Driving on a Sunday afternoon to a town you have never been to before, to spend an intensive few weeks with a whole tribe of people you have never met before, some of whom you may soon be required to kiss and declare undying love for, and others whom you may even be required to kill. All in the line of duty, of course, and all familiar territory in the life of an actor working in the theatre.Last week, a collection of people arrived in Stafford to begin work on this year's production for the annual Stafford Festival Shakespeare, which with each year grows in scale and stature, and, as Europe's largest-scale outdoor Shakespeare Festival, is becoming a coveted booking for those lucky enough to be chosen.
But first, after navigating the ring roads and byways of a new town, to find one's digs, there is the unpacking and preparation for the next day's read-through.
On our arrival at the Gatehouse Theatre, a vast ring of chairs was set out on the stage, ready to seat contributors from every area of the production - from front-of-house, to management, technical staff, publicity people, safety officers and, of course, the actors. None but the most shameless and courageous – or, possibly, sickeningly well-prepared - enjoys showing what they are made of in front of complete strangers, even in the most lightly written murder mystery, but to launch in to the finely crafted language of the Bard, is to become the bared. Daunting indeed.
This season, following the introductions, safety briefings and warnings about cast members eating their own food in the theatre café, we are treated to a preamble by our director, Claire Prenton, whose vision of the play takes us to the east coast of Africa, aboard – but not for long – a luxury Italian cruise ship in the 1930s.
Shakespeare's plays contain resonances for the whole world, and at different times in history, may have particular resonances for the people watching them, and there is therefore an almost infinite range of possibilities for how they can be presented. Strict adherents to the idea that Shakespeare's plays lose some authenticity when set outside the period overlook the fact that the writer's respect for details of geography could be described as fluid, and his concern for historical detail as relaxed. In fact, in his time, plays with a historical setting were played in the modern dress of the time, so it seems unlikely that he would have felt that liberties were being taken when exploring resonances in different times and places.
It would be more than my life is worth to give any detail about Production Designer Frances Collier's set and the designs at this stage, but all will soon be revealed, and I can offer a firm promise that they are nothing short of spectacular, and that audiences will not have seen anything quite like them for sheer scale and imagination.
Having heard about the period, it was some relief to me to think that there would be no beards in this one. Quite wrong. As it turns out, among the Italian gentry of the 1930s, facial hair was very much a feature, and instructions were issued that shaving, among the men especially, would cease forthwith. So after presenting themselves on day one as fresh-faced, wholesome professionals, by Wednesday the men of the cast were beginning to take on the appearance of having slept under a hedge – and of course, there may have been some who had done just that. By Friday, many of them blend in nicely in a homelessness shelter. Who knows what week two of rehearsals has in store...
The Tempest will open on Thursday 22nd June and run until Saturday 8th July 2017 at Stafford Castle. Tickets start from £13.50. Full information, including this year’s catering options, can be obtained from the box office on 01785 619080 or by visiting www.staffordfestivalshakespeare.com
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