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88-598: Birmingham Repertory Theatre , commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep , is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham , England . Founded by Barry Jackson , it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre companies and one of its most consistently innovative. Today The Rep produces a wide range of drama in its three auditoria (825 seats, 300 seats, and 140 seats), much of which goes on to tour nationally and internationally. The company retains its commitment to new writing and in

176-646: A Royal Institute of British Architects award in 1972. In 1972, the Studio opened; it became an example of innovative theatre nationwide. It targeted young audiences and showcased new writing, including the world premiere of Death Story by David Edgar . In 1974, David Edgar was made resident playwright. Despite the success of Oh Fair Jerusalem, the Rep board decided against staging Destiny because of its strong theme of racial tension, putting The Importance of Being Earnest on instead. The escalating maintenance costs of

264-483: A modern dress production for the Birmingham Rep in 1923, two years before his influential modern dress Hamlet . Walter Nugent Monck brought his Maddermarket Theatre production to Stratford in 1946, inaugurating the post-war tradition of the play. London saw two productions in the 1956 season. Michael Benthall directed the less successful production, at The Old Vic . The set design by Audrey Cruddas

352-540: A "perfect example" of a public "heterosexual marriage", considering that their private relations turn out to be "homosocial, homoerotic , and hermaphroditic." Queer theory has gained traction in scholarship on Cymbeline , building upon the work of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick and Judith Butler . Scholarship on this topic has emphasised the play's Ovidian allusions and exploration of non-normative gender/sexuality – achieved through separation from traditional society into what Valerie Traub terms "green worlds." Amongst

440-552: A 2007 Cheek by Jowl production, Tom Hiddleston doubled as Posthumus and Cloten. In 2011, the Shakespeare Theatre Company of Washington, DC, presented a version of the play that emphasised its fable and folklore elements, set as a tale within a tale, as told to a child. In 2012, Antoni Cimolino directed a production at the Stratford Festival that steered into the fairy-tale elements of

528-517: A chest in Imogen's bedchamber and, when the princess falls asleep, steals Posthumus's bracelet from her. He also takes note of the room, as well as the mole on Imogen's partially nude body, to present as false evidence to Posthumus that he seduced his bride. Returning to Italy, Iachimo convinces Posthumus that he has successfully seduced Imogen. In his wrath, Posthumus sends two letters to Britain: one to Imogen, telling her to meet him at Milford Haven , on

616-476: A chest in order to gather proof in Imogen's room. Iachimo's description of Imogen's room as proof of her infidelity derives from The Decameron , and Pisanio's reluctance to kill Imogen and his use of her bloody clothes to convince Posthumus of her death derive from Frederyke of Jennen. In both sources, the equivalent to Posthumus's bracelet is stolen jewellery that the wife later recognises while cross-dressed. Shakespeare also drew inspiration for Cymbeline from

704-470: A dance to Cloten's comic wooing of Imogen. In 1827, his brother Charles mounted an antiquarian production at Covent Garden ; it featured costumes designed after the descriptions of the ancient British by such writers as Julius Caesar and Diodorus Siculus . William Charles Macready mounted the play several times between 1837 and 1842. At the Theatre Royal, Marylebone , an epicene production

792-529: A member of Cymbeline's court. The lovers have exchanged jewellery as tokens: Imogen with a bracelet, and Posthumus with a ring. Cymbeline dismisses the marriage and banishes Posthumus since Imogen—as Cymbeline's only remaining child—must produce a fully royal-blooded heir to succeed to the British throne. In the meantime, Cymbeline's Queen is conspiring to have Cloten (her cloddish and arrogant son by an earlier marriage) marry Imogen to secure her bloodline. The Queen

880-414: A patriarchal strategy by regaining control of his male heirs and daughter, Imogen. Imogen's own experience with gender fluidity and cross-dressing has largely been interpreted through a patriarchal lens. Unlike other Shakespearean agents of onstage gender fluidity – Portia , Rosalind , Viola and Julia – Imogen is not afforded empowerment upon her transformation into Fidele. Instead, Imogen's power

968-567: A play called The Rare Triumphs of Love and Fortune, first performed in 1582. There are many parallels between the characters of the two plays, including a king's daughter who falls for a man of unknown birth who grew up in the king's court. The subplot of Belarius and the lost princes was inspired by the story of Bomelio, an exiled nobleman in The Rare Triumphs who is later revealed to be the protagonist's father. The first recorded production of Cymbeline , as noted by Simon Forman ,

