20 Years in 20 Weeks - Looking back to Bard in the Botanics 2006

It’s that time again – Throwback Thursday – and this week, we’re casting our minds back to our 5th anniversary season in 2006!

Although the season had no official “theme”, as the company continued exploring its artistic identity, the 2006 programme saw us produce a programme of work that explored new frontiers & new worlds.

Artistic Director, Gordon Barr, directed our 2 mainstage productions that year – two titles that came from the beginning and end of Shakespeare’s career as a playwright, both of which saw their characters go on significant and literal journeys as they travelled towards their “happy ever after”.

The first title – “The Comedy of Errors” – saw the company turn back time to the swinging 60’s in a production that fully embraced the play’s influence down on the centuries on Whitehall farces & Carry On… films. As design conversations honed in on the play’s farcical essence, so its physical world was distilled down to the very physical essence of farce – doors! A set of several freestanding doors allowed the madcap action to flow across the lawn of the Botanic Gardens as a series of outlandish characters spun through the action of the play (literally, in the case of the revolving doors that were included in the set!)

Donald Pirie (Antipholus of Syracuse) & David Rennie-Fitzgerald (Dromio of Syracuse) in The Comedy of Errors, 2006

The second half of the season saw the company tackle Shakespeare’s late romance – “The Winter’s Tale” – in a beautiful & heartfelt production. Set on a rough wooden stage with a simple red curtain strung across the back, the actors appeared as a troupe of 19th 19th century travelling players, sharing the story with the audience in a simple but effective style. As director, Gordon Barr, wrote in his programme notes – “If we’ve done our job right, then Shakespeare’s most famous stage direction, “Exit pursued by a bear” won’t need me lumbering out of the bushes in a big furry costume to make it real – we won’t need that level of literalism, just the audience’s imagination.”

The company of The Winter’s Tale, 2006

2006 saw Associate Artist, Jennifer Dick, make her directing debut with the company. Having established herself as a great classical actor of tremendous power in our early years, she was ready for a new challenge and became the first recipient of our occasional “Emerging Artists Directors Award”. Over the years, Jennifer has proven herself an exceptional director, always ready to take risks and push the boundaries with Shakespeare and she set her stall out early in her first ever show – “this fearful country”. The production used text from “The Tempest” to create an imagined prologue to that story, exploring the relationship between Prospero and Caliban from the moment of Prospero’s arrival on the island where Caliban lives to the titular storm of Shakespeare’s play.

Eric Robertson as Prospero with Tom Duncan as Caliban in “this fearful country…”, 2006

Finally, we were thrilled to welcome acclaimed artist and theatre maker, David Leddy, to Bard in the Botanics in 2006. His audio play – “Susurrus” – allowed audience members to listen to the piece on headphones as they followed a map around the Botanic Gardens where, in David’s own words, “like a radio tuning in and out of different wavelengths, you hear speakers tell stories about botany, opera & memorial benches. As time goes on, their anecdotes fit together into a piece that is part radio play, part avant-garde sonic art, part botany lesson and part stroll in the park”. Over the past year, with theatres closed to audiences, there has been a real rise in this style of performance – we will always be incredibly proud that 15 years ago, we were able to give a home & a platform to David’s ground-breaking piece that, like all his work, was very much ahead of its time! Since its debut in 2006, “Susurrus” has played around the world – we’re delighted we were able to host its premiere.

2006 also saw the company produce work outside of its summer season again – this time co-producing a new version of Scott Palmer’s “Infinite Variety” with Cumbernauld Theatre. Directed by Gordon Barr and with a cast consisting of Sarah Chalcroft, Rachel Colles, Jennifer Dick & Nicki Walsh, this new production took full advantage of its theatrical setting. As the female characters of Shakespeare took to the stage in an emotional journey from young love to mature loss, the production moved physically from the aesthetic of the rehearsal room to a fully costumed performance in a beautifully inventive marriage of form & content, imagined by designer, Sarah Paulley & lighting designer, Pete Searle.

