| Admin History | Cymbeline was produced by Kneehigh Theatre in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company for the Complete Works Season 2006-007. Having never produced Shakespeare prior to the project, director Emma Rice hoped Kneehigh would be 'hailed as the company that had actually made sense of Cymbeline' (The Arts Desk: Interview with Kneehigh Director Emma Rice). Cymbeline was to be adapted and directed freely, with Carl Grose essentially re-writing the text with a modern twist. The result of such a bold take on the play secured Kneehigh's place as one of the most exciting theatre companies in the UK and eventually paved the way for Emma Rice to become artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe in 2016.
Twenty years after his two sons disappear, Imogen, King Cymbeline's only daughter, plans to marry lowborn gentleman Posthumus against her father wishes. Infuriated, Cymbeline expels him from the British court. Exiled, Posthumus flees to Italy where he meets treacherous Iachimo who, in arguing that all women are inherently unchaste, makes a wager with Posthumus that he will be able to seduce Imogen. Failing in his initial attempt to seduce the princess, Iachimo instead reverts to deception, stealing a bracelet that Posthumus once gave to her. At the same time, the new Queen desires that her son marry Imogen in order to secure her royal bloodline and plans to kills Cymbeline and his daughter afterwards. Returning to Italy, Iachimo's stolen jewelry convinces Posthumus that Imogen has been unfaithful and he proceeds to roder his servant Pisanio to muder her. The servant refuses to believe these accusations and convinces Imogen to disguise herself as a boy and search for her husband. Lost on her search, she is reunited with her oblivious lost brothers. After complications that involve the death of Cloten and his mother, Cymbeline makes peace with the Romans, the lost sons return to the court, and Imogen and Posthumus, learning the truth, marry.
Kneehigh apply their unique style to this story, which was described by Mike Shepherd as 'provocative to Shakespeare lovers' (FCP12/M/1). Notably, Kneehigh added a notably added Joan - a Cornish character - which served to relate the story back to the South West, the home of Kneehigh. This sentiment is reflected too in the spectators - the audiences in Bristol, for example, were 'very different audiences from those who saw it in Stratford' (Wayne 230; see FCP12/A/52/6). However, Kneehigh's production of Cymbeline was not perpetuated by English localism - quite the contrary. After being performed at Stratford-Upon-Avon throughout September 2006 as part of the RSC's Complete Works Season, a UK Tour and British Council led stint in the Lyric Hammersmith at the start of 2007, Cymbeline toured internationally. It was performed throughout South America in March 2008 with seven performances at the Bogotá Iberoamerican Theatre Festival in Colombia followed by 13 performances at the Teatro Popular Do Sesi in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 'Kneehigh Theatre delighted audiences by cutting through the dense and complex undergrowth of one of Shakespeare's most difficult texts, using physical and devised theatre techniques...we decided to bring this production of Cymbeline [to South America] to reinforce an image of contemporary and innovative Britian'.
Cast and Crew:
- Imogen - Hayley Carmichael (Replaced by Guilia Innocenti for South American tour)
- Posthumus - Carl Grose
- Cloten - Craig Johnson
- Brother - Dominic Lawson
- Iachimo - Robert Luckay
- The Queen - Emma Rice (Replaced by Leonie Dodd for South American tour)
- Cymbeline - Mike Shepherd
- Pisanio - Kirsty Woodward (National Youth Theatre Apprentice)
- Caesar - Marcello Magni
- Director - Emma Rice
- Designer - Michael Vale
- Musical Director and Composer - Stu Barker
- Lighting Designer - Malcolm Rippeth
- Sound Designer - Gregory Clarke
- Assistant Director - Simon Harvey
Matthew Lear, University of Exeter 'Pathways' intern, July 2018. |