You may have seen the recent news that our Trustee, Dr. Sophie Duncan, has been named as one of The National Theatre’s new Artistic Associates, appointed by the new National Theatre Artistic Director, Indhu Rubasingham.
Outside of her new role, Sophie Duncan is a Research Fellow and Director for Welfare at Magdalen College, University of Oxford. She writes and publishes extensively on Shakespeare and theatre history and has published three books: Searching for Juliet: The Lives and Deaths of Shakespeare’s First Tragic Heroine; Shakespeare’s Props; and Shakespeare’s Women and the Fin de Siécle.
Speaking on her appointment as one of the National’s new Artistic Associates, Sophie said: “I am elated to join such an esteemed group of Artistic Associates at the National Theatre at this exciting and pivotal time. It is thrilling to be here at the start of a new chapter of history for the NT with the assiduous and inspiring Indhu Rubasingham and Kate Varah at the helm”
This won’t be the first time Sophie Duncan and Indhu Rubasingham have worked together. They first collaborated on Indhu’s first production as Artistic Director of the Kiln Theatre (then known as The Tricycle Theatre), Red Velvet. The production, written by Lolita Chakrabarti and starring Adrian Lester, was the ‘imagined experiences’ of the real-life actor Ira Aldridge – a black actor who, in 1833, with the abolition of slavery as a backdrop, was asked to take over the role of Othello at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
Sophie served as the historical advisor for the production. She was tasked with introducing the cast to 1830s theatre and helping them understand and recreate the melodramatic acting style of the time, which helped define Red Velvet’s play-within-a-play structure.
Red Velvet went on to be a great success. It was revived in 2014 at The Kiln and transferred for a New York run that same year before triumphantly returning to London as part of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s season at The Garrick Theatre in 2016.
There’s a lovely symmetry to Sophie being on board as Artistic Associate for Indhu’s first season as Artistic Director of the National Theatre, following her successful 11-year tenure at The Kiln (formerly the Tricycle), which was kicked off in style with their collaboration on Red Velvet. Who knows, perhaps the Sophie Duncan and Indhu Rubasingham collaboration is a sign of a successful first season ahead!
Congratulations Sophie! All of us here at OSD are thrilled for you and can’t wait to see what the future holds. OSD is so proud to have a diverse and active board of trustees, many of whom, like Sophie, are working in the industry. Their experiences and knowledge of the current arts landscape help us ensure OSD is providing inclusive and accessible training that is reflective of the industry today and prepared for the industry of tomorrow.
