When the BMDS Bermuda Festival production of King Richard III opens at City Hall next week, a cast of 26 will be taking part. But when the curtain rises on one of the most famous opening lines in the English-speaking world (`Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by this sun of York'), a backstage crew of almost 50 will have been working day and night for many weeks to ensure that Shakespeare's drama becomes compellingly topical theatre.

For producer Janice Stroeder, it has been a mammoth task. Besides arranging the auditions, followed by complicated rehearsal schedules, she has co-ordinated the various departments -- costumes, the overall design, building and painting of sets, lighting, and sound -- a task made even more challenging in this Shakespearean history play because every detail has to be historically accurate.

Even before rehearsals began, a team of historical researchers were busy at work, making drawings of the clothing, armour and heraldry that would have been worn in the 1400s. Candy and Holly Shirley found themselves studying such things as the design of the crown actually worn by King Richard, and the exact shape of a funereal catafalque. The drawings they made were then passed over to the people designated to bring the designs to life.

"The whole production has been a community thing,'' says Ms Stroeder, "even the Bishop of Bermuda has loaned us two mitres and his Bishop's crook!'' And, she adds, same-size replicas of the swords to be used, had to made in wood so that the duellers could practise the complicated fencing moves "without being cut to pieces!'' This climactic moment, occurring at the end of the play when Richard, in full armour, resorts to a final, savage sword duel to save his crown from his rival, is being choreographed by the multi-talented Bob Duffy.

"He's the stage manager as well, but he has fencing experience so he's teaching Richard and Richmond all the moves and, hopefully, to make it as authentic as possible.'' This quest for authenticity found the production team seeking out the considerable talents of one of Bermuda's best known artists. Their problem arose from Shakespeare's Third Act direction, "Enter... with Hastings' head''. How, they had wondered, could they come up with a severed, bloody head that would look real? Enter Diana Tetlow. Using water mixed, quick-setting alginate and plaster-of-Paris to make a life mask of the actor, Mark Pettingill, who is playing the luckless Lord Hastings, she has made a chillingly life-like model of his blood-dripping decapitated head.

All in the cause of art, Mr. Pettingill arrived at her Southampton studio over the weekend, for what was undoubtedly one of the more uncomfortable mornings of his life. With his face, neck and hair heavily smeared with Vaseline, plugs in ears and surrounded by a band of "minders'', Ms Tetlow smeared the gooey alginate all over his head. The only part not covered was his nostrils, so a "panic system'' to ensure continued safe breathing was instigated. Thumbs up for "okay'', thumbs down if all was not well.

Gavin Wilson, her assistant who had volunteered for Diana Tetlow's practice run a week earlier ("they put the music from "Psycho'' on while I was being done'', he complained), frantically mixed tub after tub of alginate and plaster as each thick layer was applied.

Entombed now in a dark and heavy world (Janice Stroeder was commandeered to support his shoulders under the weight of the now massive mound of plaster), the thumbs kept reassuringly up.

"It was a surreal experience,'' he said afterwards, "the worst part was the beginning, a feeling of claustrophobia, especially when the stuff was slapped over my nose. It was very heavy, so my back was aching. There is an intense blackness -- when you close your eyes there is still a faint glow. This was total blackness. I wouldn't want to do it for a living,'' he laughed.

Explaining each step as she went along, and spraying the joining point across the head with WD40 for easy separation, Ms Tetlow waited for the plaster to set, then proceeded to cut through the layers with what she called a blunt object ("he's used to those, he's a lawyer'', remarked Mr. Wilson).

The mask that eventually emerged, and painted now by Ms Tetlow's gifted portraitist's brush, is guaranteed to send a shiver through the audience. The set, intentionally simple in that it basically consists of a balcony, a throne, arches and pillars, has been designed by Jon Mills and built by Kevin Blee and volunteers.

"There are a great many scene changes and we're not blacking out in between each one, so we have purchased four pillars from overseas that have wheels on them for easy moving. At the same time, they have to sit firmly, and Kevin has done a great job, giving the set a feeling of solidity,'' says Ms Stroeder.

She says that even though most of the costumes (and swords) have been hired from a famous London theatrical costumier, Veronica Lowry had to choose them carefully. "They are expensive to rent, so she has managed to find suitable costumes for lesser roles from BMDS stock.'' Once the production opens, Mrs. Susan Shirley is responsible for the wardrobe.

"She has a huge team working with her, making sure that the costumes are all properly hemmed, that they all `sit' properly.'' Another innovative touch in this production is the incidental music, composed specially for the production by Jonathan Palmer and electronically reproduced by Steve Gallant. Using the same system that was so successful in his orchestration for last year's Broadway Masters, Mr. Gallant says that he and Mr. Palmer have spent about six hours taping the music.

"The music is really part of the overall sound effects and we have tried to record whatever sounds the director wanted. If instruments were unavailable, or too expensive, I've been able to synthesise those sounds and reproduce the sound of a small orchestra,'' he explains.

Janice Stroeder is confident that the play will be a memorable event for Bermuda's theatre lovers.

"We've had some difficult moments, not least because so many of the cast have been ill with flu. Even David Perry, our director, has been ill with it for the past four weeks -- but he hasn't missed a single rehearsal.'' She is full of praise for the Shakespeare expert who, for a couple of decades, trained most of England's leading actors at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art).

"The actors all love him, they are learning so much. It's such an honour to have someone of his calibre. He so obviously loves his job -- and his Shakespeare!'' She recalls, with some amusement, his astonishment when he asked people at the auditions to recite "anything by Shakespeare'', only to find that very few of them could string more than a couple of lines together.

"When he did the BMDS workshop here in the summer, he was surrounded by enthusiasts who are all Shakespeare fans, and of course, in England, he works with people every day whose familiarity with Shakespeare is taken for granted.'' Aprops of which, Ms Stroeder mentions that secondary schools have been invited to the dress rehearsal.

John Zuill, who has previously performed with a professional American Shakespeare company, will play the title role, supported by many of Bermuda's best actors.

These include Nigel Kermode as the Duke of Buckingham, Richard Fell as the Duke of Clarence, Arthur Lugo as the Earl of Richmond, Rebecca Lamont as Lady Anne and Jean Hannant in the role of Queen Margaret.

Because of the huge cast list, some actors are taking on multiple roles; Sean Dill, for instance, in a nice mix of character types, plays Tressel, then a Murderer and a Bishop, while Steve Watts becomes, in quick succession, the Marquess of Dorset, a Priest and a Ghost.

King Richard III runs from Wednesday, February 23 through Saturday, February 26 at the City Hall Theatre. A limited number of tickets are available from the Bermuda Festival Office.

CLASH OF SWORDS -- Arthur Lugo (left), who plays the Earl of Richmond and John Zuill as King Richard III, make some practice moves in their fatal sword fight.

GETTING PLASTERED -- Mark Pettingill having his life mask made by local artist Diana Tetlow, for the Bermuda Festival production of King Richard III.

MAN DOTH MELTETH -- Mark Pettingill, full make-up.