The Winter’s Tale

Performed at the John Cooper Studio @ 41 Monkgate, Tuesday 24th October – Saturday 28th October 2017

York Shakespeare Project presents ‘The Winter’s Tale’ – a story of jealousy, betrayal, love and redemption

Featuring a talented cast drawn from across York’s community, York Shakespeare Project are proud to present another exploration into one of the Bard’s great works. Emma Summers from YSP says of the play: “This is our 32nd play from Shakespeare’s canon of 37. We are delighted to have an exciting, skilled director and a brilliant, charismatic cast to present this enticing, evergreen story.”

Photos by John Saunders

The sun sets and rises, winter turns to spring and 16 years roll by. Shakespeare takes us to a raucous Bohemia, where the pickpockets, peasants and party goers are preparing for a sheep shearing festival! Everyone is welcome to come, eat, drink and be merry at the old Shepherd’s house (Rodger Farrington). Florizel, Prince of Bohemia (Thomas Jennings) has fallen in love with the shepherd’s daughter, Perdita (Jess Murray), but the course of true love never did run smooth!

Never fear, however: through some devilish schemes, a handful of co-incidences and a sprinkle of tom-foolery, it all comes right in the end!

Live, original music from York’s spectacular Flora Greysteel, will fly the audience to a wintery Sicilia, a rustic Bohemia and back again. Made up of Simon Bolley and Emily Rowan, Flora Greysteel have a melancholic, strident, bittersweet sound that opens the door to fairy tale worlds that exist all around us, making them perfect Musical Directors for The Winter’s Tale. ”We’re really excited to be involved in this project, our music has often been described as theatrical so it’s wonderful to be applying it to the stage.”

The Winter’s Tale is directed by Natalie Rose Quatermass. Natalie’s work is always a highly colourful spectacle, utilising her cast to create Shakespeare’s wondrous worlds of castles and countryside.

The Winter’s Tale is an epic story! It has a little bit of everything: tradedgy and comedy, Kings, queens, clowns, a few sheep, …and a bear! What more do you want? One of the biggest challenges in The Winter’s Tale is to create two distinct worlds in Sicilia and Bohemia, whilst still keeping a sense of continuity. Sicilia, is influenced by York’s weighty historical buildings, which act as reminder of our hierarchical, often patriarchal history. Bohemia is influenced by York’s surrounding arable land, its folk culture and love of a good ale.

Natalie Quatermass