The Grassroots ethos in action

At the end of our penultimate rehearsal, mere days away from opening night, we were gathered into a huddle to hear some news and make a decision. There were a couple faces looking worried and stressed, and it seemed like there must be something really bad about to happen. Did the park revoke our permission to perform? Did somebody’s relative die, and they have to be at the funeral? 

Turns out that one of our own, the fabulously talented Holly Davies (who has created perhaps the sexiest Puck in the history of the world) has been offered the most tremendous opportunity. She’s been given a role in a BBC pilot without even auditioning! (yep, she’s just that good.) There’s just one problem:

Filming goes late into the night on both Monday and Tuesday, our scheduled opening night and second performance.  She hasn’t told them yes, because she wanted to talk to all of us first. She didn’t want to let us down. 

We all looked at Holly. There were tears in her eyes as one of her cast mates held her shoulders and we all cried out how marvelous! How amazing! Congratulations! Eve spoke perhaps for all of us when she said, “It never even occurred to me that you wouldn’t TAKE it! Of course you should do it! We’re all behind you.”

That’s Grassroots. That’s the magic of a group of people working for free at what they love, with people they respect, with this as the highest aim: to make great theatre from scratch with nothing but the script, the company and the passion we all share, and bring it to the people of London because it’s what we love to do.

We’re all behind Holly 100%, with pride far outweighing any envy or sadness because we’ve also decided we’re not canceling. Oh no, not Grassroots. We’re going on! We’re putting off opening until Weds, and performing Monday and Tuesday as open dress rehearsals with our friend Adam Elliot standing in as Puck. At the end of these previews there will be a chance to get feedback from the audience and a Q & A about Grassroots and “original practices”. In losing Holly for those two performances, we’ve all gained a deeper sense of community and support, a serious pride in our cast mate’s brilliant gig, and the chance to “perform” for an audience while still rehearsing! 

How did that happen? We ALL won! 

And this, perhaps, is what I love most about Grassroots. When 12 gorgeous and talented people have your back, you go out feeling like a champion and knowing that your world will be rocked by the people you’re playing with. You go out expecting surprises and gifts, spontaneity and wonder and damn fine work from all your fellows. When 12 generous and creative performers have your back, you’re safe to open your heart or even fall on your ass. You’re even safe to leave, knowing it won’t be the same without you but that you’re also not letting us down.

I call that magical. I call that one of the best things I’ve ever been a part of.

Thank you, Grassroots Original London Cast, for being who you are. Congratulations Holly, we love you and will miss you and will do our best to rock those shows in your honor. Thank you in advance to the audiences who watch us wrangle with an unexpected situation and still come out punching!

And while we’re at it, thank you Mr. Shakespeare. You wrote a damn fun play.

-Ponder Goddard

A peek inside the Grassroots audition process!

We all know what a typical audition entails; you walk onto a bare stage, introduce yourself to a vaguely discernible casting director sitting somewhere out in the fourth-wall ether, and then (if you're lucky) launch headlong into a monologue that you have spent weeks preparing.  Almost immediately, you finish, head out the door, and await the results with baited breath for days, sometimes weeks.  Grassroots auditions are... different.

From the very first moment of auditions, you are part of an ensemble.  You're encouraged to give and take feedback from your fellow auditioners.  You're urged to speak directly to them during your performance, and to notice and use the surrounding environment effectively.  In some ways it's a bit daunting, trying to stand out and be heard in the middle of a vast park, and having your audition piece openly scrutinized by strangers.  But in other ways, it can be quite satisfying to let the energy of an audience enliven your performance, and to foster a sense of community with your peers.  Auditions are never easy, but Grassroots auditions are, at the very least, unique.

The most difficult, and perhaps the most important part of the Grassroots auditions, is the voting.  After devising a few scenes in small groups, and performing them for each other, the recalled group of actors write up confidential ballots, listing the people they would most like to work with.  After that, a simple tally determines the company.  For those who, for whatever reason, don't make the final cut, it can be pretty disappointing.  But those who do make the company find an instant network of supportive, trusting, enthusiastic friends, each of whom are there because of each other's votes.

The instant bond created by this exciting, if harrowing process, allows us to jump straight into rehearsals.  And for Grassroots, that's an absolute necessity.  We only have ten days, after all.  There's no time for trust-falls or bridge-building.  The connections have to be there from day one.  If we're trying to approach Shakespeare the way his original players did, then we need an incredibly cohesive, tight-knit group, like they had.  So, although it can be dispiriting for those who feel rejected by the voting (and the difference between total validation and total rejection is often just a single vote), it is incredibly beneficial to the creation of an enthusiastic and sincerely collaborative ensemble.

If you like what we do, please help us by sharing with your friends and family!  In England, follow us at Grassroots Shakespeare · London on facebook, or @grassroots_lon on twitter.  Our upcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream promises to be a surprising and enchanting event!

