20 minute read
WOMEN IN THEATRE Celebrating International Women’s Day with a look at the role of females at Theatre Royal Bath
by MediaClash
LEADING LADIES
In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March, Anna O’Callaghan looks at the influence of women at Theatre Royal Bath, both on and off the stage
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Six is a dazzling musical celebrating the lives of King Henry VIII’s wives
JOHAN PERSSON ©
Theatre Royal Bath has hosted a plethora of wonderful female talent over its lifetime. The greatest female actors of their day have trod the boards from Sarah Siddons in 1807 and Sarah Bernhardt in 1916, to contemporary grand-dames (and real Dames) Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins and Diana Rigg and film legends, a ren acall, iv llmann, and Joan Collins.
There are female actors so beloved of Bath audiences we might sell tickets if they were reading the phone directory – if such a thing still exists. Felicity Kendal was undoubtedly funny in Ayckbourn’s Relatively Speaking and Coward’s Fallen Angels, opposite Frances de la Tour, but I most enjoyed her performance as Winnie, one of the great roles of absurdist theatre, in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days in 2004, in which she was b ried in a mo nd of sand thro gho t. a reen ipman was glorious in Glorious! in which she portrayed tone-deaf diva Florence Foster Jenkins and brilliant as exasperating literary agent Peggy Ramsay in Alan Plater’s Peggy For You in 1999. Stephanie Cole, Alison Steadman and Juliet Stevenson have been sublime in everything from classical drama to Alan Bennett.
When Vanessa Redgrave played Cleopatra here in 1995, to David arewood’s ark ntony, she made a point of self e acingly introd cing herself to sta , as if we didn’t know who she was. She radiates an aura which makes her a mesmerising performer, never more so than in 2008 in The Year of Magical Thinking, American cultural icon
NOBBY CLARK © CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Vinette Robinson in War and Peace; Jennifer Saunders as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit; Katherine Parkinson as Judy in Home, I’m Darling
oan Didion’s heart rending reflection on loss and grief.
Last year Tanya Moodie won a TV breakthrough award as Meg in the second series of the C comedy Motherland b t we’ve already had the chance to experience three nforgettable stage performances from her – in Pa lette andall’s prod ction of g st ilson’s merican masterpiece, Fences ynn Nottage’s bea tif l Intimate Apparel, in which an accomplished corset seamstress is looking for love in New ork, and in lice Childress’s trailbla ing drama Trouble in Mind, abo t racism on roadway in the 5 s.
Stand p eens from Sarah illican to Shappi horsandi have played the stinov St dio and first saw ictoria ood in in one of her earliest rev es, Funny Turns in the ain o se. oth rench and Sa nders have had acting roles here ennifer in a brilliantly s ccessf l Blithe Spirit for heatre oyal ath Prod ctions, which had st transferred to the est nd when lockdown hit in , and Dawn in in Smaller, a rare all female prod ction, directed by the fab lo s athy rke and written by Carmel organ, in which she was oined in the cast by lison oyet and ne atson.