From L to R: Rachel Colles (Constance); Nicki Walsh (Cleopatra); Jennifer Dick (Mistress Quickly) & Sarah Chalcroft (Lady Anne) in the “Be Absolute for Death” section of Infinite Variety at Cumbernauld Theatre, 2006

Looking back on the fifth anniversary season, Artistic Director, Gordon Barr, had this to say:

“I really remember 2006 being of the most artistically satisfying experiences I’d had with the company to date. Kicking the year off with the brilliant actresses of “Infinite Variety” and then following that with a summer of great shows, brilliant performances, and real risks for the company. Artists like Jennifer Dick & David Leddy were showing me the full artistic potential of engaging imaginatively with Shakespeare’s work while actors like Paul Cunningham & Beth Marshall were releasing the full comic madness & the heartbreaking beauty of his writing. After 3 years as Artistic Director, it felt like I was really starting to see what my Bard in the Botanics looked like.”

FUN FACTS:

- As some of the company’s original actors, directors & production staff started to move on to new horizons, some brilliant new artists made their Bard in the Botanics’ debut in 2006 – most notably Honorary Associate Artists, Paul Cunningham & Beth Marshall, who would gone to play an incredibly important role in the company’s development in the ensuing years.

- Paul Cunningham (like Nicki Walsh before him in 2003) had a baptism of fire in his first season. Originally employed to play Antipholus of Ephesus in “The Comedy of Errors” and Camillo in “The Winter’s Tale”, he found himself taking on the immensely difficult leading role of Leontes in the second play just 10 days before opening night when illness forced our original actor to pull out of the season. What seemed like a Herculean task was carried off with great skill & aplomb by Paul as he turned in a beautiful (and word perfect!) performance – we have no idea how he did it!

- 2006 also saw the company introduce our “Emerging Artists Actors” scheme, offering actors new to the industry or still in training an opportunity to take on a professional role. The first recipient of that scheme – playing Florizel in “The Winter’s Tale” – was a young Scottish actor in his second year of training at RCS, called Richard Madden! Whatever happened to him, eh? You know, apart from winning a Golden Globe in The Bodyguard, starring as Cinderella’s Prince, suffering a very grisly fate in Game of Thrones, and joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe for their upcoming film, Eternals – so not much then! We’d love to take credit for Richard’s success since then but even at that stage he was an actor of great charisma and talent – we’ve been thrilled to watch his career blossom.

2006 COMPANY:

Kirk Bage (Actor), Gordon Barr (Artistic Director); Kenny Blyth (Actor); Fi Carrington (Wardrobe Supervisor); Sarah Chalcroft (Actor); Paul Christie (Composer); Rachel Colles (Actor); Paul Cunningham (Actor); Jennifer Dick (Actor / Director – this fearful country); Tom Duncan (Actor); Jonathan Fegan (Actor); Brian Gardiner (Designer – The Comedy of Errors); Kirsty Mackay (Designer – The Winter’s Tale); Richard Madden (Actor); Beth Marshall (Actor); Michael Osborne (Stage Manager); Sarah Paulley (Designer – Infinite Variety); Donald Pirie (Actor); Luisa Prosser (Actor); David Rennie-Fitzgerald (Actor); Eric Robertson (Actor); Johanne Scoular (Actor); Pete Searle (Lighting Design – Infinite Variety); Laura Spring (Wardrobe Assistant); Nicki Walsh (Actor)

20 Years in 20 Weeks - Looking back to Bard in the Botanics 2005

20 YEARS IN 20 WEEKS

This week’s Throwback Thursday is taking a look back to 2005 and the “Summer of Love” Season.

This was the company’s first “themed” season of work – and it would also be the last until 2012! As the company explored its theatrical identity in the intervening years, pinning down a theme for each season’s work proved unwieldy but, in 2005, the celebratory theme of “love” gave coherence to that summer’s programming. Young love, unrequited love, familial love and even love of Shakespeare himself came together to create a season of shows celebrating the joy, the passion and the drama of the Bard’s work.

The season opened with Artistic Director, Gordon Barr, revisiting “Romeo and Juliet” for the first time since his inaugural Bard in the Botanics production back in 2002. This time, instead of a small-scale promenade production, the story played out on a large “playground” of a set, the actors working as a company of “players”, accompanying the action with live music and fully exploiting the intimate relationship between performer and audience that is so integral to outdoor theatre.

The cast of Romeo and Juliet, 2005

He followed this up with another of Shakespeare’s great love stories – Bard in the Botanics’ first production of “Twelfth Night”. This wide-ranging promenade performance (it took in 7 different locations in total (not much time to settle in for a picnic in that production!) was set directly after the First World War – a setting designed to support the social hierarchy established in the play but also to capitalise on its pervasive sense of loss and melancholy.

