The Royal Theatrical Support Trust and Curve invite entries for the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award 2019, in partnership with Rose Theatre Kingston and English Touring Theatre

The Royal Theatrical Support Trust (RTST) and Leicester’s Curve theatre are delighted to announce that the 2019 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award Scheme is now open for entries.

Now in its fourth year, the award – which honours the memory of RTST co-founder, Sir Peter Hall – will be made to an up-and-coming director who demonstrates exceptional directing skills and a passion for regional theatre in a rigorous competitive process.

The winner will get the opportunity to direct a full-scale, fully funded production of a classic or modern play, which may be an existing play or a new adaptation of a novel or film. The production will open in 2020 at Curve, as a Made at Curve co-production between Curve, Rose Theatre Kingston and English Touring Theatre (ETT), then tour across the UK. The RTST will make a grant of £50,000 to Curve to be applied towards the costs of the winner’s production.

The scheme promotes the RTST’s charitable objectives by nurturing up-and-coming talent in the theatre and supporting British regional theatres. It is also intended to appeal to a wide range of candidates and to play a part in promoting diversity in the theatre, onstage, offstage and among audiences.

The winning director will be chosen by a selection panel comprising Nikolai Foster (Artistic Director of Curve) as chair, and judges Jerry Gunn (Executive Producer at Rose Theatre Kingston), Carol Leeming (Poet and Playwright), Richard Twyman (Artistic Director of English Touring Theatre), Lindsay Posner (Director), Grace Smart (Designer), Cathy Tyson (Actor), Erica Whyman (Deputy Artistic Director, Royal Shakespeare Company).

Previous award winners and official runners-up of the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award include Kate Hewitt and Rebecca Frecknall (2016); Chelsea Walker and Tinuke Craig (2017) and Nancy Medina and Josh Seymour (2018).

Chair of the RTST, Sir Geoffrey Cass, said:

“We’re delighted that Curve is collaborating with us on the 2019 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award and will be co-producing the winner’s production with Rose Theatre Kingston (of which Sir Peter Hall was the Founder) and English Touring Theatre. We’re proud that our Award will again be the catalyst for a national tour that will launch a director into mid-scale regional theatre. We’ve seen past Award winners and official runners-up having tremendous success, which bodes well for the winner of this year’s award.”

Chris Stafford, Chief Executive and Nikolai Foster, Artistic Director of Curve said:

“It is truly an honour for us to be associated with such an important director scheme and especially one that bears the name of an individual who has done so much for theatre in this country. The RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award has enjoyed great success over the years, offering proper career progression for directors making the transition from smaller stages into larger-scale productions. We are looking forward to working with a talented director to help them take this next career development step and create a thrilling production for us here in Leicester and at Rose Theatre Kingston, as well as in venues across the country thanks to our friends at English Touring Theatre.

“Theatre is all about collaboration and we are thrilled to be working alongside Mark Hawes at RTST, Jerry Gunn and his Rose team and Richard Twyman at ETT, who will ensure this production is seen across the UK.”

Entries for the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award Scheme 2019 are now open. To enter, and for further details of the award, please visit the RTST’s website: www.rtst.org.uk. The closing date for entries is 6pm on Monday 1, July 2019.