In July 1932, the impresario Sydney Carroll, with the actor/manager Robert Atkins, produced three performances of ?Twelfth Night? in Regent?s Park and lost £560. Undaunted, they returned in 1933 to produce a full season, starting a tradition which continues today, writes Sheila Benjamin.
Atkins was succeeded as Artistic Director in 1962 by David Conville who founded the New Shakespeare Company (NSC). It leases the Open Air Theatre from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and between May and September produces two Shakespeare plays, a musical, a children?s play, Sunday concerts and an education programme.
Production standards are high. Actors must project (without shouting) above summer breezes and passing 747s; sets and costumes need to withstand heavy rain and blazing sun. Performances begin in daylight, so enhancing low-budget scenery and cheap fabrics with lighting is not an option.
Ian Talbot, Artistic Director since 1987, believes that the idyllic setting and slight eccentricity engender a special spirit. ?The theatre?s full of surprises. On a hot night it?s the most magical place, but even in bad weather there?s a unique rapport between actors and audience.? Numerous famous performers have played at ?the Park?, from Jessica Tandy, Vivien Leigh and Anna Neagle in the 1930s to Richard E Grant, Ralph Fiennes (who made his 1985 debut as a fairy in ?A Midsummer Night?s Dream?) and Martin Clunes in recent times.
Hubert Gregg, who played Orlando in the 1934 ?As You Like It?, recalls opening to a packed matinee of 3,000 people with 2,000 being turned away, but despite selling 250,000 tickets the season lost £7,000.The cast of 89 may have been a factor. The present-day cast numbers 25, and the theatre no longer loses money. With minimal public funding (under £12,000), it regularly breaks even or makes a small surplus. Today, a season costs £1.3m to produce, with £1.1m to be earned at the box office. Around 120,000 tickets are sold each summer, with prices from £8.50 to £25 deliberately kept below West End prices to provide maximum access and good value. Business sponsorship accounts for 10% of income ? current sponsors include BP, Champagne Canard-Duchêne and the Met Office (who provide in-kind sponsorship of weather forecasts). Other recent changes include the 1,187-seater auditorium built in 1975 to replace rows of deckchairs, and major improvements to technical facilities, disabled access and public areas, enabled by a Lottery grant.
Marketing is mainly targeted at a local audience which stays loyal whatever the weather. 85% are from London and the south-east, with 65% under 44 (and 42% under 34).They rate the Open Air Theatre?s atmosphere and facilities highly. Good food is available, but people can also bring picnics, take drinks into the auditorium and stay late in the bar.
Contrary to popular belief (and belying the ?wet Bottom? jokes), very bad weather is rare, and only seven performances are cancelled in an average season. Refunds are not given, but tickets are exchanged for any future performance. This policy has operated for 40 years with few problems ? the record is held by an Australian visitor who returned with his ticket after ten years.
Everyone who?s worked at the Park has an affectionate anecdote to tell, whether it?s of squirrels stealing edible props or Titania smuggling a hot water bottle into her bower. And as the 70th season approaches (May 27 to September 7 ), the box office staff are bracing themselves for the inevitable question, ?Is the theatre air-conditioned??
Sheila Benjamin is General Manager of the Open Air Theatre in Regent?s Park. t: 020 7487 1382; e: sheila.benjamin@open-air-theatre.org.uk; w: http://www.open-air-theatre.org.uk