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Education Pack

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Contents

Introduction ...... 3 Section 1: Shakespeare and the Original ...... 4 1564 - 1616 ...... 5 Elizabethan and Jacobean Theatre ...... 6 Section 2: The Watermill’s Production of Twelfth Night ...... 10 A Brief Synopsis ...... 11 Character Map ...... 13 1920s and Twelfth Night...... 14 Meet the Cast ...... 16 Actor’s Blog ...... 20 Two Shows, One Set ...... 24 Rehearsal Diary ...... 26 Rehearsal Reports ...... 28 Section 3: Teaching & Rehearsal Exercises ...... 29 Character Mapping ...... 30 Emotional Corridor ...... 31 Credits ...... 32

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Introduction

This pack has been designed to support your visit to The Watermill and on tour to watch our production of Twelfth Night.

Your feedback is most welcome, please email [email protected] or call me on 01635 570927.

Don’t forget that we offer workshops on most aspects of drama, and visit schools to work with students and teachers. For an education brochure, please visit the Outreach pages on our website, or contact us.

We hope you find the pack useful. Heidi Bird Outreach Director

Email: [email protected] | Tel: 01635 570927 The Watermill Theatre , Newbury, Berks RG20 8AE www.watermill.org.uk www.watermill.org.uk/education_packs

This pack was written and designed by Abigail Pickard Price with contributions from Beth Flintoff and Poppy Jermaine.

The Principal Sponsor of Twelfth Night is Sheepdrove Organic Farm and Eco-Conference Centre and the UK Tour Sponsor is Neal’s Yard Remedies.

The Sackler Trust, Principal Supporter of The Watermill’s core Education and Outreach programme.

Rehearsal photos by Philip Tull. Production photos by Scott Rylander.

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Section 1: Shakespeare and the Original Twelfth Night

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William Shakespeare 1564 - 1616

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford- beautified with our feathers’ in reference to upon-Avon to , a glove his lack of university education which made maker and wool merchant, and Elizabeth him an impostor among the more qualified Arden, the daughter of a wealthy farmer and playwrights of the time. landowner. It is believed that he was educated locally at King Edward VI Grammar The Queen’s Men, Queen Elizabeth I’s School. travelling company, had been set up in 1583 and caused a decline in other playing During the 1550s there was a growing trend companies because it brought together the for nobles to patronise travelling companies country’s leading actors. But an attempt was who would visit Shakespeare’s hometown to made to redress this in 1594 with a major perform at the Grammar School while on reshuffle of actors, forming a duopoly of the tour: there are records of more than 30 visits Lord Admiral’s Men and the Lord between 1568 and 1597. Shakespeare was Chamberlain’s Men, the latter of which four years old when these records started and Shakespeare became a member. The his father is likely to have been responsible for Chamberlain’s Men were the resident his first exposure to theatre. John company at a venue simply called ‘The Shakespeare became a central figure in Theatre’ in , and by August 1597 Stratford-upon-Avon when he was appointed Shakespeare had become a shareholder in the as the town Bailiff. One of his responsibilities business together with and was to license the performances of these others. This new role afforded him the second travelling companies by watching previews to largest house in Stratford – . check they were appropriate for public viewing. It is likely that William would have In 1599 ’s lease ran out and the attended these previews. structure was dismantled and moved across the River Thames to Southwark, where it The next surviving record is of his marriage to became The . The Globe 26 year-old Anne Hathaway at the age of 18 in opened with one of Shakespeare’s plays, most 1582. Their daughter, Susannah, was born 6 likely or , and months after their wedding. Two years later, Shakespeare’s works continued to bring Anne gave birth to twins, Judith and Hamnet, success and profit to the theatre, enjoyed by but Hamnet died at the age of 11. thousands. The Globe was one of only three theatres granted the privilege of licensing its Records of his movements are unclear in the own plays and the company’s success eight years following, but during this time he awarded them a patent from James I left his family in Stratford to begin following his accession to the throne in 1603, establishing himself in the world of theatre in when they became known as The King’s Men. . The reason for these ‘lost years’ is The company took on a 21-year-lease of The uncertain; but playwriting was not a Blackfriars, an indoor theatre that opened in respected form of literature so authors chose 1610 with another of Shakespeare’s plays: The not to put their names to plays, and it may be Tempest. that Shakespeare was writing during this time but without putting a name to his work. In Two years later, Shakespeare returned to 1592 his name reappears in a sour judgement Stratford, retiring from theatre to live out his made by dramatist Robert Greene on his remaining years with his family in the comfort deathbed, calling him ‘an upstart crow, of New Place, until he died in 1616. The cause

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of his death is a mystery, but it seems he tragedies, the plays reflected the concerns drank away his last hours in the company of and widespread social and cultural change in his fellow writers, Ben Jonson and Michael the period. Shakespeare played a key role in Drayton. The vicar of Stratford-upon-Avon the rise of theatre-going in Elizabethan and noted in his diary that they ‘had a merry Jacobean : and as a result shaped meeting and it seems drank too hard for theatre and performance culture as we know Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted’. it today. He was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-on-Avon on April 25 1616. POPPY JERMAINE

Many people consider him the world’s Sources greatest playwright, but he was also a skilled The Shakespearean Stage 1574-1642 by poet and actor. In 1623 his works were Andrew Gurr published as a collection, known as ‘The First Shakespeare Survey, Volume 60: Theatres for Folio.’ Among them are a number of plays Shakespeare by J. R. Mulryne regarded as the greatest works in the English : language. From histories, to comedies, to Oxford World Classics

Top left: (Rebecca Lee). Bottom left: (Peter Duke), Aguecheek (Mike Slader), Toby Belch (Lauryn Redding), (Victoria Blunt). Right: Sebastian (Stuart Wilde) and (Aruhan Galieva).

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Elizabethan and Jacobean Theatre Beth Flintoff takes a look at the theatrical world in which Shakespeare was writing.

