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Sadly, we have had to take the heartbreaking decision this afternoon to cancel the show at St Thomas The Martyr, Bristol on Saturday.
For those who had booked, refunds will be processed via Ticketsource within the next 24 hours, and free complimentary access provided in due course to our streamed performance and exclusive related content online via the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well by way of apology. If you purchased a ticket, please check your emails for communications via Ticketsource, and nearer the time of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, an email providing you with a free direct link to viewing the show streamed online. We really hope you will join us for the streaming version (which has already been filmed and is currently being prepared by our lovely Sophie Rogers). If you miss any communications, please drop us a line on [email protected] to sort things out. The reason is simple, a lack of ticket sales, in the post-pandemic world. Breaking even is an optional luxury, and that's certainly not the cause of the decision, but the reality is that we had five advance ticket sales, and when that is compared to over £300 venue hire, plus almost £800 to hire a minibus to travel to Bristol, several hours travel for the cast and crew, we had to decide that even making a big loss to get our wonderful actors showcased and to a good performance opportunity, was simply not viable, for an audience of five. With that number of advance sales, we decided we could not rely on ticket sales on the door on the evening, and have therefore made the choice to cancel this show. We definitely hope to bring theatre back to Bristol in the future - previous shows we have brought to the city before the pandemic, have been instant sell-outs, but despite our usual advertising with radio, posters, mailshots, press, social media (free & paid), leaflets, linking to specialist interest organizations, and despite the support of the Bristol Equity (actors & creatives trade union) branch, and much more, we have been unable to reach audiences on this occasion. We believe too, that packages of flyers and posters also went missing in the mail, as they were posted at the same time as the posters and flyers to other venues which we now know went missing (but it is early enough to rectify), which also contributed to this problem. Sporadic ticket sales is an increasingly common issue. Some of us work with local theatre venues here in Devon as well, and we are seeing this happen to various other shows and acts, even to a West End musical tour. It seems to be impossible to predict as to which shows or events this happens to, but seems to be a part of the post-pandemic landscape. We hope that you will keep in touch with us, and that you will come back to us in the future. Laura Jury
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Part of our show education packs for students traditionally, is a video showing ten words from the show in BSL (British Sign Language.) Sarah Gregori has kindly created this video for our Ben Hur education pack, and also added in the full alphabet in BSL as well. This video is subtitled as well. Feel free to share to anyone who may find it useful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9URt2-OlrE An absolutely fab rehearsal today for our production of Shakespeare’s Henry V , coming to your device next month as part of Bristol Shakespeare Festival. Get your tickets here https://www.southdevonplayers.com/box-office.html Behold! a rehearsal clip from June 9th 2021, Henry V Act 2 scene 4, with Tanya Wylie as the Dauphin and Steve Walsh as the French King. Director's note: Love the use of the wine-glass! The show is coming to a screen near you July 24/25th as a streamed performance of the full production, as part of Bristol Shakespeare Festival, and then later in August as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Show and booking information at https://www.southdevonplayers.com/box-office.html The tickets for our production of Henry V at Bristol Shakespeare Festival are now available through two outlets. You can either buy via the Festival at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/william-shakespeares-henry-v-the-south-devon-players-theatre-film-comp-tickets-156262343877 Or via our website at https://www.southdevonplayers.com/box-office.html!!! We hope to see you there!
 As we look towards busier times again after the pandemic, we are also looking for people who would like to get involved with us, behind the scenes, to help create shows, and increase access to our work. The roles we are looking to fill vary hugely in commitment and theme, but as long as you are based in the relevant area, are reliable & communicative, and love the arts, then we should get along very happily indeed. Please read on to find out what we are looking to fill. If you would like an informal chat about any of these roles, do please drop us an email on [email protected], at any time. *NB, at the moment, due to lack of funding, all of these roles are voluntary. We hope, eventually, to be able to make all of these roles paid positions by dint of raising the funds to do so! Sadly with the Brixham Pannier Market being permanently closed by the town council, we have lost our large second-hand book stall, meaning that we are having to create new sources of fundraising even for basic things like rehearsal space, from scratch. COVID NOTE We would also like to be very clear that we take Covid-safety extremely seriously. While some roles can be done, or at least prepared for, from home and can therefore start sooner rather than later, any roles that involve working out and about with others/ in groups will only begin when it is safe to do so - we estimate August onwards. In the meantime, training and preparation, as far as can be done remotely over Zoom etc, will happen for those roles in preparation. All of our "face to face" work in groups will have Covid-safety measures in place.
Last week was the first week of Zoom-based rehearsals (rehearsals 2 & 3) for our production of Shakespeare's Henry V. The actors are already doing brilliantly, with characterisations, and action already starting to show through, and while of course this is the earliest days of the rehearsal process, and there is everything to yet work on, there is some strong work already coming through. As a director I am loving the expression in the tones. As part of our planned upgrade to blogging our shows, and including an education pack for each show from this production onwards, we are going to be sharing a lot of behind-the-scenes clips from rehearsals and interviews, as we work through the process. One of the challenges with performing in this way, is that very often, the actors are limited by constrained space at home, and while, later, green-screens will allow for production backdrops (we are working on the acting side of things first), the actors are expressing the majority of the action, expression and reactions/ interactions, theough head to chest images on zoom, and entering/ leaving the frame. They are also able to react to stimuli that their characters may percieve around them, off camera (which we will see in future videos). Therefore, in many ways. the acting, being closer to the camera, and therefore to the percieved view of the audience. The text and modern translation from the No Fear Shakespeare website HERE Follow the other updates for this production HERE PISTOL.
