Private School News

All female cast in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

On 2 December, a production of the world’s most famous love story, performed by an all female cast, took place in the brand new Parabola Arts’ Centre at Cheltenham Ladies’ College. Girls from Year 8 through to Year 13 took part in the production over three nights.

Dr Joanna Bratten, Director of the Extra-Curricular, Enrichment and External Programmes and Teacher of English, started work on the production in June and girls have rehearsed for twelve weeks since the beginning of term in September. Antonia Tootill and Hannah Beer, who played Romeo and Juliet, rehearsed nearly 150 hours in preparation for the production. They were supported by a cast of 36 other girls, a crew of five and a stage manager.

The production was minimalistic and stylised: not set in any particular historical period but not modern either. The exciting technical possibilities at the new Parabola Arts Centre allowed for the creation of a moody and dramatic lighting design. Thanks to the intimate space of the auditorium, the audience had an intense experience.

‘A Shakespeare play with a single-sex cast is always interesting because it is reminiscent of the original performance conditions, but challenging because audiences of today find it harder to engage with’, said Dr Bratten. ‘The girls in the production have worked incredibly hard and achieved something very special with this production. They have been incredibly generous and creative throughout the process which has made directing this production a great deal of fun. I always love directing Shakespeare because of the sheer brilliance of the language and the satisfaction that comes from making words that are over 400 years old seem so fresh’.

Photo:Antonia Tootill and Hannah Beer