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The Attic Players

A Tale of the Unexpected

International Shakespeare Master Class directed by Michael Bogdanov
Monday October 27th – Saturday November 1st, 2008.

If anyone had told me as I set out for Belgium that by the end of the week I would be tap dancing to “To be or not to be”, would I have believed it? Read on! Lots of “firsts” lay ahead – a trip on Eurostar and a week’s Master Class with one of theatre’s undoubted “greats”, just two of the reasons for apprehension. I needn’t have worried. Eurostar was smooth, efficient and comfortable and Michael Bogdanov was a joy.

Fourteen participants from Wales, England, Slovenia and Belgium worked together all week, challenged to make Shakespeare more accessible to modern audiences. At first we practised reading the iambic pentameter with Michael explaining its intricacies extremely clearly. But, just think, for nearly half the group English was not the first language! Our admiration for their skills knew no bounds. We had great fun trying our hands at writing our own iambic pentameter and translating the “To be or not to be” soliloquy into modern language.

Michael’s knowledge of the texts and the stories behind them is awe-inspiring, but he is also easy to talk to, offering practical solutions to problems.

After the initial text work, Michael decided to concentrate on that one speech from Hamlet and approach it in as many different ways as possible. We were divided up and encouraged to play around with various scenarios. So, eventually, “To be” was presented in a Flemish art gallery, a Welsh debating chamber, a pre-war washhouse and as a highly charged Slovenian love triangle.

As if that were not enough, we also produced a rap, choral pieces (both sung and spoken), a tap dance and modern soliloquies in Glaswegian, Slovenian and Dutch.

To round off the end-of-week performance, Michael wrote an amusing sketch depicting Shakespeare struggling with “To be or not to be”, while being heckled by Kit (punch-drunk) Marlowe, Francis Bacon and the Earl of Oxford. Michael’s attention to detail was illustrated superbly by the precision with which the final performance was put together.

Thanks must go to the organisers at Opendoek – the Belgian DAW. Our master class was just a small part of the Landuweel Festival. The hostel was filled with puppeteers, storytellers and youth groups, all inspiringly committed to theatre. We were made extremely welcome and it was fascinating to hear how amateur theatre works in Belgium and Slovenia. A great group of thesps.

The accommodation was basic, but warm. If our shower had produced more than a trickle, it would have added to our comfort, but we were well fed. Ghent is a beautiful city. Our timetable meant that we were working until 10pm., but I did some sightseeing before the morning session. The beer is great and the youngsters managed to entertain themselves well after hours!

The Tinnenpot theatre was an amazing building with some 9 separate performance spaces, including one set out like a big top, the most ornate chandelier I have ever seen and the hugest mirror.

Thank you so much DAW for allowing me to attend, to fellow actors for brilliant week, and especially to Michael for his patience, inspiration and humour and thanks for advice on the tap dance. Look out for the DVD!!

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