Sir Andrew (Tom Duncan); Sir Toby (Matthew Swift) & Feste (Michelle Wiggins) in Twelfth Night, 2005

In 2004, the Kibble Palace Glasshouse closed for a massive refurbishment & rebuilding project which saw the iconic Victorian glasshouse stripped right down and rebuilt from the ground up to ensure its safety & continued presence for generations to come. This meant that Bard in the Botanics had lost a performance venue but, thankfully, that year also saw the opening of Oran Mor – the now iconic bar, restaurant and venue directly across the road from the Botanic Gardens.

Still to establish itself as the busy performance venue it has since become (not to mention home of the iconic Play, Pie & a Pint lunchtime theatre), we were delighted to be able to secure Oran Mor in 2005 as the venue for a revival of Scott Palmer’s intense, unforgettable version of “Lear”, first seen at Gilmorehill G12 in 2002. Sarah Chalcroft & Jennifer Dick reprised their roles as Cordelia and Goneril respectively, this time joined by David Gallacher as Lear, Nicki Walsh as Regan & Kirk Bage as Perillus. Scott was tempted back from his new home in America one more time to direct and he & designer, Sarah Paulley, wasted no time in exploiting the “nightclub” setting of Oran Mor to create a 1930’s gangster feel to the new production, bringing together the story’s power plays with its intense family dynamics.

Jennifer Dick as Goneril with David Gallacher as the title role in Lear @ Oran Mor, 2005

The “Summer of Love” season also saw us bring Cumbernauld Youth Theatre to the Botanic Gardens, in a production of “Macbeth” directed by Gordon Barr. Developing a love for Shakespeare in young people has always been a passion of the team at Bard in the Botanics and this co-production was our first opportunity to put that into practice as part of our season – its legacy continuing through the years.

Looking back on his second season as Artistic Director, Gordon Barr had this to say:

“2005 feels like a really significant year for the company with new venues, new companies and our first “theme” coming together to build on what we’d already achieved and introduce new ideas & possibilities. Not that it was without its challenges – I remember the police speeding up to the performance space of “Romeo & Juliet” one night because there had been reports of screams & violence in the gardens! I remember still casting the key role of Sir Toby Belch while we were in the middle of rehearsals for “Twelfth Night” – I think at one point I was so desperate that I was going to play the role myself, until several of the acting company pointed out what an insane idea that was (thank goodness – I am definitely not an actor!). And I remember being so incredibly proud of my youth theatre from Cumbernauld who knocked it out of the park in “Macbeth”, even when random quad bikes came roaring through the performance space during their curtain call! But its those random, unpredictable moments that make outdoor theatre so special – and so exhausting at times!”

FUN FACTS:

- 2005 saw another Associate Artist make their debut with the company – Tom Duncan, playing the Chief Player in “Romeo & Juliet” and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in “Twelfth Night”. Tom has gone on to play many memorable roles for the company, including Banquo (2009); Henry VI (2010); Laertes (2011), Ariel (2012) & Hotspur (2014) and is still an active Associate Artist, though these days he is more regularly seen filming our incredible trailers & digital content as well as taking our stunning publicity images with his company, Twin City Pictures. His work on video & photography in the past 5 years has really defined the company’s identity and, though we miss his performances as an actor, we’re thrilled to continue working with him in this capacity (make sure you check out all his work on the Bard in the Botanics YouTube channel)

- “Romeo & Juliet”’s multi-layered set remains our tallest ever stage design with Juliet’s balcony rising more than 2m into the canopy of the surrounding trees.

- While Artistic Director, Gordon Barr, wisely chose not to take on the pivotal role of Sir Toby Belch in “Twelfth Night”, he couldn’t resist making a cheeky cameo in the production as a policeman in the final scene – and he says he doesn’t like acting!

- Appearing in her third season for the company, Michelle Wiggins finally got to play her first female role as Benvolia in “Romeo and Juliet” – but she was back in another “breeches” role later that season, as Feste in “Twelfth Night”.

