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Dateline: 17th May, 2005
A 370 Year Partnership Young British poet and dramatist, Ian McHugh is providing the missing text for a play written over 370 years ago - the third play in the RSC’s Gunpowder Season, Massinger’s Believe What You Will.
The 28 year old director, Josie Rourke, had an interesting dilemma. The 1631 manuscript (originally entitled Believe As You List) is incomplete. One page has been torn out completely and somewhere in the region of 150 lines are indecipherable due to wear and tear. The dilemma was whether to work with the text as it is presented or rewrite the missing moments of the play.
The latter was chosen and Ian McHugh (also 28 years old) was commissioned to re-write, re-imagine and re-conceive the missing parts of the play.
McHugh said, ‘I’ve tried to remain faithful to Massinger’s intent. We decided the new dialogue must not be conspicuously new, by which I mean it should not disrupt the continuity of the text – it should not take any narrative diversions, nor radical departures in style.’
Josie comes from a background of directing new plays, and this is her first major classical play:
‘In many ways the experience has been similar to that of directing a new play: there is no stage history of Believe What You Will; each actor has to create a character as they would in a new play without precedent either smiling or frowning down on them.’
Philip Massinger’s Believe What You Will was licensed by the censor in 1631. Massinger had a number of brushes with the censor, before and after this play. It is believed that this play revamped an earlier similar play which was rejected by the censor for alluding too closely to recent and current political events following the death of King Sebastian of Portugal and the appearance of a pretender to the throne, Don Antonio. Massinger re-wrote the play, transposing the setting to the world of the Roman Empire and the story of Antiochus, defeated King of Asia.
The story tells of a Middle Eastern leader who comes out of hiding to reunite his people. Whichever state he turns to for safe harbour is threatened with sanctions by his enemy, the all-powerful Roman Empire. When he finally finds a state to grant him refuge, the super power threatens war.
Josie Rourke makes her RSC debut directing this discovery play. Josie trained at the Donmar Warehouse where her previous productions include World Music (2004) and Frame 312. Her other work includes Kick for Touch (Sheffield Crucible), Crazyblackmuthaf***in’self, Children’s Day (Royal Court) and Romeo and Juliet (Liverpool Playhouse). Her most recent production was directing the world premiere of Steve Waters’ play The Unthinkable at the Crucible Studio, Sheffield.
Ian McHugh studied creative writing at East Anglia University, worked on the New Voices project at the Old Vic in 2002 and has written a new adaptation of Euripides’ Alcestis. His poetry has been published in various journals.
The exiled King Antiochus is played by Peter de Jersey who returns to the RSC after 12 years. His previous productions for the RSC include The Odyssey (‘93), As You Like It (‘93) King Lear (‘91), The Last Days of Don Juan (‘91), Richard II (‘91), Antony and Cleopatra (‘92) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (‘92). He is widely known for his regular television appearances on both The Bill (‘03/04) and Holby City (’99/‘03), Peter’s other TV work includes Trial and Retribution. His recent theatre work includes Darker Face of Earth, The Merchant of Venice and Troilus and Cressida (all RNT 1999)
The cast also includes: Barry Aird (Merchant), Teresa Banham (Cornelia), Peter Bramhill (Philoxenus), Michelle Butterly (Courtesan), Nigel Cooke (Marcellus/Stoic), Ewen Cummins (Merchant), Ian Drysdale (Chrysalus), Evelyn Duah (Prusias’ &Titus’ Queen), Kevin Harvey (Merchant), David Hinton (Hanno), William Houston (Flaminius), Jonjo O’Neill (Prusias), Fred Ridgeway (Metellus), Matt Ryan (Sempronius), Mark Springer (Amilcar/Prologue), Barry Stanton (Berenthius), Julian Stolzenberg (Asdrubal) and Tim Treloar (Calistus/Demitrius).
The production is designed by Stephen Brimson-Lewis with lighting by Wayne Dowdeswell, fights directed by Terry King and movement by Michael Ashcroft.
Believe What You Will opens in the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon on 26 May (with previews from 18 May). Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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