Photo courtesy of Bards of Birmingham
The Bards of Birmingham performance of “Henry V” will be led by Homewood resident Sara Bateman, among other local youth actors.
The Bards of Birmingham are presenting Shakespeare’s “Henry V” on May 3-4 and 10-12, and several Homewood youths will be among the cast.
As is the case with many of Bards of Birmingham’s plays, “Henry V “was cast gender blind – a decision that ultimately led to Homewood High School student Sara Bateman, 17, earning the title role.
The combination of a woman king with the opportunity to explore motivations for political violence through one of Shakespeare’s war plays prompted Executive Director Laura Heider to let her actors create a future world in the aftermath of a catastrophic disaster. The actors, ranging in age from 4 to 68, imagined a post-apocalyptic, resource-scarce society where only the strongest survived.
This production has special poignance because it is the last Bards of Birmingham plans on staging for the indefinite future. Since inception in 2010, Bards has staged 17 plays, drawing their casts primarily from community actors aged 18 and younger. The leadership of Bards has determined to go on hiatus for the foreseeable future.
“This is the role of a lifetime, and it feels particularly significant to be playing it in our final production,” said Bateman, who has been part of the Bards since playing a fairy in its first production, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Bateman has taken on the challenge on a profound level, changing the way she walks, talks – and even how she holds her head. She says she examines her daily behaviors through the lens of how she believes Henry would approach them.
“Henry V” will be a work of immersion theatre in some respects; audience members will be divided into the French and English sides, and experience the play differently. Potential audience members are cautioned that violence is portrayed realistically in this production. Bards of Birmingham does not modify Shakespeare’s words to make them “child friendly.”
Homewood resident Caspar Fournier, a junior at Jefferson County Academy of Theatre Arts, plays the Duke of Exeter, Henry’s primary lieutenant. The two youngest cast members — Jet and Stark Newton, ages 4 and 5 — are also from Homewood.
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham, 4300 Hampton Heights Drive, will host the performances. Shows will be at 7 p.m. May 3-4 and 10-11 and at 3 p.m. on May 12, with an additional 2 p.m. show on Saturdays.
Visit bardsofbirmingham.com to buy tickets.
Submitted by Bards of Birmingham