 |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
News
|
|||
|
News
|
Dateline: 9th July, 2006
Bard Plumbs the Depths as Buxton Festival Fringe Continues 1623 Theatre Company, specialising in performing Shakespeare in non-traditional theatre spaces, will be taking three shows to the Buxton Festival Fringe which continues this week. They will be presenting Shakespeare In The Underworld in Poole's Cavern with Hecat, queen of the witches, and her two actor slaves Adam Buss and Jane Upton guiding audiences through the seven deadly sins in Shakespeare's plays. There will be scenes from some of the Bard's goriest plays, including Macbeth, Titus Andronicus and Richard III. Shakespeare In The Underworld will be staged from tomorrow (Monday) until Wednesday (July 10th to 12th). On Thursday the company move to Brierlow Bar Bookstore, Buxton for the appropriately titled Bard Amongst The Books. 1623's third production at Buxton will be The Course of True Love, featuring Ben Adams and Kim Voisey-Youldon in the Orchestra Pit at the Old Hall Hotel on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, July 16th, 18th and 19th. Soap actor goes behind the scenes for fringe benefitsChris Gascoyne, best known for playing bigamist Peter Barlow in Coronation Street, turns his hand to directing during the second week of Buxton Festival Fringe. He will be at the helm of Caroline Harding's play Two Sisters, "a funny and moving tale inspired by the short stories of Chekhov and Maupassant." Two Friends Productions will perform it in the Old Clubhouse, Water Street from Tuesday to Saturday (July 11th to 15th). Tales from Canterbury are no distractionDistraction Theatre played to audiences throughout the UK, including Edinburgh, last year and at Buxton will be reviving their version of The Canterbury Tales. They've reworked Chaucer's most famous stories, The Miller's Tale and The Wife of Bath's Tale which have been rewritten in modern language and use a combination of original live music and well-known songs. The Canterbury Tales will be performed on Thursday and Friday (July 13th and 14th) at Buxton Cricket Ground. The following week Distraction will be whisking audiences to 18th century France with the original play version of The Marriage of Figaro. Producer Rebecca Gadsby says, "The play - which was written in 1784 by Pierre Beaumarchais - has often been overshadowed by the Mozart opera which shares the same name. But we're determined to give audiences an evening of great entertainment, with many laughs along the way. It is a romp, after all, so don't expect a delicate opera!" The Marriage of Figaro is at Buxton Cricket Ground on Thursday and Friday, July 20th and 21st. New play is just the spiritThe Chance Factory will be premiering their new play The Ghostfather at Buxton which combines the talents of writer/director partnership Steve and Cathy Jansen with an eager cast of actors. Cathy Jansen has been directing from an early age while writer Steve Jansen has been published both here and in America. First starting with short stories, he now has had a television series optioned, a full-length film in development and several plays to his name. Cathy Jansen said, "This year's show is vibrant, blending different styles of film noir with gangster madcap and comedy capers similar to Scooby Doo." The Ghostfather plays at the Hydro Café Tearooms, Buxton from Thursday to Saturday (July 13th to 15th). The Chance Factory will donate £1 from each ticket sale to the RNLI. Mark Twain back from the grave to give talksMark Twain, in the person of award-winning American actor Bern Budd, will be returning to England to present two of his talks. Budd will be performing Hannibal Years, about Twain's boyhood on the banks of the Mississippi River, on Monday, July 17th and from Wednesday to Friday, July 19th to 21st; and The Morals Lecture, Twain's effort to "revolutionize" the morals of the world, on Sunday and Monday, July 16th and 17th, and from Wednesday to Friday, July 19th to 21st, at different times in the afternoon. Both will be at the Pauper's Pit in the Old Hall Hotel. Why Robin Hood is merrier than usualPals Productions will be presenting the age-old story of Robin Hood retold with a comical twist. When the long-suffering people of Nottingham hear there's a hooded hero in town robbing from the rich to give to the poor they're certain the brave outlaw can save them from the clutches of the evil Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. However, things go awry when the legendary Robin Hood doesn't quite live up to his reputation. Pals Productions' artistic director Laura Clark say, "This is a timeless tale with a difference and guarantees fun for all the family." Robin Hood will be staged at Trinity Church on Saturday (July 15th). Elvis impersonator will have you all shook upNew writing production company Random Productions will be taking their darkly comic thriller A Story For When We're Grandads to the Fringe. It includes possibly the scariest Elvis impersonator you will ever see, skydiving, sinister strangers, police interrogations and more. It contains strong language. The writer, Staffordshire-based Patrick McConnell, also performs in the play, along with Buxton-bred actor Matthew Connell, who is proud to be appearing in his home town. It takes to the stage at the Pauper's Pit at The Old Hall Hotel on Sunday and Monday, July 16th and 17th, at 7.30 and on Wednesday and Thursday, July 19th and 20th, at 5pm. Double bill should leave a good tasteThis year Taste Productions will be putting on two very different pieces at the Fringe: Where's Waldo?, a comic, horror-movie spoof with songs; and Magdalen Whitewash by Valerie Goodwin, an "emotional and harrowing account of the treatment of women who fell pregnant out of wedlock in Ireland." Where's Waldo will be performed in the upstairs room at Buxton Methodist Church on Monday, July 17th and Friday, July 21st. Magdalen Whitewash is on at the same venue from Tuesday to Thursday, July 18th to 20th. New comedy isn't just pantsBirmingham-based Barefoot Players will no doubt win the prize for most amusing play title with their One Man, Two Women (and a pair of edible pants). This new comedy by Steve Fisher - which isn't suitable for children - is a "fun, frolicsome and wry look at modern relationships, taking an acerbic look at why couples split up and why they sometimes just can't stay apart." It's on at the Old Clubhouse, Water Street from Wednesday to Saturday, July 19th to 22nd. Puppet festival returns to BuxtonBuxton Puppet Festival is back for a fourth year with another selection of performances and workshops for all ages at the Opera House, The Paupers Pit, Upstairs at The Old Clubhouse and around the town. The festival, presented by The British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild and Buxton Opera House, takes place from July 23rd to 29th. This year, in an expanded programme, there are six unusual shows in the Opera House. The am A zing Thing on Monday, July 24th follows storyteller Peter Grimm as he opens the box to find the Thing. An unusual journey follows, weaving its way through a medley of well-known Brothers Grimm tales, to unlock his imagination and set the stories free. On Wednesday, July 26th The Chatterbox uses puppets, film and weird effects. It tells the story of nine-year-old Billy who inadvertently finds himself stuck inside the Chatterbox, an extraordinary machine that allows him to travel into the world of books. In his efforts to escape, he follows a trail of clues through some of the greatest and worst writing in the world. One Henry, Six Wives and a Dog Called Stanley tells Henry VIII's story in his own words, with the ghosts of his queens, principal courtiers and even his dog coming back to haunt him. The show, on Friday, July 28th, features two actors, a host of puppets, specially composed music and stunning, historically accurate costumes. On the same day Moving Tales challenges traditional ideas of puppetry and explores worlds that seem somehow familiar. Performances for adults include Cirque d'Hoffman on Tuesday, July 25th. It blends opera and circus. Imogen explores the torment of a father whose life has been crushed after the death of his daughter. It's on at the Opera House on Thursday, July 27th. Reporter: Steve Orme Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
|
||
|
|
