With a career defined by bold innovation, inclusivity, and a deep love of storytelling, Rachel Bagshaw has stepped into the role of Artistic Director at the Unicorn Theatre Britain’s leading venue for young audiences.
Known for her trailblazing work including The Shape of the Pain and her directorial debut at Shakespeare’s Globe, Bagshaw now brings her unique vision to a space where many children experience live theatre for the first time.
In this interview, she reflects on the joys and challenges of her new role, why Shakespeare never gets old, and what keeps her getting up in the morning.
Congratulations on your new role! What drew you to the Unicorn Theatre, and how does it feel stepping into the position of Artistic Director?
I was lucky enough to already have a relationship with the Unicorn. I was Associate Director alongside Justin, my predecessor.
What really drew me to the role was the audience. Making work for young audiences is invigorating, clarifying, and creative because the mission becomes super clear. Often, we are a child’s first experience of being in a theatre or even in a cultural venue at all.
That’s the big pull for me: the chance to be part of that first moment, to shape that experience. That’s why I wanted to step into the role of Artistic Director.
My description of the job is that it’s like hosting a party all the time. You’ve created the event, and you’re constantly checking in Is everyone having a good time? That applies to audiences, artists, and staff alike. You’re holding all of that at once, and luckily, that’s what I love doing.
Your first season includes a collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. What excites you most about reimagining this classic for a young audience?
Another director once told me you could do a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream every year and still have new things to discover. It’s a play that balances light and dark in such a beautiful way. It’s rooted in place, in nature, and in the mysterious corners of the forest.
I love making Shakespeare accessible for young audiences opening up the worlds and the language. For this production, we’re creatively captioning the show for the first time. The video design will centre the text visually, making it more open and inclusive.
I’ve directed this play twice before, but I’m excited to look at it through fresh eyes especially through the lens of young people today. It speaks to big themes: division, environmental concerns, and ultimately, unity.
What are you most excited for audiences to experience this season and what might surprise them?
I’m really excited for By Trial and Error, which is by two French acrobats. It’s about them trying and failing to perform their acrobatic routine.
I saw it at a festival last year and was honestly lying across my seat laughing. The kids in the audience were the same. I can’t wait to sit at the back of the Unicorn and watch our audiences respond to it in that same joyful way.
Is there a show that you are excited to watch this theatre season, and which one is it?
I’m especially looking forward to How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? It’s based on a book and we’re making it with Told by an Idiot, led by the brilliant Paul Hunter
It asks a very important question especially if you’re four or five years old at Christmas! I think it’s going to be 50 minutes of absolute mayhem, in the best possible way.
What is the main difference between directing a show for different age groups?
The biggest similarity is how we treat our audiences with respect, care, and an invitation to engage.
But attention spans vary. A show for babies might be 25 minutes. For 11-year-olds, it could be an hour and a half. You scale the experience accordingly and honestly; I think more adult theatre should be 90 minutes too it’s often four hours!
You made your first directorial debut at the Globe Theatre directing The Duchess of Malfi. How was your experience and were you nervous?
It was definitely a challenge it came shortly after I started at the Unicorn, so I was juggling two big roles.
I was nervous because the play demands a lot, and the Globe is a very specific space. We used creative captioning for that production, which was a first for the Globe. They’ve done it since, but not before then.
It was complex, but also one of the shows I’m most proud of.
You also created a show at the Edinburgh Fringe called The Shape of Pain that was based on your own experiences. Can you tell me a little about that and was it a hard process to make it?
Yes, it was incredibly hard. I started out thinking I could make a conceptual show about pain, without involving my own chronic pain.
But of course, I couldn’t separate the two. The piece became much more personal than I had planned. It was a challenge to figure out how much of myself to bring into it.
But it turned out to be one of the most extraordinary experiences of my career. I had an amazing team. Chris co-wrote it with me, Melanie Wilson did the sound, and Joshua Pharo was the lighting designer. We toured it three more times after Edinburgh and made a short film during lockdown.
It’s published now, and sometimes I’ll get messages asking for the rights, from different countries. It’s surreal having people perform versions of your life halfway across the world.
Where did your first love of theatre come from?
I was lucky my family cared about the arts. I grew up in a small village in Yorkshire that had a strong community arts network.
I was always surrounded by it. I did lots of music and dance and got involved in grassroots community theatre. I didn’t know exactly what path I’d take, but I knew the arts were my world.
Did you ever want to be a triple threat?
I could dance! But no, not really. I originally planned to study performance but ended up doing a broader theatre and music degree.
I knew early on that I didn’t want to act. When I was at drama school, I had a term of directing and actor training and I loved it. But I’ve never wanted to be on stage.
What is your favourite theatre production at the moment?
It just closed, but London Road at the National was amazing and Girl from the North Country, which has reopened at the Old Vic, is a brilliant piece of work.
Would you like to direct a film and be in more film/TV shows?
I really would. Before lockdown, I didn’t think I was that interested in film. I was all about the live experience.
I made a few films for the Unicorn and some other digital projects during that time, and I loved it. I’d be keen to do more, particularly a feature film.
I’ve got a couple of short film ideas bubbling away, but this job is big. So, one day definitely.
What is a question that you wish you were asked but never have been?
What gets me out of bed in the morning?
For me, it goes back to that idea of running a theatre like hosting a party. In our current climate and honestly, always it feels like an almost impossible task.
So, every day, you wake up and ask: What can we do today? What can we grow, start, make happen?
Each day feels like a new beginning and that’s what keeps me going.
Rachel Bagshaw’s vision for the Unicorn Theatre is rooted in joy, inclusivity, and a profound respect for young audiences.
Whether she’s reimagining Shakespeare, crafting mayhem-filled holiday shows, or reflecting on deeply personal work, her approach is bold, human, and full of heart.
As she steps into her new role, Bagshaw brings not just artistic leadership, but a clear-eyed sense of purpose one that sees theatre not only as entertainment, but as a vital, formative experience for every child who walks through the doors.
If theatre is a party, as she says, then under her direction, everyone is truly invited.