Lezlie Wade
Special to Niagara Now

Shaw artistic director Tim Carroll and associate artistic director Kimberley Rampersad are having a stellar year.

Attendance at the Shaw Festival is up, their joint production of “My Fair Lady” has been well-received, showing signs of a long and healthy run, and within the next few months, both will direct separate productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.

That is no small accomplishment.

The Royal Shakespeare is one of the world’s most renowned theatre companies. Started in 1875, it boasts some of the most iconic English-speaking productions, including Peter Brook’s legendary “Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1970. 

This will be Carroll’s first return to the U.K. to direct since he took over the Shaw Festival in 2016 and his second time directing at the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2008, he did “The Merchant of Venice” and this coming fall he will direct “Othello.”

Shakespeare’s work isn’t new to Carroll. While attending Oxford University, he directed five consecutive Shakespeare plays.

As he puts it, “At the time, I didn’t know that I didn’t know anything.” 

Since then, he’s certainly filled in the gaps. His love of Shakespeare began when he was young. 

“I can date it precisely. It was the beginning of October 1984.” 

He was about to go to Oxford and was watching the first episode of a series called “Playing Shakespeare,” by John Barton.

“I was shouting at the television set because the actors weren’t doing what John Barton was asking them to do,” he said.

“I was just immediately obsessed with verse, with iambic pentameter, with its relationship to the actor and to the intention of the speaker and how to find not just the clues in the text to what’s going on but also how to use that pattern to reveal the ritual force of Shakespeare’s verse.”

His renowned productions of “Twelfth Night” and “Richard III,” which originated at the Globe Theatre in London, moved to the West End and then transferred to Broadway, won numerous awards.

Aside from famously boasting an all-male cast, including Stephen Fry and Mark Rylance, it was also noted for its use of what’s known as “Original Practices” — theatre presented exactly as it would have been during Shakespeare’s time.

His new production of “Othello” won’t be set in period. It will have an abstract set, a psychological design by Canadian Judith Bowman, and movement direction by Shaw veteran Alexis Milligan.

They are both making their Royal Shakespeare debut along with Rampersad, who is directing a new adaptation of “The Red Shoes,” by Nancy Harris.

Rampersad began her career in Winnipeg, taking dance at the age of five. From there, she moved into performing in musical theatre, eventually becoming a director.

In hindsight, she seemed destined to direct.

As she began to be cast in older roles, she realized those weren’t parts she wanted to play. At the same time she wanted to find a way to stay in the industry and keep creating her art.

“I thought, directing is a way I can pursue all those things that fill my heart. I think I have the skill set, talent and work ethic,” she said.

When she was asked by Royal Shakespeare’s co-artistic directors Daniel Harvey and Tamara Evans what she would like to direct, Rampersad suggested a family show.

After reading numerous scripts, she landed on “The Red Shoes,” scheduled for over the holiday season.

It seems like a natural fit for someone who began her career in dance and whose love for the medium never waned. The flawed female protagonist drew her to the story.

“I always love it when a woman is a heroine, but she doesn’t have to be perfect. She doesn’t need to be put on a pedestal.”

The story’s dark elements, which follow in the footsteps of Dickens and Dahl, also were an attraction.

“There is something active in the melancholy of this particular time of the year. At church, we hear about this child born to bring light into the world, but we also talk about the darkness that surrounds it and gives that light strength.”

Having the chance to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company is exciting and “fills me to the brim,” she said.

“A few nights ago I slept for about 90 minutes. I am just full. It’s such a terribly important thing for my family. They have formed me. And now their child and sister is going to do this work, and I carry their name with me.”

“That is the most important thing,” she said.

“My parents would say, ‘Your grandparents and I never would have imagined that this little child would be about to do this.’ ”

We can be proud that the Shaw boasts the calibre of talent sought on an international level. And for those who cannot make a trip to the U.K., their work can be seen right here on NOTL’s stages.

Lezlie Wade is an award-winning director, writer and lyricist. Originally from Niagara Falls, she now makes Niagara-on-the-Lake her home.