High quality theatre in South West London is surprisingly limited. The only producing theatre is the Orange Tree in Richmond. Richmond and Wimbledon Theatres present commercial tours and Battersea Arts Centre is home to experimental work. There is no South West London equivalent to the Almeida, Hampstead Theatre, the Theatre Royal Stratford East or the Young Vic. The Rose Theatre intends to fill this gap.

It's clear that Shakespeare should lie at the heart of the Rose's artistic policy and we have built up an enviable reputation for the quality of these productions (eg. 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' with Judi Dench). Fundamental to our vision is a close relationship with higher education, incl. the University of Kingston. 'As You Like It' will take the theme of Shakespeare's realism as the keynote, facilitating an important academic academic conference, stimulating national interest.