Latest News - October, 2004

Newsletter

Since our first production, Richard III, we have put on The Taming of the Shrew, Comedy of Errors and Titus Andronicus to acclaim. Love's Labour's Lost, directed by Chris Rawson, goes on at Friargate Theatre, Lower Friargate, from Wednesday December 1 to Saturday December 4 and Tuesday December 6 to Saturday December 11 at 7.30 . There will be a 2.30 matinee on Saturday December 11 with signing and some audio description. This will be provided through funding from the Gannett Foundation, the charity arm of the Yorkshire Evening Press. Tickets £7.50 with £6 concessions and for members from the theatre or at the door.

We follow with a two week open-air Romeo and Juliet in collaboration with the City of York Council in the renovated Rowntree Park from July 10 to 24 2005, directed by Sarah Punshon, assistant director at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Anyone keen in helping should contact Alan Lyons.

In line with our policy, auditions (next spring) will be open to all and casting will be the sole decision of Sarah.

Our next productions will be the Henry VI trilogy (adapted into two separate shows) and Two Gentlemen of Verona. We have not decided the running order, but have booked the Guildhall for the first of the shows for November 2005.

On education and outreach, we have taken free workshops to day centres, secondary schools, a unit for excluded students, and given a general workshop. Education has proved more of a challenge than the shows but we are progressing. Our need is for a regular workshop leader. If you can get involved in any way, please contact Val Parker at valputland@nasuwt.net, telephone 626345.

We have performed The Conspiracy for the Gild of Freeman in the 2002 Waggon plays, two performances for the York Roman Festival and a madrigal and sonnets evening at Bedern Hall. Our website www.yorkshakespeare.org.uk includes news, details about us, reviews and photographs.

All this has been funded from grants given in particular by Awards for All, Gannett Foundation, York Challenge Trust, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and other grants, donations and help-in-kind, plus ticket sales and members' subscriptions. Membership is about 60 and our finances are healthy.

Even so, fund-raising is important. We are organising a food and bric-a-brac stall at St Crux, at the bottom of the Shambles on Saturday December 18, and a four-day 100-hour non-stop read through of the First Folio at Asda, Monks Cross, from 4pm Tuesday February 1 to 8pm Saturday February 5 2005. Which is where the pleading and/or hard sell comes in! If you can help us, please note the following details.

Lee and Linda Maloney are running St Crux and would love help on cake and sandwich making, bric-a-brac donations and delivering to the venue. Help on the day is also needed, for setting up, serving and clearing up. Their email is leemaloney@btinternet.com, telephone 411713

The York Shakespeare Marathon (or 'ASDA You Like It') is being organised by Raymond Baggaley, the project chair. We are looking to raise around £3,000 and need at least 60 readers to devote on average about 10 hours over the period - which works out at, say, three plays each volunteer. Some people will want to do less, some more. Each volunteer should obtain sponsorship from friends, family etc of at least £20, but there is no upper limit! We need a minimum of six readers a play which should give everyone some great lines to perform. We will select coordinators to organise a read through of each play beforehand to give an idea of timing and the play itself. But there will be no need to learn lines.

Please contact Raymond at baggaleysyork@aol.com or by phone 701813.

Anyone willing to give a donation for either event should send cheques made out to the York Shakespeare Project to Kit Bird, YSP Treasurer, 122 The Mount, York YO24 1HS.

On membership, we would like to top the 100 mark which would run the project. Administration costs are kept to a minimum but there are heavy payments for public liability insurance and auditing. Anyone wishing to join (£10, £5 unwaged and £15 a couple at the same address or £50 corporate) should contact Jamie Searle at jamie.searle@bbc.co.uk or 23 Fenwick Street, York YO23 1JR .

We have learnt many lessons since Richard III. It is not the amount of work people do, but the enthusiasm and commitment - to do however much or little they have promised - which counts most.

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