Pop-up Globe director discusses theatre's challenges

The director of the Pop-up Globe has addressed the challenges faced on stage, and entertained the possibility of a permanent theatre venue.

Artistic director Miles Gregory spoke to fans at a series of talks hosted at the Central City Library and the Globe Theatre replica on Greys Avenue, which has been home to numerous Shakespeare productions over the last few months.

The In Conversation: The Actor's Studio talk at the library last Thursday saw a panel of actors and directors join Dr Gregory.

The panel took questions from the around 40-strong audience, including one regarding the acoustics of the theatre.

Dr Gregory said there were many challenges for performers in the 900-seat theatre, including minimal rehearsal time in the theatre itself for some of the seven different theatre companies involved.

Carmel McGlone, who plays the Nurse and Lady Montague in Romeo and Juliet, said the actors were "training ourselves every day”.

“There is nothing in our ordinary lives . . . that calls us, these days, to use our voices in this way, even as actors.”

Stephen Butterworth, who plays Maria in Twelfth Night, talked about his approach to playing a woman in the all-male production.

“In my career, I have [played] quite a few women,” he said.

Mr Butterworth said that the key is in finding one aspect of each character to focus on.

After the talk, the audience were invited to view Auckland Libraries’ copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, as well as later editions of the folio and a Pericles quarto.

Dr Gregory told Te Waha Nui the partnership between the Pop-up Globe and the library came about “organically”.

He said the talks are designed “to deepen our audience’s understanding of this project . . . one of the core objectives of the project is education”.

Dr Gregory used the library’s copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio in the production scripts for Twelfth Night and other plays at the theatre.

At another talk on Sunday, titled In Conversation: Twelfth Night, Professor Judith Buchanan joined Dr Gregory for a discussion of the comedy.

Dr Gregory was asked if there was a possibility the theatre could remain, or be brought back.

"Anything’s possible,” he said, but later added the company was “very focused on our Auckland season”.

He fielded several questions on the future of the Pop-up Globe during both talks.

He said the theatre is due to be dismantled on April 25, at the end of the current season. “I will be very sad to see it go.”

Twelfth Night is running until April 24. The vast majority of seats have sold, although standing tickets are available on the door.