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1056-408: A princess who, after disobeying her father in order to marry a lowly lover, is wrongly accused of infidelity and thus ordered to be murdered, before escaping and having her faithfulness proven. Furthermore, both were written for the same theatre company and audience. Some scholars believe this supports a dating of approximately 1609, though it is not clear which play preceded the other. The editors of

1144-600: A prophecy of recent events, which ensures happiness for all. Blaming his manipulative Queen for his refusal to pay earlier, Cymbeline now agrees to pay the tribute to the Roman Emperor as a gesture of peace between Britain and Rome. Everyone is invited to a great feast. Cymbeline is grounded in the story of the historical British king Cunobeline , which was originally recorded in Geoffrey of Monmouth 's Historia Regum Britanniae , but which Shakespeare likely found in

1232-867: A repertoire that mixed classics, new writing, experimental productions and the revival of rarely performed works. This was a pivotal development in the establishment of the modern British theatrical landscape, setting the pattern that would later be followed by post-war companies such as the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company . The Rep developed its reputation with a series of artistic achievements whose effects would be felt far beyond Birmingham. Thirty-six plays were given their world premieres at The Rep during its first decade, with eight more, including major works by European writers such as Chekhov and Tolstoy , being given their British premieres. John Drinkwater had been one of

1320-598: A site in Station Street in Birmingham City Centre and appointed an architect to design what would become Britain's first purpose-built repertory theatre. Construction started the following month and the building – now the Old Rep – opened with a production of Twelfth Night only four months later, on 15 February 1913. The Rep's stated mission was "to enlarge and increase the aesthetic sense of

1408-475: A source, mention an Innogen and that Forman's eyewitness account of the April 1611 performance refers to "Innogen" throughout. In spite of these arguments, most editions of the play have continued to use the name Imogen. Milford Haven is not known to have been used during the period (early 1st century AD) in which Cymbeline is set, and it is not known why Shakespeare used it in the play. Robert Nye noted that it

1496-406: A year are you out of pocket by this culture theatre of yours?' I said. He named an annual sum that would have sufficed to support fifty labourers and their families. I remarked that this was not more than it would cost him to keep a thousand-ton steam yacht. He said a theatre was better fun than a steam yacht, but said it in the tone of a man who could afford a steam yacht. Jackson threatened to close

1584-556: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cymbeline Cymbeline ( / ˈ s ɪ m b ɪ l iː n / ), also known as The Tragedie of Cymbeline or Cymbeline, King of Britain , is a play by William Shakespeare set in Ancient Britain ( c.  10–14 AD ) and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerning the early historical Celtic British King Cunobeline . Although it

1672-585: Is also plotting to murder both Imogen and Cymbeline, procuring what she believes is deadly poison from the court doctor. The doctor, Cornelius, is suspicious and switches the poison for a harmless sleeping potion. The Queen passes the "poison" along to Pisanio, Posthumus and Imogen's loyal servant. Imogen is told it is a medicinal drug. Unable to be with Posthumus, Imogen secludes herself in her chambers, away from Cloten's aggressive advances. Posthumus must now live in Italy, where he meets Iachimo (or Giacomo), who wagers

1760-428: Is inherited from her father and based upon the prospect of reproduction. After the 1611 performance mentioned by Simon Forman, there is no record of production until 1634, when the play was revived at court for Charles I and Henrietta Maria . The Caroline production was noted as being "well likte by the kinge." In 1728 John Rich staged the play with his company at Lincoln's Inn Fields , with emphasis placed on

1848-738: Is listed as a tragedy in the First Folio , modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance or even a comedy . Like Othello and The Winter's Tale , it deals with the themes of innocence and jealousy. While the precise date of composition remains unknown, the play was certainly produced as early as 1611. Cymbeline is the Roman Empire 's vassal king of Britain. Twenty years earlier, Cymbeline's two infant sons, Guiderius and Arvirargus, were kidnapped by an exiled traitor named Belarius. Cymbeline discovers his daughter, Imogen (or Innogen), has secretly married her lover Posthumus Leonatus,

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1936-414: Is met by Cloten, who insults him, leading to a sword fight during which Guiderius beheads Cloten. Meanwhile, Imogen's fragile state worsens and she takes the "poison" as a medicine; when the men re-enter, they find her "dead." They mourn and, after placing Cloten's body beside hers, briefly depart to prepare for the double burial. Imogen awakes to find the headless body, and believes it to be Posthumus because

