The Cordelia Dream (2020)
by Tom Neill Ltdtheatre
The première tour of Royal Shakespeare Company commissioned 'The Cordelia Dream' from multi-award winning Marina Carr.
about the production
Haunted by her dream of Cordelia and Lear, a woman confronts an elderly man, her lifelong antagonist and rival. During their passionate altercation he dismisses her success as a composer and demands she make the ultimate sacrifice: for him to flourish she, his protégée, must be silent. Marina Carr's 'The Cordelia Dream' premiered in December 2008 at Wilton's Music Hall, London, in a production by the Royal Shakespeare Company, who also commissioned the script. This production marks the first tour since the play's première.
about the artist
VISION
We rediscover the secluded texts from playwrights you know, produce them to natural quality and present them in a place of beauty near you.
MISSION
1. A story you haven't heard before.
2. Natural quality from an accomplished team.
3. Innovative and contextualised art.
4. A beautiful setting in a convenient location.
5. Socially and environmentally responsible practice.
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stage dimensions
width: 13 metres
height: 6 metres
depth: 7 metres
The show requires a one day get-in with performances commencing the following day. Two house crew are required for the get-in, and one on performance days. We tour two technicians - a CSM on book, and a DSM/relighter. We provide lighting and sound computers, and colours. The house provides lanterns and FOH sound.
The Cordelia Dream appeals to a broad cross-over audience with an interest in straight plays, Shakespeare, classical music, contemporary writing and revivals. UKTheatre sales data shows that touring work makes up 60% of the industry's overall box office, and more tickets were sold for touring plays than non-touring. The same data shows the average price paid for a Plays ticket has risen by 9% (to 2016) and achieved a ticket price of around £14-20 in auditoria sized 200-1000 seats. In the period 2013-16, income from classical concerts rose by a third and the numbers of tickets sold rose by 8%.
A piece of poetic realism steeped in the past … Carr has an extraordinary ability to move between the mythic and the real.
Tom Neill is spot on … incredible though it may seem, this new adaptation manages to add another dimension to this classic tale ... It will, by turns, move you to melancholy and lift your spirits like a spring morning.
The play burst with spectacle and director Tom Neill captured perfectly the turbulent nature of one of Shakespeare’s great last plays.
We tour to wheelchair accessible venues. A large print programme will be produced. Subject to funding and rights approval, a BSL signed interpretation will be videoed, also captioned and shared in advance or provided on tablet as required; a pre-show 'texture tour' will be available for blind and partially-sighted theatregoers to aid their understanding of set, costumes and properties; an audio-description will be offered to accompany the performance with a headset provided; for those who require acclimatisation to the theatre environment, there will be a guide on what to expect and a chance to meet the cast before the show.
An education pack aimed at higher secondary and undergraduate level will be provided. Subject to funding, an education programme will be delivered. We are working towards the aims of the Culture White Paper of 2016.
We are booking weeks and split weeks for a period of five weeks between the dates shown, and are presenting a balanced budget as a requisite for public funding, based on guarantees of £1500 per performance (VAT not applicable).