2004 COMPANY:

Kirk Bage (Actor), Gordon Barr (Artistic Director); Paul Boyd (Actor); Fi Carrington (Wardrobe Supervisor); Sarah Chalcroft (Actor); Paul Christie (Composer / Musical Director); Lois Creasy (Actor); Jennifer Dick (Actor); Imogen Dixon (Actor); Tom Duncan (Actor); Kenny Fulton (Actor); David Gallacher (Actor); Brian Gardiner (Designer – Romeo and Juliet); David Goodall (Fight Director); Kay Hesford (Production Manager); Neil Kent (Actor); Kirsty Mackay (Designer – 12th Night); Gerald McDermott (Crew); Scott Palmer (Visiting Director); Andrew Panton (Musical Supervisor); Sarah Paulley (Designer - Lear); Donald Pirie (Actor); Luisa Prosser (Actor); David Ramsay (Stage Manager); Pete Searle (Lighting Design - Lear); Justin Skelton (Actor); Laura Spring (Wardrobe Assistant); Matthew Swift (Actor); Diane Thornton (Actor); Nicki Walsh (Actor); Laura Walshe (Stage Manager); Michelle Wiggins (Actor)

20 Years in 20 Weeks - Looking back to Bard in the Botanics 2004

20 YEARS IN 20 WEEKS

It’s Throwback Thursday again and this week we’re looking back at Artistic Director, Gordon Barr’s first season in 2004.

For his first season in charge of Bard in the Botanics, Gordon brought together a mix of the old and the new to create a season of work that continued the company’s tradition of bold, innovative productions.

For his opening production, he revived his sell-out, hit musical version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” from the previous year, with Michelle Wiggins & Lois Creasy reprising their scene-stealing performances as Bottom & Titania. 2004 saw us move the 1920’s jazz-club set production from the interior of the Kibble Palace to the open-air, opening the production up to the largest audiences the season had seen to date.

Meanwhile, Founding Director, Scott Palmer, returned from America to stage a new production of “Richard III”. In his tradition of innovative, unexpected takes on Shakespeare’s work, this “Richard III” allowed the audience to view the royal court through the title character’s eyes, reinventing the characters as foolish grotesques. But as Richard’s murderous ascent to the throne became more bloody, the performance darkened and the reality of his actions hit home to the audience in a powerful manner.

The company of Richard III, 2004

Scott also directed “Infinite Variety” – a whirlwind tour through some of Shakespeare’s most famous female characters that showcased the exceptional talents of some of the female members of our acting ensemble.

Artistic Director, Gordon Barr, also directed the first of three versions of “The Taming of the Shrew” that he would direct in the company’s history. This modern dress production of Shakespeare’s controversial comedy created a vapid, image-obsessed society in which both Kate and Petruchio were outsiders, struggling to make sense of the world around them and their relationship to each other.

The company of “The Taming of the Shrew”, 2004

Acclaimed director, Andrew McKinnon, joined the 2004 season to direct a steely, unflinching take on “Macbeth”, with a company led by David Ireland and Jennifer Dick as the central couple.

Macbeth ( David Ireland) & Macduff (Stephen Docherty) in “Macbeth”, 2004

Finally, Langside College-based theatre company, XLC, returned for another season to present a riotous version of “The Canterbury Tales” to round out the season.

Looking back on his first season as Artistic Director, Gordon Barr had this to say:

“Now I cannot even imagine the level of confidence I must have had as a 24-year old director to take over this festival, which had become so massive in its first 2 years – talk about throwing yourself in at the deep end. I wish I had more concrete memories of that time but it’s genuinely all a huge blur – there was a lot to learn very quickly. I do remember being very proud of the work we produced and feeling very grateful for the support & advice that our core production team – Sarah Paulley, Pete Searle, Kay Hesford, Fi Carrington & Scott Palmer – offered me – I suspect they had to pick up a lot of slack to help me make that season work! And having such brilliant friends in the acting company – Jennifer Dick, Michelle Wiggins, Nicki Walsh and many, many more – they created a really supportive atmosphere that epitomises the spirit of Bard in the Botanics to this day”

FUN FACTS:

- The 2004 company featured a number of actors who, in addition to their success as performers, have gone on to achieve great success in other fields – including Candice Edmunds (Co-Artistic Director of Vox Motus and currently creating the brand new stage musical of “Bedknobs & Broomsticks”); David Ireland (as a playwright his work has thrilled & provoked audiences around the world, including his massive Edinburgh Festival hit “Ulster American”); Claire Knight (who, since founding Brennan Artists Associates, has established herself as one of Scotland’s leading agents) and Scottish panto legend, Johnny McKnight.

- “Richard III” featured what, to date, is perhaps Bard in the Botanics’ fastest quick change as actor, Nicki Walsh, exited into a tent as Queen Elizabeth before almost instantly reappearing as Tyrell, the thuggish murderer – we’re still not sure how she managed it!

