RSC Friends

Photograph by Manuel Harlan.

An utterly riveting and enjoyable hour with Tanya Moodie.Tanya led us through the fascinating process of creating Gertrude, Queen of Denmark. She was insistent that other members of the cast bow in her presence and were not allowed to turn their backs on their queen. Tanya also emphasised the need to have A dominating physical presence which she demonstrated by building an impressive ‘bun’ secured with a gold bracelet. This was done expeditiously-essential if she was to make Ophelia’s funeral in time!

Tanya had given much thought to Gertrude as a queen schooled in how to look and move as a queen whilst having little self esteem or agency and ill equipped to take over the throne when her husband died. Tanya also reflected on Gertrude’s dysfunctional relationship with Hamlet and the lot of children sent to boarding schools at a young age.

Friends commented on the excellent diction of the cast in this production. Tanya was complimentary about the training in diction given by RADA and the other English schools of drama. A member of the audience wondered whether television, with its propensity for mumbled delivery, was to blame for poor diction. Tanya was inclined to see that as as different technique for a different media.

Tanya made interesting points about diversity in the theatre and cited Trevor Nunn’s all white War of the Roses which has been justified because it allegedly reflected historical veracity. Tanya said that she did not care what colour the actors were, that directors should be free to choose their cast and that actors should get the job on merit. She believed that historical veracity was a spurious justification anyway and cited the recent discovery of the grave of an African Roman legionary in Stratford. She opined that people of colour and people with disabilities may have been more numerous and visible in medieval and Tudor England than we think.

Tanya talked about her work with drama students at RADA and her need, inspired by her Buddhist beliefs, that she should give something back to the academy that accepted her at the age of 17. She spoke of the need to give aspiring actors hope and not shatter their dreams. It was an inspiring and hopeful end to an excellent Q&A.