Aspiring young photographers in RSC focus

The Royal Shakespeare Company has launched a photographic competition to find the next generation of theatre photographers.

Young enthusiasts aged between 16 and 25 are being urged to submit an example of their work to a panel of judges, including some of Britain's leading theatre photographers.

The winners will be commissioned to take the rehearsal pictures for the RSC's four Shakespeare productions in the Spring 2018 season - Macbeth, Romeo And Juliet, The Merry Wives Of Windsor and a touring production of Hamlet.

Entrants to the RSC Key Photography Competition can post the photo they wish to be judged on Instagram, tagging @TheRSCKey in the picture and using the hashtag #RSCPhotoComp.

The competition closes at 11.59pm on Sunday, December 3. Entries will then be shortlisted and the four winners announced on Monda, December 18. Each will be guided and mentored by one of the judging panel. Their photographs will be used within the programme for each production and they will receive tickets to see the productions they have photographed.

The judges include three of Britain's leading theatre photographers, Manuel Harlan, Helen Maybanks and Topher McGrillis. The panel also includes Erica Whyman, Deputy Artistic Director of the RSC, the company's Director Of Communications, Liz Thompson, and its Image Manager Michelle Morton.

Michelle said: "The aim of our competition is not only to provide an incredible opportunity for young people to experience the work of the RSC, it could also be a real step towards a professional career in theatre photography. We hope that as a result, we will see new talent in that world which can only have a positive impact on helping to support the work of theatre companies."