This summer Red Rose Chain Theatre and Film Company in Ipswich is staging Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to mark the twelfth anniversary of Theatre In The Forest, sponsored by Ashton Graham. To celebrate this, we take a look at the long-lost significance of the celebration of Twelfth Night.
Whilst many people today regard January 6th as the day to take down Christmas decorations to ward off back luck, there is much more to this date than we appreciate.
The modern-day belief in the need to remove decorations by January 6th stems from a medieval idea that spirits lived in the holly and ivy that was used to decorate the house.
The evergreen was also brought inside to provide a safe haven for the spirits during the winter months. Once this period was over, the spirits needed to be released back into their natural environment. It was believed that failure to do so would prevent Spring from returning and a poor harvest would follow.
Twelfth Night was celebrated with wild parties. A key element of the proceedings was based on the reversal of traditions. For 24 hours, the ways of the world would be turned on their heads. Most spectacularly, on Twelfth Night, the King and the wealthy would become the peasants, whilst the paupers reigned over them.
At the beginning of the Twelfth Night festival, a cake that contained a bean was eaten. The person who found the bean would rule the feast as the “Lord of Misrule”. Midnight signaled the end of his rule and the world would return to normal. Plays, Morris-dancing and guise dancing - where men and women cross-dressed - were among the evening's entertainments and holly and ivy decorations were burned to prevent bad luck.
Twelfth Night was also a traditional day for wassailing apple trees. Revellers gathered in orchards; singing to the trees, drinking to their health and pouring hot cider over their roots, to encourage a successful harvest.
Red Rose Chain won’t be heading to the orchard this summer, but rather, they will be returning to Rendlesham Forest for the twelfth annual Theatre In The Forest. Alongside the event’s headline sponsors Ashton Graham, Red Rose Chain will be engaging an audience of over 10,000.
Artistic Director Joanna Carrick said: “Twelfth Night is the perfect play to celebrate the twelfth year of Theatre In The Forest. The success of the past twelve years is really down to enjoyment that people get from seeing Shakespeare performed in the unique setting of Rendlesham Forest Forest.
Our audience comes from all over the country to experience the show. Whether people are familiar with Shakespeare or completely new to theatre, this is the must-see event of the summer!”
Matthew Potter Partner at Ashton Graham continued: “The relationship that has been forged with the Red Rose Team has been inspirational and our sponsorship has enabled Ashton Graham to be part of the community and support something really magical. Theatre in the Forest is extremely well regarded with a huge following. We hope to bring this experience to many more in 2011”.
Twelfth Night performs July 27th – August 28th. To celebrate Twelfth Night, callers who book on January 6th will receive a free programme for Theatre In The Forest!
The Box Office is open Monday – Friday 9am – 6pm. Call 01473 603388 or visit www.theatreintheforest.com.
