Workshops

Traditional English Scribe Workshop
With Peter McCurdy, Jack Sobon and Friends

In a rare opportunity to share in some cross-cultural timber framing, English Guild member Peter McCurdy joins Jack Sobon and staff from Plimoth Plantation to demonstrate traditional timber framing techniques from 16th century England. The event takes place from Tuesday, April 30 through Sunday, May 5, at Shakespeare & Company's campus in Lenox, Massachusetts.

The class is building a 400 square foot 16' x 32' timber frame structure based on an 18th century wagon shed in Sussex, England. The structure, which is to be situated near the Rose Footprint theater, will serve as rehearsal space and as a kind of laboratory for the timber workers who will eventually build the Rose Playhouse replica. The outdoor "Rose Footprint" theater will be a historically accurate replica of 16th century London's Rose Playhouse, where Shakespeare's Henry VI was first performed; the 2,765-square-foot Rose Footprint will be an open air performance space for students at Shakespeare & Company. The theater will feature a simple stage, bleacher seats and a pit for ground seating on blankets. It will rise to a height of 11 feet at its highest point and will require only theatrical lighting.

Peter McCurdy is best known for his work recreating Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London (see Timber Framing Issue #37, September 1995). Trained in architecture and cabinetmaking, he has been repairing and reconstructing historic buildings in Britain since 1977 and has presented at many Guild conferences. Shakespeare & Co. is a long-established theater group in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, and is deeply involved in educational outreach throughout the region. They have selected Peter to oversee the timber framing portion of a replica of Shakespeare's Rose Theater (precursor to the Globe), which will be built in a few years with Guild involvement. This year's workshop will serve as the initial event to generate interest in the overall project and expose the local community (especially school children) to timber framing.

Jack Sobon is a registered architect, former Guild Director and founding member, and author of numerous books and articles on timber framing. As a Berkshire resident, he will be acting as local project coordinator and liaison for the timber framing projects.

This workshop consists of demonstrations and hands-on training in a number of traditional techniques, including scribing with plumb bobs and dividers, hewing, riving and pit sawing. Evening presentations include Peter's research into the Rose project and other 16th century timber framing in London, Jack's experience with scribed framing in the eastern U.S., and the techniques and research behind the construction of Plimoth (Mass.) Plantation.

Shakespeare & Company, through its education department, is applying to the Massachusetts Cultural Council for a new grant under its Partnership Initiative. The grant will involve local area schools in learning about the Rose Playhouse and timber framing, and will help bring students and timber framers together for demonstrations and workshops. The Timber Framers Guild and Plimoth Plantation are partnering with Shakespeare & Co. in this effort.

The finished frame.

Left: The frame being put to good use for script study by Henry David Clarke, a member of the cast for Shakespeare & Co.'s production of Macbeth. He will perform the roles of Malcolm and The Murderer. Visit their site for schedule and performance information. Right: The traditional joinery. On close inspection, you can see the markings III on the two mated timbers.

The rafters under a beautiful Berkshire sky.