1066 and all that … just in a different Reading venue

The events of 1066 have shaped our nation for nearly 1,000 years, and this summer a Reading-based theatre group is exploring them in a new play … which now has a new venue for its preview event.

Rabble Theatre is following on from its critically acclaimed production of Henry I with William The Conqueror.

The cast had planned to hold a rehearsal preview show in Reading Gaol but the logistics of creating a publicly accessible performance in the historic venue have proved to be insurmountable, so the team have switched to another historic venue in the town: Saint Laurences.

The church in Blagrave Street will be converted into a theatre for the preview event, which will take place on Saturday, June 28.

The town centre venue, opposite the statue of Queen Victoria, was founded in 1121, meaning it is almost dates back to 1066 – just 55 years separates the two.  

The RABBLE team say their recreation of the events of 1066 is their most ambitiuous project yet. In order to produce the play, they have secure investment from Arts Council England and the support of Région Normandie, France, where William The Conqueror came from.

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Toby Davies, the artistic director of RABBLE who played Henry I in 2023 and is masterminding this production. The rehearsal event, he says, offers a rare chance to see how professional theatre is made, from initial ideas to opening night.

“This is such an exciting moment,” he says.

“We’re welcoming people into the rehearsal room – something of a sacred space for theatre makers – and we’re doing it because we know that is an incredibly exciting part of the process. We want to share that with our incredible Reading audiences.”

For the show, Beth Flintoff, associate writer at RABBLE and London’s Royal Court Theatre, will present an overview of the extraordinary story, before RABBLE’s associate director, Hal Chambers (RSC, Hull Truck, Eastern angles) discusses the world of 1066 that he and the RABBLE team are creating and introduces selected scenes from the play, performed by the professional cast.

Fight Director Dani Mac (fresh from combat projects in Sydney, London and Leeds) and Movement Director Gareth Taylor (mastermind behind The White Ship’s sinking in Henry I) will display how they’re merging combat and movement with new influences, such as parkour and street dance, to capture the chaos of war.

And a live music session with electronic composer and DJ, Benjamin Hudson (National Theatre), and platinum selling lyricist, Sami Chokri, will showcase how the show soundtracks are created and how, this time, spoken word, music, and storytelling are being blended for a new experience.

This preview of the 1066-based drama William The Conqueror will give fresh insights to anyone with an interest in how drama is staged, while whetting the appetite for the real thing.

When can I see the preview of the William The Conqueror play set in 1066, and how can I get tickets?

The rehearsal sessions will take place from 1.30pm, 4pm, and 7pm, on Saturday, June 28, at Saint Laurences Church in Blagrave Street, Reading.

Each session will last for between 75 and 90 minutes.

Tickets cost £22.50, or £18 for those aged 25 or under.

For more details or to book, log on to: rabbletheatre.com.

What else is RABBLE Theatre doing this summer?

On Saturday, June 14, the Young Company Senior group will showcase a revival of Alistair McDowell’Young Company Presents Bugsy Malones: Zero for The Young Dudes; written for NT Connections 2017.

The play is set in a dystopian world where young people are forced to think, act, and be a certain way to fit in.

This fictional world has been torn apart by conflict – fuelled the greed, ignorance, and inhumanity of the political leadership.

What will the young people do?

This production will be performed at 4pm at the Minghella Studios at the University of Reading.

Tickets are £8.50, and also available from: rabbletheatre.com.