By: Cathryn Macey
Whilst most of their peers from school and college revel in luxurious lie-ins and trips to the beach, the crew from the Young Company have been busy. Very busy, in fact, as they’ve spent the last four weeks of the summer holiday working intensely on this season’s production, “Beowulf.”
Director Steph Kempson has grand ambitions for this years’ summer show. In the post show discussion, she talks with warmth and enthusiasm about her motivation for staging a story that isn’t traditionally tackled by young people. “I want to give young people in Plymouth with musical and acting talent the chance to perform something different. There are a lot of opportunities to participate in more mainstream productions locally, but with a show like “Beowulf”, young people can engage in something a bit more unusual.”
This commitment to originality pays off as from the start of this riveting performance, we can all feel that the show is going to be tense and dramatic. Creating a rather chilling atmosphere, the set (designed and made by the cast and crew at TR2 this summer) is surrounded by a thick layer of smoke. An eerie atmosphere takes hold as we gaze at the upside-down crown that lies on top of a mysterious looking portal. It looks and feels like serious and professional theatre.
It is so professional that I briefly wonder if I’m in the right place! The vibe is Macbeth performed by the RSC and I’m half expecting Christopher Ecclestone or David Tenant to stumble out onto the stage and begin a soliloquy about daggers. However, what transpires is even more magnificent and thrilling as the entire ensemble emerge singing a haunting and harmonious melody.
With urgent and direct use of eye contact, the compelling and immersive aspect of the show is established. All performers look at us unflinchingly as they begin to tell the story of Beowulf. They ask us to decide if he was a good King or not and we are invited to learn about his history.
Chris Thorpe’s lyrical script provides all actors with the chance to deliver some beautiful and gruesome lines. The passion with which these lines are spoken is impressive. Every syllable can be heard and it’s obvious that the company have worked tirelessly to ensure they breathe as much life as they possibly can into this ancient Anglo- Saxon story.
Complementing the company’s sharp use of dialogue, the ensemble cast also use aspects of physical theatre, puppetry and dance. They employ movement in both a joyful and harrowing way. A solo ballet dance inspired by a bird is a gentle reprieve from the sword fighting but some of the more macabre fight scenes wouldn’t look out of place in an episode of “Stranger Things.”
It’s the show’s utilisation of puppetry that enhances these fantastic fight scenes. Looking as though it has just made its way out of The Upside Down, a scary looking dragon attacks and its victim’s reaction is scarily believable. He gasps and struggles for breath whilst the realistic looking monster pins him to the wall.
Moving these puppets that the cast and crew have made by hand are three young performers. Reflecting on their time in rehearsals in the post show discussion, one of the puppeteers did admit that manoeuvring the dragon with two other people was immensely challenging. “There were three of us moving the dragon around and we had to all work in sync with one another. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to train to do, but we did it.”
It is this willingness to collaborate and try new things that has led to a production of this calibre. Musicians work with performers to musically narrate the action and the backstage crew work hard together closely to ensure no cue is missed. It is a team effort!
A lot of blood, sweat and tears has clearly gone into Beowulf and I was blown away by the standard on show tonight. For me personally, Beowulf shows that youth theatre can be ambitious and that with some intense professional training, our young people can do anything!
If you want to show a young person in your life what gritty youth theatre looks like, then I definitely recommend you take them to see Beowulf while you can.