One thousand five hundred Dubliners from all walks of life are set to become movie stars as First Takes Theatre begins filming its unique adaptation of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure .
Unveiling a 17th Century pageant wagon inspired by the medieval travelling theatres of the time, director Derek Foley gave passers-by at Grand Canal Dock a glimpse of what to expect from filming and indeed the finished product itself.
Derek, who is a founding member of the Dublin-based Three Shakespeare Club, revealed to Dublin Live that he has two hopes for the truly unique production.
He wants people from all over Dublin, who may have only been introduced to Shakespeare through school studies, to experience how beautiful it can be.
Secondly, he wants to bring life to a city that has been starved of culture during the pandemic.
Breathing life back into the city
Derek explains: "We wanted to make a Shakespeare play that anyone could be in. It doesn't matter if you're a housewife, a nun, a punk rocker or if you're part of any of the diverse groups in the city whether it be ethnically or sexually. Shakespeare is a beautiful thing.
"A lot of us connect with it in different ways. There's the Leonardo DiCaprio movie, there are the plays, the Royal Shakespeare Company. We all do Shakespeare in school.
"The city, as a living organism, has had a terribly traumatic time through Covid. We wanted to show a snapshot of people coming out of Covid; 1,500 Dubliners of all views and types. We want to see them, how they dress, how they look, how they speak and what their inflection is."
A chance for all
Derek wants everyone and anyone to get involved in capturing the accessibility and enchantment of Shakespeare. He says: "Every extra that's worked on Game of Thrones, every person who has worked on Fair City who has never had a line, here's a chance for your show reel.
"We will be filming at 31 different locations across the city. It's an hour and a half version of the play. I can't stress enough how we want people [to be involved], especially if you've never been in a movie and want to be in one. This is an IMDb approved movie. We are going to be on the same database as whatever wins the Oscar.
"Filming has already started. We've already had people like singer-songwriter Shobsy and the brilliant Irish film director Robbie Walsh."
Anyone wanting to register their interest can do so at firsttaketheatre.com.
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