Rupert Goold has bowed out of co-directing the production with the Wooster Group's Elizabeth LeCompte, and is being replaced by the RSC's current writer-in-residence, Mark Ravenhill.
According to a press statement, this has been caused by "unforeseen changes in the timing of Rupert's planned film being made in the USA." Ravenhill, who has already started developing the work with the Wooster Group, commented, "Troilus and Cressida is a play about the collision of two cultures – the Greeks and the Trojans. So it’s exciting to reimagine the play with two companies whose histories are as divergent as The Wooster Group and the RSC."
LeCompte added, "Our thanks to Rupert Goold for launching this project with us. And, we look forward to collaborating with Mark Ravenhill on the completion of Troilus and Cressida this summer."
Deborah Shaw, director of the World Shakespeare Festival, also commented, "This project was originally conceived as a meeting of two bold, different aesthetics – the actor-focused, text-based rigour of the RSC and the conceptual multi-media wizardry of the Wooster Group. We are disappointed to lose Rupert, but really thrilled that the project is able to continue in such an exciting way; as an explosive meeting of minds between two visionaries of contemporary theatre – Mark Ravenhill and Elizabeth LeCompte. It will be a must-see collaboration in the World Shakespeare Festival."
To book tickets, contact the box office on 9844 800 1111, or visit www.worldshakespearefestival.com for more details.