Interview with HENRY V Director Alexander Burns (October 8th 2010)

Director Alexander Burns took some time out to discuss Shakespeare and his Quintessence Theatre Group's production HENRY V. Their show's run goes through Sunday October 17th 2010, and is officially a Shawn and Shakespeare must see.

O’BRIEN: What do you think it is about Shakespeare’s work that still has so much life in it today?

BURNS: There is no insincerity, no subtext; everything in Shakespeare is immediate, necessary and created through language. Shakespeare’s use of verse (iambic pentameter) requires the creation of a theatrical and heightened reality. Humanity is reflected and explored through theatrical illusion, not through realism. It is not a passive event in which you can just watch. It requires an active participation from the audience; mentally, emotionally and viscerally. All of these things bring an unmatchable and undeniable heat to Shakespeare’s work making him irresistible to artists and audiences alike.

Shakespeare wrote his plays in a world in which the spoken word was the most powerful form of communication. Illiteracy was the norm. Books, public libraries and newspapers were nonexistent. This required people to use and receive the spoken word better than we do today. We are still benefiting from this incredible period of invention, when the power and potential of the English language was at its height.

O’BRIEN: What are the challenges in staging a play like Henry V that falls so much in the middle of the giant story arc of Shakespeare’s histories?

BURNS: The trouble with Henry V is not so much that it is in the middle of Shakespeare’s history cycle (in fact it was the last play of the cycle that Shakespeare wrote) the challenge is catching the audience up on what has gone before. Henry V is a completely different experience when it comes as the finale of the Henriad or second tetralogy (Richard II, Henry IV part 1, Henry IV part 2, and Henry V). When presented in isolation you have to be aware of the past, but you cannot allow it to bog down the proceedings at hand. Ultimately the play is a simple story about a young King who decides to stand on divine right and pursue his claim to the crown of France. Shakespeare ultimately gives you all you need to enjoy the central story and the rest is simply added color.

As a cast we began rehearsals by reading Henry IV part 1 and 2 to ensure that we were on the same page in regards to Hal's life, and tracked all of the characters back to Shakespeare’s introduction of them. (If we had had more rehearsal time we would have started with Richard II and also read The Merry Wives of Windsor.)

O’BRIEN: Lines inevitably get cut to keep a show’s length manageable, but this seems a particularly tall order with Shakespeare, him being so much the master playwright. How do you decide what stays and what goes?

BURNS: Preparing a script for a production is a lengthy process, and one that I highly enjoy. I am something of a purist and a Shakespeare nerd, so I usually start by comparing the different quartos and the folio. (The first quarto of Henry V is half the length of the folio edition and offers many variations on the text). I go through the script and locate all of the sections that indulge or restate events or themes in the play. The third and fourth passes involve looking at the actual structure of the play in regards to the production I want to present; this includes the creation of a character scene breakdown which allows me to begin to see which actors will play which parts and how I will use doubling. It is always a challenge to adapt a script which naturally falls into five parts or acts, into a two act play. Each time I read through the script (usually aloud) I continue to find pieces I don't want to lose, but can.

I never allow myself to cut anything I don’t understand. Other rules I have for myself included not rewriting the text, nor cutting out sections of
verse lines (unless I can use the missing feet to theatrical advantage.)

When I am unable to make a moment in one of Shakespeare’s plays work in rehearsal, it is usually because I have cut a line that is necessary. Shakespeare’s texts are powerful things and have wills of their own. If you fight against them, you usually lose.

Normally, I am good at arriving at the first rehearsal with the cut of the script that I will use in performance. This was not the case with Henry V and I had to do substantial cutting (including the loss of the famous four nations scene) during previews.

O’BRIEN: You interposed two scenes from Henry IV Part 2: Henry IV’s dying advice to his son, and Henry V’s rejection of Falstaff. Why did you choose those specific scenes?

BURNS: Many scholars argue about the nature of the play. Whether it is a private play about Henry learning to be a great leader. or a public play, Henry the great leader demonstrating his prowess.

