We are looking for an Assistant Director who also possesses strong movement and dance expertise to assist Kimberley Rampersad on a professional theatre production of The Red Shoes by Nancy Harris in the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon- Avon.

The Assistant Director will lead on BSL integrated rehearsals, understudy rehearsals (including technical and dress rehearsal) and will maintain the production during the run in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The engagement will run from Monday 23 September 2024 to Saturday 19 January 2025. During this period, you would be contracted exclusively to the RSC on a full-time basis. The terms of the engagement will be covered by the RSC/EQUITY Agreement.

London Rehearsals: w/c 23 September to w/c 21 October
Stratford-upon-Avon Rehearsals: w/c 28 October
Tech From Saturday 2 November
Press 14 November
Final performance 19 January 2025

You will:

Play an active part in the creative process, understanding the vision and intention of the production, and identifying opportunities to enrich it as the production is made
Lead rehearsals as instructed by the Director/Choreographer including movement and dance calls
Support the Director/Choreographer with research in advance of rehearsals if necessary and respond to research requests as they arise in the rehearsal process
Attend all production meetings
Assist the Director/ Choreographer as needed. Attend all rehearsals, taking notes and actively watching and listening, representing the audience in the room. Communicate regularly with the Director regarding the progress of the production
Maintain the standard of the production as set by the Director/ Choreographer and keep the Director/ Choreographer updated
Run special rehearsals such as line-throughs, dance clean up rehearsals etc.
Make notes for the Director/Choreographer as instructed during rehearsals and tech. Share these notes with the Director/ Choreographer
Assist the Casting Department with the final allocation of understudy roles
Rehearse the understudy company and keep a rehearsal 'book' and understudy cards to cover every possible understudy situation
Be a point of contact between assisted performances freelancers (Audio Describers, Captioners, BSL Interpreters) and the production and lead on rehearsals for Relaxed Performances
Support the well-being and morale of the acting company and share any concerns directly with the Director/ Choreographer, Producer and Stage Manager as they arise
Take a lead in rehearsals when the Director/ Choreographer or Associate Director is not available
Support any press and marketing requests
Take part in additional activity which could include but are not limited to; Insight Sessions,
Unwrapped Sessions, Post Show Talks, Trailers, Student Conferences, Workshops, one-off Concerts.

We will:

Embed you within the wider RSC team giving you experience of working within a large organisation
Help develop your professional development plan and offer development opportunities where needed for the production. This may also include wider projects such as play readings, script workshops and literary projects
Facilitate introductions to key industry contacts as appropriate
Ensure you have regular catch ups with the Producer
Give you the opportunity to learn about our work Nationally with schools, teachers and young people
Provide an opportunity to work on, and gain a greater insight into, Assisted Performances which could include Audio Described, Captioned, Relaxed and performances with an integrated BSL Interpreter
Sign post any suitable external opportunities
Provide opportunities to participate in and/or lead additional activities in order to gain valuable experience of working with our audiences and young people.