The Herbal Bed by John Whelan and Directed by Sheana Carrington

 

The Maskers presented The Herbal Bed in the Maskers Studio Theatre from Tuesday 21st October to Saturday 25th October 2003.

 THE HERBAL BED is based on actual events that occurred in Stratford-upon-Avon in the summer of 1613, when William Shakespeare's elder daughter Susanna Hall was publicly accused of having a sexual liaison with Rafe Smith, a married neighbor and family friend. Susanna sues her accuser, young Jack Lane, for slander in the court of Worcester Cathedral. Susanna's husband, the respected physician of Stratford, John Hall, is desperate for her to clear her name in order to save his practice, and he gives her his complete support. But how can he avoid the fact that one summer's night, while he was away from Stratford, Rafe Smith was seen secretly leaving their herbal garden? Faced with political divisions within the church, the hearing in the Bishop's Court becomes a risky gamble as three people's private lives are held up to the glare of intense public scrutiny in this emotional thriller whose outcome is anything but certain.

 

Peter Whelan

Peter Whelan was born in the potteries in 1931. Most of his plays have been premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Herbal Bed is no exception. A modern piece, it is set in Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1613 and has an authentic historical background, centering on Susanna, the eldest daughter of William Shakespeare who married John Hall the eminent physician in 1607.

The play unfolds around a public accusation of adultery that tests the relationships of all the main characters and also throws light on the harsh realities of life in post-Elizabethan Britain.

Photographs by courtesy of Clive Weeks ( www.cwphotos.co.uk )

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The Cast

           John Hall            Martin Caveney
           Susannah Hall            Maria Hutchins
          Elizabeth Hall            Cicely Blandford, Phoebe Blandford, Lydia Caveney
          Hester Fletcher            Emma Carrington
          Rafe Smith            Johnny Carrington
         Jack Lane            Matt Avery
         Bishop Parry            Graham Buchanan
        Barnabus Goche            Philip de Grouchy

The Crew

          Production Manager           Graham Buchanan
          Stage Manager           Helen White
          Lighting Design           Nathan Weeks
          Lighting Operator           Ivan White
          Sound

Lawrie Gee
         Photography           Clive Weeks
         Programme           Sandy White
         Set Design           Ken Spencer
         Set Construction and Painting           Students of Southampton City College
         Props           Ella Lockett & Gill Buchanan
         Costumes           Serena Brown
         Publicity           Jan Ward