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Sample Response - Directing Shakespeare

For this activity, you need to imagine you are an up-and-coming director, pitching to a producer for money to direct a new exciting production of Richard II (or the play you’ve chosen to focus on). You should have an overall theme or “treatment” for the play (i.e. a production set in Wartime Britain) and be able to justify your creative decisions with the text. Re-Imagining Richard II Richard II is a wonderfully rich play about kingship, nationhood and ambition, which is why I would set my imaginary production in a wintry landscape just after World War II (1939-1945). This would help convey that England is a place of barrenness and austerity in the play. The image of winter would be used throughout the play, with characters wearing winter clothing, scenery tinged with frost, and impressions of roaring fires indoors, trying to stave off the cold. However, in the final acts of the play, when Richard has been usurped and Bolingbroke becomes King, winter would be turning to spring, which could be indicated on-stage by details in the set design such as trees beginning to bud, and the thaw setting in. Outdoor scenes will include sets incorporating dead or leafless trees, with the occasional use of a snow-machine to lend an authentic chill for the audience. Producing the text on a thrust stage would help an audience achieve a fuller sense of involvement with the play. Having looked at notes on the Globe Theatre’s recent production of Richard II, and the RSC’s production within the History Cycle, both of which utilise an “in-the-round” theatre space, I would develop my production by using these examples. Setting the play just after WWII would help add a more contemporary political aspect to Shakespeare’s play. I do not wish to draw a direct parallel between the

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play and the period, but the mid-forties was a time of great change and instability. Some characters in the play could be made-up as recognisable historical or political figures. For example, John of Gaunt could be cast and costumed so as to deliberately look and sound like Winston Churchill, as this would lend added poignancy to the famous “This Sceptred Isle” speech [2.1]. Churchill lost the election after WWII and the image of a weakening political figure issuing advice to the next generation would add an interesting dimension to Shakespeare’s text.

Winston Churchill, inspiration for the interpretation of John of Gaunt

Furthermore, the character of the ambitious Bolingbroke could evoke Field Marshall Montgomery, a man who contributed greatly to the allied forces winning WWII, as Bolingbroke is represented in Shakespeare’s text as a strong leader compared to Richard’s inherent limitations. To develop this idea even more, all Bolingbroke’s followers could wear army uniforms from WWII, whilst Richard and his followers would be costumed in Russian-influenced garments. During the unstable years following WWII, Communism was beginning to find popularity in some quarters of Europe and this would foreshadow the “Iron Curtain” descending across post-war Germany. Insinuating that Richard is being influenced by Communist hangers-on would help to strengthen and foreground some of the antipathy shown towards Richard in the play.

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A typical uniform for a British WWII soldier

Analysis of a Scene: I have chosen to focus on scene 3.4, where Richard’s wife Queen Isabella is in the garden with her waiting ladies. This scene follows Richard’s initial submission to Bolingbroke and his realisation that he will not be King for much longer. In my treatment of the play, this is the start of the on-stage thaw, with the garden setting providing an opportunity to show that life is springing once more from the previously bleak and barren. This could be reflected through set changes and scenery, with trees breaking into bud, and flowers and shrubs (brought in large movable pots and placed around the stage) will be beginning to sprout new blooms. In terms of costume, the Queen and her attendees would wear (fake!) furs and long winter coats to demonstrate both status and the wintry setting. During the garden scene, the coats could be discarded to reveal clothing more suitable for clement weather. The Queen would have the most elaborate costume to reinforce her power and prestige. If you have read the actors’ interviews on the Globe website, you will already know that an understanding of power and status is crucial for any production of Richard II.

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In keeping with the 1940s feel of the production, the gardener and his apprentices could be based upon characters from the Home Guard, as seen in the TV series, Dad’s Army. These characters would be busy tending the plants, pruning and watering the flower pots throughout the scene. Their speech denotes a kind of comical weariness and a careful comprehension of the delicate political machinations operating within Richard’s court, which lends itself well to the Dad’s Army parallel. As they enter, the Queen states that: “They will talk of state, for everyone doth so | Against a change.” This neatly illustrates how deep the political rifts are in Richard’s court, and the Home Guard uniforms would also situate the gardeners securely within the political context of the play.

A scene from the ever-popular Dad’s Army This type of theatrical re-imagining helps us to understand a dramatic text and consider its on-stage potential. This production of Richard II offers an updated reading of the play’s politics, which is one way of making playwrights such as Shakespeare more relevant and appealing to a contemporary audience. Remember that if you have enjoyed this exercise, there are many more resources to be explored at the Globe Theatre website. Enjoy!