Pedal-powered drama from HandleBards
WHAT do you call a Shakespearean actor on a bike?
A HandleBard.
Well you do if he/she is one of the intrepid HandleBards — a group of touring actors who are travelling 2,500 miles around the country this summer, taking their performances of four of Shakespeare’s plays to interesting venues, including castles, gardens, bicycle yards and stately homes.
The tour was devised to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, so the company, which is split into two troupes — four boys and four girls — have cunningly called their season 4 for 400 – and are visiting 70 venues across the country, with all of their set, props and costumes in tow.
The girls are due to pedal into Stratford this weekend when they will perform two shows at The Dell, the RSC’s outdoor theatre space in Avonbank Gardens. Romeo and Juliet is on Saturday at 1pm and 4pm, and The Taming of the Shrew follows on Sunday at 12pm and 3pm. Performances are free. They also play The Fleece in Bretforton, tomorrow, Friday, at 7pm. Meanwhile, the boys perform Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III elsewhere in the country.
This is the HandleBards’ fourth UK season, having begun their adventure in 2013 with a 967-mile cycle from Glasgow to London. Back then, it was theatre on a shoestring, and not meant figuratively: the boys used shoelaces and a sponge to attach their trailers to their bikes! Since then, the group has grown from a set of friends with cheap bikes and a rickety old trailer to an internationally successful theatre company, who have performed their brand of fast-paced, bicycle-powered Shakespeare in 12 countries, across three continents, winning the support of legions of fans, including Stratford-based bicycle manufacturer Pashley, whose handcrafted bikes the HandleBards will be riding throughout 2016. Even the mighty Sir Ian McKellen has seen their shows, declaring them “uproariously funny”. “
With six plays and 5,000 miles under our belt, we’re ready for our biggest and most ambitious season yet!” says producer and founder, Paul Moss. “In this anniversary year, as a way of celebrating the life of the great British playwright, we are excited to put our first ever all-female troupe on the road, alongside our internationally-acclaimed all-male troupe.”
The boys are touring the UK until 3rd September, and the girls until 10th September. Find out more and book tickets at www.handlebards.com For the full summer programme of free performances at the Dell, visit www.rsc.org.uk/events/the-dell
