Following yesterday’s Festival news and previous reflections on the past, now seems a good time to focus on current activities within St. Francis church hall and look to the future, in particular our July production.
If you have been following of late you would know that our biennial brushing up of Shakespeare has been at the forefront of the last month or so and preparations are well underway for Troilus and Cressida. Not one of Bard’s better known pieces, this tale of the Trojan Wars has been for a long time considered one of his ‘Problem Plays’. Described thus because of their ambiguous nature and dramatic shifts in tone betwixt darkness and comedy, here is a tale that deals with issues as relevant now as they were in 1603, when it was believed written, and marries comedy to powerful and hard hitting drama. I have no doubt that this is a narrative which will undoubtedly encourage pause for thought and discussion amongst many who see it. And it is set to be unveiled in just under a month’s time on 7th-9th July.
Directed by Tim Pearce, he has chosen to set it during the Great War, partly because this year marks the centenary of the Somme but also owing to the powerful resonance that the play has with the generation shattering events of that time period. However, rather than wax lyrical myself, it is far better for Tim to articulate on the ideas behind the show and I will hopefully encourage him to provide a few more insights into what promises to be a spectacular and powerful night of theatre in the very near future. Tickets will be available to non-Friends in the next few days and we expect it to be an evening as popular as many enjoyed recently, with an audience intrigued to see how such a piece is tackled.What I can say is that it is set to be a lavish and spectacular play with no expense spared, and one that draws on stalwarts but also brings many newcomers to the group.
With so many new faces and our successful entrance into this year’s Festival it is good to see The Matchbox more prominently fixed in the local area; I certainly hope it will go from strength to strength in its involvement within the community. With all hands on deck for Troilus & Cressida, it is a shame, therefore, that we have not been able to more actively involve ourselves with Bromley Theatre Guild’s forthcoming production of Alice in Wonderland which takes place but one week after the smoke has cleared from our Trojan epic. This outdoor production drawing across many of groups within the area promises to be a magical and marvellous experience and I would certainly encourage folk to get their tickets for, with splendid weather, an undoubtedly enjoyable and spectacular production between 14th-16th July. I leave you with the details below:
The Matchblog 