Ani Pannell talks to drama society member, Ruby Robertson.
Firstly just some background questions: Why did you first become
interested in drama?
Ruby Robertson: I’m an only child, so drama comes quite naturally! I
started to act when I was about five and got involved with school
plays and local theatre from then on. I’ve always preferred theatre to
film, it’s riskier, films can be edited and manipulated whilst theatre
can’t and that’s what I love about it.
You are directing the society in a production of Othello, have you
been involved with any past performances?
Yes, last semester I played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet.
What exactly does your role consist of? How will you ensure the play
is a success?
It consists of a lot of stress! Although I’m quite a free and easy
director, I insist on an intense rehearsal schedule of about 15 hours
per week, plus extra time to work on technical aspects of the play. I
take a hands on approach to directing, I don’t just sit behind a desk.
I find that there’s quite a small gap between acting and directing,
which it’s easy to bridge if you have acting experience and so I like
to get involved in the creative process with the cast. I also have an
assistant director, Connor Whiteley, who’s really helpful. We have
plenty of cast socials, as it’s important that everyone gels,
especially since we have a relatively short rehearsal time- seven
weeks.
Talk to us about the character of Othello.
He’s a valiant, North African army general. A proud and well
respected man who, as the narrative progresses, becomes corrupted by
jealousy. He’s referred to in the play as “the Moor,” so he’s marked
apart from other characters by his race, despite his social standing.
Have you seen Othello, or any other Shakespearian productions done
‘professionally’? If so, will these influence your input?
Yes, I watched the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Othello
in 2009. In the performance I saw, I was horrified when a stagehand
was moving props onstage during the plays climax! I was influenced in
that I wanted to better the RSC version, which is how I got the gig as
director, and we will.
The Drama Society, The Drama Department and Hull Truck Theatre all
have works of Shakespeare as their next main house productions, why do
you think, so many years on, we are still so fascinated with his
works?
I think that Shakespeare is timeless and relevant. It transcends all
time periods: I’ve transported the play to Egypt for the Western
Desert Campaign of World War Two and it still fits. Shakespeare is
also full of identifiable emotions, in Othello, for example, there’s
jealousy, love and anger which everyone experiences and can relate to.
Finally, why should students come to see this production, what can we
expect to see?
Audiences will be shocked by what we’ve done with the first act of
the play! Othello is a play which is full of tricks and surprises,
I’ve tried to portray these in the staging. Audiences can expect to be
transported to the 1940’s by lighting, sound and costume, think army
uniforms and a Desdemona dressed in high 40’s fashion complete with
sunglasses!
Ani Pannell
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