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Having been crowned at the age of 10, crushed the Peasant’s Revolt, feuded with his powerful uncles, been humiliated by his council and deposed by his own cousin, the former King Richard II finds himself imprisoned at Pontefract Castle. Having fallen from the heights of glorious majesty to the bottom of society, he comes to terms with his own humanity in this final speech of Shakespeare’s beautiful play.

Experience Shakespeare’s moving prison speech at the original historic site at Pontefract Castle and gain a more intimate insight into the king’s thoughts than a stage performance would allow.
This project is a filmed version of what is often called the ‘prison speech’ in William Shakespeare’s history tragedy Richard II, taken from the beginning of Act 5, Scene 5. The scene of the king’s final speech is set at Pontefract Castle and has never before been filmed at the historic site. Bronzehead Theatre, under the direction of Tom Straszewski, performed the entire play at the castle with Mark Burghagen as Richard II.
"GOOD ACTING IS HOLDING A MIRROR UP TO NATURE, REFLECTING WHAT REAL LIFE LOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE. AND THIS [PROJECT] WAS AN OPPORTUNITY IN A REAL PRISON CELL TO TOUCH ON THAT IN MUCH MORE DETAIL AND CONNECT WITH IT MORE THAN ONE COULD ON A NICELY LIT STAGE." YVONNE MORLEY, DIRECTOR


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