King Henry VIII - All Is True

Sunday 28th February

Blimey! We were a little late in starting this reading because there were forty five parts to distrubute. Only one of our readers knew the play and so it was a bit of a lottery as to who read what. Amazingly there was only one really messy scene where one poor chap had to talk to himself as two different characters. Each reader (this excludes the listeners) had about three parts. Often, with no credit to Shakespeare, these readings are the funniest. A play no one knows and each reader supporting split personalities brings an element of humour to a reader's characterisation of a role. Dave Blatcher's Cardinal Campeins was dark and slimey, and a world away from his chirpy cockney town crier. As for Claire Daniels' Lord Abergavenny... well I can say little more than he was a stark contrast to her Anne Bullen.

Nevertheless Henry VIII is a bit of a dull play to read. There are some moments of pure poetry and Katherine gets some really juicy bits. Favourite line of the night: 'My drops of tears / I'll turn to sparks of fire', lovely. However, it is pomp and pagentry that this play is famous for. We weren't really kitted out in the finery required to support the stunning visual elements of the play. The play is full of Tudor properganda and the end, a long speech about Elizabeth I, is totally vomit worthy.

I prefer my political plays when the plotters don't suddenly repent all their sins and are repainted as saints gone awry by the characters who live on after their death. This maybe because I lack subtlty, but if Wolsey had been a Richard of Gloucester well then what a story that would have been...

Our ceremonious readers were:

Prologue - Brian Eastty
Duke of Norfolk - Ryan Nelson
Duke of Buckingham - Martin Power
Lord Abergavenny - Claire Daniel
Cardinal Wolsey - Edward Cartwright
Secretary -
Brandon - John Haney
Sargeant - at - arms - Maya Gabrielle
King Henry VIII - Thomas Rushforth
Sir Thomas Lovell - Maya Gabrielle
Katherine - Janet Low
Duke of Suffolk - Ed Kelly
Surveyor - Maya Gabrielle
Lord Chamberlain -
Lord Sandys - John Haney
Anne Bullen - Claire Daniel
Sir Henry Guildford - Brian Eastty
Servant - Clare Scammell
First Gent - Thomas Rushforth
Second Gent - Clare Scammell
Sir Nicholas Vaux - Paul O'Neil
Cardinal Campeins - David Blatcher
Gardiner - Ed Kelly
Old Lady - Janet Low
Bishop of Lincoln - Claire Daniel
Griffith - Maya Gabrielle
Scribe - Ryan Nelson
Crier - David Blatcher
Earl of Surrey - Brian Eastty
Thomas Cromwell - Paul O'Neil
Woman - Maya Gabrielle
Lord Chancellor - Martin Power
Garter - Claire Daniel
Third Gent - Claire Daniel
Patience - John Haney
Messenger - Thomas Rushforth
Lord Caputius - Paul O'Neil
Gardiner's Page -
Sir Anthony Denny - Edward Cartwright
Thomas Cranmer - Paul O'Neil
Door Keeper - Ed Kelly
Doctor Butts - David Blatcher
Porter -
Porter's man - Paul O'Neil
Epilogue - Brian Eastty

To mark our penultimate reading in the cycle we had a misadventure. One of our readers, the unfortunate Martin Power, was in the toilet when we left the bookshop and he emerged to find all the lights switched off and that he had been locked in! Thank goodness he had the where withall to telephone his wife, who telephoned the pub where we always drink after a reading and ask for me. I immediatly sprinted back to the bookshop and let him out. He needed a stiff drink after contemplating spending night in a bookshop full of tomes expounding the secrects of the occult and dark magic.

