PERFORMING arts students from Wiltshire College & University Centre are being tested to the limit in a demanding production of Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt under the bright lights of Salisbury Arts Centre.
The cast and production team made up of 25 Level 1 to Level 3 Performing and Production Arts students are part of a collaboration between the college and Wiltshire Creative, which runs Salisbury’s Playhouse, Arts Centre and International Arts Festival, and are staging the play tonight and tomorrow (May 13 and 14).
The play, which tells the story of reckless wanderer Peer, a boastful dreamer who abandons responsibility in pursuit of adventure, wealth, and self-importance, has been transported from the Norwegian countryside of myth and folklore to the surreal fields of a multi-arts festival.
Lecturer Tom Sherman, himself an actor, said the setting works well with the play.
“It still fits remarkably well into this world that we’re kind of framing it within,” he said. “It’s quite colourful at times and quite dark at times. We could go for a well-made play and something that’s quite genial and gentle, but there’s more learning to be gained from trying to put on something that’s a little bit scary and a little bit exciting at the same breath.”
He said the play was chosen to test the skills students have developed over their course. “I wanted to give them an idea of the challenges that you get in making theatre,” he said.
“Many of the cast are playing multiple roles so it has been a real challenge for them. This sort of piece allows for individual creativity and exploration of movement and how they physicalise the vast range of characters.
“Because we work amongst a range of different level students with different abilities, there needs to be a balance of roles as well that can be spread out amongst the performers. It’s always a bit of a challenge of measuring where we can incorporate everyone and be really inclusive with it.”
Through story Peer roams through different worlds, represented as festival fields, growing older as he progresses. To represent this, four actors, Izzy Barnett, Hailie Corderoy, Freya Searle and Hazel Perrett, play him.
“It’s a massive role, to show the stages of his life, from his youthful vigour to his latter life cynicism and dismay,” said Tom. “He’s kind of an anti-hero, we love his cheekiness and naughtiness, but in other moments he is mean, vicious and villainous even. That presents challenges in itself for the actors.”
He said the performances are something of a crowning glory for the students, bringing together everything they’ve learned. “On top of that, we’ve been performing in the main space of the arts centre,” he said.
“We’re being supported by professional technicians to help with the lighting and sound and deputy stage management,” said Tom. “So we’ve got a professional building, professional facilities, professional production staff, it just helps elevate the quality of the work and sets up expectations for future work and professional life.”
He said the students have been working hard through weeks of rehearsals and pre-production meetings. “They’ve all put in a great deal of effort and I think it will be a fantastic show,” he said. “Harry Collins has done the lighting design and Emily Williams and Samantha Oddie have been part of the production team.
“The design has been a collaboration and there have been explorations within scenes. We’re doing it in a traverse performance space, so we’ve got audience on two sides with a stage at one end.
“There’s lots of bucket hats, surreal costumes and dancing as part of the festival vibe and we’re incorporating bits of physical theatre, I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved.”
Tickets, at just £10, are still available for both shows, beginning at 7pm. Go to: https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/events/peer-gynt
