Wild Will is a community run theatre company, based in South Devon. We aspire to bring the magic of theatre, and the work of Shakespeare and other pioneering playwrights to new and diverse audiences, through our inspiring outdoor productions, outreach work and community engagement. We will inspire and delight younger and new audiences with Shakespeare and other playwrights.
Taking on modern material as well as the magic of Shakespeare, we are a dynamic, energetic, enthusiastic theatre company.
At school Major Hildick-Smith, a bloodless and icy sadist, tried to beat Shakespeare into me with a cane. Very little got in, just a sense that the Bard was over-hyped, boring and pretentious and that the Major was an arsehole. I failed my English literature ‘O' level.
20 years later, thinking it was a box that should be ticked in my acting career, I joined the RSC. I arrived a few days late as I'd been playing a vital part in the birth of our daughter. The play was Romeo and Juliet and the cast was getting comfortable with speaking verse by performing sonnets to each other. I had barely sat down when Romeo (Mark Rylance), came over and told me, in fourteen lines, how deeply he loved me. I burst into tears. He burst into tears. I became a born-again Bardophile.
I quickly took myself off to schools to try to repair the damage that was being done by teaching the works as bald academic texts - they are meant to be PLAYED. I told the kids that Shakespeare was a dude, a rock star, who had serial lovers of both sexes, a remarkable understanding of the vast vagaries of human existence and a limitless talent for putting it into words.
Rob Heyland - Creative Director
Wild Will is made possible by an amazing group of volunteers who bring to the party a broad range of experience. Some of our local team have worked professionally in theatre to some have never acted before.
If you are interested in getting involved with any part of production get in touch. Opportunities include:
Wild Will Theatre Company is registered with the Charity Commission, founded in 2024 following 2 years of successful outdoor productions. The board of trustees is made up of:
Rob Melvin - Co-chair
Pete Stevens - Co-chair and Treasure
Nell Carder - Secretary
Meg Freese
Wild Will would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters.
Johnny & Lily Mildmay-White have kindly lent the charity free use of their gardens at Mothecombe House.
Chris & Gilly created our brand.
Several local companies sponsor the charity.
Before I started working with Rob and Wild Will, I was in a bit of a rough patch. After leaving university, I felt completely unsure of where I was heading. I knew I wanted to work in the Art Department—building and dressing sets has always been a dream—but I’d lost confidence in myself and in my ability to make that dream a reality.
Then I joined Wild Will, and everything changed.
Rob has been one of the most influential people I’ve met in terms of encouraging my passion for acting.