Of All The People In All The World: UK

Paccar Room, The RSC, Stratford Upon Avon
14 April – 31 July, 2012

Stratford Upon Avon

This version, presented as part of the World Shakespeare Festival, saw the longest running of the show, with one member of the team present each day for over three months. It provided a great opportunity for the piece to be seen by thousands of people – a diverse audience from all over the world.

Over the time we were at the RSC we used the life and times of Shakespeare and themes thrown up by the theatre’s repertoire as stimuli for the statistics we presented. This proved to be a helpful way of giving the show focus and clarity in what was a relatively small space. It also enabled us to keep the piece moving as different productions came in and out over the months. Old favourite statistics on topics such as immigration, asylum and travel reflected themes in plays such as The Tempest, Twelfth Night and Comedy of Errors. For other productions we scoured history books and were forced to brush up on our knowledge of the Kings and Queens of England. It was interesting to examine our country’s history in the way that we do for other countries we visit with the show and our research threw up many new statistics that are sure to find their way into future versions.

Being in one place for such a long time also meant that we were able to reflect on developing news stories and ongoing events such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, sporting events and the Olympic Torch Relay. Many people came back to see us on a number of occasions and were impressed by how the piece had changed and by the way we were able to quickly respond to current affairs. The show was really well received as is reflected in comments from the visitor books, a few of which can be seen below.

Coming back a second time showed how the piece evolves, it truly is a piece of theatre.

Audience Member

Awesome – made me think and smile.

Audience Member

Simple and brilliant as a result.

Audience Member

Amazing. Thanks for stimulating thought.

Audience Member

Amazing, moving. At times brought me to tears and laughter.

Audience Member

Sadness and marvel combined – the comparisons between exhibits were the thing which gave perspective.

Audience Member

Our third visit. More fascinating each time.

Audience Member

Brilliant, really , literally puts things into perspective.

Audience Member

Brilliant and entertaining and intelligent.

Audience Member

How clearly the diversity and complexity of issues are shown. Well done.

Audience Member