Curtain up for the RSC; The RSC is back with a bang this month. In the first of a series of preview articles, DAVID WHETSTONE sets the scene.

Byline: DAVID WHETSTONE 

THE Royal Shakespeare Company's 33rd season in Newcastle begins this month with new plays, new productions and a new person in charge.

Roxana Silbert is the RSC associate director given special responsibility for the Newcastle season by Michael Boyd, the company's artistic director. He used to look after Newcastle himself before being promoted to the top job which has seen him overseeing major changes at RSC headquarters in Stratford.

The RSC has been coming to Newcastle since 1977, planting indelible memories in the minds of many theatre-goers.

Whether it was Judi Dench or Ian McKellen in that inaugural season 32 years ago, Kenneth Branagh as Henry V, Jeremy Irons as Leontes in The Winter's Tale, Sinead Cusack as Lady Macbeth, David Tennant as Romeo or any one among hundreds of great performances, the company has been a source of pleasure and inspiration.

The unique partnership between Newcastle theatres and the RSC has been an important element of its lively cultural scene over three decades.

Its education programmes have involved countless schoolchildren over the years and some of them have since taken up careers in the theatre.

As the company's Stratford operations have changed, so the Newcastle season has also taken different forms.

In recent years, the ambitious rebuild of the main Royal Shakespeare Theatre overlooking the River Avon has had a knock-on effect in the North East.

Those with memories of 10 RSC plays taking over three theatres for long seasons have shaken their heads at the relatively pared down presence beside the Tyne.

But the big Stratford theatre is nearing completion, pledges of the continuing partnership with Newcastle have been made and the RSC's Newcastle Season 2009 has a substantive look to it.

Roxana Silbert was not venturing into the complete unknown on her first RSC-related visit to Newcastle. Born in Argentina, she came to Britain with her family as a child and they settled first in the North East, living in Newcastle and Hexham.

She recalls: "My dad was a lecturer at Newcastle University and it's where we all learned to speak English.

"There's a little cherry blossom tree that my parents planted, on the first day that we arrived, in our garden and it's still there.

"I went to see it last time I was in Newcastle."

The RSC isn't doing The Cherry Orchard this season but it is bringing some equally enticing productions, as you will see from the panel on this page.

But, as in the early years of the Newcastle season, the RSC aims to make an impact away from the Theatre Royal and Northern Stage.

"We've tried to come up with a range of activities that are about working with companies from Newcastle's vibrant arts scene on seed projects which may evolve into further collaborations and productions," says Roxana. "The RSC has always had three homes - in Stratford, London and Newcastle. My long-term vision is to create work which comes out of Newcastle and feeds the RSC as a whole." One innovation is Tyneside Stories, a collaboration between the RSC and Live Theatre in which five emerging playwrights (Dick Curran, Roz Wyllie, Sam Holcroft, Ali Muriel and Laura) will write new pieces inspired by Newcastle.

The idea is that each will spend a fortnight meeting local figures in the city and exploring its public and secret places before producing a script. These will then be performed 'script in hand' at Live Theatre on November 6 and 7. Roxana is also directing a reading of Howard Barker's The Castle in the Theatre Royal Learning Space on October 21.

On this date, when the RSC happens to be in the North East, more than 50 theatre companies around the world will participate in the 21 for 21 Festival, a celebration of the 21st anniversary of the foundation of Barker's theatre company, The Wrestling School.

Howard Barker is one of Europe's leading playwrights and The Castle one of his most acclaimed plays. Originally produced by the RSC in 1985, the company calls it a "scathing satire of sexuality and war" set at the time of the Crusades.

There is also to be a day-long symposium at Northern Stage on October 31 looking at how Shakespeare is being performed in the 21st Century.

It will be led by Peter Reynolds of Newcastle University, Erica Whyman of Northern Stage and RSC practitioners. Details on www.northernstage.co.uk This year's RSC Newcastle season comes with a very full programme of talks and activities, many aimed at young people.

There is a Family Day with activities related to The Winter's Tale on October 29, Theatre Days for Schools on October 22 and November 5, a Sixth Form Conference on November 4 and a Play in a Day for schools on November 6. Full details are in the current Theatre Royal brochure or on www.rsc.org.uk/newcastle

CAPTION(S):

BACK IN NEWCASTLE Brian Doherty as Autolycus in The Winter''s Tale. Above left, Roxana Silbert who is in charge of the RSC Newcastle season.