Friday 3 April 2009

Suffolk 'bear' was actor

A 'bear' spotted roaming a Suffolk forest was actually an actor in costume promoting an outdoor production of Shakespeare.

The actor was recreating the famous direction 'Exit - pursued by a bear' from A Winter's Tale, in Rendlesham Forest.

However, three people reported seeing a bear in the woods and the authorities were investigating, amid fears one could have escaped from a private enclosure.

The stunt was staged by the Red Rose Chain Theatre Company which is staging an outdoor production of A Winter's Tale in the forest in August.

Actor and designer Jimmy Grimes said: "We didn't want to scare anyone. The idea is to get kids interested and excited about the play. We want to create a family-friendly, fairytale feel for the production.

"No one really knows that much about the play. There's a tiny little stage direction - Exit, pursued by a bear - and a bear is supposed to follow him and it turns out he gets eaten by the bear.

"This tiny little stage direction is probably the most famous part of the play and it's something we thought we could use to get kids interested."

The 'bear' was spotted by three people including Jenny Pearce who saw it as she finished a picnic with her three-year-old son.

She said: "It was really big, moving through the trees. I picked up my son and went back to the car."

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