Emma Rice

Last updated

Emma Rice
Born
Emma Juliet Rice

1967 (age 5657)
Oxfordshire, England
Occupation(s) Director, Actress, Writer
Known for Kneehigh Theatre,
Shakespeare's Globe,
Wise Children

Emma Juliet Rice [1] (born August 1967) is a British actor, director and writer. Hailed as a fearless director, [2] Rice's work includes theatrical adaptations of Brief Encounter , The Red Shoes and Wise Children . In 2022, Rice was named in the Sky Arts Top 50 most influential British artists. [3] Rice worked with Kneehigh Theatre [4] in Cornwall for twenty years as an actor, director, then artistic director with co-artistic director, Mike Shepherd. She was the Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe from 2016 to 2018, before founding her own touring theatre company Wise Children. [5] [6]

Contents

Early life

Rice was born in Oxfordshire, England, [7] and grew up in Nottingham, where her mother was a social worker and her father was a lecturer in personnel management. [8] After studying English and Stage Design at Harrington College [9] Rice went on to study acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. [4]

Career

After graduating from Guildhall, Rice spent eight years working with Alibi Theatre, performing theatre that emphasised storytelling. [9] Alongside touring the UK and performing to children and communities with Alibi, Rice developed her craft, training in Poland, with Gardzienice, a company founded by Włodzimierz Staniewski. [8]

In 1994, Rice joined the Cornish theatre company, Kneehigh, as a performer. [10] After taking on increasing creative responsibilities, [9] Kneehigh Artistic directors Bill Mitchell and Mike Shepherd encouraged her to direct [11] and her first production, The Itch, was staged in 1999. [9] As a director, Rice says that her long-running production of The Red Shoes represented the point in her career when she came into her own. [11] [12] Rice went on to become the Artistic Director of Kneehigh, alongside Mike Shepherd, and under their stewardship Kneehigh produced a plethora of adaptations and original work, including Tristan and Yseult, The Bacchae and a 'seedy, dreamy' take on Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus. [13] While Rice's work did not always appease critics, Kneehigh's 'visually stunning, inventive, often subversive and unashamedly populist' shows toured in the UK and internationally. [9]

In 2015, it was announced that Rice would take over from Dominic Dromgoole as artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe, [10] [14] with Rice applying for the role despite stating: "I have tried to sit down with Shakespeare but it doesn’t work... I get very sleepy and then suddenly I want to listen to The Archers." [15] After a summer season that included Rice's A Midsummer Night's Dream and 'exceptionally strong' box office returns, [16] it was announced in October 2016 that Rice would leave the Globe in April 2018. The announcement followed a decision by the theatre's board, which cited concerns over authenticity and her use of lighting technology [16] [17] after she steadfastly refused to abide by the Globe's founding principles of “shared light" and non-amplified sound. [18] Previous Artistic Director Dominic Dromgoole disagreed with Rice's attempts to move away from this traditional "shared light" – in which the actors and audience are in the same light – which he said was "at the heart of her disagreements with colleagues and the board". [19] Her final Shakespeare production at the Globe was Twelfth Night , which received middling reviews, [20] [21] with the Arts Desk stating the production "ends up giving two fingers to Shakespeare, which rather makes the board’s case for them." [22]

In 2017, Rice announced her new touring theatre company, Wise Children. [6] Standard Issue Magazine made her their woman of the year in 2016 for "her fearlessness, leadership, innovation and bravery". [2] Wise Children was accepted into Arts Council England’s group of regularly supported organisations and allocated annual funding of £475,000 from 2018. This was not without controversy however; Christy Romer, a journalist for Arts Professional, said that allowing Wise Children into the Arts Council’s national portfolio despite its lack of any track record "makes a mockery of the entire arts funding system". [23]

During the COVID-19 pandemic Rice's Wise Children live streamed a fully staged production to a global audience with their production of Romantics Anonymous which had been due to tour the US prior to the pandemic. [24] [25] [26] Alongside the live streams Rice also presents a podcast series looking behind the scenes of her work and process [27]

In 2021, Rice directed an adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights that toured at Bristol Old Vic and Theare Royal Brighton, receiving mixed [28] [29] [30] to positive [31] [32] [33] reviews from critics.

Emma Rice Production Credits
ProductionsYear Of Originating ProductionRoleProduction CompanyNotes
The Itch [34] 1999Director/PerformerKneehigh Theatre
The Red Shoes2000Adapter/DirectorKneehigh TheatreThis production has had numerous revivals
Cry Wolf2001PerformerKneehigh Theatre
Pandora's Box2002Adapter/Performer/DirectorKneehigh Theatre
Tristan & Yseult [35] 2003Adapter/Performer/DirectorKneehigh TheatreThis production has had numerous revivals
The Wooden Frock2004Adapter/Performer/DirectorKneehigh Theatre
The Bacchae2005Adaptor/DirectorKneehigh Theatre
Nights At The Circus2006Adapter/DirectorKneehigh Theatre
Cymbeline [36] 2006Director/PerformerKneehigh Theatre
Rapunzel2006DirectorKneehigh Theatre
A Matter Of Life & Death2007Adapter/DirectorNational Theatre
Brief Encounter2007Adapter/DirectorDavid Pugh and Dafydd Rogers/Kneehigh TheatreThis production has had numerous revivals
Don John [37] 2008Adapter/DirectorKneehigh Theatre/RSC
The Wild Bride2011Adapter/DirectorKneehigh Theatre
Midnight's Pumpkin2011Adapter/DirectorKneehigh Theatre
Steptoe & Son [38] 2012Adapter/DirectorKneehigh Theatre
Rebecca [39] [40] 2015Adapter/DirectorDavid Pugh and Dafydd Rogers/Kneehigh Theatre
The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg [41] 2011Director
Oedipussy [42] 2012DirectorSpyMonkey
The Empress [43] 2013DirectorRSCA Play by Tanika Gupta
The Flying Lovers Of Vitebsk2016DirectorKneehigh TheatreBased on a play by Daniel Jamieson & Emma Rice (The Birthday) [44]
9462017Adapter/DirectorKneehigh TheatreBased on the book by Michael Morpurgo (The Story of Adolphus Tips) [45]
A Midsummer Night's Dream [46] 2016DirectorShakespeare's GlobeAlso broadcast by the BBC [47]
Wah Wah Girls [48] 2015DirectorSadlers WellsA Play by Tanika Gupta, music by Niraj Chag [49]
Twelfth Night2017DirectorShakespeare's Globe
The Little Match Girl2017DirectorShakespeare's Globe
Romantics Anonymous2016DirectorShakespeare's GlobeAdapted and directed by Emma Rice with music by Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond
Wise Children [50] 2018Adapter/DirectorWise ChildrenA co-production with The Old Vic London, Bristol Old Vic & York Theatre Royal. Based on the novel by Angela Carter. This production was also filmed for cinema release and broadcast by the BBC. [51]
Bagdad Cafe2021Adapter/DirectorWise ChildrenA co-production with The Old Vic London based on the film by Percy Adlon. [52] This production was also Live Streamed as part of the Old Vic In Camera series.
Malory Towers2019Adapter/DirectorWise ChildrenBased on the books of Enid Blyton. A co-production with David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers
Wuthering Heights2021Adapter/DirectorWise ChildrenBased on the novel by Emily Bronté. This production has been filmed for Sky Arts.
Blue Beard2024Adapter/DirectorWise ChildrenA co-production with Birmingham Rep, HOME Manchester, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, and York Theatre Royal, [53] based on the French folktale.

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References

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