Henry VI: Part One Open Rehearsal Project

The rehearsal room run through of Henry VI Part One was streamed to audiences online in 2021.

Beginning Shakespeare's Wars of the Roses trilogy, Henry VI Part One follows a young and reclusive Henry, who is proclaimed King of England after the death of his father.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we opened the virtual doors to our rehearsal rooms so audiences could see the work behind our live performances.

Giving unprecedented access into the process of theatre-making, this was a unique opportunity to experience Shakespeare's early play, performed as a rehearsal room run through.

Highlights from the project

Highlights from Week 1 | Henry VI Part One Open Rehearsal Project © RSC Browse and license our images

Highlights from Week 2 | Henry VI Part One Open Rehearsal Project © RSC Browse and license our images

Highlights from Week 3 | Henry VI Part One Open Rehearsal Project © RSC Browse and license our images

Launch Gallery

How the project worked

During the three-week rehearsal period, audiences were invited to watch three online sessions a day.

Warm ups: Each morning, a member of the acting or creative team took the company through a range of activities to help them limber up for the day's rehearsing. Viewers were invited to join in as the company warmed up their bodies, voices and minds using popular theatre techniques and games.
Lunchtime rehearsals: These in-depth sessions saw the acting company grapple with the text of the play and work out how to get it onto its feet. Some rehearsals focused on individual scenes, while others looked at fight choreography, exploring the language, and working within the Covid-19 protocols.
Green Room chats: At the end of the day, members of the company came together to talk through the rehearsal process and answer questions from the public. We also had visitors from outside the acting company, including our Stage Management team, creative team members, and some of the musicians who worked on the project.

For viewers who wanted even more information, there were expert talks on the real life of Henry VI, and the relevance of the plays to our contemporary world, respectively.

Once rehearsals were complete, the company ran through the full production, with audiences tuning in to see the culmination of everyone's work.