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On 13 September, the troupe, this year starring Andrew Armfield, Sarah Bulmer, Emma Hadley-Leonard and William Ross-Fawcettare, are heading to Sevenoaks’ Emmetts Garden for a bicycle-powered production of Shakespeare’ s Much Ado About Nothing like you’ ve never seen before. In usual HandleBards style, expect riotous amounts of energy, a fair old whack of chaos and a great deal of laughter throughout Shakespeare’ s famous comedy, reimagined! Ahead of their Sevenoaks performance, insideKENT spoke to the talented troupe to find out more about their experience on tour and unique Shakespearean style.
Very uniquely, you travel between venues by bike- cycling with sets, props and all. Tell us about the inspiration behind this decision and what it adds to your performance.
William Ross-Fawcett: Bringing and promoting sustainable theatre to audiences across the length and breadth of the country is definitely one of the major drives behind the HandleBards but there’ s also the joyous, often outrageous, quasi-chaotic, absurd,
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sublime and magnificent adventure element that makes a tour with this company so unique. Pedalling to the next venue with a play you have literally carried all the way lends a vitality to the shows that seems to infuse our audiences and they greet us with such warmth and glorious bonhomie that every show feels like magic.
Any memorable moments( or mishaps!) from the tour so far?
Emma Hadley-Leonard: I have a really strong memory of having completed one of the hardest cycles into Lyme Regis and arriving at the Marine Theatre to see the stunning panoramic views of the sea that would be our backdrop for the show that night. It was just what we needed after such a testing ride. Also, falling off my bike after slipping on a banana skin!
Why do you think Shakespeare still resonates today- especially in outdoor or unconventional venues?
Andrew Armfield: The stories in Shakespeare’ s plays have universal themes running through them that we all still
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experience today- love, loss, jealousy, plans going wrong. On top of this, they are very, very silly, which people never get tired of!
What do you hope that audiences will take away from your performance of Much Ado About Nothing?
Sarah Bulmer: I hope they’ re surprised! In whatever shape or form that takes. Laughter? Tears? Finding Shakespeare fun? It’ s all possible.
Tickets are available now for The HandleBards upcoming performance on 13 September at Emmetts Garden in Sevenoaks. This is an outdoor production, so audiences are advised to bring a chair or blanket to sit on, a picnic to dig into- and to dress for the weather!
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