Our Shakespeare Holiday Retreat This Week
On Tuesday 6th October our Shakespeare's Henriad holiday retreat began. We were joined by 9 guests from as far afield as Norfolk, Lancaster, Sowerby Bridge and the Cotswolds, for an exploration of Shakespeare's plays examining an aspect of history from the deposition of Richard II to Henry V's victory at Agincourt. It was one of the most delightful Shakespeare events we have run to date, and here's why...
As usual at A Place to Write, the guests came together as a fantastic community: conversations around our round table were wide-ranging, forthright and fun. The introductory discussion of 'What Shakespeare Means to Me' revealed a group with extremely varied experiences and knowledge of Shakespeare, but a group that shared a common passion. Actors, academics, playgoers, former teachers, and more than one guest whose interest in Shakespeare had been awakened long after school. The welcome dinner on the same evening was a delight and the week's scheduled activities were equally entertaining.
On the morning of the first full day we considered how early modern printing practices created - and defined - the texts we read today. Constructing our own quarto was a particular highlight. This was followed by a brief introduction to our first play - a shared reading of Richard II which engaged and entertained us all, with the roles shared around and often played by more than one 'actor' over the course of the reading. As ever, requests to read specific sequences were fulfilled and the reading stars of the group were permitted to shine, while the whole event was managed to fit the allotted time, allowing for discussion of key points along the way. Although reading a part or parts is optional, once again we found that everyone was willing to participate with enthusiasm, knowing that this was a safe, supportive space in which to explore the often challenging syntax and language.
In the afternoon and evening of that day I shared some of my expertise with the group in two optional sessions: in the first I introduced some of the central principles of Shakespeare's verse, and in the second I shared some of my groundbreaking research into Candlelight at the Blackfriars playhouse, and the way it influenced the construction of Shakespeare's late plays. It was fantastic to discover that one of the guests has been attending a course run by Richard Dutton, whose fabulous 'Shakespeare: Court Dramatist' intersects with some of my own research, and I sent her off with instructions to make him aware of what she had seen and heard!
On Thursday we read Henry IV Pt 1 in the morning, and watched Henry IV Pt 2 in a streamed performance either side of dinner, while the time between these two events was used either for creative exploits inspired by Shakespeare (of which, more anon) or for a walk to the ancient hill-fort opposite our retreat centre - a hill where the historic figure of Owain Glyndwr (who, of course, appears in Shakespeare's plays as Owen Glendower) gathered an army to fight the English. It was curiously satisfying to combine a reading of Shakespeare's somewhat biased description of the man with a brief foray into the history of Glyndwr in this part of Wales. One of his residences was at Glyndyfrdwy (a short drive from us) and his statue stands tall in Corwen town square.
Friday began with our final reading: Henry V, and continued with a workshop exploring tools and tricks for rehearsing a performance of a Shakespearean speech. The combination of acting techniques and practical strategies for making the words your own resulted in a fine performance of a speech from Richard II performed by a guest with no pretensions to the stage, and an initial reticence but growing confidence. The result was electric, and a precursor to the amazing creative contributions shared on Friday evening.
On Friday evening our guests were invited - if they wished to - to share something inspired by Shakespeare that they had created in the week. One guest's personal reflection on their introduction to the Henriad, defining a clear preference for Richard II, was followed by a story from another guest, written as if it were words spoken by a soldier in Henry V's army. The description of the soldier's recruitment and subsequent battle-field experiences was both engaging and moving, with a clear link back to the events of Shakespeare's play. Talks on witches, visual imagery and - fantastically - French attitudes to the Henriad, were rounded off with three superb performances: a speech from Henry V delivered with all the gusto of a professional actor; an improvised personalisation of a key moment in Richard II, which cast a wholly new light on Richard's self-pity, and an imagined diary entry spoken by Katherine a few years after her marriage to Henry V. Every contribution was magnificent not only for the thoughtfulness and creativity which had gone into it, but for the expression of the passion which had emerged on the first evening, and for the celebration they provided of what our Shakespeare Holiday Retreats are all about.
If you have a passion for Shakespeare - whether life-long or more recently discovered - join us on one of our 2027 retreats and bring your own personality and experience to the party. A previous guest once said of her Shakespeare Holiday that it was the most legal fun she had enjoyed in a room with other adults in decades. You too can enjoy a holiday, friendship, intellectual stimulation, and much more by joining our Late Plays, Roman Plays or Tragedies holiday retreats next year. Book now, as they say, to avoid disappointment!
Till next time,
Nic
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