On Friday 29th October 2021 we produced a reconstruction of the 1621 Lord Mayor’s show, The Sun in Aries by Thomas Middleton, 400 years after the original performance.

How did it all come about? Well, Professor Tracey Hill suggested we applied together for seed funding from the Society for Renaissance Studies Public Engagement Scheme, which we got.

With that money in place, we asked for permission to perform outside St Mary le Bow Church, and applied for additional funding from Bath Spa University, and most importantly Cheapside Business Alliance. All these supporters and funders helped pull together a COVID safe outside show which was free to watch by any passing stranger.

As to creating the show, we had some prep already in place. Prior to applying for funding, we released a First Look reading of the text, and there were many more read throughs/planning meetings and rehearsals, some of which material has yet to be released. There is an episode of the podcast with Professor Tracey Hill discussing the 1621 show and our recon.

Before you have a listen to the full audio recording of the show, or have a look at our very rough video records of the event, have a listen to our !SPOILERS! episode about the text of the 1621 LMS. It covers what is going on in a lot more detail, and covers some of the planning meeting material.

Here is the audio recording of the full show – mostly from the 12pm performance.

There is also a playlist of videos taken on the day – these were on the hoof takes from our photographer, without a proper audio set up, and has had no processing. One day we might do a mix/edit with photos, video and sound, to give the best version of the event. Till then, we suggest muting the videos, and playing the podcast recording at the same time.

After the show we interviewed our wonderful youth cast, who are very frank about their experiences of the day. The young are like that.

COMPANY:

Crier – Aliki Chapple

Thomas Middleton – Alexandra Kataigida

Jason – Charlie Beer

Fame – Holly Bartlett Giles

The Re-edified Standard – Daniel Yabut

Aries – Quinn Scott

Lord Mayor Edward Barkham – Gregory Musson

Music by Passamezzo, led by Tamsin Lewis with

Adrian Woodward – trumpet

Richard de Winter – singer

Robin Jeffrey – lute

Icon Bearers (silent, but you might hear the reactions to them… especially Tom)

Helen Good – Guildhall

Stephen Longstaffe – Westminster

Elizabeth Amisu – St Paul’s

Angela McShane – The Standard

Tom Helsby – Six Knights Personified, St Lawrence Lane

STAGE TEAM:

Stage Manager – Valentina Vinci

Assistant Stage Manager – Liza Graham

Costumes – Callum Coates and the Lion’s Part

Additional Sound Recording – Emma Kennedy

Photography – Simon Nader

Whifflers: Heydn McCabe, Rob Myson, Emma Kemp, Briony Sparrow, Pollie Hall

City Chronologer – Tracey Hill

Research Assistant – Kerstin Grunwald-Hope

Youth Director – Sam Plumb

Chaperone – Beverley Purkiss-Dean

Online Costume Design – Sarah Blake

Pageant Master – Robert Crighton

Thanks to The Revd George Bush, Danniella Downs, Matthew Beaumont and the City of London team, Ellena Schuster-Farrell, Claire Dumontier-Marriage, Christine Moia, ALL the people who signed up and expressed interest in the show, Eleanor Rycroft, Annaliese Connolly, Lois Potter, Perry Mills, Eric Karoulla, Rachael Nicole, Angela McShane, and Joe Fawcett for additional recording equipment.

Triumph 1621 could not have happened without the generous support of the Cheapside Business Alliance, SRS Public Engagement Scheme, Bath Spa University, and St Mary le Bow Church.

Photography by Simon Nader – more photos to come…

Following below are the materials we produced for the show for audience/performers alike – including background material, and how to make your own costume guides by Sarah Blake. Here’s our one stop shop for all your questions about the show.

Some Background – What is the Lord Mayor’s Show? And who was Thomas Middleton?

What will the event be like? Find out more with our general How To Triumph Guide.

Period music will be presented by Passamezzo, led by Tamsin Lewis. Passamezzo is an established early music ensemble, known for their ability to bring historical events to life through their engaging performances and programming. You can follow them on facebook, Twitter, or Instagram

Costume Guides!

Below are handy costume guides for any audience member who wants to dress up and feel part of the show. We’d love everyone to be in some sort of costume, and these guides are designed for anyone to be able to pick up, copy, adapt and build at home with limited resources.

All resources created by the wonderful Sarah Blake, if you have any problems with accessing the files, let us know – admin@beyondshakespeare.org

General Lord Mayor’s Show costume guide – there’s a lot to sift through, so start with your options here…

The Twelve Great Livery Companies – there are a lot of things happening in twelves, and here’s a guide to those twelve companies who hold the event together.

The Green Man – there were usually some Green men wandering about for this kind of event. Why not mix it up a bit and go green.

The Signs of the Zodiac – featured in one of the Triumphs are the 12 Signs of the Zodiac. We won’t be presenting all twelve ourselves, but we hope our lovely audience will help us represent.

The Twelve Virtues – if the Zodiac isn’t your thing, why not be virtuous. Another set of characters featured in the text of the pageant, who we’d like to see in the audience.