A Man For All Seasons

Earlier this year I posted about my involvement in Broadclyst Theatre Group's production of Calendar Girls. Next month I'll be treading the boards with Tiverton Dramatic Society, in their production of Robert Bolt's A Man For All Seasons.

A Man For All Seasons is a critically acclaimed period drama based on the life of Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII (pictured above). It follows More's personal and political struggles in the wake of Henry's divoice of Catherine of Aragon, which led to the creation of the Church of England with the King as its Supreme Head. More repeatedly refuses to recognise the divorce, or give his reasons for refusing, and eventually falls foul of the ruthless Thomas Cromwell (below).

A Man For All Seasons was subsequently made into a 1966 film by Fred Zimmemann, director of High Noon and From Here to Eternity. It won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Paul Scofield and Best Original Screenplay for Bolt, who had previously won the same award for Doctor Zhivago. The film version features one of my all-time favourite actors, Leo McKern, who appeared in the original stage production and excels as Cromwell. If you like his performances in The Prisoner from the same period, it's worth checking out just for him.

The play is a  gripping examination of conscience and morality, and documents a fascinating period in English history when Machievelli and early materialism began to supersede medieval ideas regarding faith, deference and traditional models of authority. In this production I play Richard Rich (stepping into the shoes of John Hurt), who works for Cromwell against More on the promise of future prosperity. It's a great part to get one's teeth into, and I'd love it if you came to watch me and the rest of our talented cast.

A Man For All Seasons is playing at the New Hall in Tiverton from Wednesday 16th to Saturday 19th October, with all performances starting at 7:30pm. Tickets are £7 on the first night, £8 on other nights, and are available from Twyford Photography on Bampton Street in Tiverton. See you there!

Daniel