LADY MACBETH CROWNED AT LUXEMBOURG

 

The Brussels Shakespeare Society (BSS) has won first place for its performance at the Festival of European Anglophone Theatre (FEATS). The group also won two further awards and five nominations for its production of The Real Lady Macbeth, by Stuart Delves.

The play, directed by Lynne Vaughan, traces both the truth and lies surrounding Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. As Delves’ Shakespeare says in this play: “what interests me is not the history but the man, and not the historical man, man. Give that man poetry and rich imagination, then sell his soul to the devil and let him communicate”. In this fast-paced and many-faceted play the actors canter through five centuries, each playing several roles, changing swiftly from high comedy to dark drama, as they explore historical fact and fiction.

As well as the overall award for best play, the team’s stage manager Andrew Ing won the award for best Stage Management. The team’s lighting director Richard Maddern was given the adjudicator’s special Discretionary Award for his lighting for this play and for Brussels group Theatre in Education’s (TIE) play Roy, by Steve Challens.

The Brussels Shakespeare Society actors Glenn Vaughan, Antonia Mochan, Martin Swabey and Tamsin Rosewell were all nominated for the award of Best Actor or Best Actress for their roles in The Real Lady Macbeth; and the play was also a nominee for the award of Best Presentation.

The play’s Director Lynne Vaughan said:

I am absolutely delighted that we have won these awards and nominations at such a high profile event. The standard of entry at FEATS is very high. I must thank the cast and crew for their seamless team work in putting together this production. It is wonderful that, as well as recognition of acting skills, we were given awards for our stage management and lighting – areas of work which are all too often not sufficiently recognized.

Brussels Shakespeare Society Chairman, Jonathan Goldsmith, said: “I am so very grateful to Lynne and her team for their incredibly hard work, thought and, ultimately, their ability, which has brought these prestigious awards to the BSS”.
The next stop for the Brussels team will be to perform their play at Woking Theatre in the UK later this summer in the All Winners Festival for the National Drama Festivals Association.

You can find out more about the Brussels Shakespeare Society at www.shaksoc.com

Notes to Editors

In what proved to be a good night for Brussels, the American Theatre Company of Brussels won third place for their production of The Actor’s Voice, directed by Carrie Ellwanger. Brussels actor Caraigh MacGregor won Best Actor for his role in this play.

The Brussels Shakespeare Society (BSS) was founded in 1975 and, from small beginnings, it has gone on to perform most of Shakespeare's plays as well as a wide range of other classical dramas. With the kind collaboration of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), the BSS also provides a programme of acting, voice, directing and technical workshops throughout the year for those members (and non-members) who wish to increase their theatrical knowledge and skills. Other activities include play readings and public events with leading figures from the world of professional theatre.