THE THIRD WINTER
a LEGENDARY ARcTIC SEA ROUTE…
In 1845, Sir John Franklin and his 128-man crew left Great Britain on two boats on a quest to discover the Northwest Passage. They were never seen or heard from again.
Aboard the ships Erebus and Terror, like other long voyages of the time, the men entertained themselves by putting on theatrical productions, going as far as writing to local theater companies for donations of costumes. Created with onboard printing presses, playbills confirm the existence of the Royal Arctic Theatre.
Numerous expeditions attempted to locate the men and on a few occasions found evidence of their existence and perhaps immoral lengths they took to survive. We know the men spent at least three winters in the Arctic, but it took more than 150 years to discover the wreckage and determine what most likely led to the death of each and every man.
The Royal Arctic Theatre presents the crew of the hms terror in…
Richard III
We are transported to the crew’s final performance before all hope is lost. A cast of ten men and two boys will perform Richard III aboard the ship the HMS Terror. With live music and only Shakespeare’s text, we will explore desperation, delusion, and fate versus free will.
SETTING THE SCENE…
The set and environment in which we find these men is full of despair and hopelessness. By the third winter, the ship's resources are completely exhausted and the architecture of the early 19th century vessel is starting to blend in with the Arctic landscape.
As our sailors tell this violent tale of treachery and obsessive ambition, the harsh conditions surrounding them have pushed their story telling to the utmost extreme. How many men have already died? Has the cold and hunger pushed them into hallucinatory and chaotic states?
Building the CHaracters…
Frozen in time, our last souls piece together their looks with both desperation and integrity. Their choices intentional and absurd; passionate and chaotic. The remnants that build Shakespeare’s characters collide with the delusion of each man’s harsh reality. Now, in the absence of logic, unhinged creativity in our crew's fashion, shapes the final moments of their lives.
creating the soundscape…
The men find solace in singing and playing music. With their voices and instruments that are still intact and on board, they score their production with music that feels timeless. Is it a piece from their distant memories or is it something that they’ve created in the moment from their hearts? The mournful harmonies contrasts with the harsh winter windscape that is looming outside.
