(continued)

It was by chance that a colleague stumbled upon The Dell, the RSC's outdoor stage in the gardens opposite The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. We had previously looked at the Edinburgh Fringe but realised we were too late and the costs were prohibitive. The Dell however, was under two hours away, and was free! To perform one of Shakespeare's most famous plays on an outdoor stage in Stratford-upon-Avon was an exciting proposition.
It was easy to apply to perform and the events' staff at the RSC were extremely helpful from the first email to the day of the performances. The Dell was established last summer and has played host to a range of community productions, schools' festivals and Shakespeare-related shows by drama schools, colleges and universities throughout July and August.

It was surprisingly easy to organise, we soon found a date in August that the staff and the majority of the original cast were available to attend and planning was under¬way. We had one cast meeting and a very short rehearsal in June to consolidate the plans, and then the next time we met was the day before the performances - in the pouring rain!
What was a very visual and technical performance in its original state had to now be adapted to an open stage that had no electricity supply. Any set, props, equipment and costumes had to be transported in a small van, set up within the space of thirty minutes, taken down, packed away and then re-set for the second performance later in the day. There was the added organisation of arranging camping equipment and the transportation of the cast from across the country to Stratford on the Saturday, so that rehearsals could take place.

With careful planning and the support from parents and colleagues we managed to have everything arranged perfectly until of course the English summer played havoc with our plans. What was intended to be an outdoor rehearsal in the lovely grounds of a parents' home while others set-up camp, turned into a very soggy afternoon with everyone huddled inside sheltering from torrential downpours while a few-brave staff members attempted to erect a gazebo and some tents.

We were fortunate to have somewhere dry inside to rehearse but what should have been a fun afternoon and evening was a bit of a washout on all levels. However, the cast were amazing and didn't complain. We managed a quick run-through of the open¬ing and ending outside under the shelter ol the gazebo and we remained confident that the weather on Sunday would be more kind.

On Sunday morning we were up by 7am and thankfully the campers had a fairly good night's sleep, as we knew it was going to be an exhausting day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and we were incredibly relieved! The mini-bus and van were loaded up, and by 9am we were in Stratford ready to set-up, warm-up and perform.

We were greeted by Rachel from the RSC who helped to clear the pools of water from (.he stage while the girls were treated to a warm-up from another RSC sraff member. The staging was erected, the gazebo successfully put in place to create a backstage area for the cast and with just under an hour until we were due to perform the first show - the heavens opened and it rained steadily and heavily. The performance was in doubt as all thirty of us huddled in the 4m x 3rn gazebo - already full of the costumes and props for the performance.

Unbelievably at 10.30am however, the sun suddenly burst through and it was action stations! The cast and crew hurriedly prepared themselves and the stage, as the audience arrived with their chairs, blankets and most sensibly their umbrellas. Before we knew it we had an audience of around 100 seated on the soggy grass eagerly awaiting the opening. The cast took to the stage in the makeshift costumes and thrown together hair and makeup - as we had been in such a rush - there was no time to be elaborate!

Despite clearing the stage of as much water as we could, inevitably one of the cast members managed to slip and of course the cast got the giggles. However, once they were into the first fight scene they regained composure and the performance ran according to plan. I have to say it did feel like a rehearsal, considering this was the first time they had performed the production since May; they were on a new stage with several new cast members and had to content with wind, showers, tourists shouting, bells tolling, boats passing and dogs barking. It was most definitely a learning experience.

With the first performance over we had to quickly strike our set and clear up as another performance was on the stage at 3pm, This was not ideal and it was an enormous effort to get packed up. With military precision however, the vehicles were loaded, moved and parked and we looked for somewhere in Stratford to relax for a few hours before returning to The Dell for the second performance.

Fortunately the weather stayed fine for the rest of the afternoon and evening which made the setting-up process far less stressful. We had more time to sort our costumes, hair and make-up and at 6pm we had a large and supportive audience ready for the opening number. As the cast took to the stage, the afternoon sun lit them beautifully and this performance began strongly.

Ninety minutes later, after a successful and well received performance, we were clearing away our set for the last time. With all hands on deck, the van was soon loaded and what felt like one of the longest days of my life, was finally drawing to a close.

It was certainly a very memorable experience for all involved for lots of reasons. The cast of young actors will have learnt so much about touring a production, working outdoors and rejuvenating an original concept into something quite different. As the director and organiser I too have learnt a great deal from the experience and although exhausting, it was rewarding and worthwhile. I was impressed by the cast's adaptability and stamina, not to mention the retention of their lines and stage movements after three months. Simplicity and minimalism are the way forward and if and when I tour again, I will remind myself of those two words. It truly is only the quality of the text of the play and the actors that matter....if both are strong, the rest takes care of itself.

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