Our next and final reading in the first cycle of Shakespeare Readers' Society is on Sunday 28th March, the play is Two Nobel Kinsman. This play isn't in some complete works, so there will be photocopied scripts available to read from if you don't have one to bring. For more details check the website: www.shakespearereaderssociety.co.uk

The Tempest

Sunday 31st January 2010

This reading ROCKED! I had the privilege of reading Ariel and I love that part. Unfortunately this did mean people were forced to listen to me sing. Perhaps, with hindsight, I enjoyed the reading but everybody else suffered it. It only took an hour and forty minutes to polka through the pages. We had a couple of thunder machines (look 'em up they are as cool as they sound), a percussive shaky egg for rain effect and some finger chimes for Ariel's multiple invisible entrances and exits. It was one of the loveliest group readings we've had because everyone contributed to filling the room full of noises. For a brief period the Treadwells bookshop basement was our Island and the script Dukedom enough.

Our rebellious readers were:

Alfonso - Simon Horst

Sebastian - Harold Raitt

Prospero - Mike Aherne

Antonio - Thomas John

Ferdinand - Ed Kelly

Gonzalo - Brian Eastty

Adrian - Toni Brook

Francisco - Max

Caliban - Martin Power

Trinculo - Rob Clother

Stephano - David Blatcher

Master - John Haney

Boatswain - Sophie Leighton - Kelly

Miranda - Laura

Ariel - Maya Gabrielle

Iris - Janet Low

Ceres - Kate

Juno - Toni Brook

Mariners - All

Our next reading is the 28th of February - King Henry VIII. It's a big play and we need lots of readers, so come join us. You will find more details on our website: www.shakespearereaderssociety.co.uk

Cymbeline

Sunday, 17th January 2010

Our ready readers were:

Cymbeline - Hywel David

Cloten - Brian Eastty

Posthumous - Daniel Smith

Imogen - Ellie Mason

Belarius - Roger Mason

Guiderius - Will Richmond

Arviragus - Ed Kelly

Philario - Derek Dempsey

Jachimo - Tom Rushforth

Caius Lucius - Stephen Dyer

Pisario - Mike Aherne

Cornelius - Martin Power

Philarmonus - Janet Low

Roman Captain - Derek Dempsey

British Captain 1 - Maya Gabrielle

British Captain 2 - Sophie Leighton - Kelly

Frenchman - David Blatcher

Lord 1 - Will Richmond

Lord 2 - Maya Gabrielle

Gent/Jailer 1 - Sophie Leighton - Kelly

Gent/Jailer 2 - Maya Gabrielle

Queen - Laura Kressley

Helen - Yvonne McCulloch

Scilius - David Blatcher

Jupiter - Yvonne McCulloch

The Winter's Tale

Sunday 29th November 2009

Our riotous readers were:

Leontes - Rob Clother

Mamillius - Ed Cartwright

Camillo - Martin Power

Antigonus - Brian Eastty

Cleomenes - Derek Dempsey

Dion - Mary Richards

Polixines - Tom Rushforth

Florizel - Dave Blatcher

Archidamus - Toni Brooks

Old Shepherd - Derek Dempsey

Clown - Maya Gabrielle

Autolycus - Ed Cartwright

Mariner - Sophie Leighton - Kelly

Gaoler - Maya Gabrielle

Hermione - Laura Kressley

Perdita - Toni Brooks

Paulina - Yvonne McCulloch

Emilia - Mary Richards

Mopsa - Sophie Leighton - Kelly

Dorcas - Laura Kressley

Time - Tom Rushforth

November, December, January

The festive season has made us a little slower than usual at keeping the blog up to date, but we're now in the final stretch of readings, so here's a quick New Year update.

At the end of November, our final 2009 reading, we aptly read The Winter's Tale, a slightly ridiculous story featuring an oracle, and time personified - a play as hilarious as we might expect to find a sheep-shearing festival these days. As usual, the end of the reading heralded a swift exit to the pub, thankfully not pursued by any bears.

As has become tradition, the December reading was postponed until mid-January, to account for holiday-makers and monopolise on New Years Resolutions. This time around it was Cymbeline, a tale of lost children, evil stepmothers, Italian stallions and everyone's favourite Welsh destination, Milford Haven. There was a great turn-out and plenty of laughs.

