Company Boudin Tours Henry V this Autumn
Bristol-based theatre group Company Boudin has announced a new tour of Shakespeare’s Henry
V, starting next month.
Henry V is one of Shakespeare’s “History Plays” and is the sequel to Henry IV, although
it is often performed as a standalone play in its own right.
The wild Prince Hal in now Henry V, and in
order to play down his wild past and show he is an authoritative ruler he decides to go to war with
France over a dubious claim to French land. This production sees four soldiers take on all the various
parts to retell this story of political dissatisfaction and civil unrest.
Andy Burden, the former artistic director of the Rondo Theatre during its assent to becoming one of
the UK’s most well respected small theatres and whose accolades include Alice Through the Looking
Glass (The Tobacco Factory, Bristol), directs. He decided on the use of just four
characters to tell the story “in a more succinct way … with a more modern pace.”
Also on board are Bristol actors Alex Dunbar (Epitaph), Alan Coveney (Pistol, King of
France), Dan Winter (Dauphin) and Mark Ross who recently spent a season with the RSC.
The Henry V tour starts at Salisbury Arts Centre on 1 October 2011 and ends at The Bike Shed in
Exeter on 22 October. Full tour listings (including dates at Hull Truck) can be found at www.andyburden.com.
– Katherine Graham