- “The Taming of the Shrew” featured one of our most eccentric props to date as Petruchio (Kirk Bage) & Kate (Candice Edmunds) travelled through the audience on a tandem bike – through the audience and, often, nearly on top of the audience – it wasn’t easy to steer! Michelle Wiggins, as Grumio, only narrowly escaped having to follow them bouncing on a space hopper – we’re sure there must have been a reason for it at the time!

- We’ve had some great hair & make-up designs at Bard in the Botanics over the years – Ariel’s full-body make-up in 2012’s The Tempest, The Witch’s flaking mask of white in 2016’s Macbeth & Richard’s facial disfiguration in 2019’s Richard III. But none were as expensive as the hairstyle required for the design of Jennifer Dick’s Lady Macbeth in 2004 - £300 of hair extensions were added to her own hair to create a flowing mane of Celtic locks – and they were the most painful thing Jennifer has ever had to endure as a performer – we’ve never asked her to do it again!

2004 COMPANY:

Kirk Bage (Actor), Gordon Barr (Artistic Director); Tim Barrow (Actor); Julie Brown (Actor); Fi Carrington (Wardrobe Supervisor); Rachel Colles (Actor); Simon Conlon (Actor); Phillip Cotterill (Actor); Lois Creasy (Actor); Jennifer Dick (Actor); Stephen Docherty (Actor); Candice Edmunds (Actor); Brian Gardiner (Designer – Dream); Kay Hesford (Company Manager); Will Holt (Crew); Will Huggins (Actor); Anthony Hutcheson (Actor); David Ireland (Actor); Stuart Jameson (Actor); Claire Knight (Actor); Emma Larsson (Actor); Ivor Macaskill (Actor); Kirsty Mackay (Designer – Shrew); Gerald McDermott (Crew); Andrew McKinnon (Guest Director); Johnny McKnight (Actor); Kirsten McLean (Actor); Scott Palmer (Visiting Director); Sarah Paulley (Head of Design); Pete Searle (Production Manager); Peter Shand (Musical Director – Dream); Laura Spring (Wardrobe Assistant); Nicki Walsh (Actor); Laura Walshe (Deputy Stage Manager); Michelle Wiggins (Actor); Chris Wilson (Choreographer – Dream); Chris Young (Actor)

Listen to Gordon Barr & Jennifer Dick on East Coast FM

Artistic Director, Gordon Barr, and Associate Director, Jennifer Dick, were on East Coast FM recently to talk to former Bard in the Botanics company member, John P Arnold (Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Claudius in Hamlet (2011) & Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (2008)). It was great to catch up with him and to have the chance to talk about our 20th anniversary year, the effect that lockdown has had on Bard in the Botanics, and all our ongoing fundraising efforts to secure the future of the company. Have a listen to their interview here.

20 Years in 20 Weeks - Looking back to Bard in the Botanics 2002

It's Throwback Thursday #2 and this week we're looking back to our second season in 2003.

This was Founding Artistic Director, Scott Palmer's final season with the company and, boy, did he go out with a bang - to date 2003 our largest ever season of work with the Botanic Gardens playing host to a whopping 7 productions across a month of performances!

Before we even get to the summer, the company kicked off the year with an expanded version of our hit show from 2002 - "Kabuki-Titus" which played at the Perth International Festival of the Arts. Associate Director, Jennifer Dick, joined the original cast of 3 as a fearsome Tamora, Queen of the Goths.

Jennifer Dick as Tamora in “Kabuki-Titus” at Perth Theatre with Alan McPartlan & Dean Wright as Chiron & Demetrius

The summer season saw 5 full productions of Shakespeare from the company alongside 2 modern classics performed by visiting theatre company XLC (David Mamet's "Duck Variations" & Christopher Durang's "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For you" - which definitely still holds the record for the longest play title at Bard in the Botanics!)

Scott Palmer directed a World War 2 inspired promenade production of "Henry V" which highlighted the true human cost of war and explored the spin & politics that creates Henry's image as a King in the play. He also directed an epic production of "Antony & Cleopatra" set in the 1800's, which saw the original play's Egypt & Rome transplanted to India and Imperialist Britain - complete with its own troop of traditional Indian dancers!

The cast of Henry V (from L to R - Tim Barrow, Jennifer Dick, Paul Gillingwater, Sarah Chalcroft; Kirk Bage) with the real star of the show - a fabulous vintage car!

