TWENTY-FOUR ‘extras’ from across the Midlands will take part in the RSC’s forthcoming production of King Lear.
Starring Antony Sher in the title role, the extras will appear on stage in a number of scenes as Lear’s knights, soldiers and vagrants, in the production running from Saturday (August 20) until October 12.
A number of ‘taster’ workshops took place, involving movement, acting, singing and fight sessions, to give those interested a glimpse of what the experience would entail. From the 140 people who applied, 24 will now get to tread the RST stage, appearing in alternate performances in two groups of 12.
Gregory Doran, RSC Artistic Director and director of King Lear, said: “Lear often refers to his ‘one hundred knights’ but rarely do we get to see full their riotous presence on stage. We wanted the audience to experience what his daughter Goneril has to go through when entertaining his ‘insolent retinue’ and maybe understand why she would want to cast him and his people out into the storm.
“It felt like a wonderful opportunity to engage with the local community, as we did back in 2012 with Julius Caesar with great success, to bring to life these ‘debauched and bold’ knights.”
