Accomplished director, teacher, actor praises high standards
By: Jeff Milgram
When Princeton Day School theater director Ross Hindley wanted to brush up his Shakespeare this summer, he went right to the source: London’s International Shakespeare Globe Center.
While he was there, Mr. Hindley met Charles Duff, a former actor, director, Shakespeare scholar and teacher. They hit it off and Mr. Hindley asked Mr. Duff to direct PDS’s fall production of Shakespeare’s "As You Like It."
Mr. Duff, who had never worked with high school actors, got out of a commitment at Notre Dame University and agreed to come to Princeton.
After working with the cast of 17 the past seven weeks, Mr. Duff said he has no regrets about his decision.
"I’m astounded how high the standard is here," he said.
"The younger generation of students aren’t frightened by Shakespeare," Mr. Duff said while on a rehearsal break for the production that began Wednesday.
"Earlier actors were offended by the language, which some found artificial," he said. "The younger generation here … are the best at it. They don’t have that hang-up … Young Americans can play nobility, can play kings … The future of Shakespeare is over here."
And Mr. Duff said he’s no pushover as a director.
"I’ve been absolutely uncompromising," he said.
During his residency at PDS, Mr. Duff has been guest-teaching Upper School English classes studying "As You Like It."
"Mr. Duff is unbelievable," said Erich Matthes, who plays Jaques in the production. "He simply knows so much that you can’t be around him without learning something."
"As You Like It" is a challenging play full of trials, tribulations, ingratitude and betrayal, Mr. Duff said.
But it’s worth it. Things work out in the end and the leading female character, Rosalind, is "the most adorable character in all of Shakespeare," he said.
"It’s a dark play but not a harsh play," he added.
Mr. Duff has "an encyclopedic knowledge of British theater," Mr. Hindley said.
He performed in theater, television and film in England. He formed Boundary Productions in 1980 and after four seasons went to work for the London Theater School as director of productions.
During this time, he directed works for the Edinburgh Festival, the Shaw Festival and Trinity College, as well as operas in England and Europe.
In 1997, he joined the International Shakespeare Globe Center – which features a replica of the Elizabethan theater where Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed – where he directs and teaches.
For Mr. Hindley, who has been artist-in-residence for the past 10 years, the arrangement couldn’t be better.
"Luckily we were both interested in doing it," Mr. Hindley said. "It’s an ideal setup … I must say we couldn’t be happier."