Owen Horsley is assistant director on the ongoing productions of Shakespeare's History plays, Henry V tours to Newcastle

HOW did you come up with the idea of using The Famous Victories of Henry V as a First Encounters show?

The idea came out of the rehearsal room for Henry IV Parts I and II when Greg Doran, who was directing the plays, tasked me to put together a showing of an anonymous play called The Famous Victories of Henry V. This 16th Century play condenses the story of Hal into one play. We think that Shakespeare would have seen it when living is Stratford as a young man so it was an interesting exercise to imagine Shakespeare being inspired by this text. It was a very fun experience for myself and the other members of the company who took part. We only had a few days, but by the end all the actors were off book and playing live music alongside the showing.

After the showing Jacqui O’Hanlon, RSC director of education, approached me and asked me whether I would be interested in directing The Famous Victories of Henry V as an RSC First Encounters with Shakespeare production. But the version I was to direct would not be the anonymous play, but a new edit only using words from Shakespeare’s Henry IV Parts I and II, and Henry V . Obviously I was thrilled.

Will audiences recognize which bits are from which play?

The process of editing three of Shakespeare’s greatest plays (Henry IV Parts I and II, and Henry V) was great fun but also had its challenges. I had to focus solely on the story of Hal who finally transforms from a young rebel to a great leader of men. Any parts of the story that weren’t connected to that had to go. It was very sad to say goodbye to things but I had to become pretty ruthless!.

How are the actors coping being in a show with a much smaller company han they are used to?

Four members of the Famous Victories cast were in Henry IV Parts I and II, directed by Greg, and the company size was a lot bigger. I think they have found this new experience a lot of fun. We also have three actors coming at the work completely fresh, which is also a wonderful thing as their fresh eyes and ears reveal some brilliant things. On a very practical level most of them are playing three parts and are never off stage.

How are you planning to keep restless school kids interested in these 400-year-old plays?

We will do a pre-show workshop in which the actors will engage with the young people. Each actor will work with a group of children and teach them an exercise connected to their character and also a mimed weapon exercise in relation to the battles in the play. We will then draw everyone back together to teach the entire audience an exercise, which might be a bit of a song or a bit of live sound design. These things will all feature in the play itself so it gives the audience a concrete way to be involved and allows them to get a sense of the world of the play before we begin.

Schoolchildren will be making some of the props for the show. Can you talk about that a bit?

The other way we are engaging with the audience, which I’m very excited about, is that we are asking each school to make a number of props from a list we will give them for us to use in the play. One of these includes the crown of England. They will pass these props to the actors and then we can begin. The idea behind this is that through making the props they can connect to the story in practical way. Through doing this they will also feel a sense of ownership in the production itself have directly contributed to it. I’m dying to see what they create.

I’m also keen for the young audience to think about how a theatre show is made. We are making little videos for the RSC website that show the entire company explaining what their role is within the show, from actors to Stage Managers and Fight Directors.

Why do you think it is important that these shows go into theatres as well as schools?

The exciting thing for the company with this show is that we will perform in so many different spaces. I think it is great that we go into theatres as well as schools as at the theatres we can connect with the whole community and create a theatre experience for all members of the family.

What do you hope younger members of the audience will get out of your show?

I hope that they really enjoy watching this show and also enjoy being part of the making it. It is a universal story for young people as the pressures of Hal will be something they will relate to. Young people face many pressures nowadays especially when it comes to identity, and seeing the story of Prince Hal and the act of him growing up and facing difficult choices along the way is something they may recognize.

What do you hope the ‘grown up’ members of the audience will get out of your show/say about your show after seeing it?

I think we believe that after a certain age we would have all seen a Shakespeare and had our ‘first encounter’ but I don’t believe that to be true. My granny will be coming to see the show in Hull and I’m pretty sure it will be her first Shakespeare. The aim of any Shakespeare is for the audience to feel closer to the world, and not further away from it. I think if you stay true to the universal story all ages can take something away from the production. There are also so many other characters in the play that older audiences can relate to – The troubled King, Falstaff and Mistress Quickly to name but a few.

n Shows at 10am and 1.30pm. Newcastle Theatre Royal Box Office: 08448-112121 or theatreroyal.co.uk