“Now all the youth of England are on fire”
Henry IV is dead and the young Prince Hal is King. With England in a state of unrest, he must leave his rebellious youth behind and prove himself a worthy ruler. The young king becomes feted warrior as a tiny kingdom rouses its spirits to stake a claim on the towering throne of France.
From monarchs to miscreants, Lords to lackeys, Shakespeare’s Henry V unites a cross section of humanity on the historical fields of Agincourt in an epic battle for heart and home.
“And gentlemen in England now abed,
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here”
Fast forward to Summer 2020 and OVO reimagines the play in an outdoor classroom, where a group of eager drama students and their teachers come together (at a socially safe distance!) to bring this rousing, moving and frequently funny play to life with creativity, passion and wit.
A feisty, fresh and fast-paced adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic text by award winning director Matthew Parker, marking his debut for OVO.
Press on Parker’s previous work:
★★★★★ “Highly entertaining and engaging from start to finish” London Theatre1
★★★★★ “Parker’s skilfully directed ensemble piece doesn’t falter for a second” Stage Review
★★★★★ “One of the finest displays of acting & direction I’ve seen all year.” IThankyou Theatre
Cast
- (Ms Nightingale) Chorus, Westmorland, Williams: Cassandra Hodges
- (Mr Spencer) Gower, Orleans, Erpingham, Burgundy: Edward Elgood
- (Agatha) Henry: Mara Allen
- (Ffion) Boy, Cambridge, Katherine, Court, Gov. of Harfleur: Rachel Fenwick
- (Paul) Fluellen, Dauphin, Ely: Luke Adamson
- (Dante) Pistol, Constable of France, Gray: James Keningale
- (Lily) Montjoy, Hostess, Queen Isabel, Scroop: Melissa Shirley-Rose
- (Josie) Canterbury, Alice, Rambures, Bardolph: Paula Gilmour
- (Zach) Gloucester, French King: Jack Reitman
- (Ralph) Exeter, Nym, Bates: Felipe Pacheco
Creatives
- Author: Adapted from Shakespeare by Matthew Parker
- Director: Matthew Parker
- Producer: OVO Theatre
- Designer: Simon Nicholas
- Costume: Lizzie Thomson
- Lighting: Adam Bottomley
- Sound: Michael Bird
- Stage Manager: Becky Brown
- Assistant Director: Oliver McFadden
Parker not only directs with vigour, forensic attention to detail and inventiveness but, in addition, has also ingeniously adapted Shakespeare for planet Covid and provided choreography that would guarantee a spot on Strictly!
A treat to see Shakespearean sophistication at this level… Parker succeeds in making the most complex of situations flow as naturally as the ancient verse from the mouths of his performers
This imaginative interpretation, is as clever as it is witty and as moving as it is original… A tour de force
Director/Choreographer Matthew Parker acknowledges COVID by tagging a socially distanced school play version of Shakespeare’s gung-ho hit… It is all beautifully achieved
Director Matthew Parker and a talented young company make a virtue of necessity. Cutting the play to 90 minutes and meeting to social distancing restrictions, they frame it as a school rehearsal
A tireless sense of fun that no downpour could dampen
An array of dynamic stage images, an ensemble which flows through scene changes in a way which feels tightly choreographed and presents stunning tableaux
The talented cast, together with the comic drive of this production, make an excellent and accessible entree to Shakespeare and an outdoor festival designed to be fun
An ensemble piece that is refreshingly pacey and fizzes with energy… the electricity seems to crackle from the stage
Filleted and finessed down to less than 90 minutes, it’s a fast and fearless romp through the play that hits all the beats (and) fits in several theatrical flourishes
