“Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!”
King Lear, Act 3, Scene 2
A fierce wind and strong swell had turned the Atlantic into a rollercoaster and when the troupe made landfall on the Isles of Scilly, several members felt rather wobbly and looked a little green around the gills.
The life of a touring actor is not always glitz and glamour but the first ever visit of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) to Scilly – to perform King Lear – got off to a particularly rocky start.
“It was a rough crossing,” said Oliver Senton, who plays Lear, as the 15-strong cast and crew recovered on the harbourside of St Mary’s, the largest of the islands, 30 miles off the south-west coast of mainland Britain.
“We’re more used to being in a van or train when we’re going place to place. But it’s wonderful to be here, breaking territory, bringing theatre to new places.”
Might he tap into this stormy weather for the famous scene in which Lear rages against the storm? “Well, I’d say the storm for Lear is inside him – the weather is a reflection of his feelings,” Senton said. “But when you do a great play like this, you start to see echoes of it everywhere – in things you’re watching and reading and what people say to you, even in the rain and wind.”
The show is a pared-down version of King Lear – about a third of the full-length – mainly aimed at young people and their families.
Backed by a grant from Arts Council England, the idea is to take it to audiences who may not usually have access to world-class Shakespearean actors.
Ahead of the tour, director Justine Themen travelled around England, asking young people from Blackpool to Norwich what was on their minds.
“They said they were concerned political leaders weren’t listening, especially around the climate crisis, and they were concerned with relationships with leaders in their own lives – parents and teachers,” said Themen. “All issues of justice, really.”
Lear seemed the best play to dig into such themes.
Themen said there were “Lear-like” leaders in the world acting in an autocratic way and not engaging with the needs and wants of their modern kingdoms.
Lear’s storm seemed a good way to think about the climate crisis, and the youngsters were drawn to the idea of the king asking his daughters to spell out how much they loved him. “They were fascinated by that.”
The storm meant the visit to Scilly was delayed by a day and, once they were there, the logistical challenges were many, including getting the troupe to and from their various B&Bs scattered throughout the island.
There was an anxious wait as their props were unloaded from the ferry and transported to the Five Islands Academy, where the RSC players were putting on four shows in the school hall.
But everything fell into place and the first show, watched mostly by adult islanders (though some children also attended), was warmly received.
In this re-imagining, the tragic ending is softened when the king’s Fool tells the audience to challenge leaders if they do not approve of what they are doing.
Asked to shout out how they could do to make things better, Hattie, 11, called: “Work as a team”. Later she said she had liked the play, though found the blinding of Gloucester scary.
Jeremy Brown, creative director for Culture on Scilly, was emotional at the final curtain. “To bring this quality of work to this little corner of the world is unreal and, I think, life changing for all of us,” he said.
Rachel Lewin, the headteacher of Five Islands Academy, agreed. “It was so powerful,” she said. “There’s nothing like live Shakespeare. You can study it, as we do, and watch the films, but there’s nothing like being in the room with the raw emotion.”
As well as Scilly, the production is being taken to schools and community venues on the Isle of Wight and in cities including Southampton and Peterborough. RSC creative assistants also go into schools to work with pupils on the play.
Jacqui O’Hanlon, RSC director of creative learning and engagement, said access to arts in schools was at a crossroads after years of erosion – but culture was all the more vital as a was a way of people understanding each other better. “We need a society able to disagree agreeably.”
After the performance, Nkhanise Phiri, who played the Fool, was beaming. She had begun the day clinging to the arms of her seat on the Scilly ferry as it lurched, trying to pretend it was a fun rollercoaster. But it had been worth it.
“It’s really important to bring Shakespeare to areas like this and make it accessible. It feels different being on an island. You’re aware of the water, the rain, nature. You have to adjust to each space, each audience. It’s a challenge – but good.”