 In 1977, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company to direct Peter Nichols' "Privates on Parade".He became resident director of the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith in 1980, where he directed Michael Frayn's "Make and Break", opening on 12 March, starring Leonard Rossiter and Prunella Scales, and which in a revised version transferred on 24 April to the Theatre Royal Haymarket.This was followed in October 1980 by Ibsen's "The Wild Duck" in a new translation by Ronald Hingley; and in February 1982 by the world premiere of Frayn's "Noises Off" prior to its transfer to the Savoy Theatre.