Commissioned by the Roundhouse and LIFT as part of the World Shakespeare Festival, The Dark Side of Love is a devised take on the theme of love in the work of Shakespeare. It will be performed in a unique space underneath the Roundhouse by a cast of London teenagers under the direction of Brazilian director Renato Rocha. This week, cast member Cecily Nash tells A Younger Theatre about mastering the language of Shakespeare.

Language plays a significant role in our production of The Dark Side of Love. From using our native tongue to foreign languages to old English, we explore the many different ways to communicate verbally.

We have each been asked to write our own love letters, goodbye letters, and interpretations of one of Hamlet’s famous speeches. This has given us the chance to express ourselves both artistically and emotionally, and to transform it into performance. The themes of love and tragedy in Shakespeare’s plays are integral to our piece, and interpreting his stories in our own words have helped to give it a more personal feel. There is a reason Shakespeare is still so important today as the feelings he expresses in his writing are universal. With us having translated a lot of the dialogue and as performers understanding the Shakespearean language we are using, hopefully we will be able to communicate and express the themes we feel are so vital to the show and for the audience to relate to.

With our director being from Brazil, our assistant director from France, and cast members fluent in Spanish, Italian and German, it is inevitable that foreign language is a large part of the show we are creating. Using these languages gives us the opportunity to experience  Shakespeare from many different angles and has the ability to lend a completely different tone to his words. It also parallels the fact that Shakespearean language – to many – is foreign and can take time to understand in full. For one, Shakespeare writes in iambic pentameter, and secondly many of the jokes, references, phrases and vocabulary are no longer used or relevant now. However, working with the language as we are, it gives us the chance to use it in a way that is appropriate and relatable to us.

Having worked on quite a lot of Shakespeare in the past, I have never been able to understand it as quickly and fully as I do when working with Michael Corbridge and Cicely Berry. I have found that to understand Shakespeare fully it is so important to get it up on its feet and perform it – the way Shakespeare intended, as opposed to sitting at a desk, analysing every single word. One technique we have used to comprehend it is to immediately translate the words into our own, discuss and discover what we think is right. And when we feel we do get it right, it is so exciting to use and play with it. Their expertise and love for the plays has shone through and I’m sure I speak for the whole cast when I say we have relished working with them and cannot wait to do more. Shakespeare’s rich language is unparalleled and we are thrilled to be working on such magnificent plays as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Othello.

The Dark Side of Love will be staged at the Roundhouse 26 June – 8 July. Find out more information here.

Image credit: Tristram Kenton