Mitchell Farr will be turning out for Mid Canterbury Combined 1st XV on Saturday before quickly packing his bags to head to the United Kingdom for a three-week Shakespeare tour. Photo Jaime Pitt-MacKayIn less than 24 hours, Ashburton College student Mitchell Farr is going from waiting on the wings to receive his cap for the Mid Canterbury Combined 1st XV, to waiting in the wings at the Globe Theatre in London.

A recurring shoulder injury has meant that Farr is set to receive his cap should he take to the field in their game against Timaru Boys’ High School today, but it has come with an unfortunate clash.

He departs for England with the Big Little Theatre Company trip on the same day.

“It is gonna be pretty tight,” he said.

“I will get home from the after-ball and try and get as much sleep as possible and get ready for rugby.

“I have got to be careful not to get injured as I don’t want to be injured before jetting across the world.”

The trip to the United Kingdom will see 15 members spending three weeks learning all things to do with Shakespeare, including a visit to the Globe Theatre in London, where they will perform on the stage.

While rugby and the theatre can often be seen as worlds apart, Farr says he thinks it is a strength to have a mix of both in his life.

“It is good to have a mix of keeping active and having a creative side,” he said.

“I have done plenty of Shakespeare in the past. I was part of a group a few years ago that was doing a grade six or seven exam in Shakespeare and we got a distinction and the highest result in that category in the world.”

While getting the chance to travel across the world and work with some of the best Shakespeare practitioners in the world was a massive achievement, Farr said receiving his cap would also be something memorable.

“It is something I have been working towards for two years and it is a big thing, but I am also fortunate to get the opportunity to travel to the other side of the world.”

Battling it out against some of the top schoolboy rugby teams in the country can be a challenge, but Farr said the team face the challenge with positivity.

“The team has gelled really well this year and everyone gets on,” he said.

“When you’re in a tough competition like that it could be easy to fall apart and take it out on each other.

“There are plenty of positives to take from each week and just as much to work on.”

By Jaime Pitt-MacKay © The Ashburton Guardian - 29 June 2019