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Notes from
the Director
Stephen Lee
Of all
Shakespeare's works, by far the most popular thing he wrote (indeed for many, the most famous of his plays) must be Romeo
and Juliet. Although I have been an actor in four different productions, I have not touched the play since I directed
it as a very green young undergraduate at University College, London, in 1978 at age 20. In point of fact, it was about
the first play I ever directed on my own (I began with a mutually supportive friend).
So when the Old Mill approached
me with hte idea of directing something for the open air and something that would be accessible to people who might just enjoy
alfresco entertainment, the idea of revisiting this highly popular play and seeing how much (if anything) I had learned after
30 years of directing was very appealing. Also, the fact is that Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed
in the open air (Romeo and Juliet almost certainly for James Burbage's venue The Theatre) and I have directed
several productions in this way. I think too that the weather here in WA is well-suited to a nigh out under the stars
watching Shakespeare.
So why should people come and see this play?
Well, for one thing, it is a wonderful
opportunity to sit in a beautiful settin gon a balmy autumn night and see a play that truly has everything: colour and spectacle,
exciting sword fights, dances and music, and a strong and compelling story that is both funny and heartwarming. For
this reason, we are setting the play in the medieval period of the original story, a period of wonderful and elegant costume.
We are having authentic music of the time provided live on original instruments by Trio Grosso; and fights will all be staged
by Andy Fraser, Perth's foremost proponent of stage combat. It really will be a feast for all five senses.
And to those whose memory of Shakespeare is of dull sessions in a drowsy classroom, all I can say is that schools have often
done the Bard a great disservice here. Of course, plays read in a dull classroom setting, and often forced upon children
at an early age, would be enough to put anyone offside. Then, too, some of the later plays are intellectually dense
and challenging... and a 400 year old language doesn't help much either. But to really appreciate that man's
work we need to approach it as he would have expected us to... a live performance with actors, director, costume, sound and
lighting all working together to make the experience powerful and comprehensible. And Romeo and Juliet is a
dynamic and energetic play, full of youth and comedy and passion - the perfect introduction to
the man from Stratford.
Also, as a story, the play is simple and compelling. For of us (I hope) have had
our father murdered by our uncle (as in Hamlet) or been told by a bunch of witches to kill the King. But almost
all of us have been in love... and know its heartaches and joys... and the problems caused by difficult parents. There
is good reason why this play is so popular... it is timeless and universal in its themes.
How will this production
differ from others? Well, in a way, every production is always different - that is the joy of live theatre. Every
actor brings a new twist to old characters (and, by the way, this play is stuffed with great characters... the cynical and
witty Mercutio, the chatty and dirty-minded Nurse, the caring and wise Friar). But what I, as director, try to give
to me actors and crew, is the feeling that while our job is to be true to what Shakespeare wrote, we must not let this respect
make our performances stuffy, stodgy or old-fashioned. We are story-tellers, telling an emotional and brilliant tale,
and we want people to laugh, cry and be thrilled... it's not a history lesson.
Finley Nominations and Awards: - Leah Maher, Best Other Than a Lead Female Nomination
- Krysia Wiechecki, Best Other Than a Lead Female Nomination
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