Some of the New Hardy Players performed a scene from the forthcoming production of The Return of the Native to mark Thomas Hardy’s birthday on 6 June. The performance took place outside County Hall in Dorchester, though the audience were told to imagine they were on Egdon Heath.
You can see a video of this excerpt here.
The New Hardy Players performed their ‘Woodland Words’ presentation, devised by Tim Laycock, for the second time since the opening of the new visitor centre, close to Hardy’s birthplace, on May 2nd at the request of the National Trust.
A new performance area where the Players had an inspiring view looking down on Hardy’s birthplace while performing ‘Woodland Words’ for the third time.
Sign advertising the Shearing Supper a scene from Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd.
The New Hardy Players enjoy a May Day Shearing Supper thanks to the release of the new film adaptation of Far from the Madding Crowd. Gabriel Oak and Bathsheba Everdene are present with songs and readings from the farm hands being all part of the fun, finished off with a dance for visitors and Players alike. The very tasty supper was provided by National Trust staff and volunteers and offered to visitors.
Fordington, on the outskirts of Dorchester, puts on a Fair to celebrate St George’s day each year, and this year invited the New Hardy Players to participate.
This tied in well with Thomas Hardy’s liking of Mummers Plays, which are folk plays with a long tradition in Britain, tending to have simple good v evil plots, and often featuring St George.
Thomas Hardy remembered seeing the Christmas mummers at Puddletown as they performed their plays from house to house, and in ‘The Return of the Native’ he used them as models for the Egdon Mummers. When the Hardy players staged a dramatisation of his novel in 1920. Hardy enthusiastically involved himself with the mumming ‘Play of Saint George’.
To keep the tradition going, we did our own version of the ‘Play of Saint George’ on Fordington Green. It was very well received, with some good heckling!
Far From the Madding Crowd is one Hardy book we have not yet attempted to put on stage, but, of course, there is the big film of it coming out on May 1, starring Carey Mulligan and Michael Sheen.
If you know where to look, it also includes three of the New Hardy Players: Chris Pullen, Howard Payton (who directs our performance this year) and Alison Payton.
We haven’t seen the film yet, but we managed to catch a very brief glimpse of Chris in one of the trailers, though we hardly recognised him with his impressive sideburns – made, he tells us, of yak hair! He’s the face immediately to the right of the lady in the foreground (Carey Mulligan).
The Independent newspaper did a feature about Dorset on 25 April, linked to the imminent release of the film of “Far From the Madding Crowd”.
The New Hardy Players’ performances of The Return of The Native got a mention – albeit they forgot the “New”!
Normal National Trust admission applies.
Tickets are now on sale from Dorchester Tourist Information
Dorchester Tourist Information Centre
11 Antelope Walk, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1BE
Tel: 01305 267992
We have been trying out the construction of the set for “The Return of the Native” with the stage management team Mike Lofthouse and Andrew Munro at Max Gate.
As we take the performance to several locations, the set has to be designed to both enhance the drama of the play, and to be adaptable and able to be dismantled speedily after performances.
This is our model of the set with scale figures not yet in costume!
The National Trust are the owners of Max Gate, Hardy’s House in Dorchester and his cottage in Higher Bockhampton.
The New Hardy Players work closely with the National Trust in bringing Hardy’s works to life – these shots of characters from this year’s performance “The Return of The Native” are taken in the grounds of Max Gate.
On a very chilly March day the Yeobright Family were photographed in the garden, Mrs Yeobright (Emma Hill), Thomasin (Amelia Chorley), and Clym Yeobright, ‘the Returning Native’, (Toby Ingram).
Diggory Venn, the Reddleman, ( Alastair Simpson) and Thomasin Yeobright (Amelia Chorley), brave the cold March wind together
Alastair Simpson (Musical Director) rehearsing some of the musicians playing the lively music for the Christmas party scene and some other tunes ready for the full cast rehearsal on Sunday.
The New Hardy Players 