1960's: The Winter's Tale
Discover two productions of The Winter's Tale starring Peggy Ashcroft and Dame Judy Dench
Peggy Ashcroft as Paulina (1960) by Angus McBean © The RSCRoyal Shakespeare Company
1960, Director: Peter Wood
Our productions of The Winter’s Tale over the years have included many famous faces who really made their characters their own.
Peter Wood’s impressive production rounded off a season of six comedies in the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. In some ways it harked back to an earlier era but the production also paved the way for future interpretations, not least in Peggy Ashcroft’s revolutionary Paulina.
Ashcroft established Paulina as a leading role, revealing a woman motivated by common sense and profound humanity. She speaks her mind to Leontes, defending Hermoine when she is wrongly accused of being unfaithful.
Dress worn by Peggy Ashcroft as Paulina (1960) by Designed by Jacques Noel and © The RSCRoyal Shakespeare Company
Designer Jacques Noel’s richly coloured costumes featured deep ruffs, flowing sleeves and imposing crowns which helped conjure the Medieval palace the play was set against.
Ashcroft's dress was rich orange and purple, with plastic leaf details on the bodice and around the collar.
1969, Director: Trevor Nunn
Nunn’s innovative and influential production was notable for its stylised white décor, contemporary 1960s costumes, and the acclaimed doubling of the mother and daughter roles of Hermione and Perdita by Judi Dench, a feat not attempted since 1887.
Jeffrey and Judi Dench outside of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (1969) by Reg Wilson © The RSCRoyal Shakespeare Company
Gregory Doran, Artistic Director of The RSC, in conversation with Judi Dench. Audio taken from The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Talking Shakespeare series, 2020.
Image: Jeffrey and Judi Dench outside the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, 1969. This photograph was taken as part of Reg Wilson’s photo-series ‘World’s Greatest Theatre Company’.
Instead of the Sicilian royal court, the play opened in Mamillius’s nursery, a bare stage dominated by a large rocking-horse. Christopher Morley’s economic designs contrasted Sicilian white with Bohemian red, the latter inhabited by sheep-shearing hippies.
Follow here to continue exploring a history of The RSC and The Winter's Tale, 1970s.
