Giles Woodforde talks to Theatre Guild director Janet Bolam

It’s 1387, and on their journey from London to Canterbury a band of pilgrims will tell tales of love, chivalry, and villainy.

There will be “farce most lewd, and stories plain rude”. Soon those stories will echo round the walls of Oxford Castle as Oxford Theatre Guild presents six of Chaucer’s famed Canterbury Tales as its 2014 outdoor summer show.

“The dramatisation we are performing [originally commissioned by the RSC from former Guild member Mike Poulton] gives the impression that Chaucer has arrived in Southwark,” says Nick Quarterly, who is playing the poet. “He’s going to do the walk to Canterbury, meets these people by chance, finds that they’re telling this wonderful range of extraordinary stories, and notes them down. Then at the very end of the play he admits that he’s rewritten the stories himself, it’s his own creation. So he’s effectively plagiarised other people’s work — he’d end up in court for doing that today!”

Nick has taken preparation for his role seriously: he’s followed in Chaucer’s footsteps, although, he admits, he didn’t risk suspicious stares from other walkers by dressing in medieval costume.

“It was all very 21st century, with boots and rucksack,” he laughs. “Also, it wasn’t quite Chaucer’s Pilgrim’s Way because I didn’t start at Southwark — the idea of walking out through South London didn’t appeal. So I took the easy option and started in Farnham, which is in fact the beginning of the North Downs Way: for a lot of the time the North Downs Way links up with the Pilgrims’ Way. But it was probably further than Chaucer would have had to walk, it was about 120 miles.”

Nick adds that he kept a careful eye out for pub names along the way, as they are appropriately woven into many of Chaucer’s tales.

“The Dirty Habit was one of them. It’s actually a rather smart bistro pub now, so it wasn’t quite what I was looking for. They were all a little bit like that, especially in Surrey and North Kent.”

Audiences at the Guild’s Canterbury Tales will themselves be asked to do a bit of walking around the Oxford Castle area.

“I felt that if the pilgrims were making a journey it might be quite nice if we did as well,” says director Janet Bolam. “So we will spend some time in the old prisoners’ exercise yard, and then we’re using the grassy sward over there for one of our tales. I just think it’s irresistible.”

Janet was noticeably limping when she arrived, the result of a leg injury. What, I asked her, if any audience members are not too good at walking or standing?

“This is something very close to my heart! There will be places for people to sit, and arrangements for wheelchairs. And if the weather’s nice they can sit on the grassy areas and have a picnic.”

Ah, the weather. What if it rains?

“If it’s only raining lightly, the Guild has got a completely new and interesting policy, which is to provide everybody with a plastic cover to put on. If it rains heavily, we are still working out what our strategy is going to be. But we’re sure it’s going to be glorious sunshine for the two weeks!”

Janet, Nick and I are sitting at one of the café tables just outside the Oxford Castle Unlocked building. In front of us is an enormous paved area. Where is Janet going to place her actors?

“I came and stood here for many a long hour, and in the end decided that four of the tales could be put on the steps and mound behind us. But it’s given us a massive challenge because it is such a huge long length of space, and we need to keep changing the shape by rearranging lots of boxes, and poles with things mounted on them. The actors have to do all the moving involved — while they’re singing. I had them all walking round last night with cardboard boxes, plastic bags, cups and plates, singing Jubilate Deo at the same time. They will hate me soon!”

The Canterbury Tales
Oxford Castle courtyard
June 24-July 5 at 7.30pm
Tickets: 01865 266066 or oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk