Gregory Doran steps down

An AD who isn't from the UK wouldn't be a bad idea. If UK creatives can run theatre companies in other countries then why shouldn't someone from the US or Australia run the RSC. 

I do find it amusing that people don't want Erica Whyman but are dismissive of more radical suggestions. Why can't a producer run the RSC for example because to me the current criteria isn't working. 

If the RSC want to mainly do one-off productions with star actors and notable freelance directors (as for the opera companies) then a producer AD isn’t a bad idea. David Lan was a very good AD at the Young Vic and he hardly ever directed anything there. However the RSC is supposed to be a company/ensemble so a producer AD would be less useful.

Elliot/Morris...thats a dream team......

Think impossible but you raise expectations.

By way of warning-
take a look at new RSC video on website today-confirms the terrors Royal Shakespeare Community

Do we want this as the future-if so here is the appointment and it should be made with bold conviction.

If not then equally there must be someone out there who believes in excellence of the highest standards in global theatre.

Not to dismiss Community but to keep it as a division not the core.

There was talk that Greg and Tony would possibly apply as a duo when Greg was in the running to get the role when he did or the time before. The more I think about it Erica as a long serving deputy must be clear favourite for the role. But maybe they do need to go for a younger person Peter Hall was only 30 when he started the company, Trevor Nunn was only 28 when he took over, Terry Hands was younger than Erica is now when he left the job after many years.

I personally thought Greg should have got them job after Adrian Noble but Michael Boyd got the job and he was tasked with reducing the defecit which was over £2.5 million. Michael always seemed more like an producer type AD with Greg and others being the more active directors. Michael was there when Matilda was premiered and so created the RSC a great revenue stream. Greg like Erica I do wonder if they did their better work when Deputy AD and then when they get the top job after a few years they just go a bit stale.

If you wanted an actor/director would Michelle Terry be an option as she is the Globe AD so knows Shakespeare well and has strong links to the company. But would she be able to run the company/direct and act or would she have to maybe step back largely frm the performing side?

Someone who understands the practicalities of running a building is as essential as artistic vision.

There are two theatres in London that appointed young talented directors as ADs and it backfired massively (one was recently fired, the other is likely not going to last long) because while they are very good at directing plays, they just aren’t up to the boring grunt work of running a building. I can’t remember the details, but didn’t a former NT AD once say that being an AD was all about bins and loos?

I think running a building or even just a production company can put you in good steed for the bigger jobs. Rupert Goold for example ran Headlong for 8 years and while that's not building base, it does give you an understanding how to programme work that can be successful. 

There is an exec director at the RSC for running the building. I don’t think the AD has to worry about the toilets…..( same at NT) …more’s the pity….

Michael Boyd was a great Shakespeare director - the history cycle, Troilus & Cressida, Dream etc. A far more innovative Shakespeare director than Doran. However he had his problems - a counter-productive obsession with Russian theatre and the problematic RST thrust stage redevelopment for example, but his work on the history cycle was right in the RSC company/ensemble ambitious tradition, he also allowed Doran to direct far more than Doran himself has allowed any other director to do during his own term.  

Another thing they could do is recruit someone for 2-3 years only, not the usual 5 year term. That might allow someone like Branagh or Sam Mendes to come in and kick-start the place and mentor a successor.

Tennant probably would earn the RSC AD salary doing a day or two at Comic Con so it's unlikely he'd want the job.

Today's announcement for the Winter season further confirms the failure of the Doran/Whyman regime.

Third outing for the Christmas Carol could have made some commercial sense if it were not for the vast number of similar adaptations that keep being produced. It has zero originality to it.

The Totoro piece is certainly original but seems more like something that fits the National better than the RSC.

And where is the Shakespeare?

What is the point of the company if there is no Shakespeare for 1/3 of the year?

I don’t really get the complaints about the RSC not putting on Shakespeare when they’ve done that for decades.