Fortune is Bardolph’s foe, and frowns on him; For he hath stolen a pax, and hanged must ’a be,-- A damned death! Let gallows gape for dog; let man go free, And let not hemp his windpipe suffocate. But Exeter hath given the doom of death For pax of little price. Therefore, go speak; the Duke will hear thy voice; And let not Bardolph’s vital thread be cut With edge of penny cord and vile reproach. Speak, captain, for his life, and I will thee requite. FLUELLEN. Anchient Pistol, I do partly understand your meaning. PISTOL. Why then, rejoice therefore. FLUELLEN. Certainly, anchient, it is not a thing to rejoice at; for if, look you, he were my brother, I would desire the Duke to use his good pleasure, and put him to execution; for discipline ought to be used. PISTOL. Die and be damn’d! and fico for thy friendship! FLUELLEN. It is well. PISTOL. The fig of Spain. Details of the crowdfund can be found at https://crowdfunder.co.uk/benhursdp
The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, has caused the continued postponement and cancellation of live shows for well over a year, for every performance venue in the UK. Now, the UK government has published an expected roadmap of eventually being able to reopen the theatres by the end of the year. Ben Hur is the Players' big returning big project, returning to theatrical "normality" after Covid. It is also the company's biggest/ most ambitious show to date, pushing performance, technical, set, lighting and costuming ingenuity to new heights, bringing this beautiful tale to the stage. Based on the famous novel by Lew Wallace, Ben Hur is set in the first century AD. Judah Ben Hur, a young nobleman of Jerusalem; a city under the occupation of the Roman Empire; is accused of attempting to murder the Roman governor, by his erstwhile closest boyhood friend, Massala, now a Roman commander. Sentenced to life as a galley slave; a sentence which usually led to death within months, Judah survives, and after a pirate attack on the Roman navy in the Agean sea, travels to Rome a hero, having saved the life of the Roman commander in his escape. He once more returns to Jerusalem, seeking his mother and sister, who were imprisoned for the same attack, and finds no trace of them. He does however, find Massala, and blinded by rage, challenges Massala at the annual arena "Games". Massala is killed in the games, with his dying breath, reveals to Judah that his mother and sister were in fact released and driven from the city as lepers. With all hope, and all lust for revenge, gone, Judah is lost, but fate is not finished with him. He eventually finds his mother and sister, who are miraculously healed by a preacher, who has recently come to the city........ A historical drama set in Biblical times, the tale of Ben Hur is interwoven with the life and death of Jesus Christ, who appears twice in the drama. This is ultimately a powerful tale of hope and love, set within the dramatic and often brutal times of the Roman Empire. The script features a wide range of strong, memorable characters, both male and female, with a large age range, carefully crafted into a show which will not only explore ambitious creative and inclusive theatre-making, but also a show, that regardless of any religious or political belief of the part of the audience members, will remain a powerful, beautiful memory for years to come. Subject to coming safely out of the pandemic, and in accordance with the UK government's expected roadmap to national recovery from the pandemic, allowing for rehearsals and performances from August onwards, the Players expect to cast the show in August 2021, when they will also begin rehearsals, twice a week (Wednesdays and Sundays) in the room they rent in their local community centre. The show will be toured to local & regional venues, including theatres, churches, and other spaces, during the spring of 2022. The team usually perform in at least 4 towns and cities, ranging from their home town of Brixham, up to Bristol, but they are also hoping to expand the tour this time for such an exciting show, and are actively seeking new venues. The team will also be filming the show for online broadcast through our website. Should dates of recovery from the pandemic change nationally or regionally, the project dates may change in line with that, but this project will go ahead. The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company is an internationally awardwinning theatre company based in the beautiful fishing port of Brixham, in South Devon (hence the company name!) in the southwest peninsula of England. Founded in the winter of 2005-6, to create theatre opportunities for local actors in an area of high poverty and deprivation, the South Devon Players specialise in carefully researched historical dramas; often new writing based on new historical research, Shakespeare, and as in this case, staged adaptations of classical literature. Bringing these stories alive on the stage, brings historical research, and some of the great classical tales, to life in an accessible, colourful, experiential format - so much more different than the black and white of the pages of a book. An inclusive, female led company, the company welcomes actors and crew at all levels of previous experience, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, education, or other kinds of identities/ demographics. The Players hold the belief that talent and professionalism is everywhere, and needs only a chance to shine. The only requirements of the company is that those who join the team have the desire and drive to create groundbreaking top-quality theatre, work positively in a team environment, developing and sharing skills, and that good manners, positivity, reliability and kindness are paramount . The Players are launching the crowdfund for this project to help support their return to the live stage, with funds going towards costumes, props, and the costs of production, as well as funds towards payments for the actors and crew, facilitating a high quality and positive project to return from the lockdowns and Covid crisis. The South Devon Players Theatre and Film Company, are developing a proud tradition of creating world-class historical and classical dramas. In 2019, their production of Macbeth, was booked for a second tour and won an international theatre award in New York for its professionalism and creativity. Laura Jury, the director of that production of Macbeth, & many of the Player's shows, and founder of the theatre company, has returned to lead this new project. Laura has also recently been selected to appear in an online Shakespeare project by the Globe Theatre. With lockdown, the Players have been using the internet to perform and stream digital theatre from Brixham, around the world to global audiences, with growing excellent feedback. It has been a long few days deciding on the show castings for Henry V. The show needs a large cast, even with doubling of roles, and the standard of the auditions were, without fail, exceptional.
