angeles, Watershed, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Open Documentary Lab and Co-Creation Studio, Stanford University’s Interdisciplinary Arts, and TORCH - The Oxford Research Centre for the Humanities, University of Oxford. Each organisation will also host Fellows throughout the year to support their research and development. The year-long annual Fellowship culminates in a Festival of Ideas to share the learnings from the Fellowship and across the RSC from the previous year.
Time to Act
Time to Act is a major research project, evaluating the impact of rehearsal-room approaches to teaching Shakespeare on language development and academic self-concept in young people. Its findings show positive impacts and contribute new insights into the difference that engagement with the arts and cultural education has on children and young people’s lives.
The study comprises two research strands:
A randomised control trial (RCT) involving 45 schools that had never previously worked with the RSC or used RSC teaching approaches.
A teacher-led action research programme undertaken by 14 teachers that have been using RSC approaches for several years.
Both strands used existing measurement tools and piloted new, inclusive measures which aimed to capture the impact of these approaches on literacy, wellbeing, and social and emotional development.
The project is being led by RSC Research Fellows Dr Matthew Collins and Dr Lynsey McCulloch and supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
RSC AND UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM PARTNERSHIP
The RSC and the University of Birmingham have collaborated for many years to provide formal and informal opportunities for knowledge exchange and research about Shakespeare’s work, as well as theatre practice for students, scholars and artists.
Recent research-led collaborations include Signing Shakespeare, an innovative research project and a series of practical resources aimed at supported deaf young people in their study and enjoyment of Shakespeare. The University of Birmingham | Royal Shakespeare Company (rsc.org.uk)
AUDIENCE OF THE FUTURE
Part of Government’s Industrial Strategy, Audience of the Future was an R&D programme harnessing the expertise and knowledge of 15 specialist organisations including the RSC, leading British arts companies, global technology giants and top British universities. Together they explored what it means to perform live using technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality and ensure that the UK is leading the way in how audiences will experience live performance in the future.
TIME TO LISTEN
In the most comprehensive research study of its kind, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Tate and the University of Nottingham joined together to examine the benefits of taking arts and education seriously.
Funded by Arts Council England, and conducted in secondary and special schools in England, the Tracking Arts Learning and Engagement study analysed 6,000 responses from young people aged 14 – 18, tracking students and 63 teachers over three years: Time To Listen | RSC Education | Royal Shakespeare Company
XR Stories Network+ R&D Challenge
University of York lead the XR Stories programme & XR Network+, funded by EPSRC. In 2024/25 the RSC are the challenge holder, enabling two teams to embed within the organisation to lead funded R&D that explores virtual production technologies and their use case in the performing arts. The two selected teams (led by University of Bath & Central School of Speech & Drama) will conduct this work from Jan-July 25.
Image credit: Sara Beaumont