The Malvern Shakespeare Folio 400 Festival at the Coach House Theatre in Malvern began with the opening night of my comedy-drama Nay, Remember Me! about the people who gave us Shakespeare's first complete works, now known as the First Folio.
On the 400th anniversary of the publishing of the Folio of Shakespeare's Plays on the 8th of November, Professor Judith Buchanan of Oxford University presented her talk about the Folio. All the tickets sold out as soon as they were released, and the theatre was full to capacity.
Professor Buchanan's 400th First Folio anniversary talk
Professor Buchanan's talk did not disappoint; audience members were delighted to be asked to participate. Her analysis of the different versions of Henry V, the Quarto version comparing it with the later Folio version, was fascinating. Where the earlier Quarto version presents an uncomplicated, patriotic pageant, the Folio version is complex and multilayered. This one example illustrated beautifully why scholars, actors, directors and audiences are (often unknowingly) indebted to the people who gathered good and fair copies of Shakespeare’s plays together.
After her talk, Professor Buchanan stayed for the 400th anniversary of the First Folio performance of Nay, Remember Me!
After which she very kindly sent me a message the day after her visit, mentioning every aspect of the production:
"I really enjoyed Nay, Remember Me! A huge well done to the playwright and the cast and crew for pulling it off so well. Wonderful time shifts and a real sense of character, as well as story-telling to keep the action bowling along. I loved the set, too, and the fluid use of the space.” Professor Judith Buchanan, Master of St. Peter’s College and Shakespeare Scholar, Oxford University, November 8 2023.
The director and designer, Chris Bassett, also offered his view of the play - he is usually pretty reluctant to say anything, but this time, he was quite forthcoming. I am grateful to him for taking the time to let me have his thoughts.
“Nay, Remember Me! was the centrepiece of the Malvern Shakespeare Folio 400 Festival in November 2023; members of the Malvern Theatre Players rose to the challenge with enthusiasm. They thoroughly enjoyed discovering many things about the Bard and his amazing Folio of plays. Amelia Marriette, the author, is to be congratulated on creating this entertaining and informative work, which has been a joy to direct. I have now directed the play three times, first at the Other Place Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon as part of the RSC Fringe Festival in 2001 and again in 2010 in Malvern and on tour in Torquay. I really do think that Nay, Remember Me! performs better than it reads off the page, which in real terms is a bonus because it is in the crucible of performance that it really comes together. I have no hesitation in recommending it as a great play for any and all theatre groups.” Chris Bassett, Company Manager, The Coach House Theatre, and designer/ director Nay, Remember Me! November 2023.
Shakespeare Talks
I also had the opportunity to present two of my Shakespeare talks. On Thursday afternoon, I presented my talk about the Authorship Controversy, in which I urged a reconsideration of the preconceptions about Shakespeare's authorship and recognition that genius is the accidental birthright of anyone - blue-blooded or from the salt of the earth stock – and is born out of ambition, dedication, opportunity, and luck, regardless of the societal expectations associated with titles and lineage, by unshackling ourselves from class-based biases, we can fully appreciate the profound impact of Shakespeare's works and the enduring legacy of that man from Stratford-upon-Avon.
On Friday afternoon, I presented my Shakespeare Today: Exploring Shakespeare's Cultural Legacy talk. William Shakespeare is the most influential secular writer of all time, but he is the mystery cat of English literature, at once everywhere and nowhere. It has become commonplace to speak of his work in the same breath as the Bible; he is both omniscient and invisible like the Almighty. Perhaps he is the most influential writer of all time because, in his works, he never reveals his personality, which essentially means that we can keep dressing him in our own contemporary clothes and, in so doing, make him current. Therefore, he is always eternally ours. This talk is one that I have been mulling over for some years now, and I suppose it has become my favourite one, so I was very happy to receive a message from an audience member, John Stack, who also saw my play:
“Nay, Remember Me! and your talk called Shakespeare Today reinvigorated my enthusiasm for Shakespeare. The play was very entertaining and informative. The talk was just even more informative and very amusing. You highlighted his cultural legacy in a remarkable way, and I now listen out for Shakespearean words and phrases constantly.” John Stack, November 10th 2023.