Meanwhile director, Kate Varney, took on the so-called problem play, Measure for Measure, in a period production that highlighted both the grotesque absurdity and intense drama of that story. This was followed by another promenade production, this time of "Much Ado About Nothing". Set in the aftermath of the Second World War, the returning soldiers and the land girls they'd left behind celebrated love and laughter in a heartfelt production.

From L to R - Diane Thornton (Hero); Sarah Chalcroft (Beatrice) & Isabelle Joss (Margaret) in “Much Ado About Nothing”, 2003

Artistic Director, Gordon Barr, took over the Kibble Palace for his second season as a Visiting Director, turning the glasshouse into a hedonistic 1920's jazz club for a steamy, riotous musical version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Michelle Wiggins as Bottom & Lois Creasy as Titania in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, 2003

When Scott Palmer left the company after the 2003 season to return to his native USA, it was Gordon Barr who took over as Artistic Director - a position he still holds today!

Looking back on his final season as Artistic Director, Scott had this to say:

"I have such powerful and clear memories of the 2003 season. Tim Barrow’s brilliantly powerful Henry, Jennifer Dick’s heartbreaking portrayal of Mistress Quickly, Paul Gillingwater’s cheeky and slightly oily propaganda minster-style Chorus are all forever etched in my memory from our production of Henry V. But I think the thing I remember most about the 2003 season was Nicki Walsh’s portrayal of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. I will never forget the final performance when, about 10 minutes before the end of the play, just as Nicki was putting the asp to her chest for Cleopatra’s big death scene, the sky opened and it started to pour down rain. I mean, it wasn’t just raining, it was like a monsoon. Kay Hesford, my dear friend and the stage manager of the show, came up to me and said, “I’m gonna call it. We have to stop.” And I just looked at her and then looked back at Nicki, and at the audience who was entranced by her performance, and Kay and I both knew we had to let it play out. We let the show finish, every audience member stayed, dripping from the rain, and there as a huge standing ovation. It is one of the most important memories of my directing career. The entire season in 2003 was magical and I love the entire team, all of the artists, and the stunning gardens with all of my heart."

Fun Facts:

- Our second year saw us employ a company of 37 actors (the largest acting ensemble ever engaged at Bard in the Botanics) including a VERY rare acting performance from Artistic Director, Gordon Barr, playing Peter Quince in "Dream" - playing the role of a fussy director beset by egotistical actors - what a stretch for him!

- Honorary Associate Artist, Nicki Walsh, joined the company for the first time in 2003 with a real baptism of fire - when an actor withdrew from the season because of illness, she stepped into the mammoth role of Cleopatra with less than 3 weeks rehearsal - and created one of the company's most iconic performances - what a woman!

- Cross-gendering remained an important part of our work in 2003 with Jennifer Dick's iconic performance as Enobarba and Michelle Wiggins' side-splitting performance as Bottom entering the Bard in the Botanics Hall of Fame and proving definitively that there's no reason men should get to have all the best roles in Shakespeare!

- Henry V definitely holds the record for the coolest prop - a genuine vintage Rolls Royce drove Sarah Chalcroft's Queen of France in to the heart of the action each night!

- Meanwhile another Henry V prop nearly got us in trouble with the local police - at the climax of the show, dummies were thrown off the bridge over the River Kelvin and "hung", dangling over the heads of the audience - police patrolling past were understandably suspicious of our stage team waiting on the bridge with three apparent "dead bodies"!

- Actor Rachel Colles played the role of Cleopatra's maidservant, Alexa, while 7 months pregnant!

2003 COMPANY:

Davey Anderson (Actor & Musical Director – Dream); Kirk Bage (Actor); Gordon Barr (Visiting Director); Tim Barrow (Actor); Jennifer Bates (Actor); Fi Carrington (Wardrobe Supervisor); Steven Caldwell (Actor); David Caird (Actor); Sarah Chalcroft (Actor); Kati Clark (Lighting Design – Dream); Rachel Colles (Actor); Garry Collins (Actor); Simon Conlon (Actor); Nicholas Cowell (Actor); Gillian Crawford (Actor); Lois Creasy (Actor); Juliet Diamond (Actor); Jennifer Dick (Actor); Duncan Edwards (Actor); Toni Frutin (Actor); Brian Gardiner (Designer – Dream); Paul Gillingwater (Actor); Francis Hagan (Actor); Kay Hesford (Company Stage Manager); Sophie Hobday (Stage Manager); Harriet Hunter (Actor); Stuart Jameson (Actor); Ivor MacAskill (Actor); Alisdair Macrae (Actor); Leah Macrae (Actor); Alan McPartlan (Actor); Rod Morrison (Actor); Jamie Neil (Actor); Scott Palmer (Artistic Director); Sarah Paulley (Head of Design); David Pearson (Actor); Julie Russell (Stage Manager); Oliver Searle (Composer – Measure for Measure); Pete Searle (Production Manager); Diane Thornton (Actor); Marc Twynholm (Actor); Kate Varney (Associate Director); Nicki Walsh (Actor); David Whitney (Actor); Michelle Wiggins (Actor); Simeon Wren (Actor); Chris Wilson (Choreographer – Dream); Dean Wright (Actor)

