The Royal Theatrical Support Trust (RTST) is a charity committed to supporting theatre companies and up-and-coming theatre practitioners as part of their mission to promote the theatre and theatre-going for the public benefit. It was founded in 1967 and has recently broadened its charity objects to form a new mission to promote knowledge, experience and appreciation of theatre and drama, and thereby play a part in securing the future of British theatre. The charity seeks to achieve its new mission by: supporting new and established theatre companies, including regional and repertory; supporting up-and-coming directors, producers, actors, designers and playwrights; promoting the works of internationally renowned dramatists, including Shakespeare, and encouraging theatre-going.
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The Royal Theatrical Support Trust is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission in England and Wales under registration number 254671.
History
The Royal Theatrical Support Trust was founded in 1967 as The Royal Shakespeare Theatre Trust by Kenneth Cork, Peter Hall and Geoffrey Cass primarily (but not solely) to fundraise for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and many millions of pounds were raised and expended over subsequent years in furtherance of the trust's charitable objects. The objects were focused on "fostering and promoting the public knowledge and appreciation of the plays of Shakespeare and other dramatic works of distinction and new plays and new techniques in the theatre." The subsequent establishment of the RSC's own excellent and comprehensive funding structure over time rendered the concentration of the trust's focus on the RSC less relevant.
As the RSC's own fundraising structure developed, the trust progressively handed over to the RSC the components of its fundraising activities that related to the RSC. The existence of two similar-sounding bodies, both raising funds for the RSC, could have been a source of confusion to donors, particularly during the crucial fundraising for the RSC's redevelopment of its theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon. Therefore, in 2012, the trust changed its name, with the permission of HM The Queen, to The Royal Theatrical Support Trust; and significantly broadened its charitable objects, with the consent of the Charity Commission, in order to give the RTST its current broader focus on supporting the theatre – particularly at the grass-roots level – while preserving as one its objects the fostering and promotion of the works of major internationally renowned dramatists, including Shakespeare.
Council of Management
Currently, all members of the RTST's Council are charity trustees and directors of the RTST for the purposes of charity law and company law respectively. The RTST also has other members who are members for the purposes of company law, but who are not Council members.
As a result of a corporate governance review, and subject to adoption of new Articles of Association at the RTST's 2015 AGM, a new Board of Trustees and a new Council will come into being. The Trustees will be charity trustees and directors for the purposes of charity law and company law respectively. They and all other members of the RTST for the purposes of company law will form the new Council.
The RTST is supported by many of the leading names in British theatre including Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench and Sam Mendes. Its chairman is Sir Geoffrey Cass.