After my talks, Melting Pot Theatre performed, in the first instance, a condensed version of
Hamlet, and, after my second talk, a version of Macbeth - I especially liked their short version of Macbeth; it was eerie, gripping and very scary!
The Friday evening performance of the play was the most dynamic, and I believe that the audience's ability to suspend disbelief - to adopt Coleridge's phrase - was working as it should. I was particularly nervous because two of my old schoolfriends popped over from Worcester, and I caught up with them afterwards - which was a great treat!
"A thoroughly enjoyable performance with a cleverly thought-out storyline. Hilariously witty. I'm sure the bard himself would have enjoyed this different approach to his story of suffering and future success. Bravo.” Angela Shouler, December 22nd 2023 (via Blog comments).
Not all live performances are the same, but sometimes things click. This is something that interests me very much; in fact, in my non-fiction book, Walking into Alchemy, I couldn't resist including references to the theatre and playgoing, even though it is, of course, a book about walking. In my chapter called Suspension (chapter 34), I compare a field of cobwebs to a particularly wonderful performance of Uncle Vanya starring Derek Jacobi, Trevor Eve and Imogen Stubbs that I once experienced in the main theatre in Malvern. This a chapter that I was very nervous about including, but my editor urged me to keep it, as he said, "Writers must be free to write from their own experiences". Good advice, indeed!
The last performance of Nay, Remember Me! on Saturday, November 11th, was full, and once again, the actors were really on form. One audience member and I had a great talk after the performance. I was very happy when she said:
“Nay, Remember Me! reminded me of a play by Caryl Churchill."
Annie Vickers, November 10th 2023.
I think she was being generous, but I can surely hope to aspire to that in the distant future. I will have to keep going!
Proud of the cast, crew and all the actors
Above all, I was so proud of all the actors - they managed the series of duo relationships really well, not making it seem choppy or bitty. However, I am singling out Gill Young's performance because she stepped into the role quite late in the day and very convincingly played the young and rather hopeless apprentice John Leason - he was also popular with the audience, getting mentions from many quarters - Angela Pulford, Former Chair of the Open University Shakespeare Society, singled Gill out in her generous review.
“The play worked seamlessly, moving through time periods, which added to the humour of it all. The use of modern technology – with the Ghost of Shakespeare appearing via a video hookup worked well. Comedy was provided by the incompetent apprentice Jonny Leason, who ruins the only script of Love’s Labour's Won. There were several other in-jokes reflecting Amelia’s knowledge of Shakespeare’s texts. The dialogue was excellent, and the audience found it very amusing and chuckled as they left. It is an ideal play for amateur or professional groups, and young actors or students could learn a lot and have fun in the process.” Angela Pulford, Former Chair of the Open University Shakespeare Society, November 2023.
Gill Young enjoyed playing this cross-dressed role even though she complained that the part is very physical. She needed to get the arnica cream out every night to attend to her bruises! I admit to feeling a bit guilty about that! This is something for me to bear in mind as a playwright next time I put pen to paper.
I also want to pay tribute to Britt Needham, who did a fantastic job with the costumes - she chose wonderful warm colour combinations, which helped create visual connections between the characters.
Learning about playwrighting from watching productions
One of the great things about attending performances of your own plays is that you can be a fly on the wall, and one can learn a great deal about how plays work in performance - it's always different from the scenes you can imagine when sitting in a room on your own. I have never met a writer yet who is a hundred per cent happy with their work - I think this is an impossible dream. I now have a list of rewrites, but on the whole, I think the play has merit, and the story of the First Folio is, in any case, a fascinating one. I hope other drama companies will take the play on, make it anew, and bring out new facets of the story. All playwrights wish for that.
