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Daniel Johns
Role: III Councillor

What's the best Shakespeare performance you've seen?

Peter Brook/Paul Schofield's "King Lear" and Glenda Jackson's "Lear." Schofield was the first time I'd ever seen Lear on stage and it was such an illuminating production, not only with Schofield, but people like Irene Worth and Diana Rigg. I cannot say which was better. Schofield had such a beauty of verse, but Jackson had this over-reacting frailty, and very unusual (but wonderful) readings of the texts.

Did you have any experience with "Timon of Athens" before this project?

Robert Boulton
Role: Titus

What Shakespeare role (which you haven't played) would you love to do?

Lady Macbeth. I've had a gender-switched production of "Macbeth" running around my head for a couple of years.

Did you have any experience with Timon of Athens before this project?

John Paton
Role: Sempronius

Before we start, and just because you're a fellow Bristol boy, I have to ask: what's your favourite place in Brissle?

I have been away a long time and much has changed. Probably when I was younger my favourite place was the Odeon Cinema and The Dug Out Club or the Locarno night clubs! (hahahaha). However when I visit these days I love the Bristol Old Vic – it brings back happy memories of both my first ever ‘proper’ theatre trip to see The Crucible – age of 12. PLUS I got the thrill of working there in a play called "Croak, Croak, Croak" by Peter Tinniswood, directed by BOV's assistant Artistic Director Gareth Machin.

What was your first exposure to Shakespeare?

Martin Southh
Role: Flavius

What's the best Shakespeare performance you've seen?

Probably director Robert Icke’s Hamlet at the Almeida (in 2017). It was like watching a brand new play, and Andrew Scott was outstanding in the title role.

Did you have any experience with Timon of Athens before this project?

Prof. Ladan Niayesh
Literary Advisor
PART I - ABOUT YOUR FIELD

My starting question is very simple: what was your first exposure to Shakespeare?

My first exposure was very classically Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet seen on TV as a child, in a poorly translated Persian (my native tongue). At that young age, I was obviously more interested in the ghost and misty battlements than anything else. But the first play I was able to read in full text for a school curriculum was – rather unusually for a school programme – Coriolanus. The guidance of a passionate instructor made me all at one go fall in love with Shakespeare and want to become a teacher myself. I am much beholden to the gentleman for both reasons, and one of the highlights of my career many years later was to have his son among my students at university for a course on Shakespeare!

As a distinguished scholar of Shakespeare, can you talk us through your educational journey with Shakespeare?

Ellis J. Wells
Chronicles & Tales
November 7th - 26th, 2019

We first applied for this job back in April 2017. And now... IT'S TIME! After two years preparation we are finally doing the first part of filming in Portugal. I was lucky enough to be flown out early into shooting, along with the gorgeous Sarah and Martin; you could not ask for better travel buddies...