2009 - Chapterhouse Theatre Company

2009 - Chapterhouse's 10th Anniversary Season

The last ten years seem to have vanished in a haze of rehearsals and wonderful people and venues. I still feel as though we are on the cusp of a new company and that sense of newness comes from the regenerative spirit of all the new actors, the new and exciting scripts, the beautiful venues and of course the audiences who support us from year to year. I have so many memories of incredible times and experiences, of gardens and plays, of picnics and summer days and of verse and song and smiling faces. We are a privileged few who get to perform in such magnificent surroundings under the stars. There is absolutely nothing to compare with it as we see the changing season in the sounds of the countryside or the times of the sunset, making each night a first night until the last.
A Midsummer Night's Dream	A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays; with timeless themes of love and magic at its core, it is not difficult to see why. He creates for us a world of mystery, adventure, comedy and romance – whilst retaining a real human feel with the friendship of Hermia and Helena, the plight of the scorned lover (Helena/Demetrius), and the genuine respect and love that the ‘mechanicals’ have for each other. The play has taken many courses over Chapterhouse’s 10-year history, with settings in ancient Greece, the Victorian period, and the 1920s to name a few. But I think this only proves the plays versatility and universality – Shakespeare allowed his imagination to run free in this play and the characters take us on a journey where the realms of fantasy and reality become blended into one. I am honoured to be directing the 10th year production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream – not just because it is a wonderful and popular piece of fiction – but also because I feel this play represents the company; it feels like a trustworthy, reliable friend. In honour of the celebrations, I have taken this production back to where it started – setting it in the Elizabethan era. I have tried to follow Shakespeare’s example and let my imagination run free when directing this production – and I hope you will do the same when watching! But most of all, please enjoy the show. Rebecca Gadsby, Director
Sense and Sensibility	Welcome to Chapterhouse’s first Jane Austen adaptation for the stage. A very exciting project for me; not least because of the new venture for the company, but also because Austen happens to be favourite writer. It’s no secret that I have gently tried to persuade Mr Main to embark on a Jane Austen production for some time; so I hope it’s a fruitful journey for all of us! Sense and Sensibility was the first of Jane Austen’s novels to be published in 1811. People often mistake the injustices of the time that lay between rich and poor and the educated/uneducated, as the inspiration and provocation behind Austen’s fiction. However, it is well understood that she set out to entertain and, as a by-product, to offer moral guidance in appropriate personal and social behaviour. This, I think, makes it fitting for open-air theatre – it is romantic, tragic, humorous and personal – and has the perfect setting in an English country garden. Like many other great writers, Austen was well placed to observe her society, belonging to the literate, middling-classes – poor and insignificant in herself but with family connections to those with real power. Her understanding and perception of 19^th Century society is perfectly depicted in this novel with characters like ‘Fanny Dashwood’, ‘Mrs Jennings’ and ‘Charlotte Palmer’. But she also has a great understanding and appreciation of human nature; and what we might refer to today as ‘psychology’ and ‘sociology’ – I personally, do not think we would sympathise with the two sisters nearly as much if she did not have this understanding of the human psyche. We have tried to create a production that is as true to the original novel as is possible with this particular type of theatre. But the open-air, though challenging in some ways, also lends itself to this story - with the setting of some of our beautiful venue’s grounds, it’s not difficult to imagine one of Austen’s characters ‘taking a turn of the garden.’ And if you, too, are not an Austen fan beforehand (like myself), I hope you will be afterwards. Rebecca Gadsby, Director
Cinderella	A warm welcome to the performance of Cinderella at whichever lovely venue you have chosen to see it. This play is an ensemble storytelling piece set during World War Two that shows the characters using their imagination to escape the world outside. Using a variety of ‘found’ props and costumes from the garden and the dressing up box, they present their version of the story. Following the success I had with Goldilocks & Little Red Riding Hood in 2006, Jack and the Beanstalk & Hansel and Gretel in 2007 and Sleeping Beauty in 2008, I am delighted to have the chance to direct this new adaptation of this classic fairytale. So sit back and enjoy a story for all ages full of comedy, songs and the return of Milky-White! Andrew McWilliam, Director