Shakespeare on Film
On the festival's final day, we showed Richard Loncraine's film version of Richard III starring Ian McKellen on the big screen. Most of us who love Shakespeare on Film are restricted to watching on the small screen, so this was a real treat. I wrote a short introduction to the film, which I presented before the showing. McKellen’s film version of Richard III is very successful, inasmuch as it makes no apology for relocating the action to an invented but recognisable world. The world that is created is a world that might have existed if, during the 1930s in Britain, the Fascist Movement had succeeded. As McKellen points out:
“There is a wonderful tension in this movie between a history that never happened and what might have happened. Is it credible? Could there be such horror in high places? Well, yes: the twentieth century was a century of tyranny, and the 1930s is the most recent period of history when it was possible for an English King to rise to become a political dictator. When you put this amazing old story in a believable modern setting, it will hopefully raise the hair on the back of your neck, and you won’t be able to dismiss it as just a movie or, indeed, just old-fashioned Shakespeare."(McKellen, Ian, United Artists Pictures Press Pack, 1995, page 11)
The Set of Nay, Remember Me! will live on - at St. Peter's College Oxford University.
I returned to Austria, where I now live, the day after the festival finished. I received a lovely email from the Coach House Theatre informing me that Professor Judith Buchanan had contacted the director and set designer of Nay, Remember Me!, Chris Bassett, and asked to purchase the set from our production for use as a backdrop for a conference about the First Folio - the Marking the anniversary of the 1623 Shakespeare Folio - at St Peter's College Oxford University —a delightful end to a thrilling ten days of celebrations.
The Marking of the anniversary of the 1623 Shakespeare Folio Conference was attended by some major luminaries, namely Sir Greg Doran, the former director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Dame Janet Suzman.
More information about my playwrighting
If you want to read Nay, Remember Me! play online for free, or if you would like to plan a play reading or a production, please visit:
You can also contact me for more information or purchase it as an immediate downloadable copy of the play as a PDF from my shop (You can choose from a School Edition or an Adult Version (which has a fruitier language) - they are reader's editions. They do not contain a performance licence).
Please note that this PDF is protected. The password to open it is AdultopenNRM!
Please note that this PDF is protected. The password to open it is SchoolopenNRM!
Playwrighting Workshop
If you would like to use Nay, Remember Me! for use in a playwrighting workshop, please visit
www.ameliamarriette.com/plays to find out more - you can invite me to lead your workshop via Zoom or in person. Or you can download the PDF Worksheet for FREE now:
I led this workshop in August for the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama at their annual conference; it was a fun morning's work, which everyone seemed to enjoy!
"I experienced the Nay, Remember Me! play at the recent Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama Conference. Amelia really inspired us as the leader of the playwrighting workshop. The characters are well-written, and it has a lovely, witty style. I thoroughly recommend this to any actors or producers looking for a challenge. We had great fun writing new scenes.” Priscilla Morris August, 2023.
More information about my non-fiction writing
I am also the author of Walking into Alchemy: The Transformative Power of Nature – You can buy full-colour copies of my book from:
The Malvern Book Cooperative in St Ann's Road –call 01684 564788.
Or from Ledbury Books and Maps - 20 High Street, Ledbury HR8 1DS – call 01531 633226.
Or Scripthaven in Worcester - located at 104 High St, Worcester; email scripthavenltd@gmail.com to reserve your copy.
You can also order a signed deluxe full-colour copy of Walking into Alchemy: The Transformative Power of Nature from ameliamarriette.com/shop for £20.00
Use PROMO CODE to get a 20% discount and free P&P in the UK and the EU.
Or you can get it as an immediate downloadable PDF or EPUB Kindle download for just 1.99!
Or, if you want to support my writing, you can buy me a coffee for £5.00, and in return, you will get a PDF download of a collection of my short stories. Just click on the link or the yellow logo or click on this link:
Useful Links
I am the playwright on attachment to the Coach House Theatre in Malvern - it's a great space.
The Coach House Theatre in Malvern - has a great costume hire department, and you can hire the theatre on a commercial basis at a very competitive rate. How to find us (coachhousetheatre.co.uk)
The Coach House Theatre - What's On in 2024?
The Coach House Theatre and the Malvern Theatre Players have just commissioned me to revise my adaptation of The Secret Garden for an outdoor performance in Priory Park in Great Malvern in July 2024.
A thoughly enjoyable performance with a cleverly thought out storyline. Hilariously witty, I'm sure the bard himself would have enjoyed the different approach to his story of suffering and future success.
Bravo
Angela Shouler