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PERICLES by William Shakespeare |
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performed by Paul Huntley-Thomas, Andrea Molnar,
Thandisile Jonas, Thando Konkqo, Monde Wani and Melissa Eveleigh. |
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directed and designed by Luke Dixon.
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ancestors are restless. From the shadows of the past a storyteller
comes. He tells of magic and romance; of sudden death and unexpected
life; of gods and magic; of tenderness and debauchery; above all, a
tale of love and reconciliation. This is Pericles. It is an old
story, simply told.
Pericles, one of Shakespeare’s least known plays, is the first of
the great cycle of romances with which ended his career. The
Winter’s Tale and The Tempest followed soon after. Driven
into exile in fear of his life, Pericles finds love and marriage
only to lose both his wife and daughter in a storm at sea. The play
tells the interwoven stories of Pericles (Prince of a town in what
is now Lebanon), his wife Thais and their daughter Marina, as they
become separated and wander from country to country seeking refuge
and asylum. It is only at the close of the play, after enduring much
suffering, that all three are reunited.
This production of 'Pericles' was the result of a two week workshop
project during which performers from Europe and Africa came together
in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, to explore approaches to the
performance of Shakespeare.
The play was performed at the 6th Triennial Congress of
the Shakespeare Society of Southern Africa and as part of the
National Arts Centre in Grahamstown in English but with some Xhosa
translation.
The production was revived as part of a residency at London's
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in September 2004. The residency
also included workshops with student nurses on loss and bereavement,
and with immigrant support staff at the hospital on displacement.
The revived production was subsequently seen at the Dover Roundhouse
and, as part of the Canterbury Festival, at the Theatre Royal
Margate. Paul Huntley-Thomas, Victoria Gillmon, Jim Derek, Lisa
Payne, Mat Spray and Kitty Myers performed the revival.
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