Unrehearsed Shakespeare performance coming to Waterford

Waterford's Shakespeare Squared have announced an unrehearsed, semi-improvised performance featuring scenes from Shakespeare. 

Shakespeare Squared are delighted to be working with Simon Purse, one of the UK’s experts on Shakespeare’s First Folio performance method.

Simon’s work is based on the theory that, in Shakespeare’s day, actors were not given a complete copy of the play but that they worked from Parts (a Cue Script). With little time for rehearsal, preparation would mostly be private, and the performances would have come together in a spontaneous semi-improvised way.

Using these original Shakespearian working practices, Simon will lead workshops with local actors and after only five days, the brave performers will be equipped to present unrehearsed scenes from some of Shakespeare’s best loved plays, live to an audience.

Shakespeare Squared are excited to be using this time, between their large-scale productions, to be sharing new approaches to Shakespeare’s canon with Waterford performers and audiences.

Shakespeare Squared is Joe Meagher, Eimear Cheasty and Deirdre Dwyer, three Waterford based theatre professionals who were all lucky enough to have cut their theatrical teeth as young people in a Waterford with a thriving and vibrant professional theatre scene. 

After years of working nationally and internationally, all three are committed to their home town and are passionately invested in reviving the professional theatre landscape locally.

Shakespeare Squared, in association with Theatre Royal, were very excited to bring their first production, 'Twelfth Night', to the streets of Waterford last year.

“The name of our collective, ‘Shakespeare Squared’, was chosen to reflect our ambition to make plays like the works of Shakespeare as accessible to the public as they were in Shakespeare's time," commented Deirdre Dwyer. 

“We want to provide local and national audiences with excellent world class, locally made, theatre experiences and we are thrilled this has been recognised by the Arts Council in their awarding of such substantial funding to a Waterford collective."

The event takes place August 29, with tickets available at theatreroyal.ie