Worthing's great open-air Shakespeare tradition continues

Judey will be in both productions – The Tempest, Tuesday-Sunday, July 11-16 and The Comedy Of Errors, Tuesday-Sunday, July 18-23 – and she will also be assistant director to company founder and artistic director Nicolas Young on The Tempest.

“With exception of a few years out, three or four years when I wasn't part of it, I have done pretty much every year since I was seven and I'm now 29! The first one I did was A Midsummer Night's Dream which was a great way to start. I was one of the fairies and I felt like I was the bee’s knees at the time. And I've enjoyed it enough to keep coming back every year since!

“I still work as an actress now for other things but the magic of the company and the whole experience of Rainbow Shakespeare wasn't just being on stage so much as being in the gardens and being part of Rainbow Shakespeare in general.

"It sounds daft if I said the magic was just running around in the woods but that was part of it but it was also the magic of staying up late and being part of something that really disconnected you from school and from family and it was just wonderful to do. And I also love the sense of community. I grew up around professional actors of all ages and I just got to meet people through this that I would never have met before. And I do think (director) Nick takes a particular approach. There is a great emphasis on ensemble. Everybody is making it together and everybody is equal and you just make great friends. There was an actress last year who was doing it for the first time and I said ‘You will enjoy it but the thing that you will take away from it most of all be the friendship’ and she's back again this year. And I do think the audience like that too, that there are regular faces that they see and look forward to seeing every year. Life gets in the way. Sometimes it's not always possible to come back but the lovely thing is that the audience get to know you a little bit.

“Everyone in the pool of actors is usually in both the plays each year though this year there are a couple of exceptions for a couple of actors who are just in the first one but I think that's just about availability. Usually it's very much ensemble based with the two plays cast from the same pool of actors.”

Judey has directed before but this is the first time she has been assistant director For Rainbow Shakespeare: “And it means a lot to me. It feels that Nick knows that I know and understand the Rainbow vision. He trusts me as an artist. I'm working very much under his guidance but then again I've been working with him since the age of seven. I grew up under his guidance and with his vision and when I direct other things I can hear myself saying things that Nick would say. It does feel like his legacy is very much ingrained in my mind!”

Tickets in advance through Worthing Theatres box office on 01903 206206 or wtm.uk.

Also on the gate 90 minutes before each performance.

The show venue is Highdown Gardens, Worthing, BN12 6FB.

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