After several days of soul-searching, we have finalised the casting for this show. With digital shows coming up in the summer and live performances later in the autumn, this is is going to be a thrilling new project for everyone. We are delighted to welcome the cast: Actor 1: Chorus, Duke of York, Sir Thomas Erpingham, Jamy, French Soldier, French Court Attendant – Allison Abbott Actor 2: King Henry V – Rich Sandford Actor 3: Humphrey of Gloucester, Sir Thomas Grey – Eve Germaine (may be asked to understudy Katherine as well, for Sarah) Actor 4: John of Bedford, Williams, Duke of Britain, Duke of Berri – Christophe Monplaisir Actor 5: Thomas of Clarence, Dauphin – Jamie Hoskin Actor 6: Duke of Exeter, Rambures – Sarah Gregori Actor 7: Earl of Westmorland, Fluellen, - Samuel Swaffield Actor 8: Earl of Warwick, Bates, Bardolph, Constable of France – Jenny Coverack Actor 9: Archbishop of Canterbury, Richard of Cambridge, Macmorris, King Charles of France, Duke of Bourbon, Grandpré – Anthony Webster Actor 10: Earl of Salisbury, Bishop of Ely, Lord Scroop, – Laura Jury M Actor 11: Pistol, Ambassador of France, English Herald, Duke of Orleans – Ben Butler Actor 12: Williams, Nym, Duke of Brugundy, Governor of Harfleur, Montjoy – Alex Stewart Actor 13: Boy, French Messenger – Lily Elliott Actor 13: Gower -Sadhbh Saoirse Actor 14: Alice, Hostess – Parascovia Everett Actor 15: Katherine – Sarah Hobbs  There is a lot of news for a short period of time, that affects most of our shows.
First of all, we are delighted to announce that our first ever Arts Council funded project, True Tales of Spooky Brixham, is now live for public ticket sales. We had a great session with most of the recording work last week, and are doing the final pickups tomorrow. This project will be fundraising for Brixham Theatre, our nearest local theatre, where we always perform for each show tour. Secondly, theres Jack The Ripper. The live theatre shows were originally planned for the end of January (at Brixham Theatre) but with the governments expectation that Coovid restrictions will go on for another six months, and Brixham Theatre not reopening until May 1st 2021, we will be running a virtual performance in early Feb 2021 (tickets on sale soon), prior to the rebooked tour dates in May for the live performances of Jack the Ripper as originally planned. All venues originally booked will be contacted by the end of the week to rebook. With this schedule in place, we can also announce that in, the early New Year , we will be castings for our second "live" post-covid show, Shakespeare's Henry V. The dates for this show run will be dictated by our inclusion with Bristol Shakespeare Festival, ideally live, or otherwise as an online show. With our virtual season, there have been some date changes. The Lost Girl (script by Germaine Shames, based on the novel by DH Lawrence) is being rescheduled for mid January 2021. Between some internal live broadcast logistics, and a delay caused by struggling to cast the older roles, (a new casting advert will go out shortly for those roles) we have postponed the project so that it can be done to best effect and quality.. The other autumn virtual shows, Sir Walter's Women, and The Taming of the Shrew, are unaffected. Our non-exclusive casting agency also remains open. While our books are closed to actors who have not worked with us (we work on being able to provide personal reccomendations from having ourselves worked with people), our actors are largely available for remote/ home-taped/ virtual/ voice over work, or castings on known Covid-secure sets. Please note that if seeking actors through us, these are all experienced professionals, and must be paid as such. We have some new work coming in through the agency at the moment, and suitable team members will be approached over the next week or so for the work, which will all be done over Zoom. We are also in the process of developing a welcome book for those who join our teams for one or more productions. For those newer to working professionally, or who are unsure what to expect, this outlines how things work and organisation expectations, aiming to answer frequently asked questions, and be an easy to access guide. This will be finished by Christmas. And that's all for the moment. Stay safe, keep battling along, and never stop revelling in creativity! |
This is our new format news page. To read all our news between 2010 and Jan 2015, please see our old format news page HERE The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company, is the trading name of The South Devon Players Limited;
Registered at Companies House: Company number 11569166 
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