What’s old is new again when an Okotoks theatre troupe raises the curtain on a Shakespearean classic this weekend.
The Dewdney Players’ Henry V – The Battle for France brings a twist to the William Shakespeare classic translated into modern English and a renewed emphasis on battles and armoured combat in a play that is ultimately about war.
“It’s 400 years old language that even academics can struggle with,” said Henry V director Peter Duke. “We wanted to make something that tells the same story, but is more engaging so we modernized the language, we added in all of the fights because he had skipped them all, it was his first play and he didn’t want to put in any fights.
“But why make a play about war without any duels then?”
Henry V is the first Dewdney play directed by Duke, who lauded the support of producer Katie Fournell with excellent and experienced folks leading up the set, stage design and costume departments.
“It’s a really good team overall,” Duke said.
That extends to those on the stage.
The cast is a blend of Dewdney stalwarts and a number of newcomers with six first-timers auditioning, four of whom landed roles on the cast.
“It’s a really good group, really coming together,” Duke added. “You’ve got some members who have worked together plenty and they just slot right together and all of our new cast have really been accepted into the group, which is great, and we’ve found some real gems.”
The group includes Luke Atkinson, a professional actor, who is suiting up for the titular role of King Henry V in his Dewdney debut.
The switch to modern English offers Atkinson the chance to delve further into the character without the dialogue being lost in translation.
“It’s a chance to deconstruct the concept of Henry V and really dig into the emotion behind him,” Atkinson said. “A lot of times with Shakespearean nomenclature and the flowery language the essence of a character can get lost in the words.
“Now that I’m getting a chance to portray it in a way that’s more accessible to both actors in general and a modern audience, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to bring across the conflict.”
Henry V tells the tale of King Henry V during the Hundred Years’ War and specifically the time period around the Battle of Agincourt in the early 15th century.
For Atkinson, it’s about capturing the duality of Henry as someone who desires to be seen as honourable and upstanding who at heart is an average man who enjoys a scrap and a pint and never expected to be king.
“A lot of this sudden pressure and responsibility has been placed on him to be not just a butt in the seat, not just a head in the crown, but to be a good king,” Atkinson said. “It’s at odds with a lot of his personal flaws.
“A lot of Shakespeare’s heroes and villains have tragic flaws. I think in a different story, Henry would have been just fine, but in this one the responsibility for an entire war has been placed on his head and he’s just not really prepared for the realities of that.”
Performances run from Jan 12-27 at the Rotary Performing Arts Centre (Jan. 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 20 and 27 at 2 p.m.)
For tickets and more information go to dewdneyplayers.com.
With Files from Brent Calver
