Back the Bard! Actor Ralph Fiennes alarmed by idea of removing Shakespeare from schools

ITV News

3 days ago

Don't ask Ray Fiennes to wear a microphone on stage!
At least not on the stage we are sitting on right now.
We are at the Theatre Royal in Bath, where the renowned actor and director has been given a season of productions to run.
We are talking about the growing trend of actors being given microphones on stage - and the impact this has on their projection.
He concedes that in some locations, for example huge venues, microphones can be useful, but pointing at the size of the Georgian theatre we are sitting in, it is not he firmly says, necessary.
Having been invited to host a season at the Theatre Royal, he now finds himself performing in a new David Hare play, Grace Pervades, in the evening, and then going into intense rehearsals for the next production As You Like It, which he is directing.
For this play, he has invited his friend and fellow Shakespearean Dame Harriet Walter to be part of the cast, she will be playing the traditional male role of Jacques, but tells me she hasn't quite decided what gender the character will be.
It will be an unusual dynamic for her, being directed by a fellow great, but both are utterly committed to presenting the Bard's work on stage.
With a review of the national curriculum in schools and colleges currently underway, they are both alarmed at the suggestions that Shakespeare is no longer relevant to be taught in schools.
Fiennes describes the idea as 'stupidity'.
His decision to host a season at the Theatre Royal in Bath is an interesting one, given the current crisis that some regional theatres are facing.
Both say they have been stating the case for increased funding for the creative sector for decades.
Fiennes says he looks at places like France and Spain and sees the level of state support that the cultural industries get there.
He is backing the creation of a new theatre in St Albans, which involves renovating a 17th century barn.
The idea is to give young up-and-coming talent a chance to get a foothold in the industry.
And back to the discussions on the relevance of Shakespeare, the one thing that actors strive to do, is perform Shakespeare on stage.
After As You Like It, he will be back on stage for his third production in the season - again a brand-new play, Small Hotel, in which he'll be acting alongside his former partner Francesca Annis.
To say that Ralph Fiennes is prolific would seem an understatement right now, with three films out in the last year including 28 Years Later.
His season here in Bath finishes in mid October and then be starring in a Hunger Games film prequel, out next year.
He is, he admits, a workaholic.