2024-556: Is partly a Shakespearean self-parody; many of his prior plays and characters are mocked by it." Similarities between Cymbeline and historical accounts of the Roman Emperor Augustus have prompted critics to interpret the play as Shakespeare voicing support for the political notions of James I , who considered himself the "British Augustus." His political manoeuvres to unite Scotland with England and Wales as an empire mirror Augustus' Pax Romana . The play reinforces

2112-557: Is the stage version of Raymond Briggs ' The Snowman which first premiered in 1993. It has since been presented at the Rep regularly at Christmas, as well at Sadler's Wells ( Peacock Theatre ) and across the UK and the world. Between 2011 and 2013, the theatre was closed for rebuilding, as part of the Library of Birmingham complex. The company continued to perform from other local theatres during that time. There are two blue plaques on

2200-560: The 1587 edition of Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles . Shakespeare based the setting of the play and the character Cymbeline on what he found in Holinshed's chronicles, but the plot and subplots of the play are derived from other sources. The subplot of Posthumus and Iachimo's wager derives from story II.9 of Giovanni Boccaccio 's The Decameron and the anonymously authored Frederyke of Jennen . These share similar characters and wager terms, and both feature Iachimo's equivalent hiding in

2288-549: The 1980s it was commented that "it is difficult to conceive how even an organisation as well-endowed today as the National Theatre or Royal Shakespeare Company could achieve such miracles within twelve months". Jackson single-handedly financed the theatre for over two decades, personally losing over £100,000. The scale of Jackson's financial commitment to The Rep was revealed by the recollections of George Bernard Shaw of his first meeting with Jackson in 1923: 'How much

2376-519: The Birmingham Rep occupied a small-scale auditorium that seated only 464 and was under the sole control of Jackson, whose combination of the roles of patron and artistic director was unique in British theatrical history, allowing the development of a far more imaginative and eclectic programme. Instead of focusing on established star names and popular plays, Jackson's Rep was built around an ensemble cast of young emerging acting talent, performing

2464-524: The Jacobean idea that Britain is the successor to the civilised virtue of ancient Rome, portraying the parochialism and isolationism of Cloten and the Queen as villainous. Other critics have resisted the idea that Cymbeline endorses James I's ideas about national identity, pointing to several characters' conflicted constructions of their geographic identities. For example, although Guiderius and Arviragus are

2552-910: The Kingsway in August 1925, was the first modern dress staging of a Shakespeare play in London and "was to be the real test" of the technique. The company also came to be recognised as the country's leading training ground for actors and actresses who would later establish themselves as stars in London, New York or Hollywood . John Gielgud 's performance as Romeo with the company in 1924 was his first major role. Peggy Ashcroft made her professional debut with Birmingham seasons in 1926 and 1927. Laurence Olivier 's recruitment by The Rep in March 1926 marked his theatrical breakthrough; The Rep was, he later commented, "where I had dreamt of being, where I knew would be found

2640-625: The Oxford and Norton Shakespeare believe the name of Imogen is a misprint for Innogen—they draw several comparisons between Cymbeline and Much Ado About Nothing , in early editions of which a ghost character named Innogen was supposed to be Leonato 's wife (Posthumus being also known as "Leonatus", the Latin form of the Italian name in the other play). Stanley Wells and Michael Dobson point out that Holinshed's Chronicles , which Shakespeare used as

2728-539: The Queen to poison her. Pisanio claims innocence, and Cornelius reveals the potion was harmless. Insisting that his betrayal years ago was a set-up, Belarius makes his own happy confession, revealing Guiderius and Arviragus as Cymbeline's own two long-lost sons. With her brothers restored to the line of inheritance, Imogen is free to marry Posthumus. An elated Cymbeline pardons Belarius and the Roman prisoners, including Lucius and Iachimo. Lucius summons his soothsayer to decipher

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2816-409: The Rep began to stop making profits as the country was hit by recession. In 1998 the company opened "The Door" as a second auditorium specialising in new writing, replacing the Studio. In 2004 the company controversially cancelled a series of performances of Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti 's play Behzti after protests from Birmingham's large Sikh community. One of the theatre's most notable productions

2904-595: The Rep which gave Birmingham the opportunity to showcase plays by guest directors such as Judi Dench and Derek Jacobi . During the 1970s and 1980s the Studio was a regular home to the Birmingham Youth Theatre , a company which launched the careers of actors such as Andrew Tiernan and Adrian Lester . The theatre was refurbished and extended in 1991 after the completion of the International Convention Centre . However,

