Darlington

Was Shakespeare against women? Why did you choose to make Caliban so sympathetic and not monstrous? Is this a colonial era play - reflecting the colonial times in Shakespeare's day?

Questions from the younger end of tonight's audience in Darlington (another full house). Who says the language of Shakespeare is inaccessible - though of course it is for some, just as for some theatre itself is boring.

Once again I'm reminded of the cuts - "you are amongst our favourite companies, and now we find all the companies we value have been cut. Where's the logic in that?" This from the venue. No doubt others will fill the void. But why go through such constant re-inventing of the wheel?

Great to see the changes in Darlington - quite a bit of public art. Late at night, in the deserted town square, some of the actors and I tried out the latest offering: lamp-posts that pulse in time with your heart-beat! Squeals of delight from us echo across the square. I wonder if some such machine could be rigged to respond to Shakespeare's metre? A thought...