At the beginning of the Sixteenth Century, do this was an actor who was also a ‘theatre’ consisted of ordinary people carpenter, called . His two enjoying plays about the Bible, performed by sons, Richard and Cuthbert Burbage, took on actors who travelled across the country with the family tradition after he died. Theatre was their props and costumes in a wagon. becoming extremely popular by now, but Although the plays were enjoyed, travelling some important people were still very ‘players’ were generally treated with great suspicious of the whole thing. Religious men, suspicion – they were no better than ‘rogues upset that plays were so much more popular and vagabonds.’ At the time working men than going to Church, described them as always had a master - if a poor man did not ‘beastly’ and ‘filthy’. Plays were often banned have a master it meant he was, effectively, a or got into trouble for making comments that beggar. Actors would have seemed were seen as subversive. Writing in a negative dangerously free of all masters. There was way about the monarchy in the time of Queen even an Act of Parliament called the ‘Act for Elizabeth I or James I was an extremely the Punishment of Vagabonds’. dangerous thing to do and it was common for artists to get into trouble or performances be But the perception of theatre was, gradually, shut down. changing. Rich and powerful people were beginning to enjoy the feeling of providing The Burbage brothers were running a theatre entertainment to their friends, and plays were in London when they had an argument with a great way of doing this. They were basically the authorities. In the end the argument got showing off – when people visited, the host so bad that they took the whole theatre apart could impress them by having a play in the middle of the night and carried it, piece performed. For example, King Henry VII’s by piece, across a bridge to the other side of household of servants included twelve the Thames. Once over the river, they were trumpeters and a small group of actors who safely outside the law of the London were able to sing and dance as well as authorities, and could carry on without their perform plays. This was a time of constant permission. This theatre was the Globe, rivalry over who should be King, and who was where the most famous playwright of them all the most influential. So professional actors, worked: William Shakespeare. hired by these rich and powerful men, were paid to demonstrate to rivals just how We don’t know all that much for certain about important their family was. It must have been William Shakespeare, but we do know that he a bit of a relief for these actors to have some was married to a woman called Ann Hathaway support and a more stable way of earning a who lived in Stratford-upon-Avon where he living. grew up, and he had three children. He spent most of his time not with his wife but in Up until now, most drama in Britain had been London, and he wrote at least 37 plays – performed in the open air, sometimes in though we’re still not sure exactly who wrote courtyards in front of inns. But now, some of the plays that have been attributed enterprising actors began to make theatre to him. Some scholars argue that he didn’t buildings and to set up companies of fellow actually write any of the plays at all. actors to perform in them. The first person to

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What makes Shakespeare and his work changed the way we view romantic love today different to that of other playwrights? As a – the idea of people performing extravagant member of the acting company, Shakespeare gestures, of sacrificing everything they have, would have been writing specifically for his and even dying for their love, these ideas had fellow actors – they were probably his friends. never been so clearly set down before, and He must have had great faith in their ability probably haven’t since. because his plays are not written for one starring actor with supporting cast, but for Nowadays, Shakespeare is taught in schools lots of actors who could all understand not just in England but all around the world, intense and complicated characterisation. and performed in hundreds of different languages. Many of the everyday words and There would have been no women in the cast phrases we use now, such as ‘advertise’ and – the female roles were all played by boys. ‘lonely’ were invented by him. This didn’t seem to bother Shakespeare in the slightest and he wrote plenty of great female There were, of course, other plays and parts – so he must have thought the boys playwrights working at the same time as were very good. Shakespeare. In fact the playwright Christopher Marlowe, who wrote plays such If he had written in an obvious way about the as Doctor Faustus and Edward II, was much politics of the time, he would have got into better known at the time. Faustus is a scholar trouble, so he wrote about historical events or who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for fictional characters in such a way that the having whatever he wants for twenty five audience could have easily guessed what he years. He says the famous line: ‘Was this the was talking about. face that launched a thousand ships?’ when he meets the beautiful Helen of Troy for the They needed to make enough money at the first time. As the twenty five years comes to theatre, making it important that his plays an end, of course, he begins to regret his pact were popular, so he couldn’t just write and the play ends with him being tragically tragedies or comedies – he wrote both. carried away to hell.

And he mostly wrote his plays in verse – not Christopher Marlowe is thought to have been rhyming poetry, but a sequence of lines with a a spy for Francis Walsingham, the head of distinct rhythm, which helps the audience to Queen Elizabeth’s secret service. He was killed follow what’s being said and adds an extra in a fight in a pub, but many suspect that this layer of magic, a feeling of specialness to what was actually a cover-up for an assassination. we are hearing. Like this, when dies: His room-mate was the unfortunate playwright Thomas Kyd, who was arrested I kissed thee ere I killed thee: no way but this, and tortured by the authorities for Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. information about Marlowe. Othello [V.ii.356-7] It was a dark time for these playwrights and These are some of the things that made the their plays reflected that darkness. Thomas plays of Shakespeare so remarkable. He Kyd wrote the first ‘Revenge Tragedy’, called created characters that we can still . Revenge Tragedies were understand today, and he gave them things to dramas in which a terrible injustice happens say that still, when we hear them now, can at the start of the play, and the hero has to seem astonishingly beautiful one moment, get revenge. In these plays, violent and hilarious the next. He created characters that frightening things happen to the characters are warm, funny, complicated, cruel, and the events are often pretty gory. For romantic, obsessed - you name it, he wrote it example, The Revenger’s Tragedy, by Thomas ... For example, Romeo and Juliet has really Middleton, begins with the hero standing on

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stage holding the skull of his poisoned popular: films like Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, girlfriend. He revenges himself on the or Mel Gibson’s Ransom, and many horror murderer, a Duke, by dressing up the skull in a films are in the revenge style, first written coat, putting poison on the skull’s lips, and over four hundred years ago. Difficult, pretending that she is a woman the Duke turbulent and dangerous times they may have would like to kiss. The Duke does indeed kiss been for actors and writers, but that didn’t the skull, and he dies. stop them from creating some extraordinary works of art. These stories seem extraordinarily gruesome until you realise that similar stories are still being written today and are extremely BETH FLINTOFF

Cast of Twelfth Night

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Section 2: The Watermill’s Production of Twelfth Night