2992-475: The Roman ambassador Caius Lucius. Lucius warns Cymbeline of the Roman Emperor's forthcoming wrath, which will be an invasion of Britain by Roman troops. Meanwhile, Cloten learns of the "meeting" between Imogen and Posthumus at Milford Haven. Dressing himself in Posthumus's clothes, he decides to go to Wales to kill Posthumus, and then rape, abduct, and marry Imogen. Imogen has now been travelling as Fidele through

3080-468: The Roman forces as they invade Britain. Belarius, Guiderius, Arviragus, and Posthumus all help rescue Cymbeline from the Roman onslaught; the king does not yet recognise these four, yet takes notice of them as they fight bravely and capture the Roman commanders, Lucius and Iachimo, thus winning the day. Posthumus, allowing himself to be captured, as well as Fidele, are imprisoned alongside the true Romans, who all await execution. In jail, Posthumus sleeps, while

3168-609: The Welsh coast; the other to the servant Pisanio, ordering him to murder Imogen at the Haven. However, Pisanio refuses and reveals Posthumus's plot to Imogen. He has Imogen disguise herself as a boy and they continue to Milford Haven to seek employment. He also gives her the Queen's "poison", believing it will alleviate her psychological distress. In the guise of a boy, Imogen assumes the name "Fidele", meaning "faithful". Back at Cymbeline's court, Cymbeline refuses to pay his British tribute to

3256-401: The Welsh mountains, her health in decline as she comes to a cave. It is the home of Belarius and his "sons" Polydore and Cadwal, whom he raised into great hunters. The two young men are the British princes Guiderius and Arviragus, who are unaware of their own origin. The men discover Fidele, and, instantly captivated by a strange affinity for "him", become fast friends. Outside the cave, Guiderius

3344-523: The absolute foundation of any good that I could ever be in my profession". By the late 1920s Jackson occupied a "central and commanding" role in high-brow British theatre with Birmingham the nerve-centre of his activities. At least one production was presented in London every year from 1919 to 1935. In 1932, in addition to the programme in Birmingham, there were seven productions in London, a season at Malvern and national tours of Britain and Canada – in

3432-485: The body is wearing Posthumus's clothes. Lucius' Roman soldiers have just arrived in Britain and, as the army moves through Wales, Lucius discovers the devastated Fidele, who pretends to be a loyal servant grieving his killed master; Lucius, moved by this faithfulness, enlists Fidele as a pageboy. The treacherous Queen is now wasting away due to her son Cloten's disappearance. Meanwhile, the guilt-ridden Posthumus enlists in

3520-551: The company "a profile and stature that set it apart from other repertory theatres in Britain, as well as according it an artistic credibility that no London theatre of the time could match." Of longest-lasting influence however was the production of Cymbeline that opened in Birmingham in April 1923. This was the first performance of Shakespeare to take place in modern dress and it "bewildered" critics, leading to what Jackson happily called "a national and worldwide controversy". The Rep's modern dress production of Hamlet , opening at

3608-651: The company, he would retain full artistic control until his death in 1961. The Rep's radical reputation attracted young talent. Actors who first rose to prominence at the pre-war Rep included Laurence Olivier , Cedric Hardwicke , Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies , Edith Evans , Stewart Granger and Ralph Richardson . By the outbreak of the Second World War the Rep was, alongside the Liverpool Playhouse , one of only two British theatres presenting programmes of quality drama outside London in accordance with

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3696-405: The early twentieth century, the play had lost favour. Lytton Strachey found it "difficult to resist the conclusion that [Shakespeare] was getting bored himself. Bored with people, bored with real life, bored with drama, bored, in fact, with everything except poetry and poetical dreams." In 1937, Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote Cymbeline Refinished , that rewrites the final act of

3784-536: The ending, yet he remained firmly of the opinion that the final act was disastrous, writing in 1946 that it was "one of the finest of Shakespeare's later plays" but "goes to pieces in the final act." Harley Granville-Barker , who found success as an actor in Shaw's plays had similar views, saying that the play shows that Shakespeare was becoming a "wearied artist". Some have argued that the play parodies its own content. Harold Bloom wrote that " Cymbeline , in my judgment,

3872-433: The expense of much incongruity. To remark the folly of the fiction, the absurdity of the conduct, the confusion of the names and manners of different times, and the impossibility of the events in any system of life, were to waste criticism upon unresisting imbecility, upon faults too evident for detection, and too gross for aggravation. William Hazlitt and John Keats , however, numbered it among their favourite plays. By

