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Dateline: 20th June, 2006
The West End in Wales Welsh musical theatre performer Mark Evans and Essex born West End regular Paul Spicer have created West End in Wales, a brand new initiative offering youngsters in North Wales the opportunity to take part in a week-long musical theatre summer school, in which they will work with West End professionals in vocal coaching, acting and dance.
Evans, who joins the cast of the West End première of Month Python’s Spamalot when it opens at London’s Palace Theatre in October, will be returning to his roots to support Welsh talent in the making. Commenting on the launch of West End in Wales, he said, “I think it’s important that kids with raw talent have something like this, wherever they live, to give them an opportunity to work together and develop their skills. It’s a good grounding for the intensive nature of working in musical theatre and it’ll also be great fun.”
Spicer, well known for his role as co-founder and headline star of the West End’s popular Notes from New York series, is already a patron of the Live Nation Stage Experience, which offers youngsters around the UK the opportunity to take part in professionally produced shows at their local theatres, and will be a familiar face to many of the participants thanks to his role in the video to Uniting Nations’ top ten single Out of Touch.
“I enjoy working with and supporting the new generation of performers,” says Paul, “and was inspired by the Stage Experience productions I saw last year, in which youngsters performed classic musicals at major regional theatres to an amazingly high standard after only one or two weeks of rehearsal. I don’t know many professionals that could do that.”
Evans, who is currently touring the UK in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, has numerous credits as a professional dancer, having performed with artists as diverse as the Cheeky Girls and Rod Stewart. He has also appeared on Top of the Pops as well as a variety of childrens’ TV shows including Ministry of Mayhem and CBBC X-change.
Spicer, who is also in the Seven Brides tour, started his professional career playing Prince Charming opposite Julian Clary in Cinderella at the Theatre Royal Brighton, following which he was plucked from college by Cameron Mackintosh to play the juvenile male lead in The Witches of Eastwick at the Princes of Wales Theatre in the West End. He has since played principal roles in Fame and Taboo and recently performed in Not(es) from New York in the West End.
In addition to his performing credits, Paul regularly teaches jazz and modern dance at Arts Ed in London, where he trained thanks to a scholarship from Andrew Lloyd Webber, whilst Mark frequently teaches at both Laine Theatre Arts and Preston College. They will both lead sessions for West End in Wales working alongside a first rate musical director.
West End in Wales will run from Monday 7th to Friday 11th August at the Theatr Elwy, Glan Clwyd High School, St Asaph, North Wales and the cost of participation is £120. Anyone interested in booking a place should e-mail westendinwales@mostlymusicals.co.uk for further details. Places are strictly limited and therefore early booking is recommended. Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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