Preview: GSC’s Romeo and Juliet

Published on: 15 Jan, 2018
Updated on: 15 Jan, 2018

The screen at Holy Trinity Church used to create Georgian-style cameos.

By Alice Fowler

The magnificent interior of Holy Trinity Church is the backdrop for the Guildford Shakespeare Company’s new production, Romeo and Juliet, which starts next month. Reflecting its setting, Shakespeare’s tale of passionate first love will be set in the Georgian period, when the church was built.

This was a time when women were beginning to find their own voices in a male-dominated world, thanks to figures such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen and Mary Shelley. “Juliet’s determination to find her own happiness amidst a family dominated by her father, and the strict moral codes of upper-class society, will be given a powerful voice within this setting,” says GSC co-founder Matt Pinches.

The production will highlight the beauty of Holy Trinity’s architecture. The black and gold Victorian rood-screen, for example, will be used to create Georgian-style cameos, as well as framing Juliet’s candlelit tomb before the altar. The church’s ecclesiastical spirit will accentuate the play’s themes of duty, passion and sacrifice.

Actress Harriet Thorpe, best known for her roles in Absolutely Fabulous and The Brittas Empire, and films such as Calendar Girls, features as the Nurse. Romeo and Juliet are played by Ricky Oakley and Lucy Pearson, Pearson returning to the company after her 2015 success as Alice in the promenade production of Alice in Wonderland.

Director/designer team Charlotte Conquest and Neil Irish also return to the company following their recent collaboration on GSC’s summer production, The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Joining them are Matt Eaton (Sound Designer) and Peter Harrison (Lighting). Original choral music is composed by Mary McAdam.

Now in their twelfth year, the GSC specialise in creating immersive theatre experiences in non-theatre venues. “The nurturing of new audiences for Shakespeare is at the core of our work,” says Matt Pinches. “This production will be perfect for that, whether they are young or old; whilst still giving seasoned theatre-goers a very special version of this powerful story.”

Romeo and Juliet runs from 2-24 February. See www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk – Box office: 01483 304384.