On Saturday Night some of our team (Wayne Cutler Allison Abbott Sarah Gregori Fiona Humphreys Laura Jury) supported Friends of Brixham Library with their concert celebrating their historical research of the farming area of Brixham ("Cowtown") as organised by Phil Trayhorn, at St Mary's Church Brixham

Photos by Christine Bovey and Laura Jury

Fantastic day again at Les Miserables rehearsals for Act 2. Here are a few pictures nabbed in between racing around and dying over the barricade - and some partial costume starting to appear :D . A LONG afternoon today, but it really paid off, with the cues and reactions, especially on the extremely fast paced barricade scenes. Thank you so much to all the great people who helped make it happen.

Rehearsals are now well underway for our production of Les Miserables; costumes will begin to appear over the next few weeks now. The cast are working together as a fantastic team regardless of age and background. Over the next three/four weeks scripts will go down and costumes will appear!

Photos by Tabatha Cart

For people who were too far afield to come to see our stage show of Macbeth, it is now on Youtube!

iRehearsals are now fully underway for our production of Les Miserables. While costumes wont be making an appearance until next week, Andrew came up today and got some brilliant pictures of the rehearsals behind the scenes. We did Act 1 (the first half) today, and the team are so strong already. Behind the scenes the teamwork and cohesion is ideal, onstage the energy and dynamism is so powerful that it is amazing to think what it will become, when it is this strong already. Truly wonderful - and a privilige to direct such great actors.

Had an absolutely awesome Sunday afternoon  getting Les Mis underway at our rehearsal base of Chestnut Community Centre! This team is sheer joy personified. The professionalism, coupled with the laughter and supportive-ness is second-to-none!
From complete to beginners to trained professionals we are all working together in a joyful, supportive team- the energy is magnificent. We cant wait to be joined by the youngsters and the people away this week (we were due to start next week but decided to get cracking!) . We still have some roles open so please get in touch if you would like to join us.

With Fiona as Mlle Gillenormand, Mitchell as Enjolras, Carmen as Fantine, Louisa as grown up Cosette, and Al as Jean Valjean

We held open auditions for our production of Les Miserables, last weekend and filled most of the roles.
As it stands though we are still looking to cast several male roles, and would like to hear from anyone interested in auditoning - contact us to arrange an audition time and date .

You can download an audition information pack here

Following the success of our production of Macbeth, our two youngest cast from that show, Mollie and Joe, were in a production of Little Shop of Horrors at their school in Torquay, Spires College. A number of us from the Macbeth team, attended to support them, and see their show.

  What a brilliant performance! Joe Northstone played the most incredible Seymour, and Mollie Pass was an amazing Ronette, while Ash Mackintosh was everywhere - chorus, stagehand and puppeteer at different times.
They were joined by a fantastic, talented teenage cast, and live band, whose characterisation, focus, and performance skills were more than worthy of a professional stage. The singing, dancing, choreography, everything was flawless.
On the whole, I am not a fan of comedy, but Alex Taylor also had me in uncontrolled stitches of laughter as the dentist Orin, and the journalist - the exuberant confidence in some quite challenging performance was more than many adults would manage! Stacey Glover played a wonderfully convincing anxious Audrey (and what a great American accent!!), Dylan Kellys voice-overs were so well done that we didnt realise they were being performed live, until we met him!

I pick these actors out but honestly everyone in that show was incredible. It was very easy to forget that you were watching pupils of the school, in their school production. It would grace any stage anywhere.

And it was also a joy to realise that in order to achieve such brilliant work, the school staff too, must be incredibly supportive of their students, and motivated to help them achieve excellence (which they did!) when so often the arts, and theatre, end up sidelined.

I hope that all of the young people I saw performing tonight, continue to pursue acting, dancing and/or singing. Whether as a hobby or as a profession, depending on their aspirations and preferred career choices. Because all of them were truly wonderful.

Thank you to all the performers, and the school, for a magical, and hilarious evening.

Laura

Our production of Macbeth at Torquay went as well as the Brixham shows did, with more excellent feedback. A local newspaper reporter, Bob Jope, attended to review the production - here is a link to his glowing review:
Macbeth in Torbay
while other audience feedback and reviews on social media was just as encouraging.

It was also an exciting first for us, as the actor/ technician Dorothy Laity Lombardi attended to run our lights. It was fantastic to work with her - and to meet her  theatre-trained service dog, Emma. Dorothy and Emma proved without a shadow of doubt just what an amazing team they were!
(photos below of rehearsals, and preparation for the Torquay performances - and featuring Emma!)