Tuesday, December 10Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Tag: Shakespeare

Wherefore Art Thou, Shakespeare Society
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Wherefore Art Thou, Shakespeare Society

Shakespeare Society’s second term production of Romeo and Juliet was a pleasurable way to spend a Monday night. Set against the backdrop of the Irish Troubles, the play – conceptualised by Matt Bird and assistant directed by George Collins – brought to life Shakespeare’s famous love story. Niamh Smith and Sophie Barton played the eponymous couple, Smith acting with sensitivity and power throughout, notably in the tender reunion scene between the pair. The take on their love was deliberately sweet and chaste – not quite to my liking as it lacked some of the desperate irrational passion that drives them to their eventual deaths – however, they captured the youthful innocence of their love.  Some of these tender moments sadly were swallowed up by the sound void that is the SU. Special ment...
A Midsummer Nightmare: A Dream of a Performance
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

A Midsummer Nightmare: A Dream of a Performance

Comedy. Tragedy. Star crossed lovers. Deceptions, donkeys and a play within a play. All of the above sound tremendously Shakespearian until I mention the Post-it notes, don’t they? Like any adaptation of the Bard worth its salt, the RHUL Shakespeare society’s original production ‘A Midsummer Nightmare’ contained all of the above and more, with the audience invited to peer behind the scenes of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and watch Tarquin-Ann Richardson the Third and troupe attempt to make it to opening night without unlearnt lines, gargantuan egos and a four-person Swedish pop band destroying all of their hard work. With choreographed dance numbers, acting tips and actual passages of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ performed throughout, on paper the play seems in danger of feeling a litt...
There’s nothing tame about this!
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

There’s nothing tame about this!

Shakespeare Society’s always highly anticipated Summer Term production was a true triumph this year. The remarkable thing about this particular show is that it is entirely done by 1st years. This fact fills me with hope for the society’s future, as the already stellar work and passion by everyone in the whole cast and crew can only grow from this point onwards. The performance was held in the Boilerhouse Lecture Theatre, a vast space which is challenging to perform in due to lots of seating - which I was pleased to see very pleasantly filled. Stage manager Emma Currie set the space with a golden fringed backdrop and a small carpet of an art-deco design. The soundtrack of the roaring 20s was playing as the audience took their seats and during scene changes, which, alongside the costu...
A Dark Season
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

A Dark Season

A theatre will usually create a season of shows with a shared concept, and an example of this is the upcoming season of Oscar Wilde at the Vaudeville Theatre in the West End. It is often the case with Shakespeare’s Globe, especially during Emma Rice’s time as the artistic director, with seasons called ‘Summer of Love’, for example, or ‘The Wonder Season’. Therefore, it is very interesting to see that, unintentionally, the Performing Arts Societies on campus are all putting on some very dark shows, while The Student Workshop, the extension of the Drama department not affiliated with the SU, instead chose an intentionally light show. Drama Society is putting on Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Musical Theatre Society (MTS) is doing Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret, Savoy Opera Society is offering Br...
Culture Without the Cost
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Culture Without the Cost

  Orbital's Joanne Archer talks you through getting theatre tickets without maxing that overdraft. 1. Download the TodayTix app From this app you can order cheap theatre tickets for the current week, often with promotions offering great value for money. Certain shows also offer a ticket lottery where you can win amazingly discounted seats, often right on the front row. You might never win but it is well worth a try! All you have to do is make an account and choose which shows you want to see. You can enter the lottery each day but be sure to have your alerts switched on! If you do win, the tickets are normally for the same night so you need to be swift in claiming your winnings. TodayTix promises that it “secures the best discounted and full price tickets avail...
Shakespeare Society Presents ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Shakespeare Society Presents ‘Much Ado About Nothing’

For their first term production, Royal Holloway’s Shakespeare Society are tackling one of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies: Much Ado About Nothing. It’s no small feat taking on such a well known play, but it’s a challenge they rise to wonderfully. It’s the age old tale of a love/hate relationship as we watch Beatrice (Olivia Dutson) and Benedick (Dan Scott) bicker their way through the marriage of Claudio (Will Maidment) and Hero (Samantha Van Den Esschert) and the troublesome scheming of Don John (Tom Knight), the bastard half brother of the honourable Don Pedro (Momin Ahmad). No production of Much Ado would be complete without the iconic overhearing scenes, which are staged hilariously, and this time there’s even the appearance of a small dance number – because, why not? The s...
Bowie From Your Bottom: Midsummer at The Globe
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Bowie From Your Bottom: Midsummer at The Globe

Concealed in the midst of artistic director Emma Rice’s traditionally authentic season of Bard-based foolery, nestled within the open air glory of Sam Wannamaker’s theatrical baby, the controversial wackiness of the Kneehigh Theatre Group's updated, revamped and revitalised 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' is a spectacle to behold. Colliding the wandering woodland players with the splendour of Ziggy Stardust, while regenerating the romantic comedy of the Demetrius-Helena spats via the hilarity of an on-off gay couple, Rice is utterly immersed in her element, with sold-out performances splitting Shakespeare purists and newly indoctrinated Bard followers into Marmite-like love or hate camps. This eccentric production has been both adored and loathed alike by critics. With self-deprecating Nick...
Shakespeare-A-Thon
Sports & Socs

Shakespeare-A-Thon

The Shakespeare society kicked off the first week of February with the Shakespeare-A-Thon. Stationed outside the Windsor building, they braved the biting cold to bring the Bard to campus farers. The Shakespeare-A-Thon follows on the tails of the society’s 5th Anniversary show which took place on January 25th. I spoke to Dan Jones, President of Shakespeare society, to share the motivation behind the Shakespeare-A-Thon and the 5th Anniversary Show. ‘Last year the RHUL Shakespeare Society were fortunate enough to win Best RAG Event at the Societies Ball with our Read-A-Thon, so this year we're increasing the challenge and making the event bigger, bolder and bardier. In addition to reading the classic 37 plays, including the infamous Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth, we've thrown in 4 additio...