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| Cicely Berry |
“Thou must
be my ambassador to them.” – Troilus and Cressida, III.iii.
The journey I make to
Cicely Berry’s house is short, but sensational. Trundle from Barford toward
Wellesbourne, whiz through that tiny, bustling village - pass the Co-op, then a
sharp left. Suddenly and stunningly, the Warwickshire landscape opens wide to view,
in all its verdant lushness. On a rainy, Spring day, the flooded road to Walton
forces me to inch along its winding road gingerly, under sudden squalls and
through pond-sized puddles, whilst skillfully avoiding the oncoming path of
less cautious drivers.
Swish, swish, swish –
and then finally I arrive at the beautiful, Victorian schoolhouse that is
Cicely’s home. An appropriately dramatic route to visit a woman whose
remarkable life has been full of far more extraordinary and epic journeys, as
one of Shakespeare’s most passionate ambassadors.
As the legendary Voice
Director of the RSC, Cicely has spent over forty years training and coaching a
pantheon of stars, politicians, and royalty: HRH Prince Charles and Neil
Kinnock (“I tried to teach them both how to relax,” she said.), Judi Dench,
Sean Connery, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen – the list of her pupils is truly
inexhaustible. However, driven by her uncompromising politics, Cicely’s true
mission has been that of sharing the joy and pleasure of Shakespeare around the
globe.
A tiny, but formidable
octogenarian, Cicely regularly travels far from this bucolic setting, with its
stunning views across the fields of Walton, to prisons, detention centres, and
some of the most remote and dangerous areas on the planet, such as Zagreb, Zimbabwe,
China, Brazil (another inexhaustible list). She ventures to these places
preaching the gospel of words, and using
Shakespeare as a tool of empowerment. As she often explains, “Everyone has the
right to speak. Everyone has a right to Shakespeare.” For Cicely, Shakespeare’s
words are indispensible channels of expression, and she believes it is by
freeing the voice through work on such full, rich and political language that
ultimately allows one the freedom to express the inner self.
“Where
words prevail not, violence prevails.” – Spanish Tragedy, Thomas Kyd
Over steaming cups of Lapsang
souchong in Cicely’s cosy sitting room, I once again state my desire to
accompany her on one of her trips to Brazil, to observe her in action. “Oh,
that would be great, darling!” she says, enthusiastically. “But,” she adds
ruefully, “You must understand, it is not safe at all.”
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| A scene from Nos de Morro's "Two Gentlemen of Verona" |
Since 1997, Cicely has
conducted workshops with “Nós de Morro” (“We are from the hillside”), a theatre
group based in Vidigal, one of the slums (favelas) in the hills that surround the beautiful and opulent city of Rio de
Janeiro. It is a place run by drug cartels, replete with guns, gangs, and
violence. It is place into which police do not venture except in armoured cars.
And, yet, in this place, armed with the works of Shakespeare, Cicely
confidently competes with the drug lords for the hearts, minds and souls of the favelados (young people living in the slums).
Life is these favelas has been depicted vividly in the brutal, but truthful
film City of God (2002). I remember watching
that film, and being dumbstruck at the thought of precious Cicely traversing
such a place. Indeed, if I’m honest, my heart sinks a little whenever she
informs me she’s headed there.
As the world comes to
Stratford-upon-Avon this month for start of the World Shakespeare Festival
(happening here through October 2012), my thoughts are drawn to the
indefatigable Warwickshire woman who champions Shakespeare around the world
routinely. Her politics, her honesty, dedication and bravery (though she denies
it) are awe-inspiring. She leads by example, wherever her Shakespeare journey
takes her - and Shakespeare could not ask for a better messenger.
