Ghost Light Players go once more into the Edinburgh Fringe — with 'Henry V'

Members of the Marlborough-based Ghost Light Players of MetroWest who are going to Scotland next month can call themselves “We few, we happy few."

About 20 cast, crew members and producers will be taking the new Ghost Light Players production of William Shakespeare's "Henry V" to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for five performances  August 12 to 16. The Fringe is one of the biggest annual cultural gatherings in the world with  theater, comedy, music, dance, musicals, variety shows, children's shows and cabaret taking place on hundreds of stages in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.

Before they depart, the Ghost Light Players will perform "Henry V" at 6 p.m. August 3 at the Marlborough Senior Center, 40 New St., Marlborough.

The visit to Edinburgh will be a return journey for some of the members of the nonprofit Ghost Light Players, who put on their version of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" there in 2017.

"The experience itself was phenomenal. Five performances — four sold out. People came back to see it which is unusual at the Fringe (because there is so much going on)," said Kat Alix-Gaudreau, president and artistic director of the Ghost Light Players who directed "Hamlet" and is now directing "Henry V."

"Everyone said 'When we are we going back?' I said 'we're not going back unless it is as special as this one ('Hamlet') was.' Then I started thinking, 'I have an idea for 'Henry V.'"

The Ghost Light Players are calling it the Fringe 2024 Project.

'O, for a muse of fire'

"Henry V" is one of Shakespeare's history plays and focuses on the invasion of France by England's King Henry V (1386-1422) during the 100 Years War. The king uncovers an assassination plot (and treats the traitors ruthlessly), besieges the French port of Harfleur (imploring, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends"), and goes on to lead a famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt on Saint Crispin's Day in 1415 despite being heavily outnumbered by French forces over-confident of victory. Before the battle, Shakespeare gives Henry V his famous St. Crispin's Day speech where he rallies his soldiers with words such as "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers."

Shakespeare also wrote "Henry IV" parts 1 and 2, which shows the often wastrel young Prince Hal (Henry) in his father's reign before he becomes king. "Henry VI" parts I, II and III, depicts the horrific Wars of the Roses that unfolded after Henry V's premature death and leaving the kingdom to a child who will prove to be a weak leader.

So while in "Henry V" Shakespeare gives a narrative of the one of the most stirring military victories in England's history, he also provides a study of what it is to be a leader, and the potential of that leader to become dehumanized as a result.

'We band of brothers'

Alix-Gaudreau, who has directed a number of Shakespeare's plays and is also a Shakespeare scholar and teacher, said she has wanted to stage "Henry V" for several years.

"I was struck by the idea of taking that show to the Fringe in the context of what is going on in the world right now," she said.

"I wanted to do a version there we peeled back the glamour and looked at the impact of war and focused on the cost of it. It seemed timely."

Alix-Gaudreau will have five actors play King Henry V chronologically during the course of the play to represent five different aspects of his character.

"Rather than having King Henry V as a good looking charismatic young man I wanted to break the mold," she said.

Three of the actors playing the king are women. The five actors are Karina Beleno Carney (UK Performances only), Jennifer Drummond, Natalie Hebert, Chris JM Maloney and Rob Slotnick.

Each actor will in turn literally pass the crown to the next actor to become the king so that the audience will be able to follow along.

"In each of the five Henry's we are showing the complexity of the character and how the character changes in the course of the play and what it costs him as a king," Alix-Gaudreau said. "This is a person making choices and the choices have consequences."

Krisha Hoyt-Mackler, one of the production's producers and also the assistant director, said that Alix-Goudreau has let the cast and crew in on making choices for the show. "Kat is the kind of director where we can ask questions and build a work together. It's really a collaborative production," she said,

The five different manifestations of King Henry V reflect something "we see so often in people in positions of power. They become a different person," Hoyt-Mackler said.

'A kingdom for a stage'

Sir John Falstaff was a drinking friend of Henry when he was a prince, but is rejected by the newly crowned King Henry V at the end of "Henry IV, Part2" because he must now act as a king. Alix-Gaudreau takes that scene to help frame the news of Falstaff's death in "Henry V." Similarly she has the funeral of King Henry V in "Henry VI, Part I" to show part of the aftermath.

In Shakespeare's plays the battle scenes are usually off stage and talked about by the characters on stage. "We put the battle scenes on stage and the execution of prisoners (so that we can see the consequences)," Alix-Gaudreau said. An intimate, theater-in-the-round setting will combine the performances with deadly combat staging, movement sequences, and modern music. The costumes are in shades of gray. "We haven't based the show in a historical period necessarily."

Also in "Henry V," Shakespeare has a character, Chorus, introducing and the setting the scenes during the course of the play. Alix-Gaudreau said "We decided to go back to a more Greek chorus." So five actors will take the stage together as Chorus. The Ghost Light Players production has a total cast of twelve in Scotland with most of the actors doubling up and more to play different roles. "It gives everyone a lot of range," she said.

One important practical facet of the costumes and stage props is that "they are easy to pack ... Everything has to go to Scotland. We have to keep everything simple."

But the trip is not something to be undertaken lightly. The cost, for example. "It's a lot of money." All told the cost for Fringe Project will be $43,000, Alix-Gaudreau said.

There has been an IndieGoGo campaign to help raise money, people have made private donations, and every Fringe team member has contributed, she said. "We're still fundraising." Proceeds from the Aug. 3 performance will go to the Fringe Project.

However, the Ghost Light Players are not relying on theater ticket sales in Scotland to fund the trip. Any surplus from the production will go to a non-profit group such as Doctors Without Borders or Amnesty International.

After the Aug. 3 performance in Marlborough, "Henry V" team members will fly out on Aug. 9, land in Scotland Aug. 10, have a tech day for the production Aug. 11, perform "Henry V" Aug. 12-16, and fly home Aug. 17. "It's a whirlwind," Alix-Goudreau said.

The show falls right in the middle of the Fringe Festival. "Henry V" will be performed at a space called the Space@Niddry Street in Edinburgh. The theater seats about 70.

" The Fringe has a box office. We've already sold some tickets," Alix-Goudreau said.

Hoyt-Mackler also made the trip to Edinburgh in 2017 with "Hamlet." The festival draws "thousands of people. It's a unique experience you can't find anywhere else," she said. "The Fringe is such a great opportunity for actors and theater makers to share their work with each other."

Back home, the Ghost Light Players have been putting on productions since 2012 with a large percentage of them Shakespeare plays, and people seem to like experiencing them in Marlborough as well. "They're (Shakespeare plays) some of our best attended shows," Hoyt-Mackler said.

"People like having Shakespeare right in their own back yards."

'Henry V' — presented by the Ghost Light Players

When: 6 p.m. Aug. 3

Where: Marlborough Senior Center, 40 New St., Marlborough

Where: $25. Can be purchased through the online box office or at the door. ghostlightplayers.com

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Ghost Light Players go once more into the Edinburgh Fringe — with 'Henry V'