Forest Hill, London – April 2016
Commissioned by the Forest Hill Society, Teatro Vivo worked with the local community to perform Shakespeare around the streets in a free promenade performance.
Shakespeare was brought back from the dead to write a new sonnet about Forest Hill. He wasn’t sure where to begin and enlisted the help of a local audience to escort him down the high street to discover things to write about.
As they travelled the audience came across scenes and characters from some of Shakespeare’s plays:
From Beatrice and Benedict arguing in a car park to Anthony seducing Cleopatra in a local pub, Much Ado on the High Street collaborates with local businesses and spaces to create a Shakespearean adventure.
The show culminated in a performance of Shakespeare’s newest sonnet about the neighbourhood.
“It was so lovely to have something so imaginative, amusing, engrossing and exciting happening in the centre of Forest Hill reaching such a wide audience.” – The Forest Hill Society
Director: Sophie Austin
Designer: Natalie Jackson
Stage Manager: Molly Burcham
Performers: Kas Darley, Houda Echouafni, Tommy Ross Williams, Mark Stevenson, Michael Wagg
Chorus members: Vici, Sonia Amori, Gabby Scanlan, Jackie Withnail, Anthea Wormington
Funding: Lewisham Council
Sponsored by: Kinleigh Folkard and Hayward, The Signal, J.D.Wetherspoons and The Dartmouth Arms