One of the most acclaimed shows of was a ra ade’s Olivier ward winning new comedy, Home, I’m Darling, abo t one woman’s est to be the perfect 5 s ho sewife, which starred atherine Parkinson. he same year saw ade’s earlier Posh, abo t private school boys behaving extremely badly. emale writers ever pop lar with ath a diences incl de asmina e a, whose m lti award winning repertoire incl des Art and God of Carnage and, of co rse, adaptations of the inveterate gatha Christie. ehind the scenes, few senior management positions at the heatre oyal from stage manager to finance director have not been exec ted by women at some time. any patrons will know nn eddings, c stomer services manager and eorgie Newland, box o ce manager, with almost eighty years of service between them. t has been the expertise and passion of ate Cross, director of the egg theatre since its inception, which led to it being recognised as a pre eminent arts ven e “Award-winning director Deborah Warner is to be the new Artistic Director of the Ustinov Studio”
Felicity Kendal in Happy Days by Samuel Beckett
NOBBY CLARK © MATT CROCKETT ©
ABOVE: Comedian Shappi-Khorsandi has performed at the Ustinov; BELOW: Kate Cross has been director of the egg theatre since its inception
for children and families and to ate being appointed an in . t the start of , heatre oyal ath anno nced that internationally acclaimed and m lti award winning theatre and opera director Deborah arner was to be the new artistic director of the stinov St dio. Deborah’s prestigio s credits incl de the gro nd breaking Richard II at the National heatre with iona Shaw in the title role and King Lear at the Old ic, which marked lenda ackson’s ret rn to the stage. e are all looking forward to Deborah’s ina g ral stinov programme. emale directors who already have a following in ath incl de mma ice of neehigh heatre Company who gave s thrillingly atmospheric and ingenio s stagings of Brief Encounter and Rebecca; Nancy eckler and Polly eale, whose Shared xperience company bro ght the vis ally st nning epics War and Peace and Anna Karenina, and cy ailey, whose riveting King Lear starred David aig as an ast nd gangster and who recently ret rned to direct a powerf l prod ction of amet’s landmark battle of the sexes, Oleanna. ollowing a sold o t visit last ebr ary, cy oss and oby arlow’s hit m sical Six, will ret rn to ath in October, remixing the life stories of enry ’s wives into a da ling celebration of girl power. t is a show which en oys a c lt following amongst yo ng female a diences and will ndo btedly sell o t again. omen centre stage always make for an awesome theatrical experience. For more: www.theatreroyal.org.uk
NOBBY CLARK ©
SIMON ANNAND © CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Stephanie Cole in The Rivals; Deborah Warner is to be the new Artistic Director of the Ustinov Studio; Dawn French and Alison Moyet starred in Smaller; Tanya Moodie in Trouble in Mind
Wellbeing in the community
Community wellbeing coordinator at BATH MIND, Max Webster, talks about how your attitude to mental health could change someone’s life.
Max was bullied for his mental health problems. “It took me many years to seek the appropriate treatment for my mental health problems due to stigma, so I recognise the importance of antistigma work,” he says. “If someone is feeling isolated due to their mental health problems and they don’t have people around them with the knowledge or understanding of what what they are experiencing, it can impede that person seeking the support and treatment that they need.”
Time to Change has been campaigning to end the stigma that surrounds mental health by increasing awareness and understanding.
The past year has made us all more aware of the importance of mental health and wellbeing.
“At the onset of the pandemic, there were a lot of people talking about depression and anxiety, but now there is a growing awareness about specific mental health problems such as eating disorders, OCD, bipolar and personality disorders. A lot of vital work needs to be carried out in de-stigmatising.
“I know first-hand what it is like to be bullied for your mental health problems, so I particularly cherish that I work within an environment that nurtures an individual holistically and seeks to change public perceptions of mental health.”
Max’s role involves working with people throughout B&NES struggling with their mental health. He explains: “Some of our clients need support and encouragement before they can attend a group, so they might receive a weekly welfare call with a view to building confidence before meeting new people and taking part in wellbeing sessions. I help connect the wellbeing groups with a wider community through various activities and projects and by informing clients about the brilliant work of our partner organisations.
“One of the early aims was to connect the group with businesses and short courses that would give people the confidence to further pursue their interests in their own time.
“My role has changed a lot with the
Max’s groups have transferred to virtual platforms during the pandemic.
pandemic. My colleagues and I have adapted our services to Zoom. Our wellbeing sessions often focus on a particular theme, such as stress or sleep, and clients make helpful suggestions to each other – peer support is a key benefit of our groups.
“Thanks to Mr B’s Emporium, we teamed up with Read around Bath. Clients bring along their own writing or extracts from books, and, in one instance, an a capella song.”
