Leicester’s Curve Theatre has revealed details of the programme for its fifth birthday open day which includes free workshops and live performances.
Fiona Allan, Curve’s chief executive, commented, “Our open day is Curve’s gift to the community and their chance to explore behind the scenes of one of the UK’s nationally acclaimed producing theatres.”
From 10AM on Saturday 7 September Curve will be attempting to break a Richard III-inspired Guinness World Record for the most number of people wearing paper crowns.
The current record, which stands at 749 people, was achieved by the Pangbourne village fete in Berkshire in 2012, but the Leicester theatre is hoping that more than 1,000 people will wear a paper crown for five minutes.
During the world-record attempt, Curve will be staging Leicester’s largest mass reading of the opening speech from William Shakespeare’s Richard III.
Free backstage tours will be held every half hour, with Curve technicians demonstrating the theatre’s cutting-edge technical wizardry.
For families, comic and poet Ian Billings will be presenting his children’s show Dumbs Up! in the theatre at 11:30AM.
In the Studio artistic director Paul Kerryson will relive some of the finest moments from Curve’s past five years and give an insight into life in the theatre in an interview with BBC Radio Leicester’s Jonathan Lampon at 11AM.
The day will conclude with a performance in the Studio of Curve’s Play in A Day challenge at 4:30PM in which a community cast will perform seven five-minute plays, written by members of Curve’s writers’ programme.
All events are free but booking is recommended. Tickets can be booked in person at Curve’s sales kiosk in the Highcross shopping centre, at the ticket office at Curve or by calling 0116 242 3595.