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A Brief Synopsis

In the early 1920s, we see a kingdom still recovering from the World War One, We find ourselves in a tricky love triangle: . Illyria is ruled by the noble Duke Viola loves , Orsino loves Olivia, Orsino who we meet in his jazz club – The and Olivia loves Cesario. Elephant. Surrounding himself with musicians, Orsino pines for the love of the Sebastian, Viola’s twin brother, has made Lady Olivia. His messenger returns from a new friend on Illyria - Antonia – who has fruitlessly wooing Olivia for him; reporting protected and cared for him since the that Olivia cannot love him, that for the shipwreck. The pair speak in hushed next seven years she will be mourning for words at The Elephant and Sebastian her dead brother and will not entertain explains the loss of his sister to Antonia. any proposals of marriage. Antonia is an enemy of Orsino. Despite the danger she is putting herself in, she Meanwhile, off the coast of Illyria there is makes the decision to follow Sebastian as a shipwreck. Viola has been swept up on he makes his way to the court of Orsino. the shore, as has, unbeknown to Viola, her twin brother Sebastian; each finds In Olivia’s household Malvolio is themselves on this strange island, and constantly trying to maintain control of thinks the other is dead. the residents. Toby Belch and her friend Andrew are continually stumbling into the Viola begins to explore the island. She house drunk, staying up late and making a hopes to work for Olivia however learns raucous noise which Malvolio cannot that Olivia is refusing to admit strangers abide. They take offence at this constant into her home. Viola decides to disguise control and decide to plot a practical joke herself as a man, take on the name of against Malvolio. Maria forges a letter Cesario and work in the household of from Olivia addressed to her ‘beloved’, Duke Orsino. telling him that to earn her love he should smile constantly, dress in yellow stockings We meet the other people resident in and argue with Toby. Much to Maria, Olivia’s home. Her “uncle” ; Toby, Andrew and ’s delight her friend the foolish knight Sir Andrew Malvolio finds the letter and, filled with Aguecheek who hopes to seek the hand of dreams of nobility through marrying Olivia; Malvolio, the steward; Olivia’s Olivia, makes the correct assumption that gentle-woman, Maria, and Feste, the fool it is addressed to him. This leads him to who has just returned after the war. behave in such a way that Olivia believes him to be mad. Viola, disguised as Cesario, joins Orsino’s other musicians in The Elephant and very Sir Andrew, who desperately hopes to win quickly becomes a favourite of Orsino. the love of Olivia, has observed the Viola has also begun to fall in love with attraction Olivia appears to have for Orsino. In her disguise as a man, she finds Cesario and is persuaded to challenge herself unable to persue this love. Orsino Cesario to a duel. Sir Toby seizes upon this sends Cesario to deliver his love messages idea thinking it could provide some to Olivia. However, the plan does not go amusement and therefore does his best as hoped when Olivia falls for Cesario. to encourage Andrew. When the duel

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commences both Cesario and Andrew are and allow the ‘madman’ to send a letter fearful. Antonia, mistaking Cesario for to Olivia asking to be released. Sebastian, steps in to protect Cesario but is arrested by Orsino’s officers. As she is In the final scene in this confused taken away Antonia begs Cesario for help. kingdom Viola, disguised as Cesario, and This instils in Cesario newfound hope that Orsino visit Olivia’s house. On their her brother might be alive. arrival, Olivia greets Cesario as her new husband thinking him to be Sebastian During all this confusion, Olivia meets whom she has just married. Orsino’s fury Sebastian and, thinking that he is Cesario, at this is rapidly calmed when Sebastian asks him to marry her. Sebastian goes appears and the mistaken identity is along with this and the two marry. revealed; the twins are reunited. As Viola is revealed as a woman, Orsino realises Malvolio’s supposed madness has led to that he is in love with Viola and asks her him being locked away to help him to marry him. As the couples are happily recover. This provides much united attention turns to Malvolio. The entertainment for Maria, Toby and Feste. trick is revealed in full to Olivia and he is The fool dresses up as a priest, “Sir released from his jail, vowing revenge. Topas”, and pretends to examine Malvolio, concluding that he is definitely insane. Witnessing Malvolio’s despair, the trio start to think better of their cruelty

Left: Aguecheek (Mike Slader) and Sir Toby Belch (Lauryn Redding). Right: Viola (Rebecca Lee) and Feste (Offue Okegbe)

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Character Map Orsino Malvolio Duke who rules over Illyria. Maria Olivia’s steward who Desperate to win Olivia’s hand Olivia’s lady maid who does not approve of the manipulates Malvolio in marriage. raucous havoc Toby and falls in love with Sir Belch causes in the Toby Belch. Hoping to win her love house.

In love? Lady maid Steward Serves Orsino in court

Sir Toby Belch Olivia Olivia’s cousin. A heavy Viola ‘Cesario’ In mourning for the drinker, doesn’t like A young woman of recent death of her conforming to the rules nobility who is father and brother. Falls of Olivia’s household. shipwrecked and gets in love with Cesario, not washed up in Illyria and knowing it’s Viola in separated from her twin disguise, and eventually brother. Disguises Friends marries Sebastian. herself as Cesario to assume a role in Orsino’s court and Suitor Olivia’s fool quickly falls in love with the Duke. Sir Toby Belch’s foolish Antonia friend who hopes to Twins, each believe One of Illyria’s “most woo Olivia. the other is dead wanted” she must avoid the streets for fear of Marries being caught. She rescues Sebastian from Sebastian the shipwreck. Feste Viola’s twin who is Olivia’s fool who returns washed up on the back to the household shores of Illyria and after much time away. rescued by Antonia. Rescues from the shipwreck

