Date of Issue : 12th April 2011
The Royal Shakespeare Company
On 12 April Royal Mail marked the 50th Anniversary of the Royal Shakespeare Company, with Stamps and a Miniature Sheet. Working with the RSC, Royal Mail selected six RSC productions of Shakespeare’s plays from the last half century for the Stamps and created a Miniature Sheet which comprises four stamps showing the theatres where the RSC has performed in Stratford-upon-Avon through the years.
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) stamps see six productions take centre stage, including Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest, amongst others. The stamps each feature a defining scene from an RSC production alongside a famous quote from each play.
The stamp issue marks 50 years since Sir Peter Hall founded the RSC. Over the last half a century the RSC has staged Shakespeare plays across the UK, and has also taken productions on tour around the UK and worldwide.
Other plays celebrated in the stamp issue include Henry VI, King Lear and A Midsummer Night's Dream. An additional four stamps complete the stamp set and are printed in a miniature sheet depicting a collage of the RSC's theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon.
1st Class – Hamlet
The stamp shows former Dr Who, David Tennant as Hamlet from the recent 2008 production.
66p – The Tempest
Antony Sher plays Prospero in the 2009 production.
68p – Henry VI
Chuk Iwuji as Henry VI in the 2006 production.
76p – King Lear
A classic shot of Paul Schofield as Lear from 1962.
£1.00 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Sara Kestleman as the fairy queen Titania from 1970.
£1.10p – Romeo and Juliet
Ian McKellen and Francesca Annis play the doomed lovers in this 1976 production.
1st Class – Royal Shakespeare Theatre
The First Class stamp shows the Royal Shakespeare Theatre with Janet Suzman as Ophelia from the 1965 production of Macbeth.
68p – Swan Theatre
Here the Swan Theatre is shown with Patrick Stewart in Antony and Cleopatra.
76p – The Courtyard Theatre
The 76p stamp shows Geoffrey Streatfeild in Henry V with the Courtyard Theatre.
£1.00 – The Other Place
The Other Place features Dame Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth.
