We sat down for an exclusive interview with Toby Gordon, Director, and Sue Fletcher, Founder Producer of Shakespeare in the Squares’ tenth anniversary production, Love’s Labour’s Lost.
Love’s Labour’s Lost runs from 3rd June to 12th July across London – Tickets here
What drew Shakespeare in the Squares to Love’s Labour’s Lost as the company’s tenth anniversary production, and what makes it especially suited to outdoor performance?
TG: Over the last 10 years, a key tenet of our mission has been to bring a different Shakespeare play to our London audiences each Summer and it felt right to continue to honour this ambition in our celebrations of a decade operating in the capital. Love’s Labour’s Lost stood out to me as an underrepresented play with vibrant characters and great comedic potential. The central setting of Shakespeare’s play – a park outside the court of Navarre in Western Europe – could not be more aptly represented by the stunning selection of open-air venues we visit on the tour.
How do you approach directing Shakespeare for audiences in open-air community spaces where the atmosphere can feel more informal and immediate than a traditional theatre?
TG: In an outdoor setting, bold acting choices and clear delivery are vital. A consistent direct relationship with our audience plays a huge role in fuelling the energy in performance. For outdoor theatre, the exuberant atmosphere of London during the Summer months is infectious – whatever the weather!
This production features a mix of returning Shakespeare in the Squares performers and new company members — what qualities were you looking for when assembling the cast?
TG: As our audiences have grown, so too has the pool of performers interested in working for Shakespeare In The Squares and we are keen to continue welcoming new faces into our performing company. Our use of live music stands out as something that makes an impact on our audience so musical ability is a must. Comfort and ease addressing an audience directly is also a priority and informs how we can share our story with immediacy. Experience of outdoor work and experience with Shakespeare play their part too. I’m lucky to get to work with a team who have such illustrious and varied performance experience.
Love’s Labour’s Lost is full of wordplay, romance and comic misunderstandings — how have you worked to make the humour feel fresh and accessible for contemporary audiences?
TG: The text has been reimagined and introduces us to a core set of characters whose close relationships present a variety of comic and dramatic flavours. Much of the humour in Love’s Labour’s Lost is derived from the male characters’ unsuccessful resistance to the allure of their female counterparts and the consequences of their short-sighted oath of abstinence. My cut strives to give the audience a balanced insight into that experience from both sides. Contemporary popular music selections from the 1960s and early 1970s provide humorous and familiar routes into the narrative of a less familiar Shakespeare composition.
Shakespeare in the Squares has built a loyal following over the past decade — how have you seen audiences’ relationships with outdoor theatre evolve during that time?
SF: The model for Shakespeare in the Squares relies very much on a network of square hosts who provide practical help (with facilities like the Green Room) but who are also cheerleaders for the company within their local communities. In year one, these were often existing contacts, and many of the people who bought tickets were friends and family, wanting to support the brave venture. But while they may have originally come out of loyalty, they came back because we had offered them a wonderful evening of inclusive, family friendly, professional theatre in a sublime garden setting. As our productions become more ambitious, and we spread further throughout all areas of London, we are approached by new venues who want to invite us into their spaces. And those audiences keep coming back, bringing family members of all ages with them. Our talented directors have become increasingly successful at creating with the cast opportunities for audience participation, particularly involving the children, and it is a joy to see several generations bringing their picnics and their enthusiasm for what they describe as an unmissable annual summer fixture.
What do you hope audiences take away from this anniversary production after spending an evening with the company in one of London’s garden squares?
SF: ‘A theatre without walls or roofs, where the rules are a little less stringent, where we feel we might belong a little bit more.’ This is a quote about the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, but it applies equally to Shakespeare in the Squares – arguably more so, as we bring theatre to ‘them’, often on their home turf. So at the end of this year’s production of Love’s Labour’s Lost, we hope the audience will have had a brilliant evening, laughed at the jokes, joined in with the rousing songs, been reminded of the joy of Shakespeare – and wish us many more decades of Happy Returns.