By the Numbers: A Look at the UMS-RSC Relationship

This residency marks the third with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The relationship launched with a 2001 residency that featured Shakespeare’s Histories, then continued in 2003 with two Shakespeare plays and the U.S. première of the stage adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children.

2001 Residency

Plays:
Henry VI, part I (directed by Michael Boyd)
Henry VI, part ii (directed by Michael Boyd)
Henry VI, part iii (directed by Michael Boyd)
Richard III (directed by Michael Boyd)

Twelve performances (three of each production) were presented March 10–18, 2001 at the Power Center. Two of the cycles included all three Henry VI plays on the same day.

The performances and residency were a U.S. exclusive by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

A total of 16,691 people attended the 12 performances. These people came from 30 states and five foreign countries.

Michael Boyd, who is now the RSC’s artistic director, received the Olivier Award in Britain for Best Director on these plays. (The Olivier Awards are the equivalent of the Oscars in the U.S., but for live theater.)

Over 75 related educational activities were presented by UMS as part of the residency, directly benefiting nearly 17,000 individuals.

2003 Residency

Plays:
Merry Wives of Windsor (directed by Rachel Kavanaugh)
Coriolanus (directed by David Farr)
Midnight’s Children (written by Salman Rushdie; directed by Tim Supple)

Sixteen performances (five each of Merry Wives and Coriolanus, and six of Midnight’s Children) were presented March 1–16, 2003 at the Power Center.

The Shakespeare performances were a U.S. exclusive. Midnight’s Children was also presented by Columbia University at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

The Ann Arbor run of Midnight’s Children was the U.S. première of the work.

A total of 19,786 people attended the 16 performances.

80 related educational activities were presented by UMS as part of the residency, directly benefiting nearly 8,000 individuals.

2006 Residency

Plays:
Antony and Cleopatra (directed by Gregory Doran)
Julius Caesar (directed by Sean Holmes)
The Tempest (directed by Rupert Goold)

Twenty-one performances (seven of each play), will be presented October 24–November 12, 2006 at the Power Center.

The three plays presented as part of this residency are a U.S. exclusive and will not be performed in repertory anywhere else in the country.

Over 2000 tickets were set aside for students, distributed through classes attending the productions and through a special RSC Student Ticket Sale on Saturday, September 30.

Over 135 related educational activities will be presented by UMS as part of the residency.