Sudeley Castle, Cheltenham

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In fair Verona where we lay our scene…

…Verona today being Cheltenham. The location we’re at today is Sudley Castle, and I think it’s the finest yet. You have to bramble your way through bushes and flowering trees until you come to a ruined abbey which is just covered in foliage; past that is a mirrored lake, which is designed perfectly to reflect the Tudor lodge in the background, and this is where we’ve laid our scene and our stage. Behind the lodge is more of the ruined castle; there’s a secret garden and this tiny, exquisite chapel. There’s also some kind of art exhibition going on; a mirror maze is being built, also a twisting black staircase winding high around a tree, which is just phenomenal.

We only get to do one night in Sudley, which wasn’t the plan. Yesterday was blighted by flooding and storms which meant that we almost didn’t get our train to Cheltenham. We did, but on the way we were told that the first performance had to be cancelled as the whole place was waterlogged. So we consoled ourselves, as actors do, with Indiana Jones at the cinema and possibly the finest Indian restaurant this side of Gloucester. Thankfully the weather cleared up for the second day. Having the extra rest day was really helpful and meant it was an energized performance. Some had spent the day in the spa, some reading in Waterstones and some, including myself, in Laser Quest, Gloucester, doing a nice warm-up… So we were pretty geared up.

There was a little reverb from the ruined abbey opposite, but apart from that the air was clear and this setting’s probably the most conducive to speech since we were at the Globe. Ironically, the only disturbance to the calm of the setting was the local wildlife, but they seemed to have learned their cues well enough and brayed and hooted when we did for the alarums scenes.

It was a large crowd that seemed well prepared. One group had brought an entire banqueting table, and sat there like Henry VIII and his courtiers scoffing as they watched. Good on them; I would if I could! There were lots of children who sat giggling until the fights began, at which point they really did drop their jaws and sit transfixed; I’m not sure if that was the sword play or Mercutio’s bawdy behaviour. It’s becoming more and more obvious that the space and the audience really, really shape the performance. Today was so relaxed; I think we all feel very much in control of it now, compared to the first venue, which was a bit more haphazard.

All of the actors helped with the get-out today and we realized what a phenomenal job the SMs have been doing with just the three of them. Between all of us, we more than halved the time it takes. It’s a genuine pity to say goodbye to Sudley so soon, but we have a day off and we decide to drive back to London to enjoy it. Driving through the night, we got lost in the rambling hills around the castle and had altercations about navigation until a beautiful little deer popped up and bounded along in front of us for a while. It felt very lucky. Hopefully we will have made it back by the time you read this…

Perri Snowdon

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