Emma Rice is an English actress, director and theatre professional. She was born in August 1967 in Oxfordshire but grew up in Nottingham. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and then went to work as an actress at the Kneehigh Theatre Company in Cornwall. Whilst with Kneehigh, Rice was given the chance to direct and she quickly rose to prominence as an innovative and exciting director. Her productions with Kneehigh include Tristan & Yseult, The Wild Bride, The Red Shoes, The Wooden Frock, The Bacchae, Cymbeline (in association with RSC), A Matter of Life and Death (in association with the National Theatre), Rapunzel (in association with Battersea Arts Centre), Brief Encounter (in association with David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers Productions) and Don John (in association with the RSC and Bristol Old Vic).
In 2016, she was appointed the Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. However, she stepped down from the theatre after just two seasons citing artistic differences. Her productions while at the Globe included Romantics Anonymous, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Little Matchgirl (and Other Happier Tales).
Rice is now the Artistic Director of her new company, Wise Children, who are based at Bristol's Old Vic. Recent productions have included Wise Children (adapted from Angela Carter's novel), Romantics Anonymous and Malory Towers (adapted from Enid Blyton's children's novel).
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