KING LEAR 2015
17 January - 14 February
For Shakespeare's mountain of a part, King Lear, we needed some who had actually climbed a mountain... twice! When we began talking with Brian Blessed about the role, his enthusiasm, energy and commitment was infectious. It was a true ambition realised to have a giant of the theatre join our company, and our time with him was a complete joy.
We assembled a fabulous cast of regular GSC actors and a few new faces to bring this mammoth play to life. The show broke all our Box Office records and sold out incredibly fast - so much so we had to extend it!
Over 6,200 came to see King Lear, from all over the UK. Director Caroline Devlin gave it a Russian Tsarist quality, mixed with a flavour fin de siècle. A huge tower was constructed in Holy Trinity, with a massive ramp the enabled Lear move amongst the audience during the famous heath scene.
“This is why British theatre is such a marvel” Daily Telegraph
“Long may theatre of this calibre grace the lucky city of Guildford.” Remotegoat.com
“A beautifully balanced production” The Stage
“Heartrending” Farnham Herald
"The lady in the next seat to me came from Northampton and did a 6 hour round trip to see the play, she said how lucky we were in Guildford to have such a fabulous theatre group, and I totally agree with her.”Audience member
COMPANY
LEAR Brian Blessed
GONERIL Rosalind Blessed
REGAN Sarah Gobran
CORDELIA/FOOL Emily Tucker
ALBANY Simon Hepworth
CORNWALL Richard Neale
KING OF FRANCE/OSWALD Timothy Allsop
BURGUNDY/EDGAR Matt Pinches
KENT Noel White
GLOUCESTER James Sobol Kelly
EDMUND Ben Ashton
ENSEMBLE Louise Best, Laurence Easton, Harry Anton
ARTISTIC TEAM
Director/Adaptor Caroline Devlin
Designer Neil Irish
Lighting Designer Declan Randall
Sound Designer Matt Eaton
Fight Director Philip d’Orléans
Movement Director Vanessa Cook
Verse & Vocal Coach Sarah Stephenson
Assistant Director Richard Neale
Assistant Designer Anett Black
Production Manager Tamsin Rose
DSM Dan Read
ASM Kate Wilson
Photography Steve Porter