The Pendley Open Air Shakespeare Festival is, as the name implies, an annual festival dedicated to the plays of William Shakespeare. It takes place at the beginning of August at Pendley Manor, a hotel in Tring, Hertfordshire.
The first official festival took place in 1949 with a production of King Henry VIII, although there had been less formal presentations in the two preceding years. In 1954, the festival took its current format, when a second production was added.
The credit for the festival's initiation must go to Dorian Williams. Williams was a popular sports commentator for the BBC, especially expert in Show-Jumping. Pendley Manor was his family home (it only became a hotel in later years) and he helped oversee the development of part of the house into an adult education centre. The drama group that met in the centre performed the first, non-official festival in 1947 and Williams himself often acted and directed in the early festivals.
Past productions
Dorian Williams as Bolingbroke in Richard II. Programme Cover from the 2007 FestivalThe Tempest, directed by Stephen Artus at the 2007 Festival
A new company of players is formed each year. Several members return year after year, others only stay for one season. Some are aspiring drama school students, and go on to have successful careers in the industry. These include:
The majority of Productions prior to 2001 were given on what became known as The Glade Stage, a natural raised stage in the grounds of the Manor, west-facing, flanked by two magnificent 100ft high Canadian Firs. Dramatic entrances made on horse back down the glade were common.
The Formal Stage
A second natural raised stage, facing south was used in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1970, 1980 and 1981. This stage had a backdrop of Yew hedges, characters would make their entrances and exits through gaps between the hedges.
Rose Garden
In 1989 during the conversion of the Manor House into a Hotel, a production of The Merchant of Venice was presented raised above the Rose Garden, on the south side of the Manor, with the Manor itself as a backdrop.
The Garden Stage and seating stand, 2006
The Williams Stage
In 2001, a swimming pool and leisure centre were added to the Hotel. The electricity that this facility drew from the substation, compromised the power available for the Festival. This compromise, alongside increased demand for the Hotel's wedding facilities located within earshot of the Glade Stage, meant the Festival had to be both downsized in terms of its power requirements, and also relocated away from the wedding facilities. The Garden Stage sits in front of a leafy bank, alongside the Rose Garden, and the seating stand is placed on the tennis courts. Although this smaller, more intimate stage, may lack some of the grandeur of the larger stages, many believe it doesn't lack any of the magic.
Current status
The festival has continued to grow in popularity, maintaining its reputation as one of the most significant amateur Shakespeare festivals in England. The festival saw record attendances in 2004 when it staged A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night, two of the most popular plays in the Shakespeare canon.[citation needed]
This year's productions (August 2015) - The 66th Festival - will be Twelfth Night and Henry V.
The current Artistic Director of the Festival is Sarah Branston. Director of Drama at Reigate Grammar School, she is also an excellent director of Shakespeare; visionary and dramatic. Her productions (Twelfth Night - 1998, Romeo and Juliet - 1999, and since becoming Artistic Director - Henry V - 2001, The Winter's Tale - 2003, A Midsummer Night's Dream - 2004, King Lear - 2006, The Merchant of Venice - 2008, Richard III - 2010, Much Ado About Nothing - 2012 and Hamlet - 2014) are considered by regular festival-goers to be amongst the finest in the history of the event[citation needed]. Her parents, John and Jennie Branston, actually met at a festival over thirty years ago and have been attending ever since. John has directed several productions and both John and Jennie frequently play small, character roles.
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