SPOTLIGHT ON: RABBLE Theatre and the Year of the Normans
Besties, on 2 November, Reading Economy and Destination Agency (REDA), Reading Museum, Reading Borough Council and RABBLE Theatre launch the Year of the Normans: 2027 at the Roseate Reading Hotel. It will include a guided walk through Reading's Norman quarter, a tour of Reading's replica of the Bayeux Tapestry, a presentation about RABBLE Theatre's national tour of William the Conqueror, and detailed information about the events scheduled for 2027.
For some of us the book, 1066 and all that, written in 1930 by WC Sellar and RJ Yeatman, was essential schoolboy reading celebrating one of the few genuinely memorable dates in British history and long before the Horrible Histories books were thought of. It divided all the monarchs into Good Kings and Bad Kings and the debate about whether William the Conqueror was a good or bad one has raged ever since.
RABBLE Theatre's brand-new play William the Conqueror will be a key feature in an international programme of events taking place across eight European countries as part of MILLENNIUM: 2027 European Year of the Normans, led by Région Normandie in collaboration with the British Council. The initiative, which includes the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry, will mark 1,000 years since the birth of William the Conqueror and explores the extraordinary influence of the Normans across Europe. Their legacy can still be seen in the architecture, language, politics and culture of nations across the continent.
RABBLE Theatre are building a reputation for innovative and creative productions. Earlier this year, they toured their play Glitch about the impact of the Post Office Horizon system on the 900 innocent sub-postmasters accused of theft and fraud to 17 cities and seen by nearly 8,000 people. In 2023, their wonderful production of Beth Flintoff’s Henry I was staged within the Reading Abbey ruins. It gave an insightful glimpse into the brutality of Medieval England, the squabbling nobles and royal family who fought to grab the power, marriages of political convenience rather than love and the emergence of a national identify away from the Norman/French roots. In 2017, they staged Matilda the Empress at St James Chrich in Reading, who was Henry I’s daughter and his natural successor.
Beth Flintoff’s latest historical play for RABBLE goes back further in time to the defeat of Harold Godwinson by William The Conqueror (Henry I ‘s father) at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066. Everybody knows the famous moment in the battle when Harold is killed, as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, but surprisingly for such a historic moment, the backstory is far less known. You can see a copy of the Tapestry in Reading museum without the queues at the British Museum for the original version! They plan to tour the play to a number of regional playhouses and stage it at Reading’s Hexagon Theatre in the autumn of 2027 to coincide with its 50th anniversary and the completion of the recent Arts Council Funded extension.
Edward the Confessor is dying without a direct heir, so the political noble classes are positioning themselves for his crown. Harold Godwinson’s claim was that as a powerful nobleman whose sister was married to Edward the Confessor; he was appointed by Edward on his death bed. William’s claim was that he was a first cousin of Edward and had been promised the crown in 1051. A third claimant was Harold Hardrada, a Viking, supported by Harold’s exiled brother Tostig who was a distant relative of King Cnut (King, 1016-1035). All three were powerful military men and Harold G had to defeat Harold H at the battle of Stamford Bridge in north of England on 25 September 1066, before marching south to fight William who landed on south coast on 28 September 1066 for the decisive battle on 14 October.
The challenge is how to stage the two crucial battles that define the period. At Stamford Bridge, 15,000 Anglo Saxons fought 11,000 Vikings, and at Hastings, a depleted and exhausted Anglo-Saxon army took on an invading army of up to 8,000, armed with crossbows and mounted on horses. Originally workshopped in June 2025, its script continues to evolve but the creative team is assembled with Hal Chambers directing, Movement director Gareth Taylor, illusionist John Bulleid, composer Brian Rays, intimacy director Dani Mac, and producers Mathew Linley and Toby Davies. Casting is now underway, with a plan for the Norman characters to speak in French and the English - in English - with subtitles! Although many of RABBLE works have been site specific, the tour will be to traditional theatres.
Is it a story worth telling? Is it easy to connect an ancient tale to a modern society where the news is dominated by invasion, fake news and ambitious political monsters? Did the right man win? Were they evil monsters or dynamic heroes fighting for what was right? Of course, any story needs more to engage us, and this tale promises intrigue, love and political manoeuvrings revisiting those family rivalries and those ambitious driven men that shaped the country we met in Henry I.
They still have funding to raise for the tour but have secured Arts Council and Région Normandie support towards the budget of £400,000 to mount the show. They will shortly launch a Production Circle for people who want to support the work and see some of the behind-the-scenes process. Starting at £1,000 to follow the process up to £5,000 to get an exclusive invite into rehearsals and meet the creative team. For anyone with a passion for live theatre, these experiences are not to be missed as they provide a glimpse into the decision making and creative process that produces a show.
In the meantime, RABBLE continues its excellent educational outreach work which, in 2024/25, saw 2,205 students over three terms take part in classes to develop skills in acting, singing and movement while building teamwork resilience and communications. The Education department generated nearly £285,000 of income to December 2025.
Besties, we hope to follow Toby Davies and his team on their creative journey to bring this landmark historical event to the stage in 2027, watch them engage schools in the story and ultimately, delight audiences next Autumn.
To learn more or support this Compan, please visit RABBLE Theatre.
Nick Wayne