20 Years in 20 Weeks - Looking back to Bard in the Botanics 2002

Each Thursday, we're going to be looking back at 20 years of Bard in the Botanics' history - starting with our first ever season in 2002.

Our 2 main outdoor productions that year were a beautiful, period-dress promenade performance of "As You Like It" and a dark, contemporary take on "The Tempest", both directed by original Artistic Director, Scott Palmer.

The company of As You Like It (2002)

Scott also directed our first-ever Kibble Palace production that year, long before our "Lesser-Spotted Shakespeare" Kibble shows became a mainstay of the season. "Kabuki-Titus" was a small-scale version of "Titus Andronicus", focusing on the tragic story of Lavinia and played in the style of Japanese Kabuki theatre. It started at 11.30p.m at night and the 3 actors involved would finish their roles in the other shows in the season before taking on this emotionally gruelling tale - we definitely worked our actors hard in those days!

Lavinia (Johanne Scoular) in Kabuki-Titus (2002)

The final production in the season - "Romeo and Juliet" - marked the professional directing debut of current Artistic Director, Gordon Barr. Looking back, he had this to say about the experience -

"I was incredibly lucky to be given a platform at Bard in the Botanics so early in my career but I remember being terrified - I'd never directed an outdoor performance and really didn't know what I was doing - it was a very steep learning curve and I don't think I'd class it as one of my best shows but it began the most wonderful professional relationship and laid the foundation for my entire career. My abiding memory of that first year was just how much fun we had as a company - working hard & learning how to make outdoor theatre but also having a great social life - we were all very young then and probably spent as much time in the pub as we did rehearsing (not much has changed there!) and formed friendships that have endured to this day - it was a very special time!"

Romeo and Juliet (2002) - Ellie Piercy as Juliet & Lee Scott as Romeo

And the summer season wasn't the end of the work in our ambitious first year. In Autumn 2002, Gordon Barr directed a production of John Webster's "The Duchess of Malfi" in the Ramshorn Graveyard as part of the Merchant City Festival while Scott Palmer directed his radical adaptation, "Lear", at Gilmorehill G12. That's a total of 6 productions in our very first year of operations - Bard in the Botanics has been nothing if not ambitious since the beginning!

Lear (2002) - Lear (Paul Gillingwater) with his daughters - Regan (Carrie Westwater); Cordelia (Sarah Chalcroft) & Goneril (Jennifer Dick)

Fun Facts:
- The summer season employed 22 actors in total, including the Bard in the Botanics debut of Associate Director, Jennifer Dick, playing Phoebe in "As You Like it" and Caliban in "The Tempest".

- 6 members of the 2002 company - Scott Palmer (Artistic Director); Sarah Paulley (Season Designer); Pete Searle (Production Manager); Kay Hesford (Stage Manager); Kirk Bage (Actor) & Sarah Chalcroft (Actor) - are still Honorary Associate Artists of the company, recognising the significant artistic contribution they made to the history of the company. We're delighted that, 20 years later, they all remain such good friends and supporters of our work - without the work that they did in that first year, and for many years after, we wouldn't be here today.

- Scott Palmer's dark, radical take on "The Tempest" and his Kabuki version of "Titus Andronicus" made a real statement from our very first season about the company's risk-taking approach to classical theatre and set out a bold, innovative approach which still underpins our work 20 years later. "The Tempest" proved somewhat controversial with the critics but we're certainly not averse to a bit of controversy at Bard in the Botanics - even when they don't get it quite right (one critic vociferously lamented the transferring of "Ariel's epilogue" to the character of Caliban - the epilogue is actually originally spoken by Prospero!)

- "Lear", Scott Palmer's heartbreaking version of "King Lear" focused its attention on a family being torn apart by the burden of caring for a loved one with dementia. This powerful adaptation set the blueprint for numerous other Bard in the Botanics' productions that utilise Shakespeare's plays to shine a light on contemporary issues.

