While the weather in the UK this summer may have left a lot to be desired, Durham was awash with theatrical celebrations showcasing student and local performers.
This year the Summer of Shakespeare festival marked the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio of the complete works of Shakespeare. Numerous exceptional productions were staged in Durham to celebrate our links to the Great Bard, including the ethereal Midsummer Night’s Dream and the brooding Macbeth put on by our partners The Elysium Theatre Company.
Alumnus Alain Vendiola attended Macbeth: “The performance was extraordinary, and the venue's ambiance added an electrifying charm to the evening. The cast's acting absorbed us, especially the standout performances of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Macduff, the witches, and King Duncan, transporting us into a world of avarice, paranoia, mania, and betrayal.”
Header Image: Stretch tent on Palace Green. Image courtesy of Andrew Grant | www.aadgrant.co.uk
'Macbeth' by The Elysium Theatre Company on Palace Green. Image courtesy of Andrew Grant | www.aadgrant.co.uk
2023’s Durham Fringe, which we supported by working in partnership with the organisers, ran from Wednesday 26 - Sunday 30 July. Shakespearean-inspired productions continued, although now branching out into a variety of genres, including comedy, improv, children’s theatre and music.
Audiences could soak up the atmosphere by taking in the loud and chaotic (Taming of) The Shrew by Menstrual Rage Theatre, the sweetly lyrical musical performance Two Bards and a Songbird by Jessa Liversidge, Manic Macbeth for children and youth with storyteller Eden Ballantyne, or even Impromptu Shakespeare which created brand new Bard material on the spot.
To heighten the experience further, a new stretch tent was erected in the historical heart of Durham on Palace Green. The World Heritage setting certainly added to the performances, as Alain Vendiola noted during Macbeth: “Another particularly haunting moment occurred during the death of Banquo, which, by sheer luck, coincided with the hourly ringing of the cathedral bells, reminiscent of the sound of a death knell.”
Taming of) The Shrew by Menstrual Rage Theatre. Image courtesy of Andrew Grant | www.aadgrant.co.uk
Two Bards and a Songbird by Jessa Liversidge. Image courtesy of Andrew Grant | www.aadgrant.co.uk
Manic Macbeth with storyteller Eden Ballantyne. Image courtesy of Andrew Grant | www.aadgrant.co.uk
Durham Fringe Festival Board Director and Durham alumnus Daryl Folkard (Economics, St Aidan’s, 1983-86) commented: “This year’s Durham Fringe Festival was spectacular. Thankfully the weather was kinder than earlier on in July – we even caught a glimpse of a double rainbow when setting up the stretch tent on Palace Green! Audiences flocked to view all the performances, with many selling out, and we increased our ticket sales by 81% on last year which is fantastic for the third year of the Festival.
Our thanks to Durham University, whose support for the Festival was invaluable. I’d also like to thank all of our wonderful volunteers, performers, venues and sponsors for their vital contributions.
Showcasing Durham’s talented students, staff and alumni
Student-led Castle Theatre Company took their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream across the UK, starting in Durham. Watch their trailer for one of Shakespeare’s best-loved comedies.
Back in Durham, six of our talented student-led companies from Durham Student Theatre and Music Durham trod the boards during the Durham Fringe. Northern Lights A Cappella, Woodplayers Troupe, Sightline Productions, KEITH. Sketch Comedy, Shellshock! Improvised Comedy, and The Durham Revue entertained audiences, continuing their journeys to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last month.
Nadena Doharty (Associate Professor, Department of Sociology) attended Chance, by Sightline Productions: “Chance follows Aaron, who’s just been excluded from mainstream school and is being sent back to Sunnyside Pupil Referral Unit, a school for kids who’ve been excluded for disruptive behaviour. As a Sociologist of Education, I have keen interest in practices of exclusion and marginalisation. I was particularly struck by the ways in which state services frame ‘hard to reach’ communities, when in fact, their deeply complicated lives are simply unheard. Much respect and appreciation to the actors who gave a rousing and engaging performance.”
These companies joined further student groups Fourth Wall Theatre Company, Wrong Tree Theatre Company, Pitch Productions and Full Score Barbershop Choir, representing the strength of Durham Student Theatre, Music Durham and the wider student experience at Durham.
Our staff and alumni got in on the act too, with seven Durham alumni groups joining the students, as well as staff member Professor Simon Rees from our Durham Centre for Academic Development, who made his Edinburgh Fringe debut.
Much more than theatre
If you weren’t able to catch the performances over the summer, or would like to continue to immerse yourself further in the world of theatre, why not visit Cosin’s Library, which is displaying 18th century prints inspired by the works of Shakespeare until Monday 11 September in an exhibition entitled Framing Shakespeare?
You could also draw on the knowledge of our expert academics from the Departments of History and English Studies by reading Professor Natalie Mears’ article about the experience of going to the theatre in Shakespeare’s time, or by watching Dr Daniel Blank explore the influence that student theatre had on Shakespeare’s work.
Find out more
- Check out Durham Student Theatre and Music Durham
- Read more about 2023 Durham Fringe Festival
- Discover more about the Summer of Shakespeare
- View more things to do at our Museums & Attractions this summer