AFTLS echoes

Exactly ten years ago today, Claire and I were together about to fly to Utah with AFTLS, alongside Jim Jack, Paul and Georgina. The five of us were on my first tour with Actors From The London Stage. It’s a lovely lovely job, and you get to not only make a crafty Shakespeare show but also go to all sorts of fascinating parts of the huge country that is the good old US of A, and meet a wide range of people. Students and professors, military personnel, prisoners, philanthropists…

The model has existed for decades now. The actors build a show that fits in a single suitcase. You have to delineate the stage somehow, as you never know where you’ll be asked to do it. The five of you then go out to institutions scattered all over the states. You work with students, often not arts students, and you very quickly learn how good you are at sharing.  There are company roles on the road. “Travel” deals with the office and how we are all getting to the airport etc. “Social” blogs and does the outreach stuff, “Education” organises which of the five do which workshop, and liaises with the uni staff, “Stage Management” sorts out the theatre spaces before we play and works out how it’ll happen and if there are chairs, etc. That’s a double role.

I’m thinking about them a lot at the moment. First because of Winedale Theatre Barn. They are spreading joy for Shakespeare in Texas, and were beautifully led by James Loehlin. He passed away a year ago, more or less to the day. A huge force for good gone from Texas. I wore my Shakespeare in a Stetson T-shirt the other day in his honour.

Today I wore my Wellesley College shirt, a gift from that remarkable institution. It’s a women’s college in Massachusetts. They’ve got a replica of Shakespeare’s birthplace in the grounds. Every time we go we end up being delightfully nerd-collared after the show by enthusiastic young American ladies who really know their Shakespeare.

We had a donor in the room, observing rehearsals. I was mildly concerned, feeling the pressure to “be good”. I took my jumper off, likely sweating from the pressure, and I noticed the donor lean forward in immediate recognition. Sure enough, she went to Wellesley back in the day. Of course she did. We spoke after rehearsal and she took a photo of me, and it was a lovely little moment of alignment. I could’ve worn any T-shirt…

Jobs like AFTLS have helped me keep my sanity, make friends and deepen my craft. I’m happy to see the souvenirs from them still bringing a bright moment. And it is remarkable to think that, from my most recent tour with them of Twelfth Night, three of the five of us are in Othello. Shame not to have the full house, frankly, they’re a lovely lot.