Louisa Ashdown, as The Actor, left, and Georgina Way, as The Presenter, in rehearsal for Hephaestus Theatre’s Richard iii Redux
YORK company Hephaestus Theatre will make its debut with Richard iii Redux in a bold performance at The Basement, City Screen Playhouse, York, on September 10 at 7.30pm.
Written by Kaite O’Reilly with Phillip Zarrilli, this play challenges the historical representation of Richard iii, examining what it is like to be a disabled actor while embarking on a journey to find who the real Richard iii was.
Formed by University of York theatre graduates and co-artistic directors Eleanor Doig and Louisa Ashdown, York company Hephaestus Theatre is dedicated to telling disabled stories and putting disabled and neurodiverse actors on stage and behind the scenes.
Richard iii Redux is the company’s debut performance after two successful fundraising opportunities through its Breaking Boundaries initiative, where disabled artists were invited to share their own work and showcase their talents.
“This play points out the absurdity of a character being evil because of this God-given disability,” says director and performer Louisa Ashdown
Utilising the play for the first time since its initial tour, next month’s production investigates the stereotypes of disabled bodies on stage and screen and seeks to understand why nothing has changed.
Through this dark comedy, the Actor explores their own views of their disabled body and how the body of Richard iii has been portrayed through Shakespeare for centuries.
Louisa, a disabled theatre-maker who has just finished her Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance studies at the University of York, will play The Actor. She has a background in design, producing, music and acting.
Although director-performer Louisa’s disability is hidden, she relates heavily to the themes of the play and is enjoying bringing the characters to life. “It has been exciting to explore all three personas within the texts and the differences between them,” she says.
The poster for Hephaestus Theatre’s debut production of Richard iii Redux
“I have focused on making these distinctions clear through vocal and physical skills and drawing on the differences between each character’s perspective and what they are trying to say.
“The dramaturgical work behind this play is absolutely fascinating. There is so much history behind this story and the play is written in a way that explores so much of the detail.”
Louisa continues: “This play is moving away from seeing Richard iii being portrayed as this evil monster and points out the absurdity of a character being evil because of this God-given disability.
“I hope that people who are not disabled leave this performance with a different perspective of this play and character which is so key in the theatre canon, while I hope people who are disabled come away and can feel themselves reflected on stage, even if their disability is different from the one being portrayed.”
Georgina Way in the rehearsal room
Georgina Way will take the occasional pop-up role of The Presenter, who contributes mostly filmed elements. “I’m delighted to be involved with this production as a person with a hidden disability,” says Georgina, who is studying History of Art at the University of York and enjoys acting and singing in her spare time.
“I am especially excited by the concept of changing long-standing views of certain historical characters and bringing them to life in a new light.”
The Basement has fully step-free access. For additional access information, go to: ttps://drive.google.com/file/d/19ifNiK1bF5P9a07KVGB-gTkJHfCcnKMU/view?usp=sharing. “The performance is captioned throughout so that we can open our doors to even more people and hopefully make it a inclusive environment,” says producer Eleanor Doig.
Looking ahead, Hephaestus Theatre is seeking to produce its own written piece about being a disabled artist.
Hephaestus Theatre in Richard iii Redux, The Basement, City Screen Playhouse, York, September 10, 7.30pm. Box office: : https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1996491477754?aff=oddtdtcreator.