Free tickets available to see Miriam Margolyes, Bill Kenwright and Quentin Letts judge the semi-finals for Sky Arts’ Stagestruck series at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Courtyard Theatre
Stratford-upon-Avon audiences have the chance to book free tickets to watch the semi-finalists in a new Sky Arts series Stagestruck perform at the RSC’s Courtyard Theatre on Sunday 13 November and hear the celebrity judges Miriam Margolyes, Quentin Letts and Bill Kenwright select the groups to go through to the final. The series is due to be broadcast in Summer 2012 and is produced by Oxford Film and Television.
Sky Arts has been scouring the country in a search for Britain’s best amateur theatre groups for the new series. Theatre luminaries Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter, Black Adder and Wicked), Quentin Letts (BPA Theatre Critic of the Year 2010) and Bill Kenwright (Producer, Whistle Down the Windand Blood Brothers)selected a shortlist of seven groups from a range of outstanding video auditions which included innovative performances of Macbeth set in a gay bar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed in a Scots dialect and The Merry Wives of Windsor with a unique Essex twist. The eighth group was chosen by public vote through the Sky Arts website.
These eight finalists were whittled down to four when they performed scenes from Chekhov and Ibsen against one another in Northampton in mid-October, and the four remaining groups will now all perform an extract from Shakespeare’s King Lear at the Courtyard Theatre. During their five-week rehearsal period, each group has received the added boost of a voice and movement workshop with the RSC's experts. The judges can select only two of these groups to go forward in the competition, all of which will be featured in the series.
The new series explores the stories, commitment and passion of the members of the amateur theatres as they fine tune their craft to impress the judges. The finalists are mentored by British stars of stage and screen while cameras follow their every move as they hone their performances. The winning group will perform a play at a top London West End theatre.
The four remaining groups are Crossmichael Drama Club from Galloway, Regent Rep from Christchurch in Dorset, Glasgow’s Strathclyde Theatre Group and Tell Tale Theatre Company from Toxteth.
“Sky Arts has long wanted to make a series that recognises the rich cultural importance of the amateur dramatics industry,” commented James Hunt, Channel Director of Sky Arts. “We were thrilled with the high calibre of the groups that have applied and the judges involved, and are confident that this series will do justice to these extraordinarily talented actors.”
"Stagestruck is more than a talent show. It's a celebration of how amateur theatre can be a beating heart of communities all across Britain," says Nicolas Kent, Creative Director of Oxford Film and TV.
The quality and creative talent of these entries proves that the amateur theatre world is flourishing in the UK. Both Miriam Margolyes and Quentin Letts found their love of theatre and performance through amateur theatre:Miriam Margolyes is an alumnus of Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club and Quentin Letts was an active member of the Trinity College Dublin Players.
All four of the Stagestruck semi-finalist groups will be performing an extract from William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of King Lear from 2.30pm on Sunday 13 November at the RSC’s Courtyard Theatre, with the judges’ verdicts being delivered at the end of the afternoon’s performances. Tickets are free of charge, but places are limited. To reserve seats, call the RSC’s Box Office on 0844 800 1110
26 October 2011
