Every year in Wells, England, a celebratory showcase of contemporary British theatre takes place. The summer of 2023 was no exception, between the 6th and 9th July, several performances of varied and fascinating renditions of stagecraft, from Shakespeare to Mozart took place, with comedy, historical drama and studies of the human condition thrown in.
The festival creator, Ros Johnson, is the driving force behind this annual event. Having been introduced to the work of Shakespeare, amongst many others as a child, her love of drama is stoic, deep and constant. As ever in these events she is hugely supported by primary team members, husband Neil, long term collaborator Alex Holdaway and David Merrifield.
The aim of this photo story was predominantly to document the performances rather than simply review, to follow each production and illustrate the stories as they unfold.
*All photographs were made during the actual performances of the five main productions with the exception of "As You Like It" where I was also granted access to the rehearsals.
This is where the story begins...
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The Productions
As You Like It • William Shakespeare • Wells Community Theatre Company
The Grimm Sisters • Scratchworks Theatre Company
And Then They Came For Me • James Still • Moondog Productions
Don Giovanni • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart • Opera In A Box
I Found My Horn • Jasper Rees & Jonathan Guy Lewis • Sweetspot Theatre Company
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Click on image to enlarge, then click left to right...
A scene from Don Giovanni...
____________________ As You Like It - Rehearsals ____________________
____________________ As You Like It - Performances ___________________
____________________ The Grimm Sisters ____________________
____________________ And Then They Came For Me ____________________
____________________ Don Giovanni ____________________
____________________ I Found My Horn ___________________
