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The Collation

See the 1960s Royal Shakespeare Company, now at the Folger!

Want to see Patrick Stewart in his mid-20s? How about photos of set design models for Peter Hall’s 1959 Coriolanus, starring Laurence Olivier? Come see the Folger’s newly acquired Gordon Goode Collection of Royal Shakespeare Company photographs.

Two x x 10 glossy photographs

Left: Ian Holm and Estelle Kohler in rehearsal for Romeo and Juliet, 1967. Right: Dorothy Tutin (Rosalind), Patrick Stewart (Duke Senior), John Kane? (Silvius), Michael Williams (Orlando), and ?, in rehearsal for As You Like It, 1967.

Gordon Goode (1931–2008) ran a freelance photography studio in Stratford-upon-Avon between 1958 and 1968, the decade that coincided with the formative years of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Frequently called upon to photograph rehearsals and performances, Goode left behind an archive of approximately 15,000 negatives, plus programs and other publicity material, documenting a significant period in modern Shakespeare performance.

Comments

These photos bring back a lot of happy memories but I think you’ll find that Patrick Stewart was playing Duke Senior in 1967. He didn’t take over the part of Touchstone until the revival in 1968 with Janet Suzman as Rosalind. In 1967 Touchstone was played by Roy Kinnear. It might have seemed unlikely casting but he was superb. Also, I’m not sure why Trevor Nunn should have been involved as the production was directed by David Jones.

Alex — January 28, 2014

You’re absolutely right! Thanks for catching that. As for Trevor Nunn, I don’t know how his name crept into the caption (the print itself is only labeled “As You Like It Rehearsal, 1967”). That being said, I don’t recognize the man on the right, in the flat cap. Any ideas out there?

Erin Blake — January 28, 2014

I think you will find that it is an actor called Charles Thomas . Who died quite young . When I first went to Stratford as a schoolboy in 1966/7/8 he was in the company at that time.

Jim hooper — April 9, 2017