Romeo and Juliet	Romeo and Juliet is one of the most perfect of literary creations. Of course, theatrically, it is beautiful: the verse and passion are consuming. But there is more for me. In some ways, Romeo and Juliet changed my life. It was the first open air show I ever performed back in the mid nineties. It was there and then that I learnt something of the type of theatre I would almost instantly fall in love with. How to perform, who would come along, and in essence, I saw back then the effects of being in the open. I suppose in our modern lives, we have forgotten that our ancestors lived by the stars and the seasons and it isn't until you are outside for a prolonged period that you really understand how wonderful that life must have been. I learnt about the theatre as well and it was to be Romeo and Juliet that I chose to premier Chapterhouse in 2000. Of those days, my strongest recollections are of organized chaos, so over the years some things haven't changed. The energy hasn't changed either and even now, ten years on, each season still feels like something new and exciting is about to happen. Not unlike falling in love, I suppose, and perhaps that is why I in particular continue in this scary and exhilarating life of touring, it is the fact that I did indeed fall for the idea of Chapterhouse, the chance to be in magical places and under the stars, out always in the open air often in the middle of nowhere but always in the hands of the seasons. Richard Main, Producer
Merlin the Magician	King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail is perhaps the most legendary journey known in British history, and with it, King Arthur and Merlin are two of our country’s most renowned figures. Stories of bravery, error and adventure have been told about the famous Knights of the Round Table for centuries. Geoffrey of Monmouth instigated the literary tradition of Arthurian legend in Wales in the twelfth-century. During the medieval age of French romance, Sir Thomas Mallory and Chrétien de Troyes revolutionized the myths, updating the characters and transplanting them into the civilized contemporary society of courtship, jousting tournaments and chivalry. These are the images that have remained with us into the twenty-first century, and Merlin the Magician locates itself in the Golden Age of chivalry, a time when knights would seek out adventure to test their prowess and win the admiration of the beautiful ladies at court. Today, we are flooded with images of the Holy Grail in popular culture. For example, Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code follows the story of the Holy Grail from its Christian conception into the modern world via The Knights Templar. Christian mythology denotes the Holy Grail as the chalice used by Jesus at the Last Supper, which later contained Jesus’ blood and was entrusted to a line of guardians, as exemplified by the Fisher King in Merlin. For King Arthur and his knights, the quest for the grail represented the promise of honour, valour, and a challenge worthy of any true knight. When writing Merlin, I wanted to reinvigorate the grail story, whilst remaining true to the basic plotline of the Holy Grail quest as laid down in legend. I consequently decided to incorporate mythology into a narrative framework of original characters and scenarios: Laudine is an entirely original creation, but her relationship with Bedevere becomes as romantically intriguing as the emerging love triangle between Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot, which provides a focus for much Arthurian literature. It is perhaps surprising that Merlin, the title character, does not appear on stage until several scenes into the play. In literature, Merlin is surrounded by folkloric myths, just as the characters in Merlin postulate about his whereabouts as the play opens. As the most unpredictable and persistently mysterious figure of Arthurian legend, he is in the background of everything that happens in the Arthurian universe, but sometimes even those closest to him do not realize his significance. Like Prospero in The Tempest, he engineers everything that happens around him, helping Arthur to develop his skills as a leader just as he encourages Galahad to flourish as the most worthy knight of all. Merlin, more so than anyone else, is the author of events, bringing people together as and when he chooses, but always with the greater good in mind. So sit back and allow Merlin to take you on a journey into foreign lands, where you will meet creatures both friendly and fearsome as Arthur and his knights fight to protect their honour and their lives. I hope Merlin weaves his magic over you to give you an entrancing evening under the stars! Laura Turner, Scriptwriter