ABSTRACT
Theatre maker Emma Rice (b.1967) made headlines when she announced that she was stepping down from Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in 2018. What started as a celebration of her appointment as the first female Artistic Director of the Globe quickly turned to a polarization of opinion about creative license and Shakespeare. Rumors of arguments with the Board of Trustees and anger from audiences over her contemporary designs and humor swirled among high praise for Rice's energetic and innovative productions that set box office records. In the end, Rice chose to walk away and follow her own path. In a letter to the “future Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe,” Rice declares what she learned from her short tenure and emphasizes the need for “artistic freedom.” This essay examines the letter in the context of Rice's bold career and affirms that she is a 21st century theorist for creativity and freedom in the arts.
