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Description
We think it's very important for you all to have some experience of how A Midsummer Night's Dream has been staged, and so we're going to show you a series of video recordings from different product...ions. Of course, what we'd really like to do is take you all to the theatre to see several different performances, but we can't. Still, this is the next best thing, and we'll also give you the chance to hear what audiences have thought about this well loved play. What do you think a fairy should look like? It's this question perhaps more than any other, which has to be answered by the production team staging this play. [T]his section of the video is going to concentrate on the way actors can create radically different interpretations of a Shakespearean role. We'd also like you to think about a more practical point, which is often neglected by audiences as well as academics, the casting process. In the next section graduates of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art return to hear the views of a very experienced television and theatre performer. Best known in Britain for playing in situation comedy in the nineteen seventies and eighties, Richard Briers returned lo classical theatre as Malvolio for the Renaissance Theatre Company. We can explore the similarities in performance between classical theatre and popular comedy by seeing Twelfth Night as a situation comedy of its day.
Metadata describing this Open University video programme
Module code and title: AA306, Shakespeare: Text and Performance
Item code: AA306; VC02
Recording date: 1998-10
Published: 1998
Rights Statement: Rights owned or controlled by The Open University
Restrictions on use: This material can be used in accordance with The Open University conditions of use. A link to the conditions can be found at the bottom of all OUDA web pages.
Duration: 01:33:05
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Producer: Jenny Bardwell
Contributors: Jonathan Miller; Alex Jennings; Penny Rixon; Helen Mirran; Rachel Kavanaugh; Ian Talbot; Peter Brook; Norman Rodway; Stella Gonet; Desmond Barrit; Adrian Noble; Toby Jones; Derek Deadman; Derek Jacobi; Ian McKellan; Fiona Shaw; Wendy Spon; Jerry Brotton
Publisher: Open University
Subject terms: Monarchy in literature; Characters and characteristics in literature; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Characters--Kings and rulers; Richard II, King of England, 1367-1400--Drama; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Twelfth night; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. King Richard II; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Midsummer night's dream; Malvolio (Fictitious character from Shakespeare); Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Malvolio
Footage description: Footage from The Ninagawa company's 1995 performance of "A Midsummers Night's Dream". Royal Shakespeare company's 1970 performance of "A Midsummer night's dream". Royal Shakespeare company's 1994 performance of "A Midsummer night's dream". Penelope Rixon backstage at Regents Park open air theatre to front of the stage. View of theatre from stage (0'46"-1'45") B/w stills - Mr Murray Carrington as Oberon. Princess's (5 fairies). Group of fairies with detail of boots and shovel. Men/women fairy costumes. Toyah Wilcox as Puck. Robert Land as Bottom and Harriet Thorpe as Titania. Toyah Wilcox as Puck. Fairy's legs in kneehighs holding a bucket. Fairy and tree (1'46"-2'06") Regent Park open air theatre: vox pops. Audience taking their places panning to stage (2'07"-2'56") B/w still Vivien Leigh as Titania. Jonathan Miller speaking interspersed with B/w still man/women in elaborate fairy costume. Footage of Helen Mirran as Titania in BBC production. Toyah Wilcox as Puck with other fairies. Rachel Kavanaugh with back to stage which is being prepared by stage hands. Regent 's park open air theatre:vox pops. Ian Talbot speaking (2'57"-5'19") Footage from the Peter Brook 1970 RSC's performance of "A Midsummer night's dream" interspersed with Peter Brook speaking and Jonathan Miller speaking (5'20"-10'35") Still of Peter Brook. Shot of the moon panning to the Almeida theatre. Rehearsal sequence of Jonathan Miller's production of "A Midsummer night's dream". Ian Talbot speaking. B/w still of Puck : Oberon with juice and Titania: Titania. Ian Talbot. Jonathan Miller. Stills of Actors on stage, toy dog on wheel, man holding branch, Leonard Fenton as Starveling: 5 actors one with asses head in hand: 6 actors on stage: Haydn Gwynne as Helen on swing. Footage from Adrian Noble's RSC 1994 production of "A Midsummer night's dream" interspersed with Adrian Nobel speaking (10'36"-17'35") White parasol panning across the stage at the Regent park open air theatre, with actor wearing a donkey head (Bottom). Stills of Bottom from various production. Actor wearing donkey head. Ian Talbot. Stills of Bottom. Rachel Kavanaugh speaking with stage in background. Stills from various productions of "A Midsummer night's dream". Ian Talbot (17'36"-19'33") Toby Jones speaking. Still from Miller production. Toby Jones interspersed with Jonathan Miller in rehearsal sequence (19'34"-25'48") Footage of the Ninagawa company's 1995 production of "A Midsummer night's dream". Ian Talbot. Still of Toby Jones as Flute. Toby Jones (25'49"-29'34") Poster outside the Regent park open air theatre, panning across bush to Penelope Rixon looking at a poster, theatre entrance in background. Penelope Rixon walks behind bush. Ian Talbot. penelope Rixon walks in backstage area. Poster of the production panning to entrance. Female at ticket office window of the Regent park open air theatre (29'35"-31'35") Footage of BBC production of Richard II:1970:1978 and NVC Arts illuminations production of Richard II. Stills of various actors as Richard II (31'36"-33'34") 4 framed pictures panning to Wendy Spon. Still of Fiona Shaw (33'35"-34'59") Footage of Fiona Shaw as Richard II. Jerry Brotton speaking. Still Richard Pasco. Jerry Brotton. Wendy Spon. Stills (35'00"-37'09") Fiona Shaw talking interspersed with Fiona Shaw as Richard II. Footage from the 1978 and 1970 BBC productions (37'10"-38'41") Jerry Brotton. Footage from Ian McKellan's version of Richard II. BBC's 1970 production. Jerry Brotton Footage of Fiona Shaw as Richard II. Jerry Brotton. (38'42"- 45'19") Footage of Ian McKellan as Richard II. Jerry Brotton (45'20"-47'07") Footage of Derek Jacobi in Richard II. Jerry Brotton. Footage of Ian McKellan in production of Richard II. Fiona Shaw in production of Richard II. Fiona Shaw. Fiona Shaw in production of Richard II (47'08"-51'52") Jerry Brotton interspersed with footage of Fiona Shaw in production of Richard II. Fiona Shaw. Footage of Fiona Shaw in a production of Richard II. Jerry Brotton (51'53"-55'26") Footage of Ian McKellan in Richard II. Jerry Brotton. Stills from RSC (55'27"-56'38") Wendy Spon. Fiona Shaw. Fiona Shaw in production of Richard II. Ian McKellan in production of Richard II. Jerry Brotton. Fiona Shaw. Fiona Shaw in production of Richard II (56'39"-62'30"). Entrance of RADA female enters building. Graduates enter a room and take seats. Footage of Richard Briers as Malvolio from 12th Night. Richard Briers talking interspersed with footage from 12th Night (63'20"-64'17") Footage from "The good life" and "Ever decreasing circles" (64'17"-65'07"). Footage of Richard Briers as Malvolio interspersed with Richard Briers talking to graduates (65'08"-69'33"). Footage from "The good life" and "Ever decreasing circles" (69'34"-69'57"). Footage of Richard Briers as Malvolio interspersed with Richard Briers talking to graduates (69'58"-86'33"). Footage of Leo Wringer as Orsino and Thusitha Jayasundra as Viola at the young Vic July 1998 (87'14"-92'49").
Production number: FOUA566B
Videofinder number: 5714
Available to public: yes