The Royal Shakespeare Company's young acting company, Next Generation Act, is to stage All Mirth and No Matter, its response to Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing.
Made up of 22 young people aged between 13 and 18 from RSC associate schools across the country, Next Generation Act is the acting strand of the RSC's three-part Next Generation programme.
The development scheme provides gifted young people from backgrounds currently under-represented in the theatre industry with the opportunity to gain experience in acting, directing or backstage roles and explore whether they should pursue a career in the theatre.
A fusion of new writing and Shakespeare's text, All Mirth and No Matter takes inspiration from the wedding of Claudio and Hero, the two young lovers in Much Ado About Nothing. The production sheds new light on the story of the slandered Hero.
The RSC usually hosts an annual two-day event in Stratford, Next Generation Backstage, which gives students from RSC associate schools the opportunity to learn about different roles available behind the scenes. As this has not been possible in 2021, the RSC has created six short videos focussing on roles such as the director, set and costume designer, lighting designer and technician and marketing and press officers.
The content includes contributions from staff at York Theatre Royal, the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, New Vic in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Hull Truck Theatre, the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford, and the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham.
Georgia White, head of national partnerships at the RSC, said, "after a year of only being able to meet online, it's really exciting that our young company of actors can once again come together and perform their very own response to Much Ado About Nothing.
“The aim with this production has been to showcase the individual talents of these young actors from across the country. Their voices have been at the heart of the creative decision-making, from the design, the music and sound to their request to semi-integrate a BSL interpreter and embed audio description into the script.
“The young people have once again shown their dedication, professionalism and creativity in their approach to rehearsals and performances. They are brilliant representatives of their home regions and will make their regional theatres, schools, families and friends very proud."
All Mirth and No Matter is directed by Sameena Hussain, with sound design by Nicola Chang and movement by Keiren Hamilton-Amos. Eloise Secker is the creative lead. There will be two performances, at 10:30AM and 2:30PM on Friday 23 July in the RSC's new temporary outdoor theatre, the Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Garden Theatre, on the banks of the River Avon in Stratford.