Shakespeare plays in the garden
What better way to enjoy the bard’s magic than in London’s idyllic community gardens? Miranda Jessop meets a special theatre company...
It’s a balmy summer’s evening and a captivated audience is sitting in a beautiful garden square in London as one of Shakespeare’s plays unfolds before their eyes. Such was the dream of two accomplished book publishers who, through the creation of Shakespeare in the Squares, have succeeded in making their vision a reality.
Co-founder and joint executive producer, Martin Neild explains how the idea first came about. “Sue Fletcher and I were old colleagues and friends; we used to run Hodder & Stoughton together. We were both passionate theatre-goers and lovers of Shakespeare and, when Sue retired from publishing, we came up with the concept of a theatre company that would tour the garden squares and open spaces of London during the summer season, providing a showcase for talented young actors.”
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2016 was Shakespeare in the Squares’ first season with Much Ado About Nothing performed in nine different squares. Such was the success, the following summer the team took Romeo and Juliet to fourteen stunning gardens and squares and last year it was the turn of As You Like It. Right from the start, a top priority has always been to make sure their productions are innovative and exciting, drawing in even those who might not think they enjoy Shakespeare.
“For Romeo and Juliet we had a special fight choreographer and the sword fighting was going on right in front of everyone’s noses which was very exciting. In As You Like It, the wrestling scene was performed as a set piece, with actors running around and almost involving the audience; that sort of thing gives the production a very immediate and fresh feeling.”
Music is always an important element and many of the actors are also musicians. “They play instruments, they sing and we have a composer who writes new music for the songs in the plays.”
This summer is the turn of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the play that Martin says they have always been destined to do. “In a sense, we have been building up to this one all along but we didn’t want to do it straight away; we wanted to cut our teeth on other plays first and now feels like the right time for this wonderful story of magic, music, love and the forest.”
It will be director Tatty Hennessy’s third year with Shakespeare in the Squares. “As always, Tatty’s take on it is inspired. Her vision of a 1920s Britain which features post-war gloom, moonlight, madness, magic and circus is perfect for our garden settings and the ensemble nature of the play an ideal fit for our talented cast of actor-musicians.”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed across 19 different venues during June and July. The company is delighted to be returning to the garden at Le Gothique, Royal Victoria Patriotic Building in Wandsworth where they will be staging a matinée on July 7 and an evening performance on July 9.
“It’s an extraordinary building with a fabulous courtyard and people can also choose to have a meal before or after at the restaurant.”
Another repeat venue is St Peter’s Square in Hammersmith. “This is a beautiful big square with superb Regency terraces around it. Last year, the residents’ association made the evening into a fun community event with an ice cream seller and a craft beer stall.”
Not surprisingly, the logistics of moving to a different location each day can be tricky. The productions are tailored to each individual garden square and the company works closely with the garden committees and other local organisations to create a unique celebration around the play. People are encouraged to bring a picnic beforehand and, depending on the venue, there is sometimes a bar.
Seating is provided but there is no need for elaborate staging; the gardens provide the perfect set. Apart from the two matinées, performances start at 7 pm and finish by 9.30 pm before it gets completely dark.
And what happens when the good old British weather doesn’t quite play ball? “We always have a wet weather alternative venue and those rare occasions when we have been forced to use it have actually always worked out perfectly.
One year we were due to perform on Wandsworth Common but the day was a complete washout. So we moved to St Anne’s Church and the vicar was so amenable, allowing the actors to jump in and out of pulpits, the church was full and it was really rather wonderful.”
Audience numbers vary according to each venue but it is usually between two to three hundred people.
“Our plays appeal to people of all ages and we really love having families. We regularly see reluctant children become completely transfixed which is lovely; the actors are young and energetic and children can really identify with them.”
Productions are funded through a combination of tickets sales, grants and sponsorship from local businesses and organisations.
“We never wanted it to be a profit-driven business but we are obviously keen not to lose money because we want to be able to pay our actors properly.”
An unprecedented 5,500 actors applied to be in this year’s show. “All our actors are professional, some are newer in the business than others and we are thrilled to be able to introduce audiences to the stars of the future.
What’s lovely for us is tracking the actors who have been in our shows and hearing that they have gone on to perform at the National Theatre or seeing them reviewed in other exciting productions.”
With Dame Judi Dench as a patron and the number of locations increasing every year, Martin is always happy to hear from anywhere that might be interested in hosting a performance. “We really are very fortunate as London’s garden squares and outdoor spaces provide the perfect natural settings for Shakespeare’s plays. We are already thinking about next summer and all the exciting new locations we could introduce.”
