Nowadays, when Shakespeare’s name is mentioned, sighs and traumatic flashbacks recounting matric exam questions on Hamlet follow. But, [enter Baked Shakespeare], whose mission it is to revive the young South African public’s interest in the famous plays, by adding a fun spin on live performance and by making it more accessible and relevant to the contemporary audience. A couple of hours before their performance of As You Like It at the Courtyard Café in Stellenbosch, I met with the Baked Shakespeare cast to talk about the significance of comedies, occasions when weed has not exactly worked in their favour, uplifting the Western Cape art sector and auctioned-off dates.
Baked Shakespeare was created by Jack Maisel, who was inspired by the Drunk Shakespeare Society; Founded in England, these thespians shoot whiskey during their performance. However, Jack Maisel decided that replacing whiskey with weed would work better in a Western Capetonian context. Marijuana is a booming business in South Africa, attracting all different kinds of demographics. It is perfect for a performance such as this, Jack Maisel explains, saying weed is all “fun and love” (“and paranoia”, another cast member adds).
Every cast member is incredibly kind and enthusiastic, and it is immediately apparent that a strong sense of community permeates the group. If you have a show that requires you to constantly think on your feet and improvise at a moment’s notice, it is no surprise that you become a family. Amongst the cast, there is James Stoffberg as Oliver, Laura Kelly as Rosalind, S’Qamo Mangcu as Orlando, Jack Maisel as Adam and Touchstone, Henu Baden as Jacques, Sarah Lazarus as Celia, Erin Gemmel as Audrey and Maxim du Toit who doubles up as Duke Senior and Duke Ferdinand. They are directed by the incredible – and aptly-named- Juliette Rose-Innes.
Let me explain how the productions go down: Two thespians are chosen by the audience to be the designated ‘stoners’ of the evening. Five audience members are then chosen to hold up a paddle with ‘Fie!’ scrawled upon it. These are raised at any point during the show. When a paddle is raised, everything must immediately come to a pause while the two designated stoners take a hit from a bong while the audience cheers them on. And the show goes on! The high actors giggle, forget their lines, and struggle to stand, while the rest of the cast must improvise and ad-lib to keep the play on track.
Every show is unique, given the circumstances. However, the actors rehearse sober, treating their performance like any other. Sarah Lazarus says that when you are chosen by the audience for the first time to smoke during the show, “It’s just nerves, nerves, nerves!” She describes that in the past, she has forgotten her lines entirely or had to be ushered on to the stage by her co-stars, not realising it was her scene. Lazarus says that this manner of performance is “chaos but in the best way”.
But, there have been moments when things went a bit off the rails and not in favour of the actors. If you follow Baked Shakespeare on Instagram (@bakedshakespeare), you might have encountered Erin Gemmell’s particularly hilarious story. Lazarus explains that Gemmell had been chosen as the designated stoner during one performance. Halfway through a scene, Gemmell ran off stage, followed by S’Qamo Mangcu, much to everyone’s surprise. It did not take long before she returned, now wearing a pair of skinny jeans. Gemmell had accidentally “peed herself” on stage. Since this incident, the final pee call has been strongly enforced, insists Kelly.
Since its birth, Baked Shakespeare has only performed comedies, previously doing Twelfth Night and currently As You Like It. Given the nature of the performance, it seems natural that the best plays to perform partly stoned to an audience (that is also partly stoned) would be comedies. However, Baked Shakespeare are not opposed to performing tragedies in the future.
“Part of the point of Baked Shakespeare isn’t just ‘Ha! We’re fucking with Shakespeare, guys!’ We actually love Shakespeare and respect Shakespeare and respect the work,” says Juliette Rose-Innes, “I think doing comedies and doing them in a way that’s accessible for a new audience and a younger crowd and actually showing them that Shakespeare is fucking funny and meant for the every man is part of the whole mission of Baked Shakespeare”. However, this does not mean that tragedies are off the table: “comedies are just a much easier entry-point”.
Henu Baden adds that Shakespearian comedies are so successful in the Western Cape because
they fit “Cape Town’s dynamic space with gender [and] sexuality”. Most of Shakespeare’s plays are arguably queer-coded, with characters that cross-dress and ‘mistaken’ homosexual pining. Therefore, comedies, Baden continues, create a “safe, open theatre space”.
Baked Shakespeare has revived interest in Shakespeare’s works. As You Like It, despite not being a part of most school syllabi, was chosen predominantly for its easy-to-follow plot. The cast of Baked Shakespeare realised that some of the audience struggled to follow Twelfth Night, especially with the disguises and various characters, and therefore decided that As You Like It, which still entailed that element of cross-dressing, would be easier for people to understand. Baden describes the play as ‘sitcom-ish’. Maisel explained that even if you struggle to follow the plot, there are still a lot of light-hearted songs and dancing to keep you entertained for the one-and-a-half-hour show. There is something for everyone; the person sitting next to me laughed so hard during the show that he actually fell out of his seat.
If you are like my mother and are wondering whether this performance is even legal, Rose-Innes has the answer: Yes, it is legal. The consumption of 100 grams of weed on private property is perfectly lawful. And as you must purchase a ticket on Quicket before entering the show, it makes the performance a private event. (So, mom, do not fret.)
To raise money, Baked Shakespeare held a fundraiser where they auctioned off dates with the different cast members. They raised more money than they believed they would. Sarah Lazarus’ boyfriend outbid the competition and a date with Laura Kelly ended up costing R850. Henu Baden offered an ‘all-about-me’ night; “I’ll pick you up in my car, I’ll cook you my favourite dinner, and I will take you back to my flat and make you watch all my acting self-tapes”.
“And people paid!” Sarah Lazarus exclaims, almost in disbelief.
Baked Shakespeare has begun to extend beyond just a performance; Rose-Innes created the Baked Market, which focuses on uplifting young, creative businesses. Baked Shakespeare is sponsored by THC Crafters, Moon City – who crafts all their intricate jewellery - and Eat Your Greens, who designs all their clothes. The Baked Market platforms other small, creative businesses run by South African youth rather than caving in to the “freaky competitor vibe” that runs deep in the artistic sphere: the aim should be to help and “uplift everybody”, says Rose-Innes.
When asked how they will celebrate 420, the whole cast begins to beam with excitement. The cast will present an exceptional performance of As You Like It at Cape Town’s Kaya Café on 4/20, which includes a three-course THC-infused meal as an accompaniment to the antics of the actors. “It is like Christmas for us,” says Mangcu.
Baked Shakespeare loves their audience and emphasises post-performance bonding; for a couple hours after their performance, they will meet their spectators, sometimes even sharing a joint. It is evident from the beginning that they are not only different in how they approach Shakespeare but also in how unique and down-to-earth they are when it comes to performance and relationships with one another and their audience. Each performance is not only different but absolutely brilliant. If you are lucky enough to be in Baked Shakespeare’s touring range, blaze up and attend (at least) one of their shows!
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