The H6 EPIC Workshop Series
At The Old Globe, we carefully craft pathways to lifelong engagement opportunities for members of our community so that they feel connected to all that is happening at our theatre. One of the ways we engage is by facilitating theatre-based community workshops, and this season we are hosting a series connected to our summer production of Henry 6. The director, our very own Barry Edelstein, had a brilliant vision to radically include community members in a way that would revolutionize the discussion of Shakespeare being for all people.
Arts Engagement Programs Associate Soroya Rowley is now at the helm of bringing these experiences to the community with the H6 Epic Workshop Series.
Could you tell us about the play and why the Globe is producing it?
These plays are the only ones in Shakespeare’s canon that the Globe has not yet produced. So this is an important milestone for us. They were also Shakespeare’s first. You can see him testing out ideas that he would use in later works. For example, Queen Margaret was a source of inspiration for other famous characters, like Lady Macbeth, and like the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland and Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones. In fact, the War of the Roses is the main inspiration for the entire Game of Thrones series. If you are a fan of that series, like me, you may see connections between it and Henry 6.
What is the H6 Epic Workshop Series?
Because the production is so massive, we knew it would literally take a village to produce. And we wanted to design an experience for members of our community to more deeply engage with all aspects of the show. So over the last two years we set out to collaborate with community partners across San Diego with the H6 Epic Workshop Series and its three phases.
Can you describe these three phases?
In Playing Henry, we did a deep dive into 10 of the plays’ most prominent characters, and compared what historians say about each person to Shakespeare’s take. At the end of each session, participants wrote their own short pieces inspired by the characters and the themes they represent in the play. Then we collected those writings and wove them with some of Shakespeare’s text to create a special one-night-only staged reading event in December 2022.
In Making Henry, members of our design team are working with community participants to create key elements of the show, including projections, sound effects, set, props, and costumes.
And in Performing Henry, participants will join the cast of Henry 6 for walk-on roles, filled by over 200 different community members throughout the run of the show. Each performance will showcase different folks from San Diego.
How can folks learn more and get involved?
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Top Photo: Arts Engagement Programs Associate Sorroya Rowley and Teaching Artist Eric Weiman reading script prompts from an
H6 workshop in 2022. Photo by Stephanie Ochoa.