New Vic Education Practitioner and former New Vic Youth Theatre member Becky Salt is currently working with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) as Associate Director on their First Encounters production of Romeo and Juliet, touring this week to Newcastle-under-Lyme.
After working as a Creative Associate on their First Encounters: Twelfth Night last year, Becky was appointed Associate Director for this year’s tour of Romeo and Juliet. Helping to make another classic Shakespearean tale relevant for a new generation of 7 to 13-year-olds, this 90-minute performance abridges the original text, whilst still using the Shakespearean language, to create an accessible introduction to this star cross’d love story.
The nine-week tour, which started at the Swan Theatre at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon and tours to a host of theatres and schools across the country, will visit Springhead Primary School in Talke Pits on 18 and 19 April, with a public family performance at 7pm on Thursday.
We caught up with Becky about her work on this production:
What is it like to be Associate Director for the RSC’s First Encounters programme?
Being Associate Director on an RSC production is a really exciting role and a fantastic opportunity to work amongst a great company and share this important story with thousands of audience members across the country. Touring can be very challenging and tiring but it’s wonderful to see the impact this work has on local communities and young audiences. It’s a role that’s full of hard work but highly rewarding.
Can you talk us through what your role entails?
My role as Associate Director has many different strands. During the rehearsal process, I help and support the director in putting the show together and in particular for this production, focus on the young company’s involvement and preparations for our team of Creative Associates. Whilst on tour, my role is to maintain and look after the show, checking in with the company, noting the performances and adjusting the performance where necessary. As many of our performance venues are different, including school halls, studio theatres and big auditoriums, my role is to support the company in adapting to these spaces. Another important aspect of my job is to lead and support the Creative Associates and young company who join us at each venue, leading combined rehearsals and warm-ups. For the performance itself, I introduce the audience to the team and company, highlight any trigger warnings particular to the story, and I am also on standby to understudy actors – meaning I can step into different roles on stage in the event of it’s required. On some occasions, I support with additional duties including meeting special guests and carrying out interviews with local press. Finally, throughout the tour, I keep in communication with the stage management team, show producers and the director, keeping them informed and updated of how the tour is going and any actions that are necessary.
What are the challenges with a Shakespeare play being condensed down to 90 minutes?
It is always a challenge to condense a Shakespeare play into a 90 minute version, but Robin Belfield, the Dramaturg, has done a fantastic job of making sure this edit includes the necessary plot points whilst keeping it fast paced and action packed for our audiences. During the research and development stages of the process, careful consideration was given to accentuating the key themes and relevance for today’s audiences whilst ensuring the storytelling is clear, particularly for first time audiences. It was also important to consider how the absence of certain characters affect the narrative, along with the logistical needs of actors playing multiple roles.
Why is Romeo and Juliet still relevant for this age group?
There is currently a lot of discussion surrounding the story of Romeo and Juliet, with themes of knife crime, love and hate, family discrepancies and young people not being heard being at the heart of today’s challenges for our young people. For this tour, our key theme is impulsiveness, and explores the rapid decisions of each character, both young and old, and how temporary problems can lead to tragic outcomes. This is increasingly relevant for our young audiences as they face the pressures within a fast-moving culture.
You have been involved in First Encounters before in a different capacity as Creative Associate – what’s the difference between that role and your role today?
Within my previous role as Creative Associate, I was in charge of directing the young company prior to the tour arriving and supporting them in joining the show. This involved rehearsing them several times in the weeks leading up to the show, prior to the tour arriving and then directing them as they integrate with the RSC company on arrival at their venue. Now as an Associate Director, I have greater responsibility in looking after the show as a whole, directing the actors, working alongside the Stage Management team and supporting the Creative Associates with the integration of the young company.
Tickets for First Encounters: Romeo and Juliet at Springhead Primary School are on sale now (£10 for adults, £5 for under-16s) and can be purchased by calling the New Vic Box Office on 01782 717962.