Emma Juliet Rice[1] (born August 1967) is a British actor, director and writer. Hailed as a fearless director,[2] Rice's work includes theatrical adaptations of Brief Encounter, The Red Shoes and Wise Children. In 2022, Rice was named in the Sky Arts Top 50 most influential British artists.[3] Rice worked with Kneehigh Theatre[4] in Cornwall for twenty years as an actor, director, then artistic director with co-artistic director, Mike Shepherd. She was the Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe from 2016-2018, before founding her own touring theatre company Wise Children.[5][6]

Early life

Rice was born in Oxfordshire[7] and grew up in Nottingham where her mother was a social worker and her father was a lecturer in personnel management.[8] After studying English and Stage Design at Harrington College[9] Rice went on to study acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.[4]

Career

After graduating from Guildhall, Rice spent eight years working with Alibi Theatre, performing theatre that emphasised storytelling .[9] Alongside touring the UK and performing to children and communities with Alibi, Rice developed her craft, training in Poland, with Gardzienice, a company founded by Włodzimierz Staniewski.[8]

In 1994 Rice joined the Cornish theatre company, Kneehigh, as a performer.[10] After taking on increasing creative responsibilities,[9] Kneehigh Artistic directors Bill Mitchell and Mike Shepherd encouraged her to direct[11] and her first production, The Itch, was staged in 1999.[9] As a director, Rice says that her long-running production of The Red Shoes represented the point in her career when she came into her own.[11][12] Rice went on to become the Artistic Director of Kneehigh, alongside Mike Shepherd, and under their stewardship Kneehigh produced a plethora of adaptations and original work, including Tristan and Yseult, The Bacchae and a 'seedy, dreamy' take on Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus.[13] Whilst Rice's work did not always appease critics, Kneehigh's 'visually stunning, inventive, often subversive and unashamedly populist' shows toured in the UK and internationally.[9]

In 2015 it was announced that Rice would take over from Dominic Dromgoole as artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe.[14][15] After a summer season that saw Rice's A Midsummer Night's Dream and 'exceptionally strong' box office returns,[16] it was announced in October 2016 that Rice would leave the Globe in April 2018. The announcement followed a decision by the theatre's board, which cited concerns over authenticity and her use of lighting technology.[17][18]

In 2017 Rice announced her new touring theatre company, Wise Children.[6] Standard Issue Magazine made her their woman of the year in 2016 for “her fearlessness, leadership, innovation and bravery”.[2]

During the COVID-19 pandemic Rice's Wise Children live streamed a fully staged production to a global audience with their production of Romantics Anonymous which had been due to tour the US prior to the pandemic.[19][20][21] Alongside the live streams Rice also presents a podcast series looking behind the scenes of her work and process[22]

In 2021, Rice directed an adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights which toured at Bristol Old Vic and Theare Royal Brighton to strong reviews from critics.[23][24][25]

In 2022 Rice was named in the Sky Arts Top 50 most influential British artists [3]

External links

• Wise Children Official Website

References