Pendley Open Air Shakespeare Festival

Infobox Theatre
name = Pendley Open Air Shakespeare Festival


caption =
address = Cow Lane,
Tring,
Herts. HP23 5QY
city =
country = UK
designation = Pendley Manor Grade II*
latitude = 51.7965
longitude = -0.6350
architect = Pendley Manor John Lion
owner = Craydawn Pendley Manor
capacity = Glade Stage circa 1,200 seats Garden Stage 650 seats
type =
opened = 1949
yearsactive =
rebuilt =
closed =
othernames =
production = Festival
currentuse =
website = www.pendleyshakespearefestival.co.uk

The Pendley Open Air Shakespeare Festival is, as the name implies, an annual festival dedicated to the plays of William Shakespeare. It takes place at the beginning of August at [http://www.pendley-manor.co.uk Pendley Manor] , an hotel in Tring, Hertfordshire.

History

The first official festival took place in 1949 with a production of "King Henry VIII", although there had been less formal presentations in the two preceding years. In 1954, the festival took its current format, when a second production was added.

The credit for the festival's initiation must go to Dorian Williams. Williams was a popular sports commentator for the BBC, especially expert in Show-Jumping. Pendley Manor was his family home (it only became a hotel in later years) and he helped oversee the development of part of the house into an adult education centre. The drama group that met in the centre performed the first, non-official festival in 1947 and Williams himself often acted and directed in the early festivals.

Past Productions

1947 Scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream & King Richard II 1948 "If music be the food of love..." Famous scenes 1949 King Henry VIII. The first Festival 1950 Falstaff ...combining the many scenes from Henry IV 1951 Twelfth Night 1952 The Tempest 1953 Romeo and Juliet 1954 Julius Caesar & A Midsummer Night's Dream 1955 Macbeth & As You Like It 1956 King Henry V & The Merry Wives of Windsor 1957 King John & Twelfth Night 1958 King Lear & A Midsummer Night's Dream 1959 King Henry VIII & The Merchant of Venice 1960 King Richard II & The Taming of the Shrew 1961 As You Like It & The Winter's Tale 1962 Much Ado About Nothing & Macbeth 1963 Othello & The Merry Wives of Windsor 1964 Romeo and Juliet & Twelfth Night 1965 Love's Labour's Lost & The Tempest 1966 King Lear & A Midsummer Night's Dream 1967 Anthony and Cleopatra & The Taming of the Shrew 1968 King Richard III & The Comedy of Errors 1969 Much Ado About Nothing & The Winter's Tale 1970 Twelfth Night & The Merchant of Venice 1971 As You Like It & King Richard II 1972 Love's Labour's Lost & The Merry Wives of Windsor 1973 Hamlet & A Midsummer Night's Dream 1974 Romeo and Juliet & The Comedy of Errors 1975 The Tempest & King Henry IV; part II 1976 Twelfth Night & King Henry V 1977 The Taming of the Shrew & Julius Caesar 1978 The Winter's Tale & As You Like It 1979 Much Ado About Nothing & Macbeth 1980 Love's Labour's Lost & The Merry Wives of Windsor 1981 The Merchant of Venice & Two Gentlemen of Verona 1982 A Midsummer Night's Dream & King Henry IV; part I 1983 Twelfth Night & Romeo and Juliet 1984 Much Ado About Nothing & The Tempest 1985 King Richard III & The Taming of the Shrew 1986 As You Like It & King Lear 1987 Macbeth & A Midsummer Night's Dream 1988 No Festival 1989 The Merchant of Venice 1990 The Merry Wives of Windsor 1991 Romeo and Juliet & The Comedy of Errors 1992 King Henry VIII & A Midsummer Night's Dream 1993 The Tempest & Twelfth Night 1994 As You Like It & King Henry V 1995 Much Ado About Nothing & King Richard III 1996 Two Gentlemen of Verona & The Merchant of Venice 1997 The Taming of the Shrew & Macbeth 1998 Love's Labour's Lost & Twelfth Night 1999 Romeo and Juliet & A Midsummer Night's Dream 2000 The Comedy of Errors & The Tempest 2001 Much Ado About Nothing & King Henry V 2002 The Taming of the Shrew & Macbeth 2003 Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives & The Winter's Tale 2004 A Midsummer Night's Dream & Twelfth Night 2005 Much Ado About Nothing & Romeo and Juliet 2006 The Comedy of Errors & King Lear 2007 As You Like It & The Tempest 2008 Twelfth Night & The Merchant of Venice

tages

The Glade Stage

The majority of Productions prior to 2001 were given on what became known as The Glade Stage, a natural raised stage in the grounds of the Manor, west-facing, flanked by two magnificent 100ft high Canadian Firs. Dramatic entrances made on horse back down the glade were common.

The Formal Stage

A second natural raised stage, facing south was used in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1970, 1980 and 1981. This stage had a backdrop of Yew hedges, characters would make their entrances and exits through gaps between the hedges.

Rose Garden

In 1989 during the conversion of the Manor House into a Hotel, a production of The Merchant of Venice was presented raised above the Rose Garden, on the south side of the Manor, with the Manor itself as a backdrop.

The Garden Stage

In 2001, a swimming pool and leisure centre were added to the Hotel. The electricity that this facility drew from the substation, compromised the power available for the Festival. This compromise, alongside increased demand for the Hotel's wedding facilities located close to the Glade Stage, meant the Festival had to be both downsized in terms of its power requirements, and also relocated away from the wedding facilities. The Garden Stage sits in front of a leafy bank, alongside the Rose Garden, and the seating stand is placed on the tennis courts. Although this smaller, more intimate stage, may lack some of the grandeur of the larger stages, it doesn't lack any of the magic!

Current Status

The festival has continued to grow in popularity, becoming one of the most significant amateur Shakespeare festivals in England. The festival saw record attendances in 2004 when it staged "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Twelfth Night", two of the most popular plays in the Shakespeare canon.

This year's productions (August 2008) will be "Twelfth Night" and "The Merchant of Venice".

The current Artistic Director of the Festival is Sarah Branston. Director of Drama at Reigate Grammar School, she is also an excellent director of Shakespeare; visionary and dramatic. Her productions (Twelfth Night - 1998, Romeo and Juliet - 1999, Henry V - 2001, The Winter's Tale - 2003, A Midsummer Night's Dream - 2004 and King Lear - 2006) are considered by regular festival-goers to be amongst the finest in the history of the event. Sarah will direct the 2008 production of The Merchant of Venice. Her parents, John and Jennie Branston, actually met at a festival over thirty years ago and have been attending ever since. John often directs productions and both John and Jennie frequently play small, character roles.

External links

Official sites

* [http://www.pendleyshakespearefestival.co.uk Official Festival Website]
* [http://www.pendley-manor.co.uk Pendley Manor Hotel Website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/entertainment/pendley_shakespeare_festival/ BBC Mini-site]