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Dateline: 24th August, 2008 News from the Midlands
See behind the scenes at StratfordThe Royal Shakespeare Company will be opening its doors next Sunday (August 31st) for an open day when visitors will be able to find out what goes into creating a play - from casting, rehearsals and building a set to warm-up and performance. Most events will be free. The RSC casting team will be leading an Advice for Actors session for those at the beginning of their careers. There will be information on auditions, contacting agents and casting directors, and career progression. RSC producers will offer an insight into their role, explaining the skills needed to engineer a successful production at the RSC. The company's assistant director Cressida Brown will talk about ways in which people can move forward as a director, from drama school to university to setting up your own company. Members of the literary department will hold a workshop for aspiring playwrights on how to get started on a new play. There will be tours of the costume areas of the Courtyard Theatre, allowing visitors to see costumes used in the current productions and look at the dressing rooms. A programme of children's activities and family events includes Blood, Guts and Gore, with wigs and make-up experts on hand to create black eyes, bloody noses and split lips. It takes place in the Courtyard Theatre from 10am to 12 noon and 2.30 to 4.30pm. An interactive competition, Elizabethan Dancing, inspired by the BBC programme Strictly Come Dancing, will be held in the Courtyard at 3.45pm. The judges will include actor Ray Fearon and artistic director Michael Boyd. At 8.30pm in the Courtyard RSC alumni including Antony Sher and Oliver Ford Davies will battle it out with Professor Jonathan Bate, co-editor of the RSC Complete Works, to see who will be crowned king or queen of Shakespearean knowledge. Russell Kane will round off the open day in the Courtyard at 10pm with his new show from the Edinburgh Fringe, Fakespeare: The Lamentable Tragedie of Yates's Wine Lodge. A full list of events and prices for the non-free events can be found at www.rsc.org.uk/openday.
Sleep dances into Rep as Sam plays SallyA production of Cabaret featuring Wayne Sleep as Emcee and Samantha Banks, a finalist in the BBC series I'd Do Anything, as Sally Bowles starts a national tour this week at Birmingham Rep. Henry Luxemburg plays Clifford Bradshaw and Jenny Logan is Faulein Schneider. Rufus Norris directs. His last credit was Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Broadway. Cabaret begins at the Rep on Friday (August 29th) and runs until Saturday, September 13th. Other Midlands dates are the Theatre Royal, Nottingham from September 29th to October 4th and Derngate, Northampton from November 24th to 29th. Piece of cake for theatre to sign up JennyPerrier award-winning comedienne and grumpy old woman Jenny Éclair has been signed up for the first production at Derby Playhouse since it was saved from closure. She will play the part of June Buckridge in The Killing of Sister George which previews from Saturday, September 13th and runs until October 11th. Tickets are expected to be available from the box office this week. The cast also includes Joy McBrinn, Catherine Hamilton and Carla Mendonca. Cal McCrystal directs.
Three from Ayckbourn start New Vic season with a bumpA triple bill from Alan Ayckbourn, a 1930s classic thriller and the annual visit by Northern Broadsides are among the highlights of the autumn season at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme. First up at the Staffordshire theatre-in-the-round is Ayckbourn's The Things That Go Bump season featuring three plays about the ghosts which lurk in the dark corners of all our minds. Haunting Julia, Snake in the Grass and his new play Life and Beth will be directed by Ayckbourn and Richard Derrington. The cast comprises Susie Blake, Ruth Gibson, Liza Goddard, Ian Hogg, Adrian McLoughlin and Richard Stacey. The three plays run from Wednesday, September 3rd until Saturday, September 20th. J B Priestley's Dangerous Corner will be directed by Joanna Read, until recently artistic director of Salisbury Playhouse. It's on from Friday, September 26th until Saturday, October 18th. New Vic artistic director Theresa Heskins says she "can't wait to get my teeth into" The Weir, a "memorable, moving and frightening ghost story" from Conor McPherson. When the play premiered at the Royal Court in 1997 its 26-year-old writer was acclaimed as a major new dramatist. He received the Evening Standard award for most promising playwright and the Olivier award for best new play. The Weir runs at the New Vic from Friday, October 24th until Saturday, November 8th. Northern Broadsides then bring to Staffordshire Nobel Prize-winning Dario Fo's comic masterpiece Accidental Death of an Anarchist. This new version has been written by former Coronation Street actor Deborah McAndrew and is directed by Conrad Nelson. The Christmas production is a Dominic Cooke adaptation of Arabian Nights which promises "stunning visual effects, fabulous costumes, puppets, dance music and outstanding acting". It runs from Saturday, November 22nd until Saturday. January 17th. It doubles up with a David Graham production, Uncle Eric's Christmas Panto, which runs from Tuesday, December 2nd until Saturday, December 13th. One-nighters at the New Vic include Pimlico Opera with Verdi's Falstaff on Wednesday, October 1st; and an audience with Jonathan Miller on Monday, November 3rd. Meanwhile, the New Vic is offering 14 to 18-year-olds the chance to act, dance and ultimately perform on its professional stage. The Staffordshire theatre is this week running a musical theatre week which will explore The Garden, a new musical which will be performed on the New Vic's main stage in March. Youth theatre director Cathryn Baker commented, "Musical theatre week is a chance for young people to get involved with the show and decide whether they'd like to audition for a part. "Not only will they be given the chance to learn sections from the existing musical, they'll also be given the opportunity to devise their own lyrics and scenes." Places are still available on musical theatre week, which takes place from Tuesday until Saturday (August 26th to 30th) at a cost of £75. Contact the box office on 01782 717962.
Lakeside celebrates in new seasonThe return of Theatre Absolute and Reckless Sleepers as well as a diverse dance programme are part of the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of Nottingham University's being granted its royal charter. The new season in Lakeside, the university's public arts centre, includes:
High-energy musical lights up BirminghamA new musical which has been three years in the making gets its premiere in Birmingham this week. Written by Paul Richard Bailey, Neon is the story of a young girl who struggles to find her place in the world after the death of her mother. The show is inspired by Cinderella and the message is: never judge a book by its cover. Neon is described as a "high-energy musical with a mix of comedy and drama" and it uses various musical styles from musical theatre to pop and rock. Bailey, who wrote the script, music and lyrics for the 26-song show, secured funding from the Arts Council earlier this year to produce the show. "It's always been my dream to write a musical and see that dream on stage," he said. "I believe passionately in my profession and the impact that theatre can have on people. "I want my writing to make a difference, to generate a mix of emotions in the audience who watch it and to give performers the opportunity to be involved in an exciting new venture." Pawprint Theatrical Productions is producing Neon which features professional and non-professional West Midlands performers. Auditions for the fourteen cast members took more than four months. Nearly 300 people applied and 185 people were auditioned for the roles. The show will be staged at the Library Theatre, Birmingham on Tuesday and Wednesday (August 26th and 27th). Tickets cost £8 and are being sold by Marketing Birmingham (0121 202 5000 or www.visitbirmingham.com). What's on this week
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