The Merry Wives of Stratford, directed by Jo Stallard, is on show at Stratford King's Theatre TET. Photo / Alyssa Smith
The Merry Wives of Stratford, directed by Jo Stallard, is on show at Stratford King's Theatre TET. Photo / Alyssa Smith
Bryan Vickery is no stranger to theatre productions.
However, his role in local production The Merry Wives of Stratford is something entirely new to the seasoned actor.
Bryan says while he often treads the boards with various local theatre groups, The Merry Wives of Stratford is very different to other shows.
“For starters there’s live music and the cast also do a lot of backstage work, moving partitions and things. We also have a mix of young and experienced actors, the Stratford Singers, local musicians and choreography by the local Dance Project, I’ve never been involved in anything like it.”
The production, directed by Stratford Shakespeare Trust member Jo Stallard, brings together Stratford’s local acting, singing, dancing and theatre talent under the umbrella of The Stratford Arts Theatre Company making it a real community project, she says.
The show, which plays at the TET King’s Theatre over the weekend, is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Set in Stratford during the 1920′s after World War I, the play was originally scheduled to run as part of April’s Shakespeare Festival. However, they had “a hard time” finding an actor to play Mr Ford, says Jo, and so it was postponed to allow for Bryan to step into the role after he finished other acting commitments in the region.
The Stratford Singers are part of the production. Photo / Alyssa Smith
Bryan says the role of Mr Ford is a very different role to what he is usually cast in.
“He is a jealous and conceited husband. It’s a new role for me. I’m usually the cause of jealous and conceited husbands - in theatre of course!- I’ve never played a character that’s not loved by their wife. It’s a new sensation.”
That unloving wife, Mrs Ford, is played by Kathy Garcia who says this is also a new experience for her, as it is her first time acting rather than working backstage.
“I’ve been a stage manager for several plays most recently for Footloose but this is my first time on the stage. I’ve enjoyed it and it has a lot to do with Jo and the cast energy.”
She says Mrs Ford is funny and clever, making her a great character to play.
While Kathy is new to the stage, she is surrounded by plenty of experience with Deborah Clough (Mrs Page) and Patsy Commerford (Mrs Quickly) both well-known local actors, with more than 100 shows clocked up between them.
Deborah is involved with Hāwera Repertory Theatre. She describes her character as the brains of the play.
“I’m the mischievous plotter.”
The draw-in for Patsy was the humour of the play and her character.
“I just love comedic roles. It’s something I enjoy doing but it’s very hard to get right. You can overdo it and you have to have good timing.”
