[Cathryn]

Am I the only one starting to wonder where this has got to? Anyway, I was up in Stratford for my annual Shakepeare indulgence this weekend, and asked.

Apparently member bookings open on 19 October, so the brochure should be out any minute now.

I believe it in includes King Lear and Matilde (Roald Dahl)

[Duncan]

All the details are here, released last Wednesday:

http://www.rsc.org.uk/press/420_8861.aspx

[Lynette]

So Hamlet? It looks like it is going to be for yoof..like anyone under 18 can't take the real thing, eh? Have I read this right? Prone to misreading lately

If Hamlet in Stratford, then who will play him? Looking forward to another contest then: Rory Kinnear in the Blue corner for the National and ? in the Red Corner for the RSC.

[Duncan]

So Hamlet? It looks like it is going to be for yoof..like anyone under 18 can't take the real thing, eh? Have I read this right? Prone to misreading lately

If Hamlet in Stratford, then who will play him? Looking forward to another contest then: Rory Kinnear in the Blue corner for the National and ? in the Red Corner for the RSC.

Previous YPS productions have been pitched at primary level schoolchildren:

http://www.rsc.org.uk/onstage/plays/7301.aspx

So perhaps a 3-hour Hamlet is not the ideal introduction to Shakespeare for audiences that young.

[Lynette]

Previous YPS productions have been pitched at primary level schoolchildren:

http://www.rsc.org.uk/onstage/plays/7301.aspx

So perhaps a 3-hour Hamlet is not the ideal introduction to Shakespeare for audiences that young.

So interesting, Duncan. I'm not the one to say that primary kids can't understand or appreciate Shakespeare - on the contrary, I believe in exposure at a very young age! But not Hamlet. Macbeth, yes, any of the comedies probably and the later plays maybe too but Hamlet ? Dunno.
Still the Big Q - who will play Hamlet? Even more of challenge to primary level children I should think.

[Jan Brock]

So interesting, Duncan. I'm not the one to say that primary kids can't understand or appreciate Shakespeare - on the contrary, I believe in exposure at a very young age! But not Hamlet. Macbeth, yes, any of the comedies probably and the later plays maybe too but Hamlet ? Dunno.
Still the Big Q - who will play Hamlet? Even more of challenge to primary level children I should think.

Re "exposure", that reminded me, I saw the Douglas Hodge / Deborah Warner "Coriolanus" somewhere or other in an audience full of teenage schoolgirls. When we got to the "show us your wounds bit" Hodge stood on a packing crate and stripped naked. Got a big laugh from the audience which lasted about 15 minutes.

[Weez]

So interesting, Duncan. I'm not the one to say that primary kids can't understand or appreciate Shakespeare - on the contrary, I believe in exposure at a very young age! But not Hamlet. Macbeth, yes, any of the comedies probably and the later plays maybe too but Hamlet ? Dunno.
Still the Big Q - who will play Hamlet? Even more of challenge to primary level children I should think.

I don't see why not; The Lion King has never posed any real problems.

[Jan Brock]

R3 used to be a regular, and the production that was used in The Histories was from, when, 2002 or something?

No, Boyd did two totally different productions of it for his original Henry VI cycle compared with the Histories. Strange, but true.

[Lynette]

The brochure arrived this morning. Some interesting ins and outs: Boyd rather than Bailey doing A&C (the JC really wasn't very good), thin pickings for Kelly Hunter (her Hermione was the weak link in an otherwise exemplary WT), big roles for Kathryn Hunter (Fool, Cleopatra) (she was stupendous in Grain Store), bizarre casting for R&J (Troughton and Gale, both good, both too old, and in the case of Gale a strange step back career-wise).

The Lear looks robust and seaworthy, although I doubt it'll amaze. A&C has the whiff of set work, but the casting is very strong. R&J will presumably be something more radical than the dutiful production from last winter.

What's strange is that it's two plays done very recently (R&J nine months ago, A&C three years ago in the last season in the old main house with Patrick Stewart and Harriet Walter) and a Lear, all (loosely) tragedies. No comedies, apart from the limited runs of the WT and AYL from this season. Add how long a shadow is The Histories going to case before they have another run at the plays: R3 used to be a regular, and the production that was used in The Histories was from, when, 2002 or something?

So your post is ok then? My brochure not arrived. So thanks for the heads up , I can start thinking about it. I agree Gale as Juliet..hmm there must a thousand good young actresses out there ready for this role. I like Kathryn Hunter so ok there. Sounds a bit of a glum season ...am I wrong?