The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company News

Welcoming lovely Sue.

16/9/2023

A big challenge which we have had since the day we started is support accessing writing grant applications and networking etc.

With being one person doing all that, and the theatre company admin, while also being autistic and of a minority, Laura has found it largely inaccessible both in terms of time and in terms of people/ organizations/ funders making negative judgements on “someone different from them”, and her own social anxiety and c-ptsd. This has of course had a huge knock on to what we have been able to achieve for the amazing local people we work with. Appeals for reliable help on this, for 17 years, fell on deaf ears.

Now the lovely Sue Slade from Paignton, also mother to two autistic teenagers who often become involved in our shows, has come on board as Laura’s access support for applying to grants, networking and building up those things, and being that contact whom outside bodies for funding, networking and the arts, may feel more comfortable accepting..
Already on Day 1; two applications have gone off with another two in the drafting stage.

Great showcase/ workshop, concluding the 2022-23 winter theatre school

17/3/2023

We had a great conclusion to the theatre school as the final session of the six month drama classes, in which most of our students and a couple of guests from our production or Les Miserables performed a monologue, which was filmed for their portfolios.

The theatre school will return again next winter subject to funding to cover the costs, with various other workshops etc before then we hope. Well done to all the amazing people involved tonight and a huge thank you to Brixham Theatre for hosting the classes!

Education offer for Shakespeare's Macbeth, & Les Miserables

8/12/2022

At the South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company, we are now seeking to connect with schools (or other places of education) who would like to work with us - we would love to work with educational establishments (in discussion with what they need) to provide workshops, talks, Q&As, excerpt performances (etc - we are open to discussion with this) , this could be related to the literature/ story, the history or the process of creating the show. We also have some neurodiverse people within the cast, so discussions on making theatre participation accessible to people with those conditions is also very welcome.

These can be in person, at your school/ college, or we can host it in Brixham - alternatively we can also work with you over video link (Zoom etc)

We are also happy to discuss arranging full show performances, at cost, if these are relevant. The shows are all "suitable-for-all")

March - June this would be linked to our show Les Miserables: The Memoirs of Jean Valjean - this is a non-musical theatre drama based off the book, which is going on public tour to Brixham, Plymouth, Torquay and Exeter. Unavailable days would be the weekly rehearsal days; Wednesdays and Sundays (as well as the show dates)

August (so probably logistically September for schools) to January 2024 we will be producing William Shakespeare's Macbeth; this is the full uncut text, again touring publicly to Brixham, Plymouth, Torquay and Exeter, the staging is a post-apocalyptic setting (the aftermath of a nuclear war) , When we did this show (same approach and styling) in 2019k, we won a theatre award for it in New York after streaming it worldwide, and ran an extra weekday performance at Brixham Theatre for a couple of primary schools.

We would absolutely love to hear from anyone interested in discussing further.
Please (in the first instance) get in touch via email; southdevonplayers@gmail.com)

The second class at Brixham Theatre

11/11/2022

Lovely evening yesterday working with our actors training class in partnership with Brixham Theatre, last night was working on script analysis and characterisation. It was truly fabulous to see how everyone's confidence and skills developed through the evening - cant wait for the next class!
#theatre #acting #actors #actorslife #brixhamtheatre #devontheatre #educational #torbay #brixham #performingarts #stage #regionaltheatre #britishtheatre #devon #DevonActors

A wonderful day at a local(ish) primary school

7/11/2022

Today, we took an excerpt performance and workshop on our production of Beowulf, to a primary school in Newton Abbot, where the year 5 students are creatively studying the story.
We had an amazing day with lovely staff and students alike.

first class on the course :)

14/10/2022

Tonight the amazing Gareth launched our theatre classes at Brixham Theatre- session 1 was about building confidence and overcoming anxiety.
Next month we will be moving into performance skills with exploring stagecraft and working on and around a stage.

It was sad we had some noshows including on some of the funded places but the small group of students we have are awesome and we are happy to welcome newbies on the next one

#brixham #brixhamtheatre #theatre #acting #actors #education #theatreschool #creative #devon #devontheatre #regionaltheatre #stage #actorslife

Our classes are a sellout!