Our next reading, on Sunday 31st January 2010, will be The Tempest - sometimes considered Shakespeare's last play, or perhaps the last he wrote mostly on his own, it's not quite the end of the cycle for us.

For the full schedule see: www.shakespearereaderssociety.co.uk

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Coriolanus

Our longest reading since Hamlet, Coriolanus took us 2 hours and 3/4, although it didn't feel that long. Coriolanus himself is as stubborn as they get, and refusing to grovel for votes for promotion, he ends up turning the plebs against him and getting banished from Rome. Cue defection to his life-long enemy Aufidius, and leading the opposition army to destroy his home town. Thank goodness for pushy mums - Volumnia's the only one who can talk him out of it. But by the end he's managed to piss everyone off, so they kill him. Probably for the best, eh?

We had great fun reading, although there are surprisingly few meaty parts, and instead lots of 'coughs and spits', leaving us reading multiple parts each, but mostly things like the sought-after role of 'fourth citizen'.

Our army of readers were:

Caius Martius Coriolanus - Thomas Rushforth

Lartius - Ellie Mason

Cominius, 2nd servingman - David Blatcher

Menenius - Martin Power

Sicinius, 2nd Messenger, 2nd Watch - Ed Cartwright

Brutus - Brian Eastly

Young Martius, 2nd Officer, 1st Lord, 7th Citizen - Adam Rakish

Aufidius - Gareth Bennett-Ryan

Volumnia, 3rd Conspirator, 5th Citizen - Claire Daniel

Virigilia, 1st Senator, 2nd Roman, 2nd Citizen - Mary Richards

Valeria, 1st Watch, 6th Citizen - Sheridan Turner

Aedile, Patrician, 1st Roman, 1st Citizen - Stephen Dyer

Gentlewoman, 2nd Conspirator, 2nd Lord, Volsce - Yvonne McCulloch

Lieutenant, 1st Conspirator, 3rd Lord - Rose

1st Messenger, 1st Officer, 3rd Roman, 1st Servingman - Roger Mason

2nd Senator, 1st Soldier, 4th Citizen - Sophie Leighton-Kelly

Next Month: The Winter's Tale, Sunday 29th November 2009, 6.30pm

see www.shakespearereaderssociety.co.uk for more information

Pericles

Shakespeare didn't write all of this play, and perhaps that is why it is a bit rubbish. Perhaps he was full of sack when he picked up his quill, or maybe seeing he had just churned out Macbeth, Lear and Antony and Cleopatra all that was left was dross. However this play came into being, all at the reading agreed that it was preposterous. The plot is absurd with a daughter incesting (no this is not a real verb) it up with her dad, a women being accidentally buried alive at sea, an innocent girl about to be murdered is captured by pirates and sold to a whore house where she retains her virginity by converting sinners to good men with the power of language. I mean come on Shakey, what were you playing at? Or do we blame poor George the other author. And as for Pericles, jeeeeessssus, what a miserable sod. He must of been Timon's younger brother - is Tyre near Athens? Saying all of this, the play makes for a hilarious reading. We had a riot and the reading came in under two hours (we neglected to include the drafted in passage of prose used by the Oxford to fatten the play up). I quite fancy seeing it performed now, especially if it was done by a company of clowns...

Our clowns were:

Gower, Chorus - Martin Power

Antiochus - Stephen Dyer

Pericles - David Blatcher

Helicanus - Gareth Bennet - Ryan

Cleon - Gareth Bennet - Ryan

Escanes - Ryan Nelson

Simonides - Ryan Nelson

Lysimachus - Stephen Dyer

Cerimon - Matthew Griffith

Thaliard - Adam Rakich

Philemon - Brian Eastly

Leonine - Brian Eastly

Marshal - Holly Spice

Pander - Adam Rakich

Boult - Matthew Griffith

Daughter of Antiochus - Claire Daniel

Dionyza - Yvonne McCulloch

Thaisa - Holly Spice

Marina - Maya Gabrielle

Lychorida - Rose

Bawd - Claire Daniel

Diana - Rose