Emma Rice’s Globe Departure

To say I responded as badly to the news of Emma Rice’s departure from the Globe theatre as I did to the Brexit result would be an overstatement – but not much of one.

Emma Rice’s appointment last year was joyful; there was a genuine sense that we, as a society and a theatrical community, were taking exciting, innovative steps towards greater equality and representation. The Globe theatre, a space dedicated to one white man and historically run by white men, was opening its doors to invention and change.

There was a genuine sense that we, as society and a theatrical community, were taking steps towards greater equality and representation.

But last week the Globe announced that Rice’s tenancy as Artistic Director would be ending prematurely in 2018, largely due to disagreement surrounding Rice’s use of artificial lighting.

And just like the day of the EU referendum, I had an overwhelming sense that we were regressing. Why? Because this wasn’t just about the Globe’s board having a very restricted idea of how Shakespeare should be staged, but about who is and isn’t allowed to play with Shakespeare.

Would Rice’s theatrical bravery have been seen as trendsetting, not deviant, if she were a man?

Rice’s season was not unspeakably radical: crazier things have been done to Shakespeare than implementing artificial lighting and casting race and gender blind. In 1970 Peter Brook directed a version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the RSC, staged wholly in a white box and interspersed with an array of Chinese circus skills. Indeed, it was Brook’s innovation that made the production one of the most famous in British theatre history.

Rice also recently directed a production of Midsummer, which the Telegraph described as a “theatrical revolution”.  Yet Rice’s upheaval hasn’t led to the praise and recognition earned by Brook, but to the loss of her job. Whilst I accept the RSC and Globe are different venues, you can’t help but wonder: would Rice’s theatrical bravery have been seen as trendsetting, not deviant, if she were a man?