Dancing with Death

It started with wine, and ended with wine…

A year ago, in December 2023, I sat down with my good friend and ex-Guild Chapel colleague, Janet Palmer, with a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie, to plan a production that would bring to life a 500-year-old painting on the walls of the medieval Chapel of the Guild of the Holy Cross in Stratford-upon-Avon – the Dance of Death.

The Dance of Death forms part of a rare, internationally important painting scheme in the Chapel, giving us a glimpse into our medieval past. A series of characters from all walks of life are led by Death in a dance, reminding the viewer that life is fleeting and, in the end, wealth and status mean nothing. Death pokes fun at them and their human failings as he leads them away.

Even at that early stage, as Janet and I decided which characters should feature in the production, the music to be included, who would transcribe what, the running order and so on, I could see clearly in my mind how I wanted it to be staged, and how I wanted to bring out the humour in the poem. It was a bit of a risk to tackle such an apparently gloomy subject, especially in an awkward space like the Guild Chapel, so I was thrilled when it was described as “joyously uplifting” in a lovely post-production review in the local newspaper.   

I might have known early on how I wanted the play to turn out, but as someone who had never produced or directed anything before, it was all a bit overwhelming, especially when Janet had to step back from the production after only a few weeks. (She later took the part of the Sergeant-of-Office, which she played brilliantly.)

And while Stratford Town Trust - who are custodians of the Chapel - were fully behind the project from the start, I remember that feeling of panic growing when my co-producer at the Trust left for a long-term absence.  

What had I let myself in for? I was now responsible for everything!

As a historian, and a naturally organised person, my answer was a timeline, together with a many-paged ‘Spreadsheet of Everything’ – living documents that grew and grew! Meanwhile, the invaluable Loraine Mitchell at the Trust quickly became my go-to for the behind-the-scenes stuff that I needed help with, such as managing the budget, printing, general admin and so on.

I’ve learned so much over the past year – the audition process; running rehearsals; arranging costumes and fittings (something I couldn’t have done without the help of Pat Atkins, a local expert in medieval and Tudor costumes); and even more mundane stuff like how to seat nearly 100 people safely.

The cast very quickly gelled and became a team. I might have brought this group of strangers together, but I can’t take much credit for them becoming so close so quickly. They all brought something special to the mix, not least their enthusiasm for the production and a desire to be involved in something completely different, which surprised and delighted me.

This was a real community effort, with the cast and crew made up of Guild Chapel volunteers, semi-professional actors, people who had never acted before, and local musicians, and we all learnt from each other. Seeing their characters develop over the months was a joy.

When I first started volunteering as a visitor guide in the Chapel in the Summer of 2016, I could never have imagined all the wonderful opportunities that doing so would bring, many of which have taken me well out of my comfort zone. That I should produce and direct something like the Dance of Death would have been unimaginable to me when I began.

Putting on a production of the Dance of Death, in the Guild Chapel where it was painted 500 years ago, was a lot of hard work, but seeing how it all came together, the enjoyment of my brilliant cast, as well as the audience, it was definitely worth it. But oh! That glass of wine with my cast and crew after the final fantastic performance was most welcome indeed!

Would I do it again? Watch this space…

The Dance of Death was staged over two nights in November 2024 to coincide with All Saints Day and All Souls Day, two important medieval Christian festivals celebrated after All Hallows Eve.