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1920s and Twelfth Night This production has been set in the early 1920s but how does this work for Shakespeare’s 16th Century story? Using music as a form of entertainment is The 1920s were often referred to as the at the very heart of this production of ‘Roaring Twenties’ or the ‘Jazz Age’ in Twelfth Night. The actor-musicians along North America whilst in Europe, a with Musical Director, Ned Rudkins-Stow, continent experiencing an economic have created a world in which characters boom following World War I, you hear it are suddenly transported into a cabaret. It being referred to as the ‘Golden Age is here, using the song and the setting, Twenties’ or ‘années folles’ in France, that they are free to express their true which translates as ‘Crazy Years’. All these selves – Viola divulges her secret plan to names point to one thing – an era that us, Sir Toby transports us back to a time was experiencing artistic, social and long forgot when perhaps she was a cultural dynamism. cabaret star herself and Malvolio reveals the biggest secret of all…. Though the war tore the world apart, for many industries it proved profitable. Prohibition - the ban on alcohol in the Manufacturers who supplied goods for 1920s led to the emergence of illicit the war had prospered. As a result, many places that sold alcohol, often known as people who were invested in these Speakeasies. These started out small but industries were experiencing a new grew to expand into clubs that featured wealthier life. Consequently, Jazz clubs musicians and dancers. It is in this style of and cocktail bars sprung up in cities, a club, where people could both hide out music and alcohol infested everyone’s and party to extremes, that the play is set. lives - these methods of escapism were embraced wholeheartedly by the younger Following the First World War, the 1920s generation. didn’t just lead to a time of extravagancies but also a time of Paul Hart has set The Watermill’s adjustment. Families were torn apart and production of Twelfth Night in the 1920s. the younger generation were left to look With a company of vibrant younger after themselves and create a new world. actors, this total escapism has been This translates extremely well into the embraced. Orsino’s opening line “If music setting of Twelfth Night. We learn in the be the food of love, play on” is just one opening scene that Olivia is mourning the example of how used as an loss of her father and brother and has expression of emotion. Jazz was a new been left to manage the household alone. form of music in this period – tune after After the First World War many women tune was being made and played. Popular were left alone, having lost husbands or musicians of the time include the likes of sons. Placing Twelfth Night in this setting Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Ella only serves to heighten the sudden loss Fitzgerald. This music spread and started that Olivia is experiencing. to manifest itself in music used by marching bands and dance bands of the day. It became the main form of popular concert music in the early twentieth century.

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Similarly, the first time we see Feste, encourage him to fight with Cesario for Maria comments on the fact he has been their own amusement. The white feather absent from the house for so long – in this was a symbol of cowardice during the production it’s been decided that Feste war. In this production Feste carries one went to war and was presumed to be with him, giving it to Sir Andrew to dead. encourage his fight with Cesario.

The concept of courage is talked about a Illyria is a country where confusion is rife, lot in the play, most particularly in escapism through music and beauty much reference to Sir Andrew who is forever desired and a fight to be at the top of the making grand gestures before backing pack a constant battle. out. This leads Sir Toby and Feste to

Cast of Twelfth Night.

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Meet the Cast

Victoria Blunt Maria

Victoria graduated from The Oxford School of Drama in 2015. Prior to training she toured extensively across Europe and Asia. Theatre includes: Understudy to Katherine Parkinson and Emily Berrington in Dead Funny (West End), Benvolio in Romeo + Juliet (The Watermill), The Princess of France in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Oxford Shakespeare Company) and various roles in Once Upon A Christmas (Unicorn Theatre).

Victoria is delighted to be returning to The Watermill to work on two of her favourite plays.

Peter Dukes Malvolio

Training: Guildford School of Acting.

Theatre includes: Cover Georg/Kodaly in She Loves Me (Menier Chocolate Factory); Bela Zangler in (The Watermill); William Hare in Burke and Hare (Cheltenham Everyman Studio); Launce/Thurio in The Two Gentleman of Verona (Changeling Theatre Company); Richard Greatham in Hay Fever (Changeling Theatre Company); Duke Senior in Sonnet Walk (Guildford Shakespeare Company); Cover Reyer/Don Atillio/Buquet in Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre); Richard/Mr Budge in Run! (Polka Theatre); White Knight/Cover Arbiter in Chess (UK Tour & Princess of Wales, Toronto); Gentleman Starkey/Cover Hook/Fight Captain in Peter Pan (Mayflower/Grand Canal Theatre); Cover Rolf/Herr Zeller in The Sound of Music (UK No.1 Tour); Porthos/Fight Captain in The Three Musketeers, Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility, Algernon in Importance of Being Earnest (Jenny Wren Productions); Trotter in Journey’s End (Electric Theatre); Pirate/Policeman in Pirates of Penzance (Kilworth House); Steve Edwards in Babes in Arms (Union Theatre); Various in Duck Tales (The Playground); Peddler/Bryce/Kimble/James in Silas Marner (Workshop); Kevin in Douze Points (Workshop); Prince Charming in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Aladdin (Yvonne Arnaud); Chess in Concert (Royal Albert Hall); A Night of a Thousand Stars (Marlowe Theatre).

Film includes: Michael, Festen; Nazi Sentry, Benjamin’s Struggle; Chris, Tainted Wings.

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Aruhan Galieva Olivia Theatre includes: Two Gentlemen Of Verona (The Globe / Tour); Bakkhai (Almeida Theatre); (The Globe); Romeo + Juliet (NYT Repertory Company); Tory Boyz, Prince Of Denmark (Ambassadors Theatre); Chimera (Wildworks); Pigeon English (Bristol Old Vic); Folk Contraption (Rogues Gallery Theatre); The Oracle (National Youth Theatre).

Television includes: Glasgow Girls (BBC 3); Whitechapel (Carnival Films).

Film includes: Anna Karenina (Studio Canal); Aquarium (BFI Future Film); Coalition Fangirls (Roundhouse Film Fund).

Rebecca Lee Viola Rebecca graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2015. Her roles at Guildhall include Celia Cain in Her Naked Skin, Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls. She has since worked in Theatre, TV and Film and is about to appear in the BBC biopic of Barbara Windsor's life which airs in April. She made her debut appearance in film in 'The First Man', out later this year, an adaptation one of Eugene O'Neill's early plays.

Whilst Rebecca was studying at the University of Manchester she appeared in Punchdrunk's It Felt Like A Kiss at the Manchester International Festival. Rebecca is delighted to be returning to The Watermill this summer to perform Twelfth Night and Romeo + Juliet.

