Shakespeare BASH’D is starting 2024 off strong with a production of one of Shakespeare’s lesser-performed plays, The Two Noble Kinsmen. At the helm of this production is Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Shakespeare BASH’D, James Wallis. James and I are kindred spirits in that The Bard of Avon has been a part of our lives longer than we can remember. I sent James some questions about Shakespeare, why stage The Two Noble Kinsmen now, and he talked a bit about the rehearsal process!

1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?

I’m a Toronto based theatre artist, who directs, acts, produces, teaches, and pretty much does everything in the theatre. I’m also the Co-Artistic Director of both Shakespeare BASH’d and the St. Lawrence Shakespeare company. I run both those companies with my wife, Julia. I have a deep love for Shakespeare and I’m pretty much a student of his work, his history, and his theatrical world everyday of my life.

2. The Two Noble Kinsmen is not performed very often. What makes it important to be staging now in 2024?

We imagine that we will be introducing the play to almost the entire audience, and they likely won’t see another production again.

The play works within a matrix of anachronism. By that I mean, multiple different types of story are being used: Greek myth, Medieval romance, Jacobean tragicomedy, etc. So within that matrix, a lot of swirling and complex but interesting thoughts are presented. I believe that a lot of those thoughts are very modern, about gender, sexuality, relationships, and ceremony. The story is about two cousins, who deeply love each other in many ways, until a young woman causes them to quarrel. All of this seems very cliched, but the play presents this triangle relationship in a way that makes it feel like the love between the men is somewhat romantic, at least it is deeply personal. Moreover, Emilia, the young woman they are in love with, is presented as having a complicated relationship with them, even somewhat cool or unromantic. The play always seems to be inquiring into queerness and different types of relationships that seem very modern, despite it being written 400 years ago. I don’t think that any of these things mean that the play is important in this moment, but it certainly deserves a chance to be shown, which it almost never is. And we’re excited to see what the audience takes from it.

3. What has been your favourite moment or discovery during the rehearsal process?

The play is really strong in poetry, so to really discover an image or how a metaphor works to reveal something about the character, that’s always a joy. I think when you can start making sense of a play this opaque and odd, but you also have a ton of fun with it, that makes me smile. Great actors, a fantastic text, there’s nothing better.

4. The Two Noble Kinsmen is a well-known collaboration between Shakespeare and John Fletcher. How do you find that this play differs from Shakespeare’s more solo projects?

I feel that we can tell when the play switches between writers, but that’s my opinion. Shakespeare was probably the lead writer in this collaboration, but that’s of course supposition. He was the more experienced playwright, and was the lead playwright of the King’s Men, and therefore was possibly a mentor for John Fletcher. To my ear, Fletcher is more energetic and looser with his verse, while, I believe, Shakespeare really approached this play with all his most complicated and dense poetry in tow. The play is pretty equally written between the two playwrights, so their collaboration was probably pretty sophisticated. Therefore we have to enter two dramaturgical practices, two artistic goals, and two points of view. That’s a challenge, but a good one. We have to work with both these specific playwrights, both their differences and similarities.

To answer your question simply, this play shows a very driven Shakespeare to create drama with poetry, but also a Shakespeare that is giving room to another voice.

5. Are there any other plays, Shakespearean or otherwise, which you’re really passionate about directing in the future?

All of them. I’m a big fan.

I want to thank James so much for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions. You can catch The Two Noble Kinsmen at The Theatre Centre’s BMO incubator from January 25 through February 4. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.shakespearebashd.com

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