On the 11^th September 2014, I and other various bloggers and critics from around Cardiff were given the opportunity to meet the new artistic director at the Sherman Rachel O’Riordan whilst she prepares for her first production, Romeo and Juliet.

The director, cast and creative team only have around a month to stage the play. The production promises to stay true to the original story, making light of both the tragic and comedic moments within the text whilst featuring a darker tone.  

The cast features a diverse range of professional actors of all ages, in particular, several who have just graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.  The energy during the rehearsal process was very professional .  However, there was also an enjoyable and creative environment within the space. Many of the ideas for the scene being rehearsed came from the director but they stemmed also from the actors themselves, whether they were about their own character or to advice to their fellow actors. I personally feel that the choice to cast the characters within the play as age appropriate was a good choice and will help to aid the creative process. The play’s theme of conflict between families and miss guidance by peers could possibly be illuminated by a cast who is age appropriate much more clearly. The actors can approach their character’s views and actions of a similar age and possibly from a more appropriate stand point than for example, a person playing a character who is much older than themselves.

For a short time during the rehearsal break, we were able pose questions to Rachel about the play, as well as discussing her own personal style as a director. Rachel as a director throughout the rehearsal time was very hands on with her actors. In particular, Rachel worked with Chris Gordon (Romeo) on a particular scene, focussing on breaking down the language to find deeper meaning. She also encouraged the actors to keep working with the meaning of every line of every scene throughout the rehearsal process to find greater depth within the text.  In my own experience of directing and performing a Shakespearean text, the process of breaking down of scenes and language so that the actor has complete understanding can help bring out the best performances within the actors themselves. This is turn can also be beneficial in helping to aid an audience’s understanding of what some may find a somewhat difficult language to understand.  If the lines within the play are delivered with conviction and appropriate energy by the actors, an audience which may not feel completely comfortable with the language can feel more at ease if the lines themselves are performed well.  The fact that Rachel seemed so well in tune with the text, not only approaching it with a modern perspective but focussing on some of the more Elizabethan themes within it showed a great level of understanding and research which without doubt will help to create a well-rounded and relevant version of the play.

Just from the initial rehearsal process, Rachel O’Riordan production promises to be an captivating version of the classic text that’s not to be missed for anyone who has an interest in Shakespeare. I look forward to seeing the final production and approaching my review from the stand point of seeing the text develop.

The play will run from the 2nd till the 18th of October. Below are links to both the Sherman’s ticket page as well as more information on the event, and a short trailer for the production itself

http://www.shermancymru.co.uk/performance/literature/romeo-juliet/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voV8KASpJJ4