Emma McDonald Antonia Theatre includes: (Iris Theatre); Pride and Prejudice (The Crucible, Sheffield); Antigone, Tribes (The Nottingham New Theatre); Salome (St Marylebone School Theatre); Lysistrata (Lakeside Arts Centre); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Gut Girls, Stags and Hens (The Nottingham New Theatre); Jerusalem (The Nottingham New Theatre and NSDF); Bugsy Malone (Jasspa Youth Theatre); Anything Goes, Half A Sixpence (St Marylebone School Theatre); Oliver (Charter School Theatre); (The Globe Theatre with The Charter School); (Fine Frenzy Theatre Company with The Nottingham New Theatre); The Crucible (Charter School Theatre); Twelfth Night (Unicorn Theatre – Shakespeare Schools Festivals); Little Shop of Horrors (Lakeside Arts Centre); Teechers (St Marylebone Theatre and Jasspa Youth Theatre).

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Offue Okegbe Feste Offue trained at LAMDA.

Theatre credits include: Horatio in (Black Theatre Company); Henry V (The Unicorn); Alice In Wonderland (Bolton); Amiens in As You Like It (UK Tour/Shakespeare At The Tobacco Factory); Miguel in Children of Fate (Inside Intelligence/Bussey Building); Witch in Hansel and Gretel (Queens Theatre Hornchurch); Mardian in (Chichester Festival Theatre); Jimmy in For Jimmy (Intraverse Productions); Malcolm in (Custom/Practice); Kid Brother in Invasion! (Tooting Arts Club); Big Brother in Playlist: Christmas - The Riddler (Theatre 503); Mardian in Antony and Cleopatra (Liverpool Playhouse); Garveyite/Student in Big White Fog (Almeida Theatre).

Workshops/readings include: Threshold (Collective Artistes); The New Voice of Home (AFTA conference) Let Me Go and Children of Fate (Inside Intelligence) Other credits include: Paul in Six Degrees of Separation (Tower Theatre); John Proctor in The Crucible and Sir Fopling Flutter in The Man of Mode (Brighton Dome Youth Theatre/Inservice Productions). Lauryn Redding Sir Toby Belch Lauryn trained at Rose Bruford College.

She is very pleased to be back at The Watermill Theatre.

Theatre credits include: Horrible Christmas (Lowry Theatre); Frankenstien (Salisbury Playhouse); Peter Pan In Scarlet (New Vic Theatre); Romeo + Juliet (The Watermill); Dreamers (Oldham Coliseum); Tall Tales (Theatr Clywd); Comedy Of Errors (Shakespeare’s Globe); Horrible Histories – Awful Egyptians (Birmingham Stage); (Red Rose Chain); Shhh (Theatre503); Wind In The Willows (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Numb (Arcola); Six (SevenArts Leeds); The Enough Project (Slung Low / DepArts); Horrible Histories – Barmy BRITAIN (Birmingham Stage, UK Tour and Australian Tour); An August Bank Holiday Lark and She Stoops To Conquer, A Winter’s Tale (Northern Broadsides); Alice Underground (Les Enfants Terribles - site specific production in the Vaults of Waterloo Station).

Television credits include: Emmerdale (YTV); Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show (BBC); Channel 4 Pilot Regulars (Silver River Productions).

Lauryn has also worked on a number of short film and radio productions.

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Jamie Satterthwaite Orsino Theatre includes: The Spanish Tragedy (The Old Red Lion); The Duchess of Malfi (Nottingham Playhouse); Posh (Nottingham & Salisbury Playhouse); The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd (The Orange Tree Theatre); Edward II (Royal National Theatre); The Laramie Project, The Life and Adventures of Nickolas Nickleby, , Company (GSMD); The Revenger’s Tragedy (Picklock).

Film includes: Charismata (HydraFilmsRKM); Toy Men (Pinpoint Films); Monsters In The Dark (Mordue Pictures); Shopping Channels (Pinpoint Films).

Television includes: Mr Selfridge (ITV).

Mike Slader Aguecheek Since graduating Rose Bruford in 2009 Mike has toured round the UK with shows, jukebox musicals, and gigging with various bands.

Theatre credits include: Frankenstein (Salisbury Playhouse); Rock Pantos - Aladdin (Stafford Gatehouse); Romeo + Juliet (The Watermill); Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood (City Varieties Music Hall); Dreamboats & Miniskirts (UK Tour); Delirium Show 6 (Workshop, St James Theatre); Dick Whittington (City Varieties, Leeds); Carnaby Street in Concert (UK Tour); Tiny Tempest (Brighton Dome); Dave in Carnaby Street (UK Tour); Derek in Dreamboats & Petticoats (UK Tour); Ovid's Metamorphoses (Pleasance Dome); On the Third Day (The Mill Studios); Close (The Cockpit Theatre); Grimethorpe Race (The Arcola Theatre); Twelfth Night (UK Tour); The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (Chichester Festival Theatre); Dr Faustus (Chichester Festival Theatre).

Other work includes: Cruzier (Short Film); HTC Online Phone (Commercial); Who Is In Control (Photography Stills). Stuart Wilde Sebastian Stuart trained at the National Youth Theatre rep company.

Theatre includes Private Peaceful (NYT) for which he was nominated for Leading Actor at the Broadway World UK Awards; Selfie, Macbeth (all NYT); John Webster in Shakespeare In Love (West End) and Romeo in Romeo + Juliet (The Watermill).

Most recently Stuart can be seen as young tank soldier Pritchard in the highly anticipated EA Dice video game Battlefield 1.

Stuart is delighted to return to The Watermill for the 50th birthday celebrations.

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Actor’s Blog Aruhan Galieva talks to us about becoming Olivia.

Aruhan in rehearsals Hello! My name is Aruhan (Ru). I am an Actor-Musician playing Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Juliet in Romeo + Juliet.

