Dan Bavister reflects on this years’ Summer Shakespeare performance, an annual part of the post-exams calendar.
This year, I was honoured to assist with putting on Summer Shakespeare, the grand finale of each year’s post-exams Summer Events at St John’s. A historic tradition, this performance always provides some culture, laughs and light relief to round off the academic year, and is a vital asset to the rich tapestry of amateur dramatics in college.
College put out a call to recruit a fresher to direct, as is convention. My friend and fellow first year, Callum Hynd, keen to grasp this brilliant opportunity, decided to put his name forward. He then came to me for advice. As an English Literature student and Shakespeare enthusiast, I was only too keen to help out. I recommended Callum pitch ‘The Tempest’ – having seen it in performance at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, and with a strong knowledge of this beautiful, atmospheric and elemental drama, I thought it would provide a perfect performance on the stage of the John’s Amphitheatre. And so, Callum went to college with our pitch, and we waited. A few days later good news came through – we were good to go.
Our pitch of ‘The Tempest’ accepted, the first vital steps were to put a script together and assemble a cast. The scriptwriting was my first task. While Shakespeare wrote the original play’s script over 400 years ago, much work was needed to adapt it for our performance. The first priority was abridging it sufficiently so that it could be performed in around 90 minutes. The next was removing some of the more egregious, discriminatory language and racial slurs which litter the original – as is the case with much writing from the Elizabethan / Jacobean era – to ensure inclusivity in our modern rendition of the play. Once we had created a working script, the next step was to recruit a cast.
Auditions were held in the Old Library, where a group of enthusiastic and energetic Johnians gathered, keen to lend a hand in putting on our performance. Callum and I sat behind an old wooden desk, surrounded by dusty bookshelves, the painted scenery of past college theatre productions, old props, and other assorted relics. Then, after a short briefing from the director and myself, our actors and actresses sprung into their roles. In truth, we were deeply impressed by their professionalism and rich talent. Some of the Johnians having never walked the boards before, others admittedly possessing more experience, everyone gave it their all. We were blown away.
Ultimately, a cast of nine Johnians were assembled, led by Fabian Tindale Geere as Prospero, and we started scrambling to rehearse. With auditions held just ten days before the performance itself, time was limited. And with only £50 of college-provided funds in our pockets – the vast majority of which we were required to spend on the complimentary Pimm’s provided to the playgoers – we had very little leeway in sourcing costumes, props and scenery. But we did not let that stop us. Callum hosted a rapid series of rehearsals, myself attending to advise and often filling in to do lines whenever key actors were not available.
Before we knew it, the day of the performance was upon us. The sun streaking down through the trees and shimmering on the River Wear, the rowing teams coursing by, the scene was set for our performance. Birdsong murmured in the trees. The last lingering clouds opened, golden sunlight pouring into the Amphitheatre. And then the play began.
All in all, I would definitely say the performance proved a great success. The Amphitheatre rang with laughter, the audience visibly enjoying themselves, and not purely because of the complimentary Pimm’s laid on at the outside bar. As the shimmering summer’s afternoon beat on, the play went through its rolling, multifaceted romp, through outrageous farce, glorious pomp and pageantry, subtle beauty, and finishing with Fabian’s stirring rendition of Prospero’s famous and sublime Epilogue, which rounds off the play.
Indeed, it has been my honour to have assisted Callum and the small, close-knit and rapidly-assembled Summer Shakespeare Team with putting on our performance this year. And it is truly testament to St John’s, and the unique beauty of our college community, that there is so much talent, happiness and joy to be found here, which was so clearly on display that wonderful afternoon on the 21st of June, 2023.
John's Chronicle 
Good memories of playing Salieri in Amadeus and then the Player in Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead for the Bailey Theatre Company, in the late 90s.
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