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criticsofcolour · 6 years

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The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare’s Globe [Adanna Oji @AdannaOji]

It is always an event to watch a production at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre where audience alike are thrust into the unpredictability of open air theatre. Whether it be random boeing chinooks flying over-head or the odd pigeon using part of the set as a nest; the audience are in the thick of it in full view of one another with nowhere to hide. All that many theatre's seek to mitigate against; the Globe encourage us all to embrace and enjoy as an integral part of the experience.

And this is, certainly, something the cast from The Winter's Tale advocated, providing us with laughter whilst consistently blurring the fourth wall with enthusiastic interactions with the audience- which, of course, we all relished.

The Winter's Tale, one of Shakespeare's later plays, centres around King of Sicilia, Leontes (played by Will Keen ) and his un- explainable descent in a furious and paranoid psychosis as he convinces himself that his wife is having and affair with his childhood friend Polixenes, the King of Bohemia (played by Oliver Ryan). In order to punish his wife, the King sets in motion actions which have irrevocable consequences and fracture the kingdom to its core.

Sicilia and Bohemia are fictional Kingdoms and it was an interesting the choice of director Blanche McIntyre to have Bohemia depicted as a rural, off the grid, living in the sticks sort of an environment as opposed to indulging, as oft many productions do, in an other worldly fantastical land. This is in stark contrast to the elegant royal attire worn by the court of Sicilia. Their clothes were reminiscent of 19th Century Russian and Mongolian inspired traditional clothes. Though I appreciate the pared down aspect of Bohemia and the costume choices for the two separate Kingdoms; the contrast was confusing, with the inhabitants of Bohemia and Sicilia appearing to look like they were from different centuries rather than lands.

The cast for this production were very strong. Though some stood out more than others, each actor held their own on stage and their voices rang clear within the difficult acoustics of the auditorium. With female dominant cast; I was impressed to see that women performed roles traditionally given to men. Perhaps this was a subversive nod towards the ancient tradition of all roles being performed by men in England century's before? Either way, it was a welcome element of the production.

Will Keen as King Leontes had a way speaking of Shakespeare that was incredibly comprehensive without losing it's poetic quality. Allowing even those most novice to Shakespearean text, which can be quite a turgid and superfluous language to get to grips with, access to understand and relate to it more. The twist and turns of Keen's emotions as well comedic timing brought out beautiful complexities within the character of King Leontes that could so easily be missed and over looked.

Sirine Saba confident portrayal of Pauline was arresting. A bold, astute character with equal stubbornness to rival that of King Leontes, Saba allowed Pauline to be a woman of fire, love and grace simultaneously.

Other notably mentions Howard Ward as Antigonus , the loving father of three who risks his life to save a child and Rose Wardlaw who played multiple roles including the young prince Mamillius and was able to switch between masculine and feminine roles with authentic ease.

Priyanga Burford declared her innocence as Queen Hermione with brave and admirable defiance. A decoration that reminded me of a speech that Queen Anne Boylen gave at court to her husband Henry 8th when she too were on trial for a similar accusation. And when Hermione reveals herself to the King, Burford brings forth a poignant, emotional reconciliation.

Looking around at the audience I was pleased to see a beautiful pebble dash array of ethnicities in pit and the stalls. It is encouraging to see that the Globe are actively working at enriching their audience diversity. Yet the same cannot be said about the casting of the show. It was a shame to not see that diversity reflected in the on stage. If were not for Priyanga Burford the cast would have been solely white - including the and live band who serenaded us also.

As we clapped to the music and dance provided by the cast at the end of the show (which was followed by well deserved rapturous applause) it struck me as being a sadly missed opportunity for this production to use this great stage to authentically reflect the multicultural city it is performing to and in.

Shakespeare is still seen as being a white bourgeoisie canonical text; to be appreciated by a certain echelon of society. Having a predominantly white cast and crew serves to reinforce this rather than confront, challenge and change it.

Moving forward, I hope the newly appointed Artistic Director of the Globe, Michelle Terry strives to bridge the diversity gap and creates an environment that is inclusive for POC both on and off the stage.

Adanna Oji As well as being an expert in hill rolling (race against her and you will lose!) Adanna Oji is a writer, actress, voice over artist and documentary maker. Her work includes working with HBO, The BFI, National Theatre Wales, The United Nations and Theatre Royal Stratford East. // www.adannaoji.com // TWITTER: @AdannaOji INSTAGRAM: @Ojiwan_Kenobi

Title of show: The Winter's Tale Venue: Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Dates the show is on: 27-29 July 2018 Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Blanche McIntyre Producer: Matilda James Design: Designer- James Perkins, Costume Supervisor - Natalie Pryce, Head of Wardrobe - Megan Cassidy, Had of Wigs, Hair & Make-up - Pam Humpage, Carpenter - Brendan McSherry, Scenic Artists - Emily Carne + Mat Ducasse, Costume Makers - Joanna Close +Helen Dyer Greece's + Charles Hanrahan + Alison Kirkpatrick +Aislinn Luton + Emily Staar + Rachel Thomas Technical: Head of Production - Wills, Company Manager - Marion Marrs, Production Manager - Fay Powell-Thomas, Stage Manager - Ian Farmery, Props Manager - Katy Brooks, Venue Technicians - Gemma Hayter + Assad Jan Cast members: Old Shepherd - Annette Badland, Emilia/Cleomenes/Mopsa - Zora Bishop, Camillo - Adrian Bower, Hermione - Priyanga Burford, Autolycus - Becci Gemmell, Leontes - Will Keen, Pereira - Norah Lopez-Holden, Florizel - Luke MacGregor, Clown - Jordan Metcalfe, Polixenes - Oliver Ryan, Paulina - Sirine Saba, Antigonus - Howard Ward, Mamillius/Time/Dion/Dorcas - Rose Wardlaw Running time: 3hrs 0mins