3960-550: The exterior of the building, one commemorating the pioneer of aseptic surgery, Sampson Gamgee , who once lived on the site. The Rep also has a youth theatre called "The Young Rep" which attend Saturday classes and produce and perform their own drama. Recently, the Young Rep have put on productions on the Main House Stage such as " The Rotters Club " and E. R. Braithwaite 's " To Sir With Love ". Dennis Kelly 's "DNA"

4048-472: The fairy tale aspect of the story and produced a colourful version with wicked step-mothers, feisty princesses and a campy Iachimo. The 2014 version, directed by Rachel Alt, went in a completely opposite direction and placed the action on ranch in the American Old West . The Queen was a southern belle married to a rancher, with Imogen as a high society girl in love with the cowhand Posthumous. In

4136-508: The first month of the war, and when the Rep reopened ticket sales were poor and staff had to take pay cuts. The director Peter Brook launched his career at the Rep in 1945 and directed three plays with Paul Scofield in 1945. Other post war actors included Stanley Baker , Albert Finney , Ian Richardson , Julie Christie , Derek Jacobi , Colin Jeavons and Timothy Spall (Cochrane 2003). Sir Barry Jackson remained managing director of

4224-464: The five years to 2013 commissioned and produced 130 new plays. The company's former home, now known as " Old Rep ", is still in use as a theatre. The origins of The Rep lie with the 'Pilgrim Players', an initially amateur theatre company founded by Barry Jackson in 1907 to reclaim and stage English poetic drama , performing a repertoire that ranged from the 16th century morality play Interlude of Youth to contemporary works by W. B. Yeats . Over

4312-677: The ghosts of his dead family appear to complain to Jupiter of his grim fate. Jupiter himself appears in thunder and glory to assure the others that destiny will grant happiness to Posthumus and Britain. Cornelius arrives at court to announce the Queen's sudden death, and that on her deathbed she unrepentantly confessed to villainous schemes against her husband and his throne. Both troubled and relieved by this news, Cymbeline prepares to execute his prisoners, but pauses when he sees Fidele, whom he finds both beautiful and familiar. Fidele has noticed Posthumus's ring on Iachimo's finger and demands to know how he obtained it. A remorseful Iachimo confesses about

4400-664: The landing site of Henry Tudor , when he invaded England via Milford on 7 August 1485 on his way to deposing Richard III and establishing the Tudor dynasty . It may also reflect English anxiety about the loyalty of the Welsh and the possibility of future invasions at Milford. Cymbeline was one of Shakespeare's more popular plays during the eighteenth century, though critics including Samuel Johnson took issue with its complex plot: This play has many just sentiments, some natural dialogues, and some pleasing scenes, but they are obtained at

4488-612: The last act. By contrast, Peter Hall 's production at the Shakespeare Memorial presented nearly the entire play, including the long-neglected dream scene (although a golden eagle designed for Jupiter turned out too heavy for the stage machinery and was not used). Hall presented the play as a distant fairy tale, with stylised performances. The production received favourable reviews, both for Hall's conception and, especially, for Peggy Ashcroft 's Imogen. Richard Johnson played Posthumus, and Robert Harris Cymbeline. Iachimo

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4576-478: The most obvious and frequently cited examples of this non-normative dimension of the play is the prominence of homoeroticism, as seen in Guiderius and Arviragus's semi-sexual fascination with the disguised Imogen/Fidele. In addition to homoerotic and homosocial elements, the subjects of hermaphroditism and paternity/maternity also feature prominently in queer interpretations of Cymbeline . Janet Adelman set

4664-616: The new Globe Theatre in 2001, a cast of six (including Abigail Thaw , Mark Rylance , and Richard Hope ) used extensive doubling for the play. The cast wore identical costumes even when in disguise, allowing for particular comic effects related to doubling (as when Cloten attempts to disguise himself as Posthumus.) There have been some well-received theatrical productions including the Public Theater 's 1998 production in New York City, directed by Andrei Șerban . Cymbeline

4752-467: The new building in the inflationary 1970s put pressure on the Rep's funding: in 1974–75 maintenance accounted for 66% of the theatre's budget. The theatre began to make losses during the mid-1970s and the Board of Directors was restructured in an attempt to secure funding. The Studio became popular during the 1980s and in 1988, Kenneth Branagh temporarily relocated his Renaissance Theatre Company to

4840-407: The next five years the company staged a total of 28 different productions, aiming to "put before the Birmingham public such plays as cannot be seen in the ordinary way at theatres", but also performing as far afield as London and Liverpool . Their success and reputation led them to turn professional and rename themselves the 'Birmingham Repertory Company' in 1911. By September 1912 Jackson had bought

