Artistic Director Emma Rice To Leave The Globe

The Globe has announced that Emma Rice will be stepping down as Artistic Director in April 2018, two years after her tenure began. In a statement, CEO Neil Constable said: "Emma's mould-breaking work has brought our theatre new and diverse audiences, won huge creative and critical acclaim, and achieved exceptionally strong box office returns. In breaking the mould, this latest season has generated productive debate concerning the purpose and theatrical practice of the Globe, in relation to the use of sound and lighting technology within our theatre spaces. Following much deliberation and discussion, the Globe Board has concluded that from April 2018, the theatre programming should be structured around 'shared light' productions without designed sound and light rigging, which characterised a large body of The Globe's work prior to Emma's appointment.

"The Globe was reconstructed as a radical experiment to explore the conditions within which Shakespeare and his contemporaries worked, and we believe this should continue to be the central tenet of our work. Whilst the realisation of Emma's vision has been a vital part of our continuing experimentation as a theatre, we have now concluded that a predominant use of contemporary sound and lighting technology will not enable us to optimise further experimentation in our unique theatre spaces and the playing conditions which they offer.

"As Emma has already so brilliantly and inventively demonstrated, the Globe remains committed to delighting audiences and engaging them in both Shakespeare's work and The Playhouse for which he wrote. We all look forward to Emma's forthcoming visionary programmes, which are certain to thrill and surprise audiences, as they have to date."

In her statement, Emma Rice said: "I have had a wonderful time creatively here at the Globe, but I respect the Board's decision for its future direction. I look forward to continuing to explore the possibilities of this extraordinary space over the next 18 months, excited to see even more astonishing work unfolding in the glorious wooden 'O' as well as the exquisite Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. My tenure as Artistic Director has given me the opportunity of forging relationships with the most talented array of directors, actors and Globe staff throughout my 2016 Wonder Season, who I will be sad to say farewell to. The wonder now continues with the Wonder Noir Winter Season, and ahead to my 2017 Summer Season, which promises to be filled with joy, delight and love."

The theatre has also announced details of the 2017 Summer of Love Season, marking the 50th anniversary of the summer of 1967. The season opens on 22 April, with Romeo and Juliet, followed by Jessica Swale's Nell Gwynn, Twelfth Night, Kneehigh's Tristan & Yseult, Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, and the world premiere of Tristan Bernays' Boudica.

Beginning on 22 April, Romeo and Juliet will be directed by renowned theatre and opera director, and Artistic Director of the English National Opera, Daniel Kramer. In Verona, Shakespeare's iconic star-crossed lovers are torn between their feuding families the Montagues and Capulets. Daniel's recent credits include Tristan and Isolde (ENO), Pélleas et Mélisande (Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theatre), Carmen (Vlaamse Opera, Opera North), Punch and Judy (Grand Théâtre Geneva, ENO - Outstanding Achievement in Opera, South Bank Award),Bluebeard's Castle (Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theatre - Golden Mask Award, ENO), Pictures from an Exhibition (Sadlers Wells and Young Vic), King Kong (Regent Theatre, Australia), Woyzeck (St. Ann's Warehouse), Bent (Trafalgar Studios, West End) andHair (Gate Theatre).

On 2 May, the UK tour of Jessica Swale's Olivier Award-winning Nell Gwynn returns to the Globe, in a co-production with English Touring Theatre, in association with Nica Burns, Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Paula Marie Black. Directed by Christopher Luscombe, Nell Gwynn stars Olivier-Award Nominee Laura Pitt Pulfordas the eponymous actress and mistress of Charles II. Laura's recent credits include Side Show (Southwark Playhouse), Flowers for Mrs Harris (Sheffield Crucible) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Regents Park Open Air Theatre - Olivier Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical). Globe audiences were originally wowed by the play in 2015 with Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the lead, before it transferred to the West End with Gemma Arterton as Nell.

The season continues with Emma Rice's new production of Twelfth Night, beginning 18 May. This tale of love and loss begins as Viola is washed up on the coast of Illyria, following a shipwreck in which she believes her twin brother has perished. Emma Rice's 2016 season included the critically acclaimed production of 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, based on Michael Morpurgo's beloved novel, and a sell-out run of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was broadcast live by the BBC and British Council.

From 13 June, Kneehigh's beloved Tristan & Yseult is revived on the Globe stage as part of a major Celtic tour for the company, which will see it travel to Cornwall, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, as well as the Globe. The original tale of forbidden desires, the play examines the love and betrayal between Tristan, King Mark of Cornwall and his wife Yseult. Written by Kneehigh Artistic Associates Carl Grose and Anna Maria Murphy,adapted and directed by Emma Rice, this critically acclaimed production catapulted Kneehigh onto the international stage, and toured extensively in the UK in 2013 and USA during 2014-5. Further information and new tour details will be announced shortly.

Next in the season is Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Globe Associate Director Matthew Dunster, from 14 July. In a fresh interpretation, the love stories of Hero and Claudio, and Beatrice and Benedick, are transported to 1910, at the outbreak of the Mexican Civil War. Matthew is an Olivier Award nominated director and writer whose recent credits include Imogen at the Globe,Hangmen (Royal Court and West End), Love's Sacrifice(RSC), The Seagull (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) and Liberian Girl (Royal Court).

From 10 August, the season continues with King Lear, directed by Nancy Meckler. When Lear decides to divide his kingdom between his three daughters, his pride and jealousy lead to tragic consequences. Nancy Meckler is the founder and former Artistic Director of renowned theatre company Shared Experience. Her numerous productions for them include the award-winning Anna Karenina, Heartbreak House, True West, The Birthday Party, The Bacchae and Orestes. She has also directed at major venues including the RSC, Royal Court and Almeida, and is a former associate director of Hampstead Theatre and Leicester Haymarket. In 1981, she was the first woman to direct a major production at the National Theatre, with Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Finally, the Globe hosts the world premiere of Tristan Bernays' new play Boudica, directed by Eleanor Rhode, from 8 September. Boudica, Queen of the Iceni tribe, wages a bloody uprising against the Roman Empire in this epic tale of power, politics and love. Tristan's recent writing credits include The Bread & The Beer (Soho Theatre and UK Tour), Iron Oxide (Southwark Playhouse),Old Fools (Bush Theatre) and Aftershocks (National Theatre Studio). Eleanor is Artistic Director at Snapdragon Productions. Her recent work includes Toast(UK Tour and Brits Off Broadway, New York), When We Were Women (Orange Tree Theatre), Thark (Park Theatre) and two sell-out runs of Generous (Finborough Theatre). Eleanor and Tristan's previous collaborations include Teddy (Winner of Best New Musical in the 2015 Off West End Awards), and Frankenstein (currently at the Watermill Theatre and on tour).