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Dateline: 3rd April, 2005 News from the Midlands
University gets only UK dates of Peter Brook playWarwick Arts Centre is to present the only UK dates of Tierno Bokar, a theatrical research by Peter Brook. The Arts Centre, based at the University of Warwick, Coventry, previously staged Brook's Le Costume in 2001 and La Tragedie d'Hamlet in 2003. Tierno Bokar is currently on a month-long residency at Columbia University, New York and will then undertake a major European tour. The production opens at Warwick Arts Centre on June 22nd for only five performances. Brook discovered the story of the Sufi mystic, Tierno Bokar, in the writings of African writer Amandou Hampate Ba. Set in Mali during the 1930s, the play describes the religious conflict that arises within a Sufi community over the number of times that a particular prayer is recited. Tierno's spiritual humility in dealing with this doctrinal dispute sets in motion a series of events which lead to his ostracism and subsequent death. Tierno Bokar is presented by Brook's company, Theatre des Bouffes du Nord. Louis Brenner, Professor of the History of Religion in Africa at the University of London, will offer four talks on Tierno Bokar before the Warwick Arts Centre performances on June 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th. Competition for amateur playwrightsStoke's Regent Theatre and Victoria Hall have announced details of their annual playwriting competition. It's open to people from all areas and abilities and will culminate with a live reading of the plays at the Victoria Hall. The competition is open to amateur writers aged 16 and over. Completed scripts must have a running time of ten minutes, have a maximum of three characters and be suitable for a family audience. There is an entry charge of £10 per play (£8 for students, unemployed or the over 60s) which covers administration and the costs of a professional acting team. Closing date is November 30th. Entries should be sent to Education and Outreach, Victoria Hall, Bagnall Street, Cultural Quarter, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3AD.
First significant revival of Wesker play for more than 20 yearsWith a general election only weeks away, Nottingham Playhouse will be examining the breakdown of political ideals with a revival of Arnold Wesker's play Chicken Soup With Barley. Based on Wesker's experiences of growing up in a Jewish family in East London at the time of the 1930s anti-fascist riots, Chicken Soup With Barley blends the personal and political in a touching tale of a family's struggle for a better life. This will be the first significant UK staging of the play for more than two decades. Chicken Soup With Barley is recognised as a landmark play in the history of post-war British theatre. The cast comprises Nottingham-born Simon Schatzberger, Caroline Lennon who was in last year's Playhouse production Angels Among the Trees, Robert Benfield, Russell Bentley, Rachel Edwards, Shona Morris, Daniel Rabin and Nitzan Sharron. Playhouse artistic director Giles Croft directs Chicken Soup With Barley which runs from next Friday (April 8th) until Saturday, April 23rd.
Bruno's on his Todd in Shakespeare castingBruno Langley, better known as Todd Grimshaw from Coronation Street, has been signed up by Stafford Shakespeare Festival to play Romeo in this year's open-air production of Romeo and Juliet. Not only will the production at Stafford Castle be his first open-air performance - it'll also be his first theatre production! He is the first actor to be offered a part in the play. Producer and casting director Stephen Freeman said, "We're delighted that Bruno will be joining us. He gave a fantastic audition earlier in the year. Both the director and I were in awe at his skills and talent. We're both now looking forward to working with this talented young actor and seeing what he can do with the exciting role of Romeo." Romeo and Juliet runs from June 30th until July 16th. Babies invited to Open House at RepAn informal, interactive theatre experience for babies up to two years old and their parents will be presented at Birmingham Rep from this week. Open House invites toddlers to discover a specially created house complete with kitchen, bathroom and garden. Open House was created as part of the initiative Rep's Children which was instigated last October. It offered every baby born at Birmingham's City and Sandwell hospitals a free theatre experience every year for the first ten years of their lives. The Rep's education director Steve Ball directs. Laurent Dupont, a French theatre director who has directed work for young children with a number of European companies, is artistic consultant. Four teachers from Birmingham nursery schools have also been consulted about the creative process. Open House runs from Tuesday (April 5th) until Saturday, April 16th. It then tours Sure Start venues and Creative Partnership schools across Birmingham.
Cornish company conjure up Coelho classicThe stage version of Paulo Coelho's best-selling novel The Alchemist, which is on a 30-venue tour, makes its last appearance in the Midlands on Wednesday. Presented by the Cornish Theatre Collective and produced by James Seabright, this adaptation of Coelho's modern classic features an original score played live and puppetry. Director Dominic Knutton said, "We originally toured the production to small arts centres and people loved it. Working with James Seabright allows the show a new incarnation. This means everything has to be scaled up, which is a great challenge. We also get a chance to take Cornish work all over the country." The Alchemist will be at Derby's Guildhall Theatre on Wednesday (April 6th). Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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