A UNIQUE outdoor Shakespearean experience is coming to Reading town centre next month, aiming to recreate some of the original conditions for which the plays were performed.
Members of the 60-Hour Shakespeare theatre company will be bringing an international cast to Reading Abbey ruins on Sunday, August 13, for a new production of Othello.
As their name suggests, they have just 60 hours to rehearse the play before presenting it to audiences.
The troupe has form, previously producing Twelfth Night and Hamlet.
And the event isn’t just to showcase how it would have been done back in Shakespearean days. They will be raising funds for Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice in Bray.
The show is expected to last around two hours, and doesn’t have an interval. Audiences are encouraged to bring a picnic and something to sit on.
Gavin Leigh, artistic director of 60 Hour Shakespeare, said: “The diary of a manager at an Elizabethan theatre reveals that a company of actors might have put on 40 plays in a year. And that these had to be rehearsed in a matter of days.
“An actor received a ‘cue script’, which only contained that actor’s part and its cue lines.
“The outdoor playhouses including the Globe and Swan made for visceral acting.”
Kate Wright, Lead for Community Fundraising at Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service, was delighted with the support.
“Thank you so much to 60 Hour Shakespeare for choosing to support Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service at their performance of Othello this summer,” she said.
“It really is crucial for us to raise awareness and funds, as the demand for our children’s hospice service is constantly increasing across Berkshire and into surrounding counties.
“The vital work we do is nearly entirely reliant on donations, fundraising and gifts in Wills. With the generosity and kindness of our amazing community, we can continue to be there for local children, and their families, facing the toughest and unimaginable times.”
The play, on Sunday, August 13, starts at 6pm, with tickets costing £10, or £6 for concessions, for which ID will be needed.
For more details, or to book, log on to: http://www.60hourshakespeare.com