The First Blog Post of the New Grassroots British Shakespeare Company

The First Blog Post of the New Grassroots British Shakespeare Company

It’s been an interesting road to get to this point. I’ve never gone through an audition process quite like this: so relaxed, open. From the instant we all met, the method seemed almost designed to make us into a company. Performing monologues in front of each other was an audition experience I’d had only once before, auditioning for drama school (at the end of which, I got in). It’s amazing the difference it makes to your performance to have a supportive audience. Nerves melt away with the laughter or rapt attention that accompanies the performance. By the end of the day, I felt like I knew everyone and they al l knew me. There was no worry about who would get in and who wouldn’t because we all felt we’d been given an equal opportunity. We knew that no matter what, whoever made up the company would be talented and fun to work with.

I could talk about the recall but I would basically be repeating myself: the exact same enjoyable experience except with fewer people. By the end of it, however, there was an excitement: only thirteen of us could make it and every one of us (you could tell) desperately wanted to get in. Not just to act but because it would be so much fun to act with these people.

And so it was with much joy that I discovered I was to be part of the group. Additionally, I would be fulfilling a life long dream of mine: to perform Shakespeare in London in the open as Shakespeare intended. From a very young age, I have enjoyed Shakespeare’s work and wanted to perform it in the country of its origin. That’s why I went to drama school here and it is the reason I decided to start my acting career here. A year out of drama school, doing mostly film work, I am now back doing what I love - Shakespeare’s theatre - and I cannot think of a better company with which to start.

We had our first meeting as a company last week and it felt like I was meeting old friends. We all indicated openly the roles we wanted to play and quite naturally it seemed that everybody got what they wanted.

So as I eagerly embark on our first week of rehearsals, I am full of confidence, not just in myself but in the whole group. I already feel trust in every actor and that together we will create something truly amazing.

Aaron Tavaler

2011 London Company Announced!

After careful deliberation (read: playing in Hyde Park) and much reflection (read: chatting at Starbucks), Grassroots Shakespeare · London is pleased to announce almost the entire cast of our upcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream!

Oberon/ Thesus - Noah Young
Titania/ Hyppolita - Ponder Goddard
Lysander - Eve Winters
Demetrius - Harrie Hayes
Helena - Jennifer Dawn Williams
Hermia - Sarah Jayne-Harris
Bottom - Aaron Travaler
Quince - Grace Kennedy
Snout - Liam Webster
Starveling - Siobhan Daly
Snug/ Egeus - Cornelia Baumann
Flute - Mark Oram
Puck/ Philostrate - Holly Davies

Keep reading over the coming weeks to learn more about this wonderful troupe of actors!  They are delightful, talented, and a bit mad - they're London's first Grassrooters!

American Shakespeare Center Intern

Hi Grassrooters,

Thanks to all our fans for such an incredible season. I still think about it everyday. What a wonderful opportunity it was to be involved with such talented performers, and enthusiastic audiences.

I love what we do so much, I just had to get out to some of the other places that do Original Practice. The big epicenter in the States is the American Shakespeare Center where they have a recreation of Shakespeare's first indoor theater, the Blackfriar's, so named because it was built inside a monastery. I'm here this summer doing an internship on Early Modern Theater Structures. So it's my job to learn everything I can about the playhouses of the period. No small task, because Londoners loved the theater, and wanted as much of it as they could get... Well kind of. There were also those who snubbed the Playhouses and wanted to shut them down all the time. Which is where we get most of our information really; legal documents and contracts from the likes of Philip Henslowe.

I'm especially excited to do a little more research on the touring operations of playing companies of the period in lue of our touring season. Our wine barrel based stage could be among the more authentic touring stages in the world.

Thanks again for a wonderful season, and I hope to find lots of good facts for ye Shakespeare lovers.

TRIPLE HEADER: Summer Tour 2011 Finale!

You asked for it, and we're giving it to you! By popular demand, we're adding one more blowout show to finish off our smash hit Summer Tour! Triple Header--come see one, come see two, or if you're feeling really adventurous then come see all three shows in one night!

TRIPLE HEADER
Castle Amphitheatre 1300 E Center St. Provo
Monday, June 27th 

7:00pm 'As You Like It'
8:30pm 'Midsummer Night's Dream: All-Male Cast'
9:45pm 'Romeo and Juliet: Encore'

    Each show runs ~1hr 15min

ADMISSION: 
$7 for all three! 
$5 for one or two!

Here's what audiences have been saying:

"Amazing. I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time!"

-Katie Fullmer

"I've never enjoyed Shakespeare quite like I did last night at Liberty park."

-Karli McKinnon

"Romeo and Juliet plus A Midsummer Night's Dream at Liberty Park tonight: ...Probably the best free entertainment available. And better than stuff people pay for, too. Keep up the excellent work my friends!"

-Jason Kelly

"Absolutely top notch stuff"

-Randall McNair

More details HERE.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

We made the paper!
Read the full story at Deseret News Online!