8/10/2022

Fab news, our professional theatre course at Brixham Theatre is now filled - all places are sold out as of this morning. Starting on October 13th on stage at Brixham Theatre - run by Laura Jury and an opening session from Gareth Foreman.
All registered students will recieve an email over the next few days with details for the first session and arrival.
#theatre #acting #stage# #brixhamtheatre #devontheatre #brixham #actors #actorslife ##britishtheatre #torbay #devon #performingarts #stageschool

Opening theatre classes at Brixham Theatre

23/8/2022

We are opening theatre classes at our partner venue Brixham Theatre, in October 2022.
Bookings: https://www.southdevonplayers.com/learning-zone.html
All but the final session takes place on the second Thursday of each month - the final session of the course takes place on March 16th 2023.
The course is designed for those new to performing, who want to make it into a career, or course of study, and will cover basic acting and stagecraft, as well as how to apply to agents & castings; and avoid the common pitfalls.
The final session is a showcase where each person will create a performance monologue or duologue which will be filmed on stage, alongside headshot photos, for applying to wider productions.
This course is taught by a qualified drama teacher (Masters of Education from the University of Exeter), who is also a theatre director, one of four nationally on Equity's Directors & Designers Committee.
Due to a generous grant from a private donor, we are able to offer 8 places to people from Torbay on a low income who would not otherwise be able to access theatre training.

Registering for a free place on the course is on the understanding that you attend all sessions unless illness or an emergency occur - this is to prevent free places being taken from other people who would otherwise benefit from the donors generosity. If someone stops turning up, with no communication, they will be invoiced for the full price of the course, and the place re-offered to someone else on a low income.

Classes take place at Brixham Theatre, Bolton Cross, Brixham, TQ5 8TA; starting at 7pm. Students please come to the stage door.

Students must be aged over 18.

Great feedback

16/7/2022

We recently had a wonderful work experience student with us, from a school in Somerset - it went brilliantly and we cant wait to welcome him back - he is hoping to return to get involved with some of our shows next year.

Offer to schools: Key Stage 3 materials and activities based around theatre production of Beowulf.

27/6/2022

We are currently embarking on our next theatre production, a dramatisation of the Anglo-saxon epic poem, Beowulf, which will be performed around the South Devon area and Torbay in November/ December 2022.
We always create educational materials around each of our productions, and would like very much to hear from any schools or homeschoolers teaching this poem as to what materials they might especially find at use - created for free or "at -cost" which we can make available online.
We would also very much like to hear from any schools in the area, or homeschooling groups who would be interested in arranging either a trip to one of our performances in November/ December, or to recieve the theatre show streamed online (available from the end of November).
Please do get in touch at any time to discuss, we would love to hear from you. Our direct email is southdevonplayers@gmail.com

Our education side is led by our founder Laura Jury, who has a masters degree in education, focussing on the teaching of theatre, from the University of Exeter
The South Devon Players offers a new approach to theatre-making of world-class standard. Involving people of all levels of experience, from beginners to seasoned professionals, we create full scale dramatic productions primarily focusing on historical events, literature, and classical texts.

We perform in our home-town of Brixham then tour around the Devon area, as well as streaming our shows online to global audiences.

We were founded during the winter of 2005/6 to create inclusive opportunities for people in the Torbay area (and some from the wider Devon area) to get involved in creating high-quality theatre and thereby develop / further professional skills, careers and portfolios towards, and as part of, professionally working in the entertainment industry, led by three volunteer company directors.

People starting out with us have also gone on to work in large scale film & TV productions, to further training inclusive of RADA and Bristol Old Vic, working with us helps them obtain the credits needed for professional registration with the professional actors Spotlight directory, and Equity (the actors and entertainment creatives trade union) which in turns allows them to be able to apply to register with larger actors agencies. We also attract established professional actors seeking to expand and grow their portfolios.

Audience feedback is also very positive from our shows and projects, frequently likening the quality of our shows to rival that of the Globe, and other famous theatre production companies.

Our work, over the past few years, has won several awards including on a national and international scale; we are the All-England winner of the "Epic Award" 2017 (now rebranded as the Creative Lives Award) and the Theatre Partner Award in the Long Island Theatre Awards 2019 (New York), putting theatre from Brixham squarely on a national and international map.
You can read more about us at www.southdevonplayers.com, or www.facebook.com/sdevonplayers