Working at The Watermill is the best job I have ever done. When I found out I had got the job, I was immediately overwhelmed with fear; two shows, two complex and amazing characters – it’s mammoth! In the weeks approaching rehearsals I kept repeating a negative mantra in my head: “I have no idea what I’m doing, I have no idea what I’m doing, I have no idea…” and I had some serious first day of school nerves the night before we started rehearsals.

Little did I know that the rehearsal period was going to be the most authentically creative, playful and fun process I’ve ever had the pleasure of being involved in.

Our incredible Director, Paul Hart, has managed to assemble a fantastic company of actors and creatives who are genuinely lovely, talented team players and from day one, the rehearsal room felt like a really safe and open space to explore the text and the world of the play.

I quickly realised that my terrible mantra of “I have no idea what I’m doing” was completely absurd. Rehearsals are supposed to be a place where you can be bold, be brave and make mistakes without judgement. This atmosphere means you are constantly able to try new things until you get it right.

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Left: Cast of Twelfth Night rehearsing music. Right: Stuart Wilde and Rebecca Lee.

The first week began with a table read through. A read through can often be very intellectual, long drawn out affair where we mull over the text, use of language, iambic pentameter, feminine ending, 12 line endings, use of alliteration, rhymes, syllables, prose, verse and double meanings. All of these elements are fantastic and crucial, but can be quite intimidating for actors, like myself, who don’t necessarily have a lot of academic prowess.

What made this read through exciting was that firstly, there were no tables in sight. Yay, tables are boring! Secondly, Paul and Abigail (she’s our brilliant Associate Director) were really fantastic about getting us on our feet to make sure we understood what we were saying. They also helped us find a perfect balance of honouring the text and technique of delivery, without us feeling like we couldn’t play around with the script.

In this first table read, Paul set up a very collaborative atmosphere and we all agreed on the context of the world of the play:

 The play is Twelfth Night  It is set in the 1920s  We are in Illyria  Illyria is a mystical place, but the facts we can agree on are: - It is a sea side town - It can be highly dangerous (especially for unaccompanied women) - There are two very high status families who live there, Countess Olivia and - Duke Orsino  Orsino owns a jazz bar called The Elephant, which is the hottest joint in town. For a musician it's like booking a job at Ronnie Scotts.  It is during the prohibition  The First World War has just finished and a lot of our characters have experienced loss and grief  Olivia has just lost her father and her brother. We agreed upon their names which we decided were Charles (Dad) and Edmund (Brother)  Viola and Olivia have both recently lost their brothers and the play explores the different ways they deal with their grief  Viola assumes a completely different life, whilst Olivia puts her life on hold, hiding herself away from everyone and trying to cling onto the memories of her Father and Brother.

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Little details like this are so important. Asking questions and being inquisitive is imperative work as actors. Actors must be like detectives and constantly question everything! Here are some questions I have asked myself about Olivia:  Where am I?  What time of day is it?  What is my family background: education, interests, political and religious persuasions?  How old am I?  What do I look like?  What’s my state of physical and mental health?  How do I speak? - Use of language (metaphors, similes, lyrical, plain … monosyllabic) - Do I finish sentences or trail away? - Do I use repetition?  What is my character’s story within the play?

I then go onto to think about the wider world of the play and consider the following:  History: economics, politics, political structure, transportation methods, educational trends, employment trends, health services.  Social: widely held beliefs, religious trends, societal and family trends, gender relationships, food and drinking habits, working patterns, hygiene… opportunity!  Culture: music, theatre, film, art, dance, literature, aesthetic, architecture, fashion hairstyles, social rituals and etiquette.  Geography: climate, urbanisation, rural life (we like to joke Olivia’s house is at the top of a really tall cliff and it’s a really steep walk to get to her house so all the servants are absolutely out of puff by the time they arrive to try and get an audience with Olivia.)

After this I then move onto:  The perceived: - What does the character say about him/herself? - What does the character say about others? - What do others say about your character?  Can the truth be discerned from that exercise after comparing what you say to what someone says about you?  How does your character affect each of the other characters?

And finally more speculatively asking:  How aware is your character of their weaknesses, strengths, objectives and feelings?  Who would the character like to be?  Who is the character afraid to become?  What does the character do privately/publicly?  Are there inconsistencies between your character’s speech and deeds? If so, why?  If she was an animal what would she be? (I think Olivia’s a lion cub because she is loyal, proud, fierce, she is trying to catch her prey (Cesario) but she’s also young, inexperienced with new found status).

As well as these text related questions I also like to ask myself silly questions like:  What kind of underwear does Olivia wear?

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 When was the last time she bought pants!  What does she dream about?  What is the most precious thing she owns?  What is her biggest secret?  What is her worst habit?  If she were an inanimate object what would she be (fridge, spoon, chair?).

It can seem so silly but sometimes it can be incredibly insightful and really helpful!

Following our discussion about the text, we had a brilliant movement session with our fabulous choreographer, Tom Jackson Greaves.

He asked us to draw a picture of our character, enlarging features that we thought would be important. For example, Olivia is high status. I imagined a well-dressed, young woman with a sharp haircut and fantastic posture.

We then had to circle one body part our character is most proud of and one where our negative feelings are manifested. I circled my face as my point of pride, as I think Olivia secretly enjoys her youth and beauty and the kudos she gets for it. I chose my lower abdomen as my negative area, as that is where I imagine Olivia feels her grief, loss and desperation but also her lust and love for Cesario!

We then walked around the room leading our body with our positive part and then negative, and went from walking around neutrally to going up the scale in severity (1-10).

With this drawing in mind, we then explored how our characters would react to different circumstances such as rain, wind, loud music, being drunk, being too hot, being too cold, being relaxed, dancing on our own. Some characters would embrace certain circumstances but for others the same circumstance, such as dancing, was utterly repulsive.

At the risk of sounding sycophantic, this rehearsal process has been an incredible experience. Paul, Abbi and all of the actors are so kind, playful, funny, generous, hardworking and wonderfully talented, which makes the whole thing a much easier and enjoyable task!

In conclusion, I am sorry that this has been very rambly and long but I hope that perhaps a sentence or two has been helpful!

But hey … if ramble be the food of blog, type on ...

