About two years ago I was standing on some concrete steps at Cold Knapp (near Barry Island) looking out to sea and was reminded of a Greek Amphitheatre. I began to imagine people sitting there facing the sea watching a piece of theatre, a beach full of people, who may never go and see a Shakespeare play and it just happening there in front of them, and it feeling like part of their world. I wondered if I could make a site- specific Shakespeare production that might, just might, make people who didn’t normally go to the theatre or to Shakespeare be curious enough to buy a ticket.
I wanted to challenge preconceived ideas about how and where Shakespeare should be staged and who it is for. We believe our staging decision of being inside a major theatre venue but not in a conventional theatre space may meet some of the common themes which arose from our R&D work into audience engagement: “I would come if it was in the centre of Cardiff” Somewhere where there is “excitement” but “calmness” too and it feels “like a big thing”, “professional” “cosy”, “relaxing”, “fun” and where “anyone can see it” and “you can move around” and “get up when you want” or “lie down while you’re watching it” and “you feel excited when you go in” but…“I would prefer to see a play in the theatre because it has a certain feeling”. And so we found the roof void of the Wales Millennium Centre – a space where stories of heaven, earth and hell can be told. And the imagination can run wild.
Having just produced and directed an all-female theatre production, I decided to be proactive with regard to getting women’s voices heard. It has become increasingly apparent to me that in order to give more women the room to express themselves artistically we must occasionally take affirmative action. I believe that the status of women in theatre effects and reflects the status of women in society. Theatre is where we communally share our stories, where our voices and our artists are given a platform, recorded, celebrated and nourished.
And so my aims become two-fold. I wanted to produce a Shakespeare which engaged new audiences in theatre and Shakespeare whilst simultaneously raising awareness around inequality in the theatre industry
I then went on a very long journey to find the right play, the right women and the right place. Few female directors are given or self-elect to direct Shakespeare’s history plays. Richard III is often seen as a vehicle for a male star and contains over forty male characters which women would otherwise never get to play. Historically many of the female parts are cut. I believe it is the female characters which hold the story since they articulate the grief and loss resulting from years of civil war.
The fact that the words Dream and Mother appear more in Richard III than any other Shakespeare play, together with its epic ‘Greek Tragedy’ nature appealed to me. I became fascinated with our notions of sanity and insanity and how much we accept and become numbed to the madness of war, murder, violence and upheaval. I cannot help wondering if there were more women in positions of power and leadership in the world if this would still be the case.
The ensemble are timeless creatures/women who live in the world of the void. They are storytellers. They can tell any story they we need to hear. It just so happens at this time in human history this is the one they are choosing to tell us. They are here to remind us, warn us and ask us to remember – lest we forget – the horrors of war. What happens if you never sleep and if you do, your dreams are nightmares? What happens if you grow up and experience only war and violence? What happens if your father is killed in battle? What happens if you feel you can trust no one and no one loves you? What happens if your own mother curses you and wishes you were dead? What happens to your mind, your heart and your world?