Exeter Shakespeare Society Performs The Winter's Tale

April 12, 2007

Don't miss this weekend's production, Friday and Saturday 7:00 p.m., Sunday 2:00 p.m.

For serious Shakespeare aficionados, it's a shoe-in to summarize the plot of The Winter's Tale, which contains Shakespeare's most famous stage direction: "Exit, pursued by a bear." Others find this play a bit challenging. For starters, there's ongoing debate over whether it's a comedy or tragedy. And there's the complex plot, with a husband confining his pregnant wife to prison, an infant sent to her death but escaping, a shepherdess turning into a princess, an illogical marriage union and a mother brought back to life through magical means. Even Shakespeare scholars are challenged by this play, disagreeing over whether it's an early or late work.

Alex, director of the play and president of the Exeter Shakespeare Society, puts it this way: "I have loved Shakespeare's plays and theater for most of my life, and I've always been interested in sharing my passion for Shakespeare's language with others by directing." In The Winter's Tale, "I have loved creating, with the cast, our own unique, fun interpretation of a Shakespeare play that isn't performed very much. The Winter's Tale is a wonderful and unique combination of comedy and tragedy."

The entirely student produced and directed show has a cast of 14. "One of the major challenges of this production was getting a large cast of very busy fellow students to rehearsals on a regular basis," explains Alex, who has performed with the Exeter Shakespeare Society for three years. The effort paid off, both in an excellent production and interesting acting experiences.

Caroline, a senior, plays Paulina, defender of queen Hermione and wife of the courtier who is asked to kill Hermione's infant. "Paulina is especially fun because she orchestrates the entire plot to keep the queen, Hermione, hidden away for sixteen years until the princess, Perdita, is found," said Caroline of her role. "I also get to yell at the king, making my character exponentially more exciting than most of Shakespeare's women, who tend to fall desperately in love with some young man who really isn't what she thinks he is."

Emma plays Perdita, the infant banished to death who resurfaces later in the play as a shepherdess. "In our production, Perdita is a hippie, and the sheep-shearing festival she presides over takes place in the sixties," explains Emma, a lower. "There are a lot of references to flowers in the scene which is surprisingly compatible with the time period. Perdita's boyfriend Florizel is a prince who has to rebel against his father in order to be with her, which also works well with the image of rebellious young people in the sixties. I think it's really cool that this production allowed us to see how Shakespeare's themes can work in all kinds of time periods and still make sense."

Interested in learning more?
Read about theatrical organizations at Exeter …
Learn about Exeter's theater and dance department…
Learn about Exeter's English department…