If you were lucky enough to see the two brilliant productions (Richard II and Edward II) by Scena Mundi at last year’s Ventnor Fringe Festival, you’ll want to hear more about this year’s productions.
“The most extraordinary comedy of Twelfth Night or What You Will, by Master William Shakespeare, abridged, is the story of two twins shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria who find love there after many adventures”
Twelfth Night or What You Will
Scena Mundi have been invited back to the Fringe, but this year are coming with a very different piece, a short take on Twelfth Night.
A play is to be staged and the Mechanicals – a bunch of players – have been chosen to deliver the entertainment, a short version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Under the guidance of Master Martin (see more about Martin’s other Fringe performance below), and with the help of long-suffering Mistress Flute, the players share the roles –not without some tension- and set off to discharge their parts.
The scene is Illyria, where Viola is shipwrecked. She believes that her twin brother Sebastian has drowned. She then decides to disguise herself as a man to enter the service of Duke Orsino. Under the name of Cesario, she soon becomes the favourite of the love-sick Duke who employs her to woo the Countess Olivia. Viola/Cesario plays the love messenger but in vain; Olivia cannot love Orsino. Yet she finds Cesario quite attractive… and so does the Duke!
Coming and going between the houses of Orsino and Olivia, Viola meets a few strange characters. There’s Olivia’s constantly drunk uncle Sir Toby Belch and his silly friend Sir Andrew, Feste the Clown and holier-than-thou Malvolio, Olivia’s steward, who’s soon to meet his comeuppance.
With all their skill and dedication, the Scena Mundi Mechanicals will do their best to play Twelfth Night with brio, and hopefully they’ll tell the story to its end. Expect gender-crossing, cross-dressing, Shakeapearian jokes… Oh, and a pair of yellow stockings happen to play an important part in the plot…
Book now
The company will be performing Twelfth Night on Friday (12th), Saturday (13th) and Sunday (14th) at 8pm at Holy Trinity Church, Ventnor.
Tickets are £15 each (£12.50 concessions). Book your tickets online or in person at the Ventnor Exchange on Church Street.
The cast
Master Martin – Malvolio, Sebastian, Captain: Martin Prest (Martin played Bolingbroke in Richard II and Mortimer in Edward II).
Master Phil – Viola, Feste: Pip Brignall (Richard II in Richard II and Gaveston in Edward II).
Mistress Ann – Orsino, Sir Andrew: Anna Buckland (Queen Isabelle in Richard II, Duke of Kent in Edward II).
Master Jack – Sir Toby Belch, Olivia: Jack Christie (Green in Richard II/ Bishop of Winchester in Edward II).
MUSICIAN – Mistress Flute: Emma Hall (Emma is a professional flautist joining Scena Mundi for the first time this summer).
Who are The Mechanicals?
The production is part of Scena Mundi’s new venture, The Mechanicals, a small company of actors playing condensed versions of the classics.
Inspired by The Midsummer Night’s Dream’s troupe of Athenian workers turned Thespians, The Scena Mundi Mechanicals will bring short, punchy, immersive versions of classical plays to audiences nationwide, while remaining true to the originals.
The new company launched with Twelfth Night in June 2016 to delighted guests at private events in London and will have their first public outing in August 2016 in Ventnor!
Dracula
Martin Prest returns to the Isle of Wight after the success of his one-man Christmas Carol as Jonathan Harker in the World Première of Dracula Part 1, the brilliant new show.
Now returned to England, Jonathan Harker recounts his journey to Transylvania and his first terrifying encounter with Count Dracula. ‘There is but one thing to hope for, that I may not go mad, if, indeed, I be not mad already’.
The performance takes place on Thursday 11th August at 7.30pm in the Old Church in Ventnor. Tickets are £10 (£8 concessions) and available through the Ventnor Fringe Website or in person at the Exchange on Church Street.