Prince Hal (over the course of the Henriad) is one of Shakespeare's most complete characters, and the arch of his character, from Eastcheap to defeating Hotspur, back to Eastcheap, then to the throne of England and on to France is a fascinating and rich one.

Knowing that I wanted to cast Josh Carpenter as HENRY V, I set off to explore HENRY V as the young and complex leader I imagine him to have been. He is a young man casting off the vestiges of his youth and learning what it is to be a leader and an adult simultaneously. First he loses his father, then he banishes the mentor/misleader of his youth Falstaff (who subsequently dies), then he loses his closest adult companion Scroop. Suddenly this youngman who has been fortified by others, is alone. This is both a choice, and a consequence of his new office as King. He has his brothers, uncles and advisors, but ultimately he is alone. And despite King Henry’s best efforts to fulfill the promise of his adult reformation, I believe the young Prince Hal keeps appearing throughout the play. It was wonderful to have such a confident and capable actor as Josh Carpenter with whom to explore the maturation of this glorious character.

The last scenes of Henry IV, part 2 help launch HENRY on this journey from Prince Hal into the Bright Star of England. I have never been satiated with a production of HENRY V that does not introduce a corporal Falstaff.

I also feel HENRY IV’s deathbed warning to his son, to “busy giddy minds with foreign quarrels” is a large part of the impetus behind HENRY V’s desire to invade and conquer France.

O’BRIEN: In the play, Henry is simply informed of his old friend Bardolph’s execution, though he does respond to the news saying “We would have all such offenders so cut off,” but you stage it having Henry look Bardolph in the face and give the order. Why stage it in that way?

BURNS: It is one of the play's more challenging moments. Henry learns his dear friend, who he has already cast away, is to be executed for petty theft. We have just experienced Pistol's rather eloquent arguing for Bardolph's life. But Henry rests on the law of arms and allows for Bardolph execution. I don't think this is an easy decision for Henry. The entire play Henry is treading a fine line between chaos and control. By allowing Henry’s statement to be an active command and forcing him to experience his friend’s execution, I believe it allows the audience to empathize with and experience the challenges Henry faces. No matter how far Henry gets, he is always haunted by his youth. I also wanted to make sure that Bardolph’s death was not an intellectual experience, but a visceral one.

O’BRIEN: You staged a very cinematic scene that was not in the play itself: the scene depicting French soldiers murdering the Boy. What did you hope to accomplish with that scene?

BURNS: I have seen a half dozen productions of Henry V in which Henry carries on the dead body of the boy for "I have not been angry till now." I have always been curious about the dramatic impact of experiencing the savage killing of the boys. When the battle of Agincourt slides into the chaos of war and Henry orders the cutting of all the prisoners throats I wanted the audience to witness both atrocities in the sequence that Shakespeare presents them; first Henry killing all the prisoners and then the French killing the boys. Many productions skip over Henry’s morally dubious order to kill the prisoners.

O’BRIEN: Quintessence staged Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure last spring, and now Henry V. Why choose these particular plays?

BURNS: We began with Measure For Measure because of an adaptation/aggressive cutting of the play that I wanted to explore using only seven actors. As a theatre company devoted to the presentation and adaptation of classical works for the contemporary stage, I felt the storyline of the Duke Ferdinand, Isabella and Angelo presented a contemporary and gritty morality play, similar to an episode of Law and Order.

We excised Mistress Overdone, Pompey and the other bawdy characters and explored the darker, tragic side of the play. Those that were able to accept losing their stewed prunes, enjoyed our adaptation.

HENRY V is one of the great epics, and we wanted to show how we could on your imaginary forces work, presenting the great battle of Agincourt by transforming the Sedgwick into the vasty fields of France, using actors and words alone.

O’BRIEN: Are you considering any of Shakespeare’s plays for Quintessence’s second season?

BURNS: Yes. It will be a strange season when we do not include a Shakespeare. If we survive this season, we will let you know what Shakespeare we are doing next.

O’BRIEN: Why go with an all-male cast? What do you feel to be the pros and cons of that move?