Two Shows, One Set

Left: Emma McDonald and Stuart Wilde. Right: Victoria Blunt. 23

Two Shows, One Set

Designer Katie Lias has a challenge to create a space which works for two shows.

In 2016 Katie designed Romeo + Juliet, a stunning set which creates a world full of fury, war and little comfort. With cold colours, neon lights, scaffolding and hoodies galore there was little to suggest a 1920s jazz bar, yet it is from the basis of this set that she designed Twelfth Night. Whilst the two shows have their initial runs separately at The Watermill, Twelfth Night playing first followed by Romeo + Juliet the two shows will tour together. In some venues one of the productions will be performed in the afternoon, and the other in the evening.

The Romeo + Juliet model box

There is one great similarity between the two sets and the worlds in which Paul Hart, director, has decided to place them – the primary location in both cases is a bar. In Romeo + Juliet we are in Capulet’s bar, a place in his home where they party hard and drink to excess. In Twelfth Night we are in The Elephant Jazz Club, Duke Orsino’s home ground. When rehearsals began the decision had been made to set the piece in a jazz club, the name The Elephant came from the very first read through of the script when it was quickly noted that Antonia and Sebastian agree to meet at The Elephant – and so the club was born.

Set in the 1920s, with prohibition rife, Katie has made an addition to the set – what started as three arches filled with bottles in Romeo + Juliet has become a clever hideaway for Sir Toby Belch to keep his alcohol. In Twelfth Night instead of the bar at the back we start with a set of three mirrors, which rotate to reveal Sir Toby Belch’s alcohol stash.

The aged mirrors within the arches transport us to a time in which things have been left over the course of the war. The decay and debris is added to during the play when the storm sparks roses and petals to fall and cover the stage. The mirrors also serve another important purpose. In Twelfth Night the trap opens to reveal yet more mirrors. In a moment of absolute horror Malvolio is elevated on a mirrored platform, and becomes surrounded by mirrors. He is most on show at exactly the moment he wants to hide.

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The plush colours and rich fabrics of the twenties in Twelfth Night are rather different to the cold colours and harsh materials of the world of Romeo + Juliet. Katie has draped plush gold fabric over the balcony which will be removed for Romeo + Juliet to reveal the gate out of which Juliet can climb down from the balcony.

The two worlds are so incredibly different and yet designer Katie Lias has managed to combine them and play on one set that can quickly be changed to create two very different places.

Twelfth Night model box

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Rehearsal Diary Associate Director, Abigail Pickard Price, gives an insight into the rehearsal process.

WEEK ONE Rehearsals provide a very intense but hugely enjoyable time. The length of time allocated to rehearse a production varies from show to show. For Twelfth Night we have four weeks in the rehearsal studio, followed by four days in the theatre for technical rehearsals.

Day one begins with all the creative team and members of staff at The Watermill coming together for the ‘Meet and Greet’. The setup at The Watermill is rather unusual because the creative team and actors rehearse and live onsite. Therefore, the next step of the day is a tour of the site to understand where everyone is living and working. We all meet back in the rehearsal room to listen to Katie Lias (Designer) and Paul Hart (Director) talk us through the set and costumes. They present a ‘model box’, which is a scaled-down version of the set, and pictures of the costume designs. Music is integral to this production and Paul had very specific ideas for the songs and the style of music that he wanted to incorporate into the production. To get us in the mood, he played a selection of the music that would inspire the work. This is followed by a read through of the whole play.

My job as an Associate Director is to assist the director to create their vision for the piece. The role can be hugely varied depending on the production and the director. Paul creates a wonderfully collaborative room. Together we explore new ways of discovering the story. During the first week we really delve deep in to the text – we read through each scene and then discuss the endless possibilities that it presents. We question each line to ensure we understand exactly what Shakespeare’s beautiful language means. As we discuss each scene we start to piece together the world in which these characters live:  We continually questioned what Illyria is, where it is and what it means to live there.  We thought about the period of the piece and how this impacts the characters’ lives.  We explored the characters’ relationships with one another. These questions and many others were continually returned to throughout the rehearsal process.

The first line in Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s most iconic ‘If music be the food of love play on’. On the second day we began to bring this well-known scene to life – embracing the music and the world of Illyria as we had so far discovered it. We found ourselves in a jazz club where Orsino rules, full of musicians desperate to be noticed, who won’t be until they find the perfect love song for Orsino to woe his beloved Olivia. Paul encouraged the actors to take risk and really throw themselves into an idea. With much laughter and singing the scene began to come to life.

I am astounded by the talent within the company; the cast are stunning actors with the most fantastic grip on Shakespeare’s text. They are also brilliant musicians. Our first week became a mixture of reading and discussing the text, putting scenes on to their feet and giving them a rough shape. Meanwhile, Ned, our Musical Director, began to piece together the music with the cast.

Our Movement Director, Tom, joined us at the end of week one. Tom ran fascinating exercises with the cast, looking at their characters’ physicality. Providing them with a tool

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box of exercises that they can then return to during rehearsal. He then began to look at the choreography of the different musical numbers within the show.

WEEK TWO Week two continues in a similar vein as we rotate our time between pulling apart the text, getting the scenes up on their feet, and learning music. As we progress, Paul and Ned find moments for songs – we begin to build on the cabaret club setting and understanding what music means in this world. We discover that for Orsino music is everything and finding that perfect love song for Olivia is the most important thing in his world. In contrast, Olivia’s household music is banned (as you watch the show you will notice there are rather a few people in her household who do not follow this rule).

During week two the cast start to have their costume fittings. The Designer, Katie, asks the actors to feed into the costume choice, as they discuss together what they think their character would wear. As fittings continue over the course of rehearsals, costume items slowly started to creep into the rehearsal room, allowing the actors to get a real sense of how their costumes make them feel and how they can move in it.

WEEK THREE By the middle of week three, we have a shape of the whole play; it is on its feet and the music has been taught. Now we go back through the whole play, fine tuning and trying to remember everything we have created over the last few weeks. As we all now have a much better understanding of the world and the characters, we often find ourselves questioning our choices in the original stages and begin to make alterations to better tell the story. We reach the end of the play at the end of week three and begin the same exercise again at the start of week four, this time really refining every little detail.

