White male actors can't get work, says former RSC boss.

White male actors are struggling to land roles in theatre, according to the former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Gregory Doran, who led the company from 2012 to 2022, said that giving more opportunities to underrepresented groups has meant people who traditionally dominated theatre were now “finding themselves with very little work”.

- ELLIE MUIR

During his decade leading the prestigious theatre company, Doran developed a reputation for making bold casting decisions. He cast the first disabled actor to play Richard III, cast female actors as male characters in a 2018 production of Troilus and Cressida and introduced the RSC’s first season of female-only directors.

Doran’s notable productions include Macbeth starring Antony Sher, as well as Hamlet in 2008, starring Doctor Who actor David Tennant and Olivier and Tony Award-winning theatre veteran Sir Patrick Stewart. Speaking before an appearance at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, Doran said that he hopes the “pendulum will swing” and it will become balanced.