4928-460: The original aims of the repertory movement. An indication of the Rep's status in British theatre at this time was given by the Scottish playwright James Bridie , who wrote in 1938: "If we are to be bombed, a thorough razing from Piccadilly Circus to Drury Lane and down to The Strand would do less harm to the theatre than one bomb on Station Street, Birmingham." All British theatres were closed for

5016-541: The original members of the Pilgrim Players and was employed as the Rep's first manager when it opened in 1913. Jackson encouraged his development into a dramatist, presenting a series of his one-act plays and culminating in the 1918 premiere of his first full-length work Abraham Lincoln , whose triumphant success marked a turning point both for playwright and theatre. The Rep's 1923 production of George Bernard Shaw 's epic five play cycle Back to Methuselah gave

5104-511: The play attributes great political significance to Imogen's virginity and chastity . There is some debate as to whether Imogen and Posthumus's marriage is legitimate. Imogen has historically been played and received as an ideal, chaste woman maintaining qualities applauded in a patriarchal structure; however, critics argue that Imogen's actions contradict these social definitions through her defiance of her father and her cross-dressing. Yet critics including Tracey Miller-Tomlinson have emphasised

5192-420: The play. Shaw commented on the play 1896, in one fiery critique stating it was: "stagey trash of the lowest melodramatic order, in parts abominably written, throughout intellectually vulgar, and, judged in point of thought by modem intellectual standards, vulgar, foolish, offensive, indecent and exasperating beyond all tolerance." Shaw, however, would go on to reform his opinion of the play after his rewriting of

5280-425: The prideful Posthumus that he, Iachimo, can seduce Imogen, whom Posthumus has praised for her chastity, and will then bring Posthumus proof of Imogen's adultery. If Iachimo wins, he will get Posthumus's token ring. If Posthumus wins, not only must Iachimo pay him but also fight Posthumus in a duel with swords. Iachimo heads to Britain where he attempts to seduce the faithful Imogen, who rejects him. Iachimo then hides in

5368-508: The public ... to give living authors an opportunity of seeing their works performed, and to learn something from the revival of the classics; in short to serve an art instead of making that art serve a commercial purpose". There had been earlier repertory theatres in Manchester , Glasgow and Liverpool , but the Birmingham project was unique. Previous companies had taken over large commercial theatres and been governed by Boards of Directors;

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5456-546: The shortening of Imogen's burial scene and the entire fifth act, including the removal of Posthumus's dream. Garrick's text was first performed in November of that year, starring Garrick himself as Posthumus. Several scholars have indicated that Garrick's Posthumus was much liked. Valerie Wayne notes that Garrick's changes made the play more nationalistic, representing a trend in perception of Cymbeline during that period. Garrick's version of Cymbeline would prove popular; it

5544-635: The sons of Cymbeline, a British king raised in Rome, they grew up in a Welsh cave. The brothers lament their isolation from society, a quality associated with barbarousness, but Belarius, their adoptive father, retorts that this has spared them from corrupting influences of the supposedly civilised British court. Iachimo's invasion of Imogen's bedchamber may reflect concern that Britain was being maligned by Italian influence. According to Peter A. Parolin, Cymbeline’s scenes ostensibly set in ancient Rome may be anachronistic portrayals of sixteenth-century Italy, which

5632-487: The spectacle of the production rather than the text of the play. Theophilus Cibber revived Shakespeare's text in 1744 with a performance at the Haymarket . There is evidence that Cibber put on another performance in 1746, and another in 1758. In 1761, David Garrick edited a new version of the text. It is recognized as being close to the original Shakespeare, although there are several differences. Changes included

5720-640: The stage for this performance. The play was also one of Ellen Terry 's last performances with Henry Irving at the Lyceum in 1896. Terry's performance was widely praised, though Irving was judged an indifferent Iachimo. Like Garrick, Irving removed the dream of Posthumus; he also curtailed Iachimo's remorse and attempted to render Cloten's character consistent. A review in the Athenaeum compared this trimmed version to pastoral comedies such as As You Like It . The set design, overseen by Lawrence Alma-Tadema ,

5808-604: The text. Also in 2012, the South Sudan Theatre Company staged Cymbeline in Juba Arabic for the Shakespeare's Globe "Globe to Globe" festival. It was translated by Derik Uya Alfred and directed by Joseph Abuk. Connections between the content of the play and South Sudan's own political struggle have been drawn by the production's producers, as well as some scholars. Overall, the production

