MUCEDORUS : A Second Year English and Theatre Production

-A princess in distress, an assassin, a cannibal, a bear… What could go wrong??? 

This semester, the second-year students of the English Literature and Theatre Studies program have collaborated as a class to put on the production of Mucedorus as part of their assessed project for the Performing the Past module. The main aim of their assessment and module has been to explore a piece of theatre from the past in a nuanced manner that speaks to audience members of the twenty-first century. 

Mucedorus, a 16th-century romantic comedy, follows the shepherd Mucedorus as he encounters Princess Amadine in the forest after she had just been pursued by a ferocious bear and abandoned by her betrothed, Lord Segasto. Their romance has only started to bloom when they are suddenly faced with the challenges of their fairy tale’s villains, fools, and perhaps the worst of them all; the cannibal….

The transformation of the heroic tale of the shepherd Mucedorus into a fairy tale, allows all the whimsical aspects of the comedy to be showcased through various characters on stage. Considering the traditional themes that Mucedorus was written with, connecting that past to our present was a challenge for the students to tackle. Conventional themes of hierarchy, gender, and status can now often be seen as outdated for a modern audience, and this production required a tasteful turn away from those themes while still giving a nod to the classics as they are. Between the twelve students involved, most took on both production team roles as well as roles within the cast, with the creation of the vision and the directing being predominantly a collaborative effort across the whole group.

From our Producer and Designer, Isla Plant, on the details of our stage design: “Our main vision was to make it as fairytale-esque as possible, largely inspired by the Brothers Grimm and other old-fashioned stories with somewhat gory undertones. The whimsical yet natural aspects of our production are inspired by Midsummer Night’s Dream and other Elizabethan theatre, to honour the history while adding our own fun! The costumes are all accurate as possible, true to history and character, and we have also incorporated puppetry into our show, which has been our biggest challenge to navigate.”

In conjunction with the set, the music also helps bring our fairy tale to life, as Renaissance theatre often associates itself with music as part of the entertainment. Our Musical Director, Millie Falconer, says, “The music of our production is an ode to the characters, I have been very keen to acknowledge the connotations different instruments have in story-telling, using them to direct the audience on how to feel about the characters. In true fairytale style, the music glides between diegetic (music the audience and characters onstage can hear) and non-diegetic, immersing the audience while also creating the illusion of an almost episodic storybook happening before your eyes!”

The original script was quite extensive, and also entirely in Elizabethan English, which is why the students have opted for not only cutting scenes but also, where it was necessary, simplifying some of the language for the modern audience.

This second-year production of Mucedorus has been in the works for over a month now and has introduced the students to a plethora of dramatic techniques and avenues for putting on a production. The contributions of the various talents within this cast and prod team have allowed us to put together a show that not only appeals to those who enjoy classical theatre but also to contemporary spectators.

Thus do we hope to please! (Enjoy the show!) Yours, Year 2 English and Theatre!

Follow us on Instagram (@mucedorus) if you’d like to follow our progress.

Our shows are on Wednesday, December 4th (the matinee at 2:00 pm and the evening show at 7:00 pm) and will be shown in the Workshop Theatre building. If you’re interested, message the Instagram for tickets!