- Ellie Piercy, who played Juliet in the 2002 season while still a student at Glasgow University, has gone on to play a number of leading roles at Shakespeare's Globe, including another version of "Romeo and Juliet" alongside fellow Bard in the Botanics' alum, Richard Madden (more on him in the coming weeks!)

- Bard in the Botanics is recognised for our progressive work on gender representation in Shakespeare - work that has its roots in this very first season which saw a gender balanced acting company and a number of cross-gendered roles, most notably Jennifer Dick's highly praised performance as Caliban.

2002 COMPANY:
John Austin (Actor); Kirk Bage (Actor); Victoria Balnaves (Actor); Gordon Barr (Director); Tim Barrow (Actor); Andreas Beltzer (Actor); Fi Carrington (Wardrobe Supervisor); Heather Cassidy (Actor); Sarah Chalcroft (Actor); Kati Clark (Designer - R&J); Jennifer Dick (Actor); Toni Frutin (Actor); Brian Gardiner (Designer - Malfi); Paul Gillingwater (Actor); Francis Hagan (Actor); Seth Hardwick (Actor); Jane Hensey (Actor); Kay Hesford (Stage Manager); Nina Kirk (Actor); Emma Larrson (Actor); Polly Lister (Specialist Costume Design); Michael Percival Maxwell (Actor); Morag McIntosh (Stage Manager - R&J); Katherine Morley (Actor); Jamie Neil (Actor); Scott Palmer (Artistic Director); Sarah Paulley (Season Designer); Ellie Piercy (Actor); Sarah Punshon (Assistant Director); Lee Scott (Actor); Johanne Scoular (Actor); Pete Searle (Production Manager); Christopher Stevenson (Actor); Alan Thornton (Actor); Kate Varney (Assistant Director); Carrie Westwater (Actor); Simeon Wren (Actor)

Bard in the Botanics 2021 Update

So 2020 was a difficult year (to say the very least!) but thanks to the support of our audiences, we’ve survived and we’re still here. Meanwhile, 2021 looks set to create it’s own challenges and things are a long way from being back to normal yet - but it’s also our 20th anniversary year and we hope to celebrate that in style over the coming months. Check out the video below for an update from our Artistic Director, Gordon Barr on where we are and where we hope this year will take us.

Bard in the Botanics 2020 Cancellation Announcement

Due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19 across the country, Bard in the Botanics have taken the decision to cancel our 2020 summer season, planned to take place from 24th June to 1st August this year.

While we are incredibly disappointed that we will not be able to share our work with audiences this summer, it is so important that everyone works together to help stem the spread of this disease. The safety and wellbeing of our audiences and all the artists who work with us therefore has to be our priority at this time.

We had a fantastic line-up of plays, directors and actors in place for this summer – our 19th consecutive season in Glasgow’s beautiful Botanic Gardens – and we hope that at least some of that work will have a future life beyond the current crisis.

In the meantime, our core team of artists will be exploring ways to share content with our audiences online. It has been suggested that, during a time of plague, Shakespeare wrote some of his best work, possibly including King Lear, Macbeth and Antony & Cleopatra, and while we cannot promise to match that level of genius creativity, we will certainly aim to provide a bit of entertainment during these difficult times.

The loss of income from the summer season is a huge financial blow but the company want to do everything possible to ensure the survival of Bard in the Botanics.  To this end we have set up a link for donations and we would be very grateful for any contribution you can make:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/bard-in-the-botanics-support-fund

We know that everyone is facing tough times at the moment but if you can spare anything at all, please consider donating to help us secure the future of Bard in the Botanics and make sure that when the current situation has passed, we can be back sharing Shakespeare’s wonderful stories with audiences for many
years to come.

Every donation, however small, will make a huge difference to us and help us navigate these unprecedented times. The summer nights spent with our audiences at Bard in the Botanics are truly special and, with your help, we look forward to returning in 2021 for our 20th anniversary season.

If you would like to contact the company for any reason, we are working from home just now so please email info@bardinthebotanics.co.uk

As Shakespeare himself said – “Things at the worst will cease, or else climb upward to what they were before” – and we look forward to better times for us all.

Gordon Barr

(Artistic Director)

Board of Directors: Val Atkinson (Chair); Gordon Jackson; Denis Sullivan; John Deffenbaugh