It’s highly likely that someone you know will be struggling with mental illness. This could be a relative, friend or a work colleague. It’s up to each and every one of us to play our part in understanding and supporting those with mental health needs.
Small things can make a big difference. The biggest small thing we can all do is make time to talk. Stay in touch. Listen without judgement. Mental health problems can affect us all.
Visit Time to Change to find out more about how you can notice that someone may need support with their mental health. www.time-to-change.org.uk
If you, or someone you know needs help or support, Bath Mind is here for you, please get in touch. www.bathmind.org.uk
THE ARTS
SNAPSHOTS OF BATH’S CULTURAL LIFE
BIRD BRAIN
SelfPortrait by Jeanette Weston is representative of the inner child she is trying to find her way back to through her work. The joy and wonder of childhood are stitched into the heart of her pieces, which are created, she says, purely through intuition and instinct. For Jeanette, creating her work is like being under a magical spell, and even the smallest interruption can break it. ‘I paint not the thing but the forces that created it’, she says.
You can see and purchase prints of SelfPortrait in 44AD’s online exhibition, I Don’t Have A Favourite, live until 20 March. For more: www.44ad.net
WHAT’S ON
February – March 2021
You may not be able to grab a piggy back when needed (social distancing, please), but you can run the Bath Half this March
From 5 February
THE ART BRIDGE EMERGENTS EXHIBITION Since last May, the Art bridge Emergent artists have been working with Westonbirt Arboretum artist in residence Deb Hoy to create works that respond to the connection between humans and trees. The project is funded by Arts Council England, who teamed up with Forestry England and charity Art Scape to provide this opportunity for up-and-coming artists who face disabling barriers. While the in-person exhibition has been postponed until 2021, from this month Art Shape are launching it online, so you can now peruse the diverse collection of works inspired by the project, which include paintings, mixed media, drawings and installations, from the safety of your own home by going online. www.artshape.co.uk
2 March
START-UP TOOLS: DEVELOPING YOUR ENTERPRISE IDEA Frome-based eadventure are hosting a workshop to help budding entrepreneurs take a social enterprise from idea to reality. With a focus on market research, during this virtual session participants will be introduced to the Lean Canvas tool, di erent approaches for testing o t ideas and the basics of financial forecasting – all important tools for ensuring the viability of an idea. 9.30am-12pm; www.eadventurefrome.org
12 March
BATH PROPERTY AWARDS & SYMPOSIUM The event to be at for Bath’s property professional sectors, this year the awards are happening virtually. Along with a good old-fashioned celebration of the best the industry has to o er, this year’s awards will feature the brand new Bath Property Symposium in three stages: thought leadership, networking and, finally, the exciting Awards themselves. www.bathpropertyawards.co.uk
13 & 14 March
VIRTUAL BATH HALF he o cial race day is taking place in September, restrictions permitting, but keen runners can still get their half marathon fix this arch. o could even split the run in half and complete it over both days if lockdown has you feeling a little less athletic than usual. Sign up now and receive yo r o cial race n mber, training advice, exclusive medal and winner t-shirt. If you’d like to run but aren’t quite up for 13K, you can also sign p to do or 5 . o still get a medal and a t-shirt. www.bathhalf.co.uk
Until 20 March
I DON’T HAVE A FAVOURITE Every year the associate artists of 44AD come together for a group exhibition. This year you can stroll through the virtual showcase from your sofa. The fun and eclectic exhibition can be viewed in 3D by scrolling around the virtual gallery space and clicking on individual works to get more information and learn about the artist. The quality of work will have you keener than ever to be back in the gallery. Turn to page 21 for more. www.44ad.net
26 March
YMCA SLEEP EASY he mission of the C ’s Sleep Easy is this: you sleep rough so others don’t have to. This year the annual fundraiser is going virtual. So rather than sleeping out on the steps of Wells Cathedral to raise funds, this year the challenge is down to you. As long as you don’t sleep in a bed, you’re taking part. Adhering to restrictions of co rse, the C is encouraging everyone to get creative. Perhaps spend a night in the bath (empty, please) or the garden, or under a fort of your own creation on the kitchen floor ll yo have to do to take part is donate. www.mendipymca.org
