Outdoor theatre is by nature vulnerable to the weather, but there is a sense of a grand coincidence when an almighty storm whips up around this Poznań street performance of Shakespeare’s play, threatening to upstage its tumultuous drama. Teatr Biuro Podróży’s production at the Stara Rzeźnia, a former abattoir turned into a cultural space, was delayed by half an hour. But the elements provided a sublimely atmospheric accompaniment to the drama.
Thunder within the soundtrack became indistinguishable from the real thing. As lightning cracked across the shipwrecked boat carrying Antonio, who fetches up on this enchanted isle, it seemed like part of the lighting design. The company, which has long staged outdoor works across the world, spun its own magic, the actors sodden but heroically undeterred.