#The Winter's Tale #Shakespeare's Globe #Adanna Oji #Critics of Colour

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criticsofcolour · 6 years

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Critics of Colour in 2019 (and hopefully beyond)

Last week, two thirds of the Critics of Colour team went to see The Convert at the Young Vic. The play—a blistering exploration of faith and family, anchored by great performances and stunning set design—feels like a parable about change. Is change possible, the play seems to ask? Can we change not only ourselves, but also the people and structures around us? How much change do said structures have on the way we try to enact change, whether we accept them or not?

Change has always been a key component of the reasons why Sabrina, Georgia and I decided to come together and set up Critics of Colour. Misty, the play that changed everything, was the catalyst for us to attempt to change a theatre industry that for so long has felt deeply reluctant to shift in even the slightest of ways. 2018 has been a beautiful year for so many theatre lovers who value a diversity in the voices and the stories on our stages, but, as ever, the standard critical voice has often been deeply frustrating for so many.

There have been more plays by and ‘for’ (whatever that means) people of colour than ever before. However to put it bluntly, what hasn’t changed much over the past year are the type of people reviewing this work. If anything, the greater diversity on our stages has made the lack of diversity in our theatre publications more and more frustrating.

Critics of Colour received an amazing reaction when we launched in April—one that, if I’m honest, I was wholly unprepared for. The barrage of emails and the pull between people, press officers, tickets, and Tumblr were far more than any of us anticipated. If we’re honest, the three of us had relatively straightforward aims: 1) get some free tickets, 2) send people of colour to see some shows, and 3) publish the reviews on our blog.

Simple, right? Not so much.

As [the months went by we found ourselves thinking more and more deeply about Critics of Colour, and wondering if the relatively limited yield we were putting out into the world was enough. It’s been a while, but thanks to the help of some long chats between ourselves and with some lovely, helpful people in the industry (you know who you are), we’ve come to a conclusion. Is Critics of Colour, in its original incarnation, enough? It wasn’t. It isn’t. But soon? We’re hoping the changes we make will be.

So, some news. If it hasn’t been obvious, Critics of Colour has gone, and is going quiet for a few months. There are lots of reasons behind this, but the main one is that we’ve realised that the changes we want to make? They’re much, much bigger and bolder than we first imagined. We don’t only want to publish a few reviews from people of colour on a blog. We don’t even necessarily want to gather non-white writers and help to get them writing for major outlets, or force the white, middle class theatre establishment to consider writers of colour to be ‘as good as’ the big names who have commandeered British theatre writing, often for decades. We want more than change—we want the standard critical voice that reviews British theatre to get flipped on its head, and we want to try to question the very nature of what a review can and should be.

Instead of writers of colour deemed ‘just as good’, we want new voices—from working class, disabled, female, and queer POC backgrounds—to be seen as what they are: necessary. I believe this industry won’t survive if we don’t change the way theatre journalism is seen. Instead of tension-filled take-downs or basic ‘go and watch this’ promo, reviews should always aim to expand conversations about a production, and entice the many people in this country who don’t consider themselves regular theatergoers to jump face first into the magic of the stage. To try and help this along, we will be spending the next few weeks and months applying for various things, doing call-outs for people to get involved, and reaching back into our networks, and making offers to the many amazing writers who have written for us already.

On that note, we’d like to express our massive and overwhelming thanks to everyone who has supported us this year, as well as everyone who offered us tickets or who sat us down for meeting and interviews.

Most importantly, thank you also to the many people of colour who took a risk and sent their writing over to us to publish on the Critics of Colour blog: Marianne Tatepo, Ava Wong Davies, Fabia Turner, Abi McIntosh, Sarudzayi Marufu, Nkechinyere Nwobani-Akanwo, Saalene Sivaprased, Youness Bouzinab, JN Benjamin, Jamel Alatise,Casey Spence, Lucy Chau Lai-Tuen, Mia Georgis, Pearl Esfahani, Nina Reece, Darrel Blake, Naomi Joseph, Roberta Wiafe, Adanna Oji, Jude Yawson, Shamima Noor, and Jamal Simon. Thank you for your words. When we know for certain what is happening next, and what specifically we can do for you, you will be the first people we tell.

This is a statement of intent, but also one of promise. To everyone who’s been so supportive in ways both big and small, see you in the Spring! and we hope to be telling you about some exciting news then.

All our best,

Bridget, Sabrina and Georgia

[email protected]

#Critics of Colour #criticsofcolour

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