Cass Theatre and Performance alumna explores madness in Shakespeare's plays.
Date: 20 November 2017
Lizzie Willis, a graduate of the Theatre and Performance Practice BA at The Cass, has recently been working with director Luke Dixon, exploring madness in Shakespeare's plays. Bedlam was performed on 1 November 2017 at the Conway Hall as part of the Conway Collective.
In this unique participatory performance the audience encountered Shakespearean characters: Ophelia, Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, The Jailer’s Daughter, King Lear, Cordelia, Edgar/Old Tom, Joan La Pucelle, Lady Constance and others in the Bedlam Hospital which was run by the father of Shakespeare’s actor colleague, Edward Alleyn.
Talking about the experience, Lizzie said, "As an actor, this was a fantastic opportunity to learn a new piece of text and work with a diverse range of performers. I performed a lesser-known soliloquy by The Jailor's Daughter from Two Noble Kinsmen and it was interesting to explore the duality of being both in an asylum and also being a character from a Shakespeare play. This added to my character's confusion and to the authenticity of the piece as a whole. I'm looking forward to the next Conway Collective project!"