WEEK FOUR By the middle of week four we are ready to start running the play. It is at this point that everyone begins to get a real sense of the rhythm of the piece. We spend the rest of our final week running the show several times. After each run Paul and Ned give the actors notes on their performances and the music, giving them small steps on which to build with each run.

It is at this point that we head in to the theatre and onto the stage to begin the tech, piecing together every technical element of the show (lights, sound, costume, props, set) in order to create the show that you’ll see on the stage…

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Rehearsal Reports Organisation is the chief element of any stage manager’s role. After each day of rehearsals, our Deputy Stage Manager, Alice Barber, types up the notes she has made during the day and sends them to all the staff at The Watermill involved in making the show. Here is an example of her daily report from Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night Rehearsal Report #9

Date: Wednesday 15th March

General 1. On p 29 we have changed Malvolio’s line from ‘she shall know of it’ to ‘her lady shall know of it’

Design No notes today.

Lighting 1. We require one wireless lamp to be lit on the prop table side of stage throughout.

Production/ Technical No notes today.

Risk Assessment 1. Belch (Miss Redding) will throw a small amount of water over Andrew (Mr Slader) as part of the action in 2:2

Set No notes today.

Sound/ Music 1. We will require hard cases for 2 guitars and 1 half sized guitar. 2. We require a second set of drum brushes 3. We will be flying in two float mics to pick up the singing from the Balcony in 2:2 4. Please could we have a double bass bow

Stage Management/Props 1. We require a vodka bottle with some liquid in for Belch (Miss Redding) to be drinking in 2:2 2. Please see Lighting Note 1. 3. We require 2 slices of toast on a plate, 2 champagne glasses and an open bottle of champagne for Orsino (Mr Satterthwaite) and Viola (Miss Lee) to eat and drink in 2:3 4. Could we please have a table in rehearsals of a similar size to the actual. 5. Please see Wardrobe notes 1 and 2.

Wardrobe 1. Could Malvolio (Mr Dukes) have a crucifix on a necklace that he can wear throughout. 2. It has been suggested that Orsino has a necklace that he wear throughout Act1 and then gives to Olivia in 2:3 3. We require a tablecloth with a hole in it for Belch (Miss Redding) to put her head through in 2:3

Many thanks, Alice Barber

Deputy Stage Manager

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Section 3: Teaching &

Rehearsal Exercises

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Character Mapping

The whole room becomes the ‘heart’ of the play. Put different characters (E.g. Malvolio, Orsino, Toby Belch), played by students, in the centre of the room. Add the other characters one by one into the space. They should stand near or far away from the central character and the other characters, depending on how they feel about them.

Start off with the positions for the beginning of the play. Then move to key moments in the play and ask them if they want to move. There may be some conflicts, for example if one character likes the other but the feeling is not reciprocated.

Points:

1. You can hopefully use all the students if you use every character in the play. 2. This exercise makes for a gentle way into hot seating. You can ask them individually why they’re standing where they are, and how they are feeling about other characters. 3. If they don’t know the plot of the play very well, this can be an interactive way into them finding out the story. Tell them the main points of the story and ask them how they’re feeling now that this new development has happened. They can move in response to what you tell them. 4. Alternatively, this can be a more advanced character exercise. ‘Cast’ the students in advance, and get them to write down quotes demonstrating how their character feels about other characters at key plot moments. Then, when they are moving around the character map, they can back up their new position with their quotations.

FOLLOW UP EXERCISES

1. DIARY: Imagine you’re the character you played in the mapping exercise, and write a diary, with entries for each key moment. 2. FREEZE FRAMES: This is a natural way into ‘sculpting’ frozen pictures of key moments in the play.

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Emotional Corridor

The students line up in two rows, facing each other. Give each student about half a line to say, perhaps an oath or a curse, from the play. It’s fine to use each curse two or three times if you don’t have enough.

Get them to repeat it a few times to the person opposite them, all at the same time, using lots of anger and venom.

Then, one by one, each student walks down the line, with everyone repeatedly saying their curse at the person walking. Afterwards, discuss how it feels to be the object of such dislike.

This exercise is particularly useful for invoking empathy in students.

Although you might want to start with something straightforward like curses, you can also move into more complex emotions for the play (this exercise is very useful for encouraging students to empathise).

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Credits

Twelfth Night By William Shakespeare

Director Paul Hart Designer Katie Lias Lighting Designer Tom White Sound Designer David Gregory Movement Director Tom Jackson Greaves Music by The Company Arrangements and Musical Direction Ned Rudkins-Stow Associate Director Abigail Pickard Price Fight Director Ian McCracken

Maria Victoria Blunt Malvolio Peter Duke Olivia Aruhan Galieva Viola Rebecca Lee Antonia Emma McDonald Feste Offue Okegbe Sir Toby Blech Lauryn Redding Orsino Jamie Satterthwaite Aguecheek Mike Slader Sebastian Stuart Wilde

Production Manager Lawrence T Doyle Company Stage Manager Kerrie Driscoll Assistant Production Manager Harry Armytage Theatre Technician Chloe Dougan Deputy Stage Manager Alice Barber Assistant Stage Managers Penny Ayles Alexandra Berridge-Shuter Kirsten Buckmaster Wardrobe Supervisor Amanda Dooley Wardrobe Assistants Eloise Short Sound Operator Ian Penrose Set Construction Belgrade Production Services Rehearsal Photography Philip Tull Production Photographer Scott Rylander National Press and Publicity Jan Ferrer British Sign Language Ana Becker, Lixi Chivas Audio Description William Clancy, Adrienne Pye

Tour Production Manager Mark Carey

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Tour Company Stage Manager Ami-Jayne Steele-Childe Tour Assistant Stage Manager Geoff Field Tour Production Carpenter Matt Steele-Childe Tour Wardrobe Mistress Louise Patey Tour Marketing and PR Chloé Nelkin Consulting

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