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A fascinating, challenging and rewarding year

The 'Shakespeare-by-Design' Project has created important links between the RSC's costume collection and the SBT's production archives.

Paula Wilkinson

‘Shakespeare-by-Design’ Project - Final Update

December 31st 2013 is the last day of the ‘Shakespeare-by-Design’ project, and we’ve been winding up (as opposed to ‘winding down’ – no time!) our work for the past year.

With the help of trusty volunteers, we’ve reviewed, checked, photographed, digitised, unpacked and packed up, catalogued, sweltered under photographic lamps in the summer heat wave, and triumphed over exploding foam and a moth infestation. It’s been a fascinating, challenging and rewarding year!

The work that we’ve done has started the process of making links between the RSC’s wonderful costume collection and its associated archive of costume designs, production images, and much more, held by the SBT.

Costume worn by Janet Suzman as ‘Cleopatra’ in 1972, designed by Ann Curtis
Costume worn by Janet Suzman as ‘Cleopatra’ in 1972, designed by Ann Curtis
Costume design for ‘Cleopatra’, 1972, by Ann Curtis
Costume design for ‘Cleopatra’, 1972, by Ann Curtis
Production image showing Janet Suzman as ‘Cleopatra’, 1972
Production image showing Janet Suzman as ‘Cleopatra’, 1972

Taken together, these are exciting and significant collections which have great potential to tell the stories of play-making and theatre in Stratford and beyond, and to enable learning, discovery and enjoyment.

This project has taken the first important steps towards making that happen.


Maggie Wood & Robyn Greenwood
‘Shakespeare-by-Design’ project team