2014 Company Profiles
James Taljaard
Board Member
James has been on the Board of Directors since July 2008. He is General Manager at the Watershed in Bristol.
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Artistic Policy
Piers Wehner and Dorothea Myer-Bennett in Two Gentlemen of Verona 2013 (Photo: Farrows Creative)
We believe Shakespeare's relevance is undiminished. He is both an artist and a teacher for all time, and the task of interpreting and communicating him is one without limit or end. Our aim is to make the worlds of his plays real and fresh, and to enter the lives of his characters as seriously as we would if we were exploring our own lives, so that we can take our audience on emotional and spiritual journeys that will enhance and challenge their understanding, win them to Shakespeare (if they have never been won before), and entertain them with some of the best stories ever told.
We are an ensemble company. Opportunities for young actors, in particular, to enjoy and learn from the experience of classical ensemble theatre - whether in the studio or the main stage - have diminished dramatically over recent decades. Our ensemble of between 14 and 22 is recruited annually, but has enjoyed a strong element of continuity from the beginning, when it was born out of Andrew Hilton's experience of ten years' teaching Shakespeare classes at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. The School's graduates still form the kernel of the company, joined by actors of all ages and diverse backgrounds from across the U.K.
The company has been repeatedly praised in the national press for the quality and naturalness of its verse speaking and its ethos of unselfish commitment to the work. The competition to join the company is intense.
For details of casting policy and opportunities click on casting / job vacancies in the left hand menu.
