howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
just got this in from steve walker - assistant ranger at samphire hoe,(photos to follow).
King Lear came to Samphire Hoe to celebrate Halloween
As part of Kent Coastal Week last Saturday volunteers and staff at
Samphire Hoe put on a Halloween extravaganza called King Lear struts
his stuff. It was something a little bit different for Halloween: a
version of William Shakespeare's King Lear. It was adapted especially
for performance at Samphire Hoe by local actor Tony Clark.
60 people braved the dramatic weather to see the St Margaret's Players
perform this family friendly version of this tragic play. The staff at
Samphire Hoe made the props including a hovel, some stocks and even
some gallows.
The play is ideal for Halloween as much of the action takes place
during a raging storm and many deaths take place during the
performance including: a hanging, a poisoning, a suicide, a death from
duelling and eventfully King Lear dies of a broken heart. A
particularly gory part of the story happens when poor old Gloucester
has his eyes poked out.
The children who came had lots of fun being unruly Knights by playing
conkers, pelting Kent in the stocks. Later on they were chasing after
Gloucester's gouged eyes and joining in the battle scene when there
were loud cannon fire explosions.
Steve Walker assistant ranger at Samphire Hoe said that "it was
amazing that so many people came out as the weather forecast was
awful. Earlier in the day the event nearly got cancelled as it was
freezing cold with strong gusty winds, the skies opened and it poured
down. During King Lear's madness it rained a little which only added
to the drama with a bright rainbow arching over the action".
At the time that William Shakespeare was writing King Lear he was said
to have travelled regularly through Dover. It was his familiarity with
the cliffs that may well have inspired his descriptions. To this day
the first cliff on the West side of Dover is known as Shakespeare
Cliff.
Samphire Hoe was named by a local English teacher Gillian Janaway
after Shakespeare's description in King Lear of the deadly trade of
the Samphire gatherers who risked their lives collecting the plant on
the cliffs above.
To find out more about Samphire Hoe, King Lear and the channel there
is a walk around the site at 2.00pm this Friday meet at the site
office.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
just to get the ball rolling, more to come.
kentish stocks.
gloucester's leap.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
the battle scene.
crowds cheer during the battle
castle scene.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
playing conkers.
the blinding of gloucester.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
many thanks to the staff and volunteers at samphire hoe, the st margarets players and the 60 hardy souls that braved the elements for making it such a great event.
the final picture from steve sums up the afternoon with a rainbow to follow the rain- king lear would have loved it.
Guest 745- Registered: 27 Mar 2012
- Posts: 3,370
They will have to get the mower out,
Get the weeds down a bit
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
just need sheep kieth.maybe a few dexters,chickens and a couple of porkers.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
last time i was down there the place was full of sheep, thought i had wandered into a holiday camp for welsh chaps by mistake.
Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
Love that rainbow
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
it must have been welsh fortnight howard.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
a chance to understand more about the hoe and surrounds this friday, meet at the site office at 2 p.m.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Wow! Great set of pictures there....the weather has been abysmal so amazed to see all this went ahead..made of stern and hardy stuff these thespians!
Guest 663- Registered: 20 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,136
Yes Howard some good pictures there, an event that would have gone un noticed glad you flagged it up.
Guest 641- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,335
Jeez! that looks cold, only Mad Dogs and Englishmen comes to mind, Howard 'yer a brave and hardy soul to venture out in all weathers'
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
not my photos barry/jan, all sent in by steve walker of wccp with accompanying press release.
i can understand the thespians performing in the conditions as the show must go on but 60 members of the public is quite an astonishing number.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
just a reminder of the walk around samphire hoe at 2 p.m. the weather forecast is much better from noon onwards.
