Took a break from directing OLYMPUS, to direct an RSC OPENSTAGES production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING with only 7 hours rehearsal last Saturday. Remarkably it went brilliantly. The skills of professional musician, Jak Poore, were tested too, writing two songs in a few hours and underscoring the show with Jessica Ann Jenner on violin and recorder.
The cast were drawn from across the country - mostly amateur actors who have played significant roles in other RSC Openstages Productions this year. We were also lucky to have professionals involved - Elaine Hartley as Hero, Jennie Fox as Margaret and Dominique Gerrard as Beatrice to name a few. Once again the line between professional and amateur was blurred.
Watching Robin Ingram delivering Leonato's speech over the swooning body of Hero was magic. I glanced around the auditorium. Not a dry eye...
The spontaneity, bravery and courage of the cast was phenomenal. When they threw their books into the air at the end of the show and left the stage, they truly had delivered a dynamic reading and brought it off the page.
Producing Shakespeare this way is not such a bad idea!
The cast were drawn from across the country - mostly amateur actors who have played significant roles in other RSC Openstages Productions this year. We were also lucky to have professionals involved - Elaine Hartley as Hero, Jennie Fox as Margaret and Dominique Gerrard as Beatrice to name a few. Once again the line between professional and amateur was blurred.
Watching Robin Ingram delivering Leonato's speech over the swooning body of Hero was magic. I glanced around the auditorium. Not a dry eye...
The spontaneity, bravery and courage of the cast was phenomenal. When they threw their books into the air at the end of the show and left the stage, they truly had delivered a dynamic reading and brought it off the page.
Producing Shakespeare this way is not such a bad idea!
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