RSC director walks out over casting dispute

The Royal Shakespeare Company admitted yesterday to falling out with one of its brightest young directors. Edward Hall, the son of the RSC's founder Sir Peter, has walked out on the company during rehearsals of a new production.

But at the same time Adrian Noble, the artistic director of the RSC, took a swing at snipers in the press and the recycling of inaccurate information.

Mr Noble has been attacked by theatre critics for taking temporary leave from the company for a lucrative commercial venture, likely to make him a millionaire, while the RSC is going through important changes.

These include plans for a new theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, new London venues to replace the Barbican base, and changes to actors' contracts and lengths of tenure.

An important new production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, premiered during Mr Noble's absence, has received some of the worst reviews at the RSC for years.

Now Mr Hall, whose critically acclaimed production of Julius Caesar is currently showing at the Barbican Centre, has quit his latest project, Edward the Third, a rarely performed play sometimes attributed to Shakespeare.

Mr Hall has fallen out with Greg Doran, the RSC associate director in charge of the coming season of plays. "Artistic differences" over casting were cited as the reason. Mr Hall, who was not available for comment, is believed to be going to the National Theatre to direct his next play.

Mr Noble is currently directing the new musical version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the West End. He said yesterday: "I am pissed off at what is being written. I am running the company. I make all the key decisions about the company and support the actors. I am in and out all the time; I attended the first preview of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and personally I thought it was very innovative.

"Ed Hall has left; there were artistic differences and I don't want to say any more than that. It is also being reported that another director, David Hunt, walked out. That is totally untrue. He left because of ill health. Some critics have an agenda against the RSC, and they keep on repeating the same things."

The loss of Ed Hall – whose father started the company more than 40 years ago – is a blow to the company. He was one of the RSC directors presented last month with a South Bank Show award for the company's cycle of history plays.

Mr Doran said yesterday: "One of the difficult things about casting at the RSC is that you have to collaborate with other directors and use the same group of actors."