Ben's Much Ado Blog
By Ben Spiller
HELLO and welcome to the first blog for the Derby LIVE production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, which will run at the Guildhall Theatre from 5 to 21 February.
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My name's Ben Spiller and I'm the assistant director. Each week for the next eight weeks, I'll be keeping you updated on developments throughout rehearsals and the run of performances to offer an insight into the process of creating Derby Live's first home-grown theatre production.
We're only a few days into rehearsals and we've covered a lot of ground already. On Monday, Pete Meakin, the director, outlined the concept of the production, which relocates Shakespeare's play to late August 1965, when British military involvement was continuing in Aden and the women's liberation movement was gathering momentum.
Steven Blakeley (Heartbeat's PC Geoff Younger) and Lizzie Winkler (a regular at the Royal National Theatre and recently seen in Cinderella's Sisters at Derby Guildhall) play Benedick and Beatrice in our production.
Steven and Lizzie were both members of Derby Playhouse Youth Theatre when Pete ran it in the late 1990s.
As such, all three have a lively rapport, mutual respect and strong dynamic that inspires an exciting creativity.
At this stage, we're investigating Shakespeare's text, as adapted by Pete, in meticulous detail by discussing the various possible meanings and selecting the most appropriate meanings for this particular production.
Pete is pointing out literary devices used by Shakespeare and how they affect vocal delivery of the text as Steven and Lizzie read it.
Then the three of them start to play with movement and use of space, while not fixing too many moves yet.
We're all offering our thoughts and opinions on character, motivation and language and there's a real sense of collaboration.
The complex, yet ultimately positive, relationship between Benedick and Beatrice is at the heart of Much Ado; it's for that reason we're focusing exclusively on their moments in the play this week.
We're exploring their shared conversations (duologues) as well as their soliloquies, in which they share their thoughts with individual audience members.
By placing emphasis at this early stage on Benedick and Beatrice, we're laying the emotional foundations of the production.
The rest of the cast will join us next week.
16 Comments
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by Mary, Derby
Thursday, January 15 2009, 3:13PM
“Hi Joanne, I certainly don't want to do battle but that wasn't really my point, my point was that before Christmas we were told the deal was done. True? It's what was in the paper - it was said by Mr Powers and Mr Edwards. After Christmas, we were told this wasn't the case. They were still exploring options for investment. This is not the first time this kind of change has occurred either is it?
Have the creditors received their money?
If there's a plan why can't we see it - why is it all so cloak and dagger? You want a theatre in Derby, that will be run with expertise, knowledge and commitment. Derby LIVE could have done just that and you might have been buying tickets to go back to the Playhouse as I type.”
by Joanne, Derbys
Thursday, January 15 2009, 2:55PM
“BHL- how on earth do you know there are no business plans?! Just because they haven't been publicly announced, doesn't mean they don't exist, or are not viable! You seem to make incredible assumptions, based on pure speculation.
We are all waiting! These things are difficult and take time!!
Oh ye of little faith.....”
by Bleeding Heart Liberal, Derby
Thursday, January 15 2009, 2:06PM
“Joanne - I would suggest that the real difficulty comes from the fact that DPL have illustrated that they are not able to collaborate and manage relationships. They have lost funding, purely down to this. In trying to defend their position they have strung together a series of frankly terrible arguments and excuses. Now, who in their right mind would want to back the scheme? Particularly when there is still no business plan?! STILL! That's the reason why there's a struggle on. And the reason why DPL will fail. Like they have done before.”
by Joanne, Derbys
Thursday, January 15 2009, 11:53AM
“Hi Mary,
Sorry this has to be quick.
To be honest I'm a bit weary of commenting on these stories,
as so much negative speculation from biased
quarters .Perhaps some of these issues should have been adressed long ago- then maybe we wouldn't all be in this mess.
I can understand what you are saying about the confusion and frustration in waiting for decisions to be made public; it does feel very unreal at times, and has gone on for so long.
But, I can only surmise it must be an incerdibly challenging exercise to secure funding for such a high profile and large theatre, completely independently.Also, business transactions are surely sensitive and confidential?
It does seem to have been a process of to ing and fro ing.
but that is hardly surprising, considering the financial and political challenges faced in the past year?
I know it seems endlessly frustrating waiting and wondering- but we are all in the same position.
I do hope we may hear something by the end of Jan.”
by Mary, Derby
Monday, January 12 2009, 3:26PM
“Hi Joanne, what I cannot come to terms with is the way in which we are not being told the whole truth. Before Christmas we were told that the deal had been done with the investment - dotting i's and crossing t's seemed to be the phrase used. We were then told after Christmas that this was not the case at all. At no point in this whole, long drawn out process have there been any plans produced for us to see, after all it's really our theatre - although not now that the lease can just be sold on to the highest bidder. How many times have DPL promised one thing and then promised another?
If there was consistency, honesty and transparency in all of this I might have more sympathy and support for DPL. As I feel I am being consistently hoodwinked and told untruths I am no longer interested. I will be supporting Derby LIVE in the coming months. Of course I want a theatre in Derby, but not at any cost. There has to be some integrity too, both artistically and professionally.”