John Barton

John Barton was a British theatre director who co-founded the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1960 with Sir Peter Hall. He directed over 50 productions at the RSC over the next 40 years, some in collaboration with Hall and Trevor Nunn. His landmark productions at the RSC include 1969's TWELFTH NIGHT with Judi Dench as Viola, and the 1963/1964 sequence of Histories (with Hall and Clifford Williams). In the RSC's 50th anniversary commemorations (2011) Barton's teaching was acknowledged as one of the lasting reasons for the company's success and he is regarded as one of the most influential directors of Shakespeare of his time.