Productions of plays by Shakespeare's contemporaries between 1960 and 2003. It focuses on the plays themselves; the ways they were presented by the RSC; the place of the productions in the RSC's development; and their critical reception. These four strands are variously balanced at different stages ofthe argument, which traces the shifting status ofthese playwrights within the RSC's Shakespeare-centred ethos. After Chapter l's introductory material, Chapter 2 uses the RSC's Webster productions to provide a series of snapshots ofthe company at different stages in its history. Chapter 3 examines more closely the period 1960-74, considering the RSC's aspiration towards small-scale work while still tied to the demands ofits larger theatres. Chapter 4 looks at the work ofThe Other Place from 1975-91, and the three main-house productions ofthe same period. The remainder ofthe thesis considers the repertoire ofthe Swan Theatre: its first two seasons, 1986-87, in Chapter 5; its subsequent work on Jonson's comedies in Chapter 6; its productions ofMarlowe and revenge tragedy in Chapter 7; and its rediscovery ofneglected plays in Chapter 8.