about britishtouringshakespeare
In 1999, two students, Dominic Jinks and Miles Gregory, met while studying on the Exeter University Master of Fine Arts in Staging Shakespeare programme.
They decided to form a theatre company which would combine original Elizabethan staging practice with modern technology, bringing a fresh, irreverent approach to Shakespeare's work.
The result was British Touring Shakespeare, a fully integrated repertory theatre company which tours the UK and abroad: BTS brings the work of Shakespeare to thousands of people every year.
BTS grew greatly in stature during the summer of 2000, performing full scale productions of Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream for over forty nights to packed houses throughout the country; "These shows are wonderful," enthused the Devon Gazette, "Don't miss out". The Cotswold Journal went one step further with their headline, "Theatrical Spectacular!" Finally, Theatre Review published a full page article on the company, describing British Touring Shakespeare in glowing terms: "Some of the best Shakespeare I have ever seen...This company's work is must-see stuff".
Measure for Measure, BTS's Winter Season 2001 in conjunction with CatDogHorse Theatre, performed to full houses in London for three weeks in March. Directed by Tom Mallaburn, and designed as a provocative showpiece, it marked a new era for the company. Time Out described the piece as 'Relentlessly enthralling', The Stage as 'a compelling experience'. Metro talked of BTS's greatest strengths as being 'clear and lucid verse speaking' and 'admirable simplicity'. The season was a huge success, building up to the company's largest open air season to date, our Summer Season 2001.
BTS became the first UK company in recent years to take three full-scale repertory Shakespeares on the road in June 2001. Twelve Actors, fifty-eight costumes and forty-eight characters toured the UK and abroad for ten weeks with As You Like It, Love's Labour's Lost and Twelfth Night, playing to packed houses from Germany to Scotland. Standing ovations echoed Theatre Review's description of the season as '...witty and wonderfully engaging...energising performances which left the audience cheering for more".
BTS moved to London's West End for their Winter Season 2002, transferring Hamlet and Twelfth Night from the Middle East to the 600 seat Westminster Theatre for a three week season in January/February 2002. Sell out shows for audiences who insisted on three to four curtain calls from the actors after every show led Time Out London to describe the productions as "crackling with energy derived from straightforward verse speaking, performances brought together with wit and integrity...a company to keep your eye on."
In April 2002, BTS marked another milestone with a seven week run at the 460 Shaw Theatre, Euston, playing a Spring Season of Henry V and Romeo and Juliet, before transferring to the Palace Theatre Southend for a fortnight. Both shows generated extraordinary coverage in the press. "The most inspired rendition of Romeo and Juliet you are ever likely to see" wrote the Stage, and Theatre Guide london went further in their review of Henry V: "At long last, a company that does Shakespeare - and indeed theatre - the way it should be done".
The "Marowitz Hamlet" formed the BTS Winter Season 2004. A project which took over a year to plan resulted in a surreal, multimedia production which pushed boundaries for cast, crew and production team. The production included 30 foot high slide projections and a 25 foot high live video feed; a full dancing and singing scene featuring the song "Consider Yourself" from the musical "Oliver!", and concluded with a fully choreographed Elizabethan jig.
In partnership with Bristol City Council, BTS took over Queen Square for a week in June 2004, performing "Much Ado About Nothing" to sell-out crowds averaging 550 for each performance. "Laughs by the barrowload" enthused Venue Magazine, and BBC Bristol was equally positive, describing the week long residency as "a challenge carried out with aplomb".
In July and August, in association with UBU Spotlights, and presented by Facsimile Productions, BTS toured "The Taming of the Shrew" throughout Bristol and the West of England. A full cast of thirteen, beautiful period costumes and a show directed by Ben Webb wowed crowds from Berkshire to Cornwall. "The Taming of the Shrew" marked BTS's 17th production in just five years.
