DRUID THEATRE Company's ambitious and hugely successful DruidShakespeare project will be the subject of a documentary which will be broadcast tonight [Tuesday December 15] at 10.15pm on RTÉ One.
Directed by the award-winning Maurice Sweeney, this Wildfire Films’ documentary follows the making of this epic project from its early days in the rehearsal room right up to the final performance in Kilkenny’s Castle Yard, which was attended by President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina Higgins.
DruidShakespeare premiered at the Mick Lally Theatre, Galway, in May this year and comprised four Shakespeare plays – Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, and Henry V – with a cast of Marie Mullen, Marty Rea, Aaron Monaghan, Rory Nolan, Aisling O’Sullivan, Derbhle Crotty, Clare Barrett, Karen McCartney, Charlotte McCurry, Garrett Lombard, Gavin Drea, John Olohan and Bosco Hogan playing multiple roles. The production toured Ireland and New York and enjoyed national and international acclaim.
Wildfire’s documentary contains footage from early workshops to first performances; line-runs and technical problems, and from the opening night as well. It charts the highs and lows of this ambitious production and focuses on the question: how does Druid, as an Irish company, stage plays about English history?