WINTER EXHIBITION Take a look at the online catalogue of The Art Cohort’s diverse winter exhibition. o never know, yo might find yo r new favo rite among the collection of new and emerging artists. From watercolours to colour block designs, intricate line drawings and abstract and pop art style pieces, there’s something here for a whole range of tastes and aesthetics. www.theartcohort.co.uk
BATH TREASURE TRAILS Get outside with Bath Treasure Trails. The three trails – Bath Cake-tastrophe (spy mission), Bath Mystery (detective mission) and Bath Treasure (treasure hunt) – are available as self-guided walking trail booklets you can buy online, and might just provide the extra push you need to get the kids o tside and o their devices. www.treasuretrails.co.uk
ABOVE: Westonbirt's emerging artist exhibition features artist David Seed LEFT: Forte and Benefaction by Caroline WalshWaring is part of 44AD's I Don't Have A Favourite exhibition RIGHT: Explore Bath and have fun with new selfguided treasure trails BELOW: Stretch it out at home with a Zoom yoga class from The Hive LIVE ANIMAL FEEDING AT BATH CITY FARM Did you know Bath City Farm runs a livestream featuring their furry friends every Saturday morning? Starting at 10.30am via their Facebook page, you can join livestock coordinator Joe Keppie-Bray giving a virtual tour of the farm as he visits its residents for their morning feed. Along the way he checks in with the chickens, rabbits Thumper and Pumpkin, Pam the pig, Shetland ponies Dougie and Dougal, and goats Orio, Rotork and Strawberry. Viewers are able to ask questions about life on the farm throughout. Search Bath City Farm on Facebook
THE HIVE YOGA STUDIO ONLINE CLASSES During lockdown it is more important than ever to prioritise self care. Signing up for a few online classes with The Hive Yoga Studio is one great way to take a moment for yourself during anxious times. As well as teaching a range of styles of yoga, they also o er classes with Olympian Amy Williams, stretching sessions and Pilates among other options, seven days a week. www.jointhehive.co.uk
DANCE FIT & ZUMBA There’s no better spiritual lift than shaking it out to great music. Fortunately. Dance Fit Bath has shifted online for lockdown, with a range of classes in their unique and joyful fusion of dance, aerobics and Zumba. Live work outs are streaming most days, with a bumper weekly work out on demand with extra tracks if you want to practise and perfect those routines ready for the reen Park gatherings. dan t at READING IS MAGIC Last year, Bath Festivals collaborated with book festivals from all over the co ntry to create eading s agic, the online festival of 25 events with bestselling children’s authors and illustrators including children’s laureates from the UK and USA, Cressida Cowell and Jason Reynolds. Specially for lockdown while so many kids are stuck at home, Bath Festivals have extended free access to the festival. With videos and podcasts for primary and secondary school ages available, it’s a wholesome and educational means to while away a few lockdown hours. You can access the free library of events using promo code C C . www.readingismagicfestival.com
BATH RUGBY X BATHFITFAM BathFitFam and Bath Rugby have oined forces to keep s fit and healthy through lockdown. BathFitFam is a unique organisation in the city that brings together fitness instructors and personal trainers with a wide range of expertise to promote Bathonian wellness. The weekly timetable is diverse enough that there is something on the schedule for all ages and abilities, from high intensity impact workouts to exercise classes for the whole family to get fit together. www.bathrugby.com
BOOKS NIC BOTTOMLEY
To be continued…
Proof lockdown can’t keep a good book down
Alittle less than a year ago, when the co ntry sh t down for the fi rst time, the publishing industry reacted to the total absence of bookstore shop fl oors by postponing the vast ma ority of their planned new publishing. That was understandable given the uncertainty we all faced and with new words like ‘furlough’ and ‘lockdown’ suddenly having vital existential importance to b sinesses. his time aro nd tho gh it has been pleasing that, while publishing schedules have been reigned in to some extent, a ma ority of new books are still being released. So whilst a thors are missing out on celebrating their ‘book birthdays’ as they normally wo ld and we can’t rave abo t the books to c stomers visiting the shop st yet, at least lots of creative new writing is emerging to keep readers engaged d ring this most morose of times.