5896-521: The theatre at the end of the 1923–24 season after audiences at a production of Georg Kaiser 's Gas in November 1923 averaged only 109 per night, but relented after commitments were made by 4,000 subscribers for the following season. A fundraising appeal in 1934 raised only £3,000 of its £20,000 target, however, leading Jackson to hand over ownership to a board of trustees in January 1935. Although this relieved Jackson of financial responsibility for

5984-504: The theatre until his death in 1961. In 1971 the company moved from Station Street to a new 901-seat theatre designed by Graham Winteringham and Keith Williams Architects on Broad Street , in the area that would later be developed as Centenary Square. The theatre was opened by Princess Margaret and the first production to be shown in the theatre was an adaptation of Jane Austen 's Pride and Prejudice called First Impressions which starred Patricia Routledge . The building itself won

6072-405: The tone for the intersection of paternity and hermaphroditism in arguing that Cymbeline's lines, "oh, what am I, / A mother to the birth of three? Ne’er mother / Rejoiced deliverance more", amount a "parthenogenesis fantasy". According to Adelman and Tracey Miller-Tomlinson, in taking sole credit for the creation of his children Cymbeline acts a hermaphrodite who transforms a maternal function into

6160-550: The venue solely provides facilities to the incoming show even though the production may stay for many years. Producing houses at the larger end (for example the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre ) employ hundreds of staff across a multitude of departments concerned with the manufacture of theatre: set design, costume making, wig making, prop making, etc, with full time resident companies of actors etc. This theatre -related article

6248-422: The wager he made, and how he tricked Posthumus into believing he had seduced Imogen. Posthumus then comes forward to confirm Iachimo's story, revealing his identity and acknowledging his wrongfulness in wanting Imogen killed. Ecstatic, Imogen throws herself at Posthumus, who, believing she is a boy, knocks her down. Pisanio then rushes to explain that Fidele is Imogen. Imogen still suspects that Pisanio conspired with

6336-408: The ways in which the play upholds patriarchal ideology, including in the final scene, with its panoply of male victors. Whilst Imogen and Posthumus's marriage at first upholds heterosexual norms, their separation and final reunion leave open non-heterosexual possibilities, initially exposed by Imogen's cross-dressing as Fidele. Miller-Tomlinson points out the falseness of their social significance as

6424-522: Was Cloten. As with contemporary productions of Pericles , this one used a narrator (Cornelius) to signal changes in mood and treatment to the audience. Robert Speaight disliked the set design, which he called too minimal, but he approved the acting. In 1980, David Jones revived the play for the RSC; the production was in general a disappointment, although Judi Dench as Imogen received reviews that rivalled Ashcroft's. Ben Kingsley played Iachimo; Roger Rees

6512-663: Was Posthumus. In 1987, Bill Alexander directed the play in The Other Place (later transferring to the Pit in London's Barbican Centre) with Harriet Walter playing Imogen, David Bradley as Cymbeline and Nicholas Farrell as Posthumus. At the Stratford Festival , the play was directed in 1970 by Jean Gascon and in 1987 by Robin Phillips . The latter production, which was marked by much-approved scenic complexity, featured Colm Feore as Iachimo, and Martha Burns as Imogen. The play

6600-604: Was again at Stratford in 2004, directed by David Latham. A large medieval tapestry unified the fairly simple stage design and underscored Latham's fairy-tale inspired direction. In 1994, Ajay Chowdhury directed an Anglo-Indian production of Cymbeline at the Rented Space Theatre Company. Set in India under British rule, the play features Iachimo, played by Rohan Kenworthy, as a British soldier and Imogen, played by Uzma Hameed, as an Indian princess. At

6688-798: Was also performed at the Cambridge Arts Theatre in October 2007 in a production directed by Sir Trevor Nunn, and in November 2007 at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre . The play was included in the 2013 repertory season of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival . In 2004 and 2014, the Hudson Shakespeare Company of New Jersey produced two distinct versions of the play. The 2004 production, directed by Jon Ciccarelli, embraced

6776-938: Was also performed by the Young Rep in the Studio Theatre in early 2018. In the autumn of 2020, The Rep revealed that they would hire spaces to operate a Nightingale Court from December that year to until the summer of 2021 to secure its future in the face of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This move divided opinion and was not received well by some artists, creatives and community leaders. Producing theatre The shows that are produced are then shown at that theatre or sent to others which do not produce their own material (known as receiving houses ). Some theatres may produce some of their own shows, but also rent its facilities to shows produced elsewhere. These venues are both "producing" and "receiving" houses. Most West End and Broadway theatres are not producing houses as

