From an adaptation by David Hundsness (www.hundsness.com)
Adapted further and directed by John Marwick
Media Release January 2014:
Youthful vigour the power behind “Romeo and Juliet”
Youth and passion are the key elements in the story of “Romeo and Juliet”, and Eastbourne’s Butterfly Creek Theatre Troupe has them in abundance for its upcoming production of the timeless Shakespearean classic.
Director John Marwick says a special challenge in this 18th annual “Bard in the Yard” production lies in the fact that many of the cast are young and new to the stage.
“The idea of performing Romeo and Juliet – which will be the first tragedy we have done for Bard in the Yard – came from one of our younger troupe members.
“He persuaded me that this is the right play to attract the energy and enthusiasm of some of our newer and younger players for our annual outdoor production. After all, the play is about the young, passionate and powerful.
“There’ll be dance, fighting, family conflict, love, laughter. Everyone knows the story. It’s the greatest love story of them all – exciting stuff.”
In all, four members of the cast have never “trodden the boards” before, and five are new to Shakespeare. But the cast is also boosted by a strong number of the troupe’s more seasoned Shakespeare actors, and Dr Marwick says the combination of youthful energy and wise experience is perfect for the play.
In keeping with the emphasis on youth, social media was an important means of spreading the word among the thespian community about the planned production and bringing the cast and production crew together.
“We have probably the one of the largest casts I have ever directed – 18 in all. Most are locals, but we also welcome five new people to the troupe, including the new stage manager, Lesley Fogarty.”
The biggest challenge however may well be the reduced time available to rehearse.
“Normally community groups would rehearse a Shakespeare play for a three or four months. However, we really only have barely eight weeks for this production, which opens on March 4.
“But perhaps that too reflects the youthful vigour that we will bring to this production of Romeo and Juliet. There’s certainly no time to get stale, and we’ll be hitting the boards running.”