BURNS: The only cons to an all male cast in Shakespeare are an American audience’s discomfort with men in dresses and men kissing men. An all male cast further establishes the function of illusion and imagination in theatre. Having done both co-ed and single sex versions of Shakespeare’s plays, I believe they are written and thrive best when played by a single gender ensemble. The comedy and gender roles become richer and more complex when played by all men.

Henry V is explores the nature of brotherhood in all of its many forms. It has been amazing watching the ensemble congeal into a true band of brothers, and the fraternal atmosphere would have been harder to create with the presence of women in the cast. Watching them is like watching a sports team. Luckily we had Pamela as stage manager to keep things in check.

I was introduced to all male Shakespeare through the British Ensemble Cheek by Jowl and Declan Donnellan’s celebrated all male production of As You Like It (a play filled with jokes that cannot begin to work when Rosalind and Celia are played by women.) It makes me sad when the audience does not allow itself to enjoy a handsome young man prancing about in heels and a dress.

Quintessence is not devoted to all male Shakespeare, but it is something we will continue to explore in the future.

O’BRIEN: Some members of your cast take on as many as six different parts during the Henry V production. How do you and your team deal with the inherent challenges that the frequent transformations present?

BURNS: It is part of the fun of the event. Two of our actors both play seven parts, each vastly different. Paul Hebron, the veteran classical actor in our cast who plays Henry IV, Erpingham and the King of France, said during our rehearsal process that as long as he makes a large enough shift in his first line as a new character, the audience accepts that he is a different character and goes with him on the journey. Wigs, facial hair, makeup, glasses, hats… everything is used to help allow 13 actors to play 45 different characters.

O’BRIEN: How did the Quintessence Theatre group come about?

BURNS: Pamela Reichen, Quintessence’s Associate Artistic Director, and I met while working at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington DC. We spent many long nights sharing our dreams for the future of the American theater, and the role we wanted ourselves and classical theater to play in it.

In 2008 we presented a contemporary adaptation of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler in New York City. It reaffirmed our desire to risk everything we had in order to establish a professional theatre company devoted to exploring the classics for the contemporary stage. This is how Quintessence was born in New York.

In 2009 when I was visiting my family and directing a production of Love’s Labor’s Lost at Germantown Friends School, I stumbled upon the Sedgwick Theater. Re-visiting the space reminded me of its splendor and gave me the impulse to bring Quintessence to Philadelphia.

When I brought Pamela down to Philadelphia to see the space she agreed that the Sedgwick needed to be our artistic home. We believe Mt. Airy is the perfect community in which to build America’s next great classical repertory theatre. Luckily the Fellners, the owners of the Sedgwick, agreed, and have been over generous in their support as we launch this ambitious cultural institution.

O’BRIEN: How can people get involved with Quintessence?

BURNS: We are eager to get people involved with us in any way they are able. Please email Artistic@QuintessenceTheatre.org with your interest, skill set and availability.

O’BRIEN: The Shawn and Shakespeare project is 99% about cleverly subtitling each play. What would your subtitle for Henry V be?

BURNS: We subtitled Measure For Measure “The Virgin’s Tragedy.” Or “The Four Virgins.” Which I enjoyed.

A subtitle for HENRY V is harder… I don’t think we have found one yet. I will get back to you.

O’BRIEN: The HENRY V cast has a number of entrance and exit points at the Sedgwick, with stairs to navigate, ladders to climb, and so many of their moves are made in the dark without a lot of time to make them. Have there been any memorable moments that would make the blooper reel on the proverbial Quintessence Presents: HENRY V DVD?

BURNS: Thus far we have had no serious incidents. Andrew Betz who plays Princess Katherine and the Dauphin is so brimming with energy that occasionally he dances (falls) off the stage and into the audience. The most thrilling event that the audience is not privy to is the incredible ballet of costume changes that is occurring back stage during the show. The play has 13 actors, 45 characters and 110 costumes. There are moments where the majority of the ensemble is half naked, some in heels, others in tights, switching from bloody soldier to tuxedoed lord. It is an incredible sight to behold.