The History of St Mary's: Bringing Shakespeare to Life

Shakespeare's work has has been shown in the repertoire of production here at St Mary's. One of the first archive performance was under principle Rachel Donaldson did a production or 'Hamlet' in 1923. Then many more followed with 1940, 'King Lear's Wife' by G. Bottomley & 'Two Gentlemen of Soho' by A.P. Herbert. Later, in 1999, a series of monologues 'Shakespeare's Women,' came into Arts Week.

In the new (Fergusson) building of 1952, more ambitious drama was possible on a stage with curtains instead of on mere floor space. Drama clubs came and went until a big revival in the late 1990s. Dramatic activity developed further in the mixed St Mary's with the annual repertoire usually including a pantomime, a summer musical and William Shakespeare. We at the SCR share our enthusiasm for Shakespeare by visiting old production St Mary's has done of many Shakespeare classics. 

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Last production in St Mary's old home one the peninsula. June 1952 " Our own dramatic society produced 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' on the Friday and Saturday before June week; it was staged in the garden of 8. The college, that became the Chorister School, on the Cathedral Close, a delightful setting which the producer used most skilfully and effectively. It was no light task to put on a Shakespeare play in the open at the end of finals term but everyone who saw it was full of praise for this really polished performance."

In the Epiphany term of 2013, another production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by Foot of Hill Theatre (St Mary's Drama Society) transformed the dining hall into a magical Shakespearean forest!

HAMLET

In 1998, a revival of the Drama Society led to an ambitious production of Shakespeare's most renowned tragedy, "A modern and innovative 'Hamlet', to be performed in the Assembly Rooms. Although the cast has been drawn from across the different colleges, the central production team and impetus remain firmly rooted in St Mary's. We hope that this production will be the first of many to be performed in the Assembly Rooms, that through it we may further raise the profile of the college within the university and confirm our position as a central force for drama in Durham."

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 

Epiphany Term 2014, There came an innovation staging of "A brilliant version of Shakespeare's 'Much Ado about Nothing'" one of his well-known comedies with hero Benedick and heroine Beatrice. 

MACBETH

June 2014, 'Macbeth' was performed on the SCR Lawn by the outdoor theatre company, Illyria. The audience of students, parents, staff and alumni brought their own picnics, seating, and rugs. Hot drinks were available in the dining hall on a bright but chilly evening. The setting of the South Lawn with the Fergusson Building on the three sides and woods in the background (with the statues of Apollo & Diana) created an eerie atmosphere to the experience as the shadows lengthened and the blue sky faded into the sunset. 

AS YOU LIKE IT 

Easter 2015, 'As You Like it' was a comedy that had the audience in stitches with its romantic plot, disguises, and mistaken identities. The Arcadian setting of the forest of Arden, this play contained more songs than any other Shakespeare's other plays such as 'Under the Greenwood Tree' and, the renowned speech ' All the world's a Stage'. 

COMEDY OF ERRORS

In 2017, Foot of the Hill's put on 'Comedy of Errors'. The show "found success in its absurdity of its characters and recaptured the value of Shakespeare's early comedy by self-consciously romping through its melodramatic silliness... The play's opening scene tells the tale of identical names emerge on to the stage, they are a similarly odd mix of parts."

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We look forward to seeing the Foot of the Hill Theatre Company continue to bring fresh and engaging interpretation of Shakespeare, and other authors, to the stage! 

- Anna Elliott, St Mary's College Archivist