Shakespeare with a Newfoundland twist at Stratford Festival

Shakespeare's comedy, AsYou Like It, willbe getting a Newfoundland makeover this summer at the Stratford Festival in Ontario.

The play's director,JillianKeiley,is from St. John's and hassetthe productioninNewfoundland, featuring traditional music played by a live band.

For anaddedauthentic feel, a number of people from the provinceincluding actorPetrinaBromleyand musician BobHallett havebeen hired to take part.

"There is a distinct effort, I think, to bring the ambience of a Newfoundland celebration and the way Newfoundland entertainment can sort of blur the line between audience and entertainers and make that part of the evening here in Stratford," saidHallett.

Newfoundland twist

Halletthas been asked to recreatethe music of Shakespeare's time to give it thefeel of traditionalNewfoundland tunes.

"The soundtrack of Newfoundlandis based around the traditional musicof Newfoundland, you know the accordion, the bodhrn, the fiddle ... the goal is to make the music fit the words and the actors," saidHallett.

"You can put a bunch of notes on a page and say, 'play this', but that's not how we would do it in Newfoundland," he said.

"A chord of the Newfoundland traditionis the chaos, the wildness, the inclusiveness, the fun that comes with it even in the darkest of Newfoundland songs there's always a core of gold at the bottom of the coal."

Hallett saidrehearsals have been going well, but it's a little bit harder to find a button accordion player in Ontario than they first thought.

"We had about a dozen candidates when we started, but one by one they've fallen away for various reasons and we're literally down to the bitter end, but I'm pretty confident we're going to able to find the right individual,"HalletttoldCBC Radio'sWeekend AM.

He added that playing at Stratford is very disciplined and quitedifferent than playing in a bar.

The successful candidate needs to be able to follow the director as well as the production, saidHallett, and "it's not an easy gig."

'Quite an honour'

Bromleyplays Rosalind, the main character in the play, who disguises herself as a man and flees after being banished from court.

She said Rosalindthen meets andfalls in love with young man namedOrlando, who"runs around writingterrible, terrible poems andposting themon trees."

"It's quite an honour and I'm very excited, feeling really quite lucky to have the chance and the opportunity," saidBromley.

She said the cast also hasthree other Newfoundland actorsDeidre Gillard-Rowlings,Jamie Mac andRobin Hutton-Patterson.

"I think we're there for the authenticity and if you're landing the show in Newfoundland thenyou really need to have some, pardon the pun, 'touchstones,'for that sensibility, and the accent and the traditions and the culture," saidBromley.

She added that companies like Artistic Fraud, and shows likeRepublic of Doyle have given the province a lot of exposure.

"We are everywhere. It's incredible, everywhere I go I meet someone who knows someone from Newfoundland, or has worked with someone from Newfoundland."

Audience participation

TheShakespeareancomedyopens at the festival in May.

Audience members arebeing asked to wear light-coloured clothing to take part and they'll be given props.

Classes are being offered prior to the performance for peopleto learn 'Running the Goat,'a traditional Newfoundland dance, so they can come up on stage toperform it during the show.

Bromleysaid that children will alsobeinvited to write their own love poems and possibly have them read out during the show.

"They really want the audience to feel very much likethey're a part of the show,"Bromleysaid.

"The bottom line, I think here in Stratford as much as anywhere else, is they want to entertain people. They want people to walk out of that theatre having had a great time," said Hallett.

"Yes there are challenges but they are doable."

Stratford may seem aworldaway from St. John's, but bothBromleyandHallettagree, it's the same job with different surroundings and you always want to do your best.

"As an actor it's one of those places that's kind of themecca...It makes you bring your best work to the table," saidBromley.

"Whether you're standingin a pub in front of 30 people or you're standing onthe stage at Stratford, at the end of the day people have to walk out having been impressed, having beenlost for a couple of hours and having enjoyed themselves so every stage is the same for me,"Hallettsaid.