Meeting The Princess of France, Rosaline, Katharine and Maria from ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’
In the last of our series of interviews with Year 9 students involved in this year’s Shakespeare on the Lawn, we met and talked to Marina, Lola, Issy and Amelie, or rather, The Princess of France, Rosaline, Katharine and Maria from Love’s Labour’s Lost.
It’s been absolutely wonderful to be able to watch students rehearse and prepare for next week’s performance, and we hope that these interviews have given you a real insight into the characters, play and our young actors’ thoughts and feelings about being involved and on stage!
Performances take place next Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 and 2 July, at the time of writing this we had a few tickets remaining, so make sure to book yours at www.ticketsource.co.uk/woodbridge-school-drama/e-xzodke.
The Princess of France, played by Marina
The King’s daughter, the Princess of France has been sent on an important diplomatic mission. Somewhat insulted by King Ferdinand’s refusal to allow her and her ladies into his court, she decides the best response is to match wits rather than be offended. Taking pleasure in setting them all up for mockery, as she does not believe their declarations of love to be true, becoming Queen upon her father’s death means she has to combine her new responsibilities with the grief she is left to carry.
Enjoying every moment of rehearsals and excitedly looking forward to performing, Marina explained how much fun she’s having playing the role of the Princess of France, “It’s been an incredible experience, it really has. I’ve learned lots and been really challenged too, particularly the scenes in which I have to act and dance!” She continued, “It can be nerve-wracking enough simply being on stage, without having to dance too, but with everyone else taking part and so ultimately in the same boat, it’s actually been lots of fun.” She ended with, “It’s been brilliant working together, everyone’s getting on so well and we’re all really looking forward to performing next week.”
Rosaline, played by Lola
A witty and intelligent lady, Rosaline attends the Princess of France. Refusing to be even the slightest bit impressed by Berowne or his profession of love, she resolves to make a fool of him, and so the fun unfolds. She decides to play at being the Princess, playing her well enough to fool the gentlemen!
Lola explained more about how she feels about being part of this year’s production, “In the beginning I was incredibly nervous, anxious and worried about everything really – but as soon as we started rehearsing, working together, with the help and support of Miss Mayes and Mr Williams, it all started coming together quite quickly.” She continued, “It took a while to learn my lines, and the choreography has been challenging, but it’s all starting to feel very exciting.” Talking more about how she feels about being part of Shakespeare on the Lawn she shared, “We’ve all become really, really close, we’re a strong community and we’ve been really supportive of one another, coming together to rehearse when we get moments outside of formal rehearsals, it’s become a huge part of our lives happily.”
Katharine, played by Issy
Quick-witted enough to keep pace with Rosaline, Katharine is loyal to her mistress, the Princess of France, and is rather impressed when she first meets Dumaine, but that soon fades when he breaks his oath – and falls in love with her. She refuses to marry Dumaine so long as the Queen is in mourning, which she believes will give him time to grown up!
Sharing what she feels have been the highlights of rehearsals so far, Issy said, “I have so enjoyed the dancing, I absolutely love that part of the performance, mostly because in the 1950s, when our version of the play is set, the dancing was amazing, so different to what we see on dance floors today.” She continued, “It’s all been such good fun, hard work but fun, and I’m so glad I’ve been lucky enough to be part of it – every Year 9 student should take part in Shakespeare on the Lawn, it’s a great opportunity to spend time with people you might not ordinarily do things with in School, and to be part of something that means the world to everyone involved.”
Maria, played by Amelie
Another lady attending the Princess of France, Maria met Longaville at a family wedding, and was actually rather impressed by him. However, upon her arrival at court, she is (rightfully) unimpressed by his poetic prowess – but still promises to marry him once her mistress’s year of mourning is done.
Amelie shared, “My absolute favourite part of Shakespeare on the Lawn so far has been the final dance – as well as the costumes, I really love mine and it brings my character to life even more. The audience are going to absolutely love the finale, and enjoy the stage, so much time and effort has been taken to make sure we can transport everyone back to the 1950s, seeing Shakespeare in this era – well, in our version of this play anyway!” Talking about what else she’s enjoyed about being part of this she said, “Everyone should get involved in Shakespeare on the Lawn, it’s such a fun experience, you meet so many new people and learn so much – I’d definitely recommend everyone in Year 9 gets involved!”
Thank you to these Year 9s, as well as all who have taken part in our interviews this year. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see behind the scenes of the production – quite literally!
We look forward to welcoming audiences to both productions next week, and we will share our review in next week’s newsletter.
