When society effectively shut down during the pandemic, the absence of theatre was felt greatly across all communities but was particularly hard on actors, producers, directors and anyone in the creative industry. I talked to Ursula Early, who founded the East London Shakespeare Festival with Rosie Ward in 2020, about the journey to the creation of her company and the importance of theatre for local communities. 

“I thought to myself I would like to be the person creating this, creating projects from scratch and developing them” Ursula told me as she explained her journey from being ‘just an actor’ to a theatre-producer and director as well, saying how she wanted “to be in control” of her career in a tough and competitive industry. 

 She emphasised the brutal nature of auditions, actors being rejected for a multitude of reasons, which you don’t have any real control over – such as simply not looking right for the role. This, paired with the unreliability of acting , led to Ursula starting the Big Bear Theatre Company; which focused on plays with female leads, often with a connection to classical plays. One production that they put on in 2014 was ‘Desdemona: a play about a handkerchief’ which was described as a ‘deliciously demented version of Othello’ which ‘exposes a very different side of Othello’s wife’, on the production exchange website. 

A few years later, upon moving to Waltham Forest, Ursula began working at Centre 17, a performance venue in Walthamstow, as a producer.  

“I find Waltham Forest to be a cultural hub – full of lots of different highly creative people and practitioners creating amazing work,” Ursula stated as she described the work she did, and still does, at Centre 17 by supporting grassroots campaigns. A main aim of her work is to “engage people in theatre and drama who haven't had the opportunity” - such as people who haven't been able to due to socio-economic backgrounds or different cultures, where theatre isn't as cherished.  This work in the community enabled Ursula to establish herself a strong network in Waltham Forest.  

The East London Shakespeare Festival, is a combination of her passion for production, acting and community work, and, as it says on the website at www.elsf.uk , ‘creating fun, accessible events in beautiful local spaces’. With nature and environment being intrinsic to many of Shakespeare’s plays, using the outdoors to bring Shakespeare to life is a brilliant way to connect with the local community whilst performing.  Other community work that Ursula does through the East London Shakespeare Festival is by partnering with local community centres – such as the Higham Hill hub – and starting an apprentice scheme. 

When asked about how the pandemic has affected theatre, in general, and the start of her company particularly, Ursula emphasised how the “West End will always find a way to survive” because of how much money it produces. Her own company was affected, with the production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ delayed by a year, and finally performed in the summer of 2021. However, as the community underpins the work that they do, the East London Shakespeare Festival ‘survived alright’ and by not relying on traditional theatre spaces, the show was able to go on. This was not the same story for many regional theatres, which had to close down, as there was no longer any income.  

With the absence of theatre for so long due to the pandemic, companies like the East London Shakespeare Festival inspire hope to the local creative sector and showcase the importance of storytelling, buoyancy of the arts and necessity of cultural connection.