Royal Shakespeare Company  Since 1864, the RSC has promoted the work of the world's greatest playwright. With over 2000 performances of 30 different productions every year, it is a truly global arts brand exporting work to 38 countries. Following a number of high profile changes at the RSC, including a reduction in the standard length of contract, People in Business were asked to evaluate how the RSC could establish a more effective “employer brand” relationship with its people. This evaluation involved a review of all written communications, interviews with senior and middle managers and focus groups with the actors and stage managers. As you would expect from people in the theatre business, the feedback from the focus groups was eloquent. The RSC's management were described as being “above cloud level”. One well known actor described the appearance of “middle-aged bearded men wearing suits and ties” as a betrayal of the RSC's values. It was clear that the role of management needed to be clarified, and mechanisms introduced to promote greater mutual understanding between the ‘robed' and the ‘suited'. Recommendations included the establishment of an actors committee enabling actors to put their views directly to the management team and, for the first time in its history, the inclusion of an actor on the RSC's board. Since life at the RSC is often far harder than people expect (with actors expected to perform in up to 3 different productions simultaneously, understudy at least 2 further roles, and work up to 2 matinees and 6 evenings each week), we also helped to introduce a more realistic pre-recruitment introduction to the working realities of the RSC. From the point of view of the RSC's management team, the effort taken to understand and respond to the needs of its employees has helped it to enhance its reputation among the acting community and continue to attract the talent it needs to survive and prosper as one of the world's leading theatre companies