“There are always so many new things to be discovered in Shakespeare’s 400-year-old text.

“You can do so much coming at it as a blank canvas – there are so few stage directions, all you have is the text. There are so many stories you can make from that one story, it’s really inspiring.”

So says Eleanor Conlon, co-artistic director with The Barefoot Players, who are bringing one of Shakespeare’s most problematic plays to the stage this week.

The Winter’s Tale doesn’t fall comfortably into either the comedy or tragedy bracket, being a play of two distinct halves.

The first half sees King Leontes of Sicilia overcome by jealousy, imprisoning his pregnant wife Hermione after suspecting her of having an affair with his close friend Polixenes. When her child is born prematurely in prison he orders it to be abandoned far away – leading to the much more upbeat second half as the now grown-up Perdita falls in love and discovers her true heritage.

“We have made the court of Leontes quite cold, while the village scenes are set on a May day,” says Conlon. “It’s exciting to do Shakespeare in smaller spaces.

You can’t pretend the audience isn’t there. I always want to speak to them and engage with them actively.

“The deeply claustrophobic court of Leontes works particularly well – the audience is often addressed as part of the court, making it more accessible.”

The contrast between the dark first half and more pastoral conclusion in Bohemia is marked by arguably Shakespeare’s most famous stage direction –“exit pursued by a bear” – as Perdita’s unwitting saviour Antigonus meets his end.

“The bear is an interesting one to handle,” admits Conlon. “We are referencing it in the setting and the change it brings about.”

The minimal staging is being matched by the decision to perform in early modern dress – the sort of period wear that Shakespeare’s own Chamberlain’s Men might have worn on stage.

The Barefoot Players came together from a group of former Central Sussex College students from Hayward’s Heath, who first performed Shakespeare’s evergreen comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2009.

Since then the group has appeared at the Lindfield Arts Festival and Brighton Fringe.

Last year saw them launch a season entitled New Tales For Old,which featured a mix of popular folk tales, classic plays and children’s stories, including The Secret Garden, The Importance Of Being Earnest, Love’s Labour’s Lost and East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon.

“The company is all about experimenting, growing and doing different varieties of things,” says Conlon. “As a company we are very physical.

“We are finalising our 2012 season at the moment. I think we will be doing more new writing and modern work as well as the classics.”

At present the next play on their programme is another English classic – a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, written and directed by co-artistic director Edward Johnson, which will be performed at Ardingly College, on Friday, February 17, and Saturday, February 18.

For more information visit their website at www.barefootplayers.co.uk.

The Winter’s Tale is at The Nightingale, above Grand Central, Surrey Street, Brighton, Wednesday, January 11, to Saturday, January 14, 7.30pm, £8/£6, 0800 4118881.

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