Rain doesn't stop play for Shakespeare actors

MEMBERS of Wargrave Theatre Workshop are gearing up for a busy weekend in the open air.

The group returns to Mill Green tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday with two plays that — as the title of the production suggests — aim to capture The Spirit of Shakespeare.

Devised and directed by Ann Roberts, the show takes A Midsummer Night’s Dream as its starting point.

Performed by an ensemble of six actors, both plays are designed to appeal both to fans of the Bard and those who can take or leave him.

Wargrave Theatre Workshop treasurer Linda Daman is one of the cast members who has been rehearsing on Mill Green.

She said: “We’re doing two short plays, Where is Peaseblossom? and The Rude Mechanicals. It’s the same six actors in both — we just play different characters and different roles. It’s quite nice that it’s the same people appearing twice.”

Where is Peaseblossom? brings audiences up to date with the fortunes of Titania’s fairy servant and her colleagues Cobweb, Moth and Mustardseed.

It is now 400 years since the fairies last attended upon their queen. Unable to adjust to an environment constantly under attack from pesticides, pollution and redevelopment, the now ageing band of fairies search for a home free from the hazards brought about by human activity.

Joined by an invisible Tinkerbell from JM Barrie’s Peter Pan, they stumble on a place full of the promise of a safe and fertile home.

But it soon becomes clear that all is not as it seems. Into their newfound haven comes the creator of their perfect place — a single-minded and enthusiastic ecologist who is out for publicity and financial gain.

The fairies face the unhappy prospect of living life “on show” in public view. One of them holds the answer but where is she?

The second play, The Rude Mechanicals, takes its name from the six characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream who perform the play within a play, Pyramus and Thisbe.

Due to theatres being closed as a result of the pandemic, a group of villagers has decided to put on a play in the open air.

They are persuaded by the local school teacher, who says: “People are crying out for a bit of live theatre.”

She decides that they should perform the “rude mechanicals” scenes from Shakespeare’s drama.

They meet in an isolated clearing to rehearse but none of this disparate band has ever acted before, while some have never previously seen or even read any of Shakespeare’s plays.

Things go from bad to worse when the group discovers there is a play within a play and think they will have to learn two sets of lines rather than just one. Having started the ball rolling on the production when the rule of six was still in force, Linda said the group had adapted its working methods accordingly.

She said: “Circumstances have caused us to look at doing things slightly differently, so at the moment we are doing smaller plays with smaller casts.

“During lockdown or semi-lockdown, conditions allowed us to rehearse in smaller groups.

“Last September we did one outside on the green, A Seat in the Park. That was quite easy to keep the social distancing.

“Lockdown in Little Grimley was postponed a number of times but we eventually got it done with a very reduced audience at the Woodclyffe Hall in May.

“The actors also had to rehearse while keeping apart and it was suitable for that — the set was four spaced-out chairs. Over the past year we’ve had to keep the actors safe as well as considering the audience.”

Even now, following the Government’s easing of coronavirus restrictions, the group remains understandably cautious.

Except for when it has been raining heavily, rehearsals for The Spirit of Shakespeare have been held outdoors.

“We can rehearse inside now,” said Linda. “When we first started, the cast was small enough to be accommodated indoors and to keep the numbers under six.

“But yes, it has actually been difficult to do that, so we’ve probably stayed out in the rain longer than we would normally have done.”

There are two performances of The Spirit of Shakespeare on both Saturday and Sunday — at 3pm and 5.30pm.

The two plays have a combined running time of around 90 minutes, including a short interval.

There is no bar, but toilet facilities will be available. Audience members are invited to bring their own picnic chairs.

Tickets cost £10. For more information and to book, visit www.wargravetheatre.co.uk