RSC touring troupe stage King Lear in a school hall on St Mary’s before continuing to the Isle of Wight
“Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!” King Lear, Act III, Scene 2
A fierce wind and strong swell had turned the Atlantic into a rollercoaster and when the troupe made landfall on the Isles of Scilly, several members felt rather wobbly and looked a little green around the gills.
The life of a touring actor is not always glitz and glamour, but the first visit of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) to Scilly – to perform King Lear – got off to a particularly rocky start.
“It was a rough crossing,” said Oliver Senton, who plays Lear, as the 15-strong cast and crew recovered on the harbourside of St Mary’s, the largest of the islands, 30 miles off the south-west coast of mainland Britain. “We’re more used to being in a van or train when we’re going place to place. But it’s wonderful to be here, breaking territory, bringing theatre to new places.”