6864-449: Was characterised by contemporary British authors as a place where vice, debauchery, and treachery had supplanted the virtue of ancient Rome. Though Cymbeline concludes with a peace forged between Britain and Rome, Iachimo's corruption of Posthumus and metaphorical rape of Imogen may demonstrate fears that Great Britain's political union with other cultures might expose Britons to harmful foreign influences. Scholars have emphasised that

6952-624: Was in April 1611. It was first published in the First Folio in 1623. When Cymbeline was actually written cannot be precisely dated. The Yale edition suggests a collaborator had a hand in the authorship, and some scenes (e.g., Act III scene 7 and Act V scene 2) may strike the reader as particularly un-Shakespearean when compared with others. The play shares notable similarities in language, situation, and plot with Beaumont and Fletcher 's tragicomedy Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding ( c.  1609–10 ). Both plays concern themselves with

7040-465: Was lavish and advertised as historically accurate, though the reviewer for the time complained of such anachronisms as gold crowns and printed books as props. Similarly lavish but less successful was Margaret Mather 's production in New York in 1897. The sets and publicity cost $ 40,000, but Mather was judged too emotional and undisciplined to succeed in a fairly cerebral role. Barry Jackson staged

7128-403: Was notably minimal, with only a few essential props. She relied instead on a variety of lighting effects to reinforce mood; actors seemed to come out of darkness and return to darkness. Barbara Jefford was criticised as too cold and formal for Imogen; Leon Gluckman played Posthumus, Derek Godfrey Iachimo, and Derek Francis Cymbeline. Following Victorian practice, Benthall drastically shortened

7216-521: Was played by Geoffrey Keen , whose father Malcolm had played Iachimo with Ashcroft at the Old Vic in 1932. Hall's approach attempted to unify the play's diversity by means of a fairy-tale topos . The next major Royal Shakespeare Company production, in 1962, went in the opposite direction. Working on a set draped with heavy white sheets, director William Gaskill employed Brechtian alienation effects , to mixed critical reviews. The acting, however,

7304-722: Was set in the souks of Dubai and the Bollywood film industry during the 1990s communal riots and received acclaim from reviewers and academics alike. Also in 2013, a folk musical adaptation of Cymbeline was performed at the First Folio Theatre in Oak Brook, Illinois. The setting was the American South during the Civil War , with Cymbeline as a man of high status who avoids military service. The play

7392-533: Was staged a number of times over the next few decades. In the late eighteenth century, Cymbeline was performed in Jamaica . The play entered the Romantic era with John Philip Kemble 's company in 1801. Kemble's productions made use of lavish spectacle and scenery; one critic noted that during the bedroom scene, the bed was so large that Iachimo all but needed a ladder to view Imogen in her sleep. Kemble added

7480-506: Was staged with Mary Warner, Fanny Vining , Anna Cora Mowatt , and Edward Loomis Davenport . In 1859, Cymbeline was first performed in Sri Lanka . In the late nineteenth century, the play was produced several times in India . In 1864, as part of the celebrations of Shakespeare's birth, Samuel Phelps performed the title role at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane . Helena Faucit returned to

7568-458: Was the closest seaport to Shakespeare's home town of Stratford-upon-Avon : "But if you marched due west from Stratford, looking neither to left nor to right, with the idea of running away to sea in your young head, then Milford Haven is the port you'd reach," a walk of about 165 miles (266 km), about six days' journey, that the young Shakespeare might well have taken, or at least dreamed of taking. Marisa R. Cull notes its possible symbolism as

7656-529: Was well received by audiences and critics. Critic Matt Truman gave the production four out of five stars, saying "The world's youngest nation seems delighted to be here and, played with this much heart, even Shakespeare's most rambling romance becomes irresistible." In 2013, Samir Bhamra directed the play for Phizzical Productions with six actors playing multiple parts for a UK national tour. The cast included Sophie Khan Levy as Innojaan, Adam Youssefbeygi, Tony Hasnath, Liz Jadav and Robby Khela. The production

7744-497: Was widely praised. Vanessa Redgrave as Imogen was often compared favourably to Ashcroft; Eric Porter was a success as Iachimo, as was Clive Swift as Cloten. Patrick Allen was Posthumus, and Tom Fleming played the title role. A decade later, John Barton 's 1974 production for the RSC (with assistance from Clifford Williams ) featured Sebastian Shaw in the title role, Tim Pigott-Smith as Posthumus, Ian Richardson as Iachimo, and Susan Fleetwood as Imogen. Charles Keating

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