Meet The As You Like It Cast: Esther Biddle

Esther Biddle

Today's meet the cast interview is with Esther Biddle, who is playing Pheobe in As You Like It. Pheobe is pursued by Silvius, but Pheobe in turn only has eyes for Ganymede, blissfully unaware that Ganymede is actually Rosalind in disguise!

Esther first performed with SFS in 2011 so we caught up with her to see how she what she was looking forward to most this year.

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre: SFS is now one of the largest Shakespeare events in Europe, how do you feel about being part of it this year?

Esther Biddle: Great! It's one of the best open air events.

SGT: What made you want to perform with SFS again?

EB: It's always such fun and enjoyed so much by the public. I get to spend time with great mates and I just love it up here!

SGT: Have you performed at any other castles or any unusual venues?

EB: I've done a play at the top of the 'Gherkin' building in London!

Esther as Pheobe

SGT: You're playing Pheobe in As You Like It, what is she like?

EB: She's tricksy. And Welsh. And a bit like Bonnie Tyler. She's also massively ungenerous with Silvius (played by James Haggie)

SGT: What do you think Pheobe brings to the play? 

EB: Comedic joy and some light relief!
 
SGT: What do you think audiences will enjoy this year?

EB: The comedy of the mistaken identities and the music.

As You Like It opens this Sunday and runs until Saturday 12th July at Stafford Castle.

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Meet The As You Like It Cast: John Challis

John Challis

The legendary John Challis has returned to SFS to take on the role of Jacques, a truly melancholy character who delivers the famous "all the world's a stage" speech. 

There's certainly more to him than being Boycie from Only Fools and Horses - he's performed in many other iconic places including Broadway and Regent Park's Open Air Theatre. We spoke to John to find out more...

 Stafford Gatehouse Theatre: How are you feeling about being part of SFS again John?

John Challis: Terrified and excited at the same time!

SGT: What made you want to be involved with SFS again?

JC: I played Malvolio in Twelfth Night and found it a rewarding experience, it is out of my comfort zone and I think I have got away with it! Jacques is a role I have always wanted to attempt, and to be part of such a talented company is a real treat.

SGT: Tell us a little bit more about Jacques...

JC:  Jacques is a "melancholic" in Elizabethan terms, possibly a "neurotic" in today's terms. He sees himself as a satirist - "cleansing the foul infested world" with his wit.

SGT:  What do you think Jacques brings to the play?

JC: As a malcontent he brings a counter point to the romantic musical comedy of the story with his intellectualizing and sardonic observations.

SGT: Do you believe in love at first sight like Celia and Oliver?

JC: Certainly, but one hopes it will last!
 
SGT: And finally, what do you think the audience will enjoy most about this year's production and setting?

JC: It's got everything - wonderful original music, romance, comedy and at times a slightly dark side. Also it is set around the summer of love in the 60s so perhaps a fair amount of nostalgia!

You can see John Challis in As You Like It at Stafford Castle from Sunday 29th June until Saturday 12th July.

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John Challis as Jacques with Tom Radford as Orlando

 

 
 

Meet The As You Like It Cast: Shirley Darroch

Shirley Darroch

Today's meet the cast is with Shirley Darroch, who last year won Beat Supporting Actress at the Manchester Theatre Awards for her role as Mama Morton in Chicago. It's also her first time performing with SFS and she will be taking on the role of Audrey.

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre: How are you feeling about your first SFS performance?

Shirley Darroch: I'm so excited about doing open air Shakespeare! I can't wait to be in that wonderful setting. I love Shakespeare, I studied it at university before becoming an actor, so it's a double whammy!

SGT: Have you ever performed in the grounds of a castle or any other unusual setting before?

SD: I once did a site specific version of Howard Barker's "Seven Lears" in a club. The toilets flooded because the sewage system was blocked, urgh! I also got a kidney infection from having to eat apples from the ground in a playpark early in my career. I'm sure SFS will be a much better experience!

SGT: What is Audrey like as a character?

SD: She's a wee laugh! She's is a bawdy country wench looking for love. She is fascinated by Touchstone the fool (played by Eric Potts) and I think, sees him as a bit of a meal ticket. She is coquettush and histrionic!

SGT: What do you think audiences will enjoy this year in particular?

SD: The 60s "crowd-around-a-bonfire-and-sing" vibe and some great actors!

Shirley will be performing at Stafford Castle in As You Like It from Sunday 29th June to Saturday 12th July.

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Meet The As You Like It Cast: Tom Radford

Friday's meet the cast is with Tom Radford, who will be playing Orlando. Here's what he had to say ahead of his first Stafford Festival Shakespeare appearance...

Tom Radford

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre:  Hi Tom, how are you feeling about your first performance with SFS?

Tom Radford: Excited, ecstatic, elated and other words beginning with E!

SGT: So what made you want to get involved?

TR: It was a great chance to play a part I've wanted to play for a long time.

SGT:  Have you performed any open air Shakespeare before?

TR: Never in a castle but I have done an open air Shakespeare before and did a scene on a tree swing which was fun!

SGT: Could you tell us a little bit more about Orlando?

TR: He is the youngest son of the Duke who starts the play under the strict (and unfair) watch of his older brother Oliver. Orlando knows he is not the wittiest of people and relies on his instinct.

SGT: What do you think Orlando brings to the play?

TR: I think Orlando brings an outsider's point of view to the play. He starts off as an outsider in his own home, then becomes an outsider in the forest but this soon seems to become a much more suitable home for him.

SGT: What do you think the audience will enjoy most about this year's production and setting?

TR: The music, the silliness, the love and the picnics! 

You can see Tom perform in As You Like It at Stafford Castle from Sunday 29th June until Saturday 12th July.

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Meet the As You Like It cast: Johnson Willis

Johnson Willis

Happy Monday! Today's meet the cast interview is with Johnson Willis, who will be playing Adam and Corin when this year's SFS production opens at Stafford Castle. Here's what he had to say about returning to SFS following his performance in 2011's The Comedy of Errors...

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre: Hi Johnson, what made you want to perform with SFS again?

Johnson Willis: Previous experience told me that it would be great fun and with such a wonderful play it was not to be missed. It's a thrill to be part of this event again and such a rare opportunity to perform work of this kind to such a large audience. The audiences are also always very appreciative which makes the whole experience very rewarding. 

SGT: Tell us about the two characters you play, Adam and Corin?

JW: Adam is an old servant and he brings a link to the old world of play before the political change took place, when people had very different values of service and responsibility. Corin is similar in that his world is that of the country and he has his own peace in a world of order, with a lack of greed, envy and malice.

SGT: Celia and Oliver fall in love at first sight, is this something you believe in?

JW: Yes. Love can be instantaneous because someine is immediately felt to be trustworthy, kind and open. This is not to be confused with instantaneous lust.

SGT: What do you think people will enjoy most about this year's show? 

JW: As You Like It is going to be very musical, containing more songs than any of Shakespeare's other plays. The music is accessible and instant and energising. There is a lot of comedy and a gerat variety of characters. The setting is also well suited to the open-air taking place mostly in the Forest of Arden.

  

As You Like It opens on Sunday 29th June and runs until Saturday 12th July at Stafford Castle

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