The biggest book birthday of 2021 for us at Mr B’s was the release of How We are Translated by Jessica Gaitán Johannesson (Scribe, £12.99). Not because this is an incredibly creative, entertaining and thought-provoking novel (though these things are true), but because Jess is one of o r booksellers. am in awe of how ess has managed to fi nd and channel the imaginative energy needed to write and prepare a debut novel for publication, whilst also doing her oftendemanding ob so excellently. nd a serio s amo nt of creative energy m st have been re ired to write How We are Translated in particular. This is a novel fi ing with ideas, wry h mo r, and ling istic contradictions as its two principal protagonists, Kristin and Ciaran play out an often-disconnected relationship thanks, in part, to mismatches in the languages in which they think and speak.
Serio s matters are explored thro gho t – partic larly the dire state of o r climate crisis and how that may alter the paths o r lives take and the decisions we make – b t there’s also la ghter along the way. hat comes partly from m sings on the idiosyncrasies of lang age we learn many excellent Swedish compo nd no ns en ro te b t also from ristin’s brilliantly bi arre work environment at the National se m of mmigration, which has taken over part of Edinburgh castle. Kristin works as part of the Viking exhibition, spending her days sparring with o cio s middle management whilst dressed in traditional cost me for the benefi t of to rists and caring for livestock that she names after Swedish pop stars.
s booksellers we’re more conscio s now than ever of the need to give oxygen to the works of novelists at the early stages of their careers, whilst shops aren’t open for browsing. side from ess’s book, have also st fi nished reading the second novel by iona o ley, whose deb t Elmet blew me away fo r years ago and was shortlisted for the ooker Pri e. er follow p Hot Stew ohn rray, . is far removed from the deep forest setting of Northern England of that fi rst book. his time the action is centred almost entirely on Soho in London, which we get to know in all its seedy glory through a vibrant cast of characters. rom s bterranean addicts and noble prostit tes to retired thugs and Russian property developers living on the inherited spoils of corruptions past, all of life is here and their fates seem tterly intertwined. n a str ct re reminiscent of ohn anchester’s Capital, we slowly get to know these pawns in Soho’s game of hedonism and gentrifi cation, and despite their many fa lts we fi nd o rselves hoping things will, somehow, work o t. Perhaps Precio s and the others will fi nd a way to keep s rreptitio sly plying their trade from the bedrooms of their dilapidated home perhaps Cheryl will emerge from the very literal depths of her despair, and perhaps Agatha and the others controlling the neighbourhood’s purse strings will grow a conscience. r e to form, o ley keeps s guessing whether any of our hopes will be realised right until the bitter end.
Lastly, a word about another follow-up novel that is next on my reading pile and for which we’ve waited fourteen years. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven all Canongate, . exploded into adrenaline p mping life the year after we opened Mr B’s, and ever since we’ve wondered what wo ld come next from the man who gave s that mesmeric mix of nexplained cr shed light b lbs and an nknown enemy seeking o t the v lnerable arters of the hero’s s bconscio s. ell, we’re abo t to fi nd o t. all’s Maxwell’s Demon Canongate, . has st emerged and promises, wait for it, a thrilling npredictable tale of a novelist who wrote a bestselling mystery novel and then disappeared.
Do you see what he did there?!
Nic Bottomley is the general manager of Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, 14/15 John Street, Bath; tel: 01225 331155; www.mrbsemporium.com
