Another concept that I created for a recent application. I've mentioned this one a few times on the blog, and this concept revolves around Covent Garden.

I love Covent Garden so much, it's really one of my London happy places. A trip to the city doesn't feel right if I haven't passed through the market. That isn't why I chose it for this concept though.

When I re-read the play to prepare my ideas, although this play is a beautiful romance and an excellent comedy, the theme that kept leaping out to me was manipulation. Almost every character engages in or is the subject of this behaviour at some point in the play. Obviously Borachio and Don John manipulate Claudio and Don Pedro into doubting Hero, but our collection of heroes (no pun intended) also manipulate Beatrice and Benedick into changing their attitudes. It did make me ponder the question of whether this kind of interference is ever justified, even if you have good intentions.

Every metaphor for manipulation seemed to fit into Covent Garden:

• The buskers representing “played them like a fiddle.”
• The street magicians with their clever patter, like silver-tongued devils, and their sleight of hand tricks which are so flashy and rely on an element of manipulation to succeed.
• The marketplace where merchants trade expensive silk that slip through your fingers.
• The different sectors of society and activity overlapping, with the Opera House on the edge, and the upper and lower levels of the market halls.

The detail that sealed the deal was when I learnt that Naomi Campbell was discovered in Covent Garden. It felt like the perfect allusion to Claudio's initial infatuation with Hero before he left for war, just a fleeting glance that stayed with him.

This was a really enjoyable process because I absolutely love Shakespeare's work. I spent most of my teenage years in the RSC, and these timeless emotional adventures will always have a piece of my heart. I'm actively looking for opportunities to work on Shakespeare at the moment, so whether it's this show or another, please hire me!