Shakespeare
Contact Moyra on 01254 241 286
The group meets three or four times a year, usually for five weeks each time in order to study a particular play. We are dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Shakespeare. It doesn't matter if you are already familiar with, or a newcomer to, the plays. Maybe you haven't read or seen a Shakespeare play since you were at school - no matter - it's never to late to start!
Our sessions are held in the Village Hall Lounge on Mondays 10:15 - 12:15.
It's important to see the plays live, so, when possible, we arrange a trip - often to Stratford-upon-Avon.
Our last was on 29th February to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. Most of us found it a really enjoyable production – and a great one for young people’s first experience of Shakespeare. In fact, the many children in the audience were well behaved and most enthusiastic in their applause. That can only be a good thing, though I tend to agree with those critics who say that The Dream is not actually a play for children. There is darkness to be found in it and the adult themes explored mean that it’s certainly not just escapist froth. However, in this production, the special effects were imaginative, music played an important role and some of the characterisations were excellent including Mathew Baynton’s ‘Bottom’ and Emily Cundick as 'Snout' playing the Wall. It was great fun – raucous, fast-moving, vibrant and funny. On the other hand, in my opinion, it missed some, not all, of the beauty of the poetry in the play and the sense of magic and mystery – somewhat restored by Puck’s final speeches when it was at last possible to catch the emotive quality of the language.
We visited the RST in Stratford upon Avon last May to see Cymbeline - a magnificent final production for Artistic Director Greg Doran! It was an exhilarating and absorbing performance. If the first rule of the director is to tell the story, Doran did that brilliantly, portraying the characters simply and without unnecessary gimmicks. Alexandra Gilbreath, as the Queen, gave an excellent performance, using humour to express her calculated manipulating agenda and Amber James as Imogen was superb, as was Peter de Jersey as Cymbeline himself. Conor Glean as Cloten was also brilliant, portraying the foolish self-important son of the Queen with great humour. The use of a puppet to portray the child Posthumus was startlingly effective. The staging was simple, and the raging battles being portrayed stylistically to rhythmic music had breath-taking impact. The rendition of ‘Fear no more the heat o’ the sun’ was incredibly moving. The spectacular descent of Jupiter was awe-inspiring. And so it goes on . . . a great production, and a worthy swansong for Doran! We will miss him!
Since Autumn 2021 we have covered Macbeth, Othello, Twelfth Night, Richard III, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Cymbeline, As You Like It and Hamlet. We also enjoyed a talk from Professor Richard Dutton: Academy Professor of English (Emeritus) Ohio State University, on Cymbeline and its relation to the other later plays.
Our next study is TBD.
Please contact Moyra for more details. (Email link is on the right).
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