The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company
  • Home
  • About us
  • Box Office
  • Auditions
  • Crewing
  • Find Us
  • Training
  • Latest news
  • Previous projects
  • Contact
  • Streaming Theatre
  • Casting services
  • Youtube
  • Policies
  • Fundraising & sponsors
  • Learning Zone
  • Merchandise Shop
  • Awards
  • Safety, inclusion & access
  • Blog: Creating Theatre
  • Volunteering
  • Reviews
  • Ebay fundraising
  • Ebid fundraising stamp sales
  • Home
  • About us
  • Box Office
  • Auditions
  • Crewing
  • Find Us
  • Training
  • Latest news
  • Previous projects
  • Contact
  • Streaming Theatre
  • Casting services
  • Youtube
  • Policies
  • Fundraising & sponsors
  • Learning Zone
  • Merchandise Shop
  • Awards
  • Safety, inclusion & access
  • Blog: Creating Theatre
  • Volunteering
  • Reviews
  • Ebay fundraising
  • Ebid fundraising stamp sales

The Three Musketeers - the tour begins!

11/11/2024

0 Comments

 
​Well, the tour of Three Musketeers is under way (for all the upcoming venues between now and January see https://www.southdevonplayers.com/box-office.html )
As director, I love getting these "candid" sidestage photos of my incredible cast and crew in action. There is a truth to them, performing in the space, in mid-action, which you can never replicate with posed photos and pretty backdrops . Plus, with our more ambitious projects that sometimes we have people assuming we will never achieve, it is great to show the work in action.
This is a great team - theres an age range of about 50 years in the cast and crew, and a huge range of experience from people who have performed professionally for decades, through to people taking their very first step on stage over the last weekend. That is how we roll
It is impossible to choose just a couple of pictures of this team; so here is a gallery of sidestage photos taken at Brixham Theatre.
Our tour now goes on to Knowle Village Hall near #BudleighSalterton, Lipson Co-operative Academy's Muse Theatre in #plymouth, Stokenham Village Hall near #kingsbridge, Exeter Northcott's Barnfield Theatre in #exeter, Unleashed Theatre Company's Royal Lyceum Theatre in #torquay and Kingskerswell Village Hall near #newtonabbot.
- Laura (Director)
0 Comments

World Mental Health Day

11/10/2024

0 Comments

 
​World Mental Health Day
So as we all know, in theatre we all have to be open, relaxed, and able to display a huge range of emotions and feelings as our characters. We often have to share communal changing areas, That’s quite a vulnerable place to be.
It is ultra important that theatre and performance is a safe space, that does not compromise its ground rules for reliability, professionalism and quality as well as looking after the creatives involved in the work and making sure each one, regardless of experience, disability, ethnicity, gender, etc feel safe, accommodated and heard.
Occasionally you do sadly get people who are looking for something else; ego-trips, opportunities to bully, abuse or scam, or to put down others. Or who attack others for being different (in terms of age/ gender/ disability/ health/ ethnicity etc ) . And that will wreak havoc in such a delicately balanced atmosphere and can put people in serious mental health crisis.
It is up to everyone to look out for one another, be professional and pleasant, but also understanding and respectful of one another.
Lots of pages and sites are posting links to helplines which can be useful but what is even more important is addressing problems at the root cause so that they don’t grow to be an issue, and all organisations, workplaces, community groups etc can be a part of that by ensuring that their space is safe , respectful, and good.
And above all- don’t let this vanish into words and lip service. Practice what you preach.
0 Comments

Feedback from our performance in Birmingham from the theatre manager

22/7/2024

0 Comments

 
​It's been 7 years in the making but we finally did it.
I learned about Laura Jury and the The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company, Brixham shortly after I arrived in the UK. I was instantly impressed by the drive, tenacity, and sheer determination of this female theatrical powerhouse. Laura has made a way out of literally no way to build and brand her theatre company. As a mixed-race, woman of colour, she has beaten back the odds of owning a theatre company in an area of England that is certainly not known for it's diversity, inclusion, or tolerance of "others". With little to no money, and very little public funds, Laura has raised money for her company in creative ways like having car boot sales, selling on Ebay, sweets sales, and anything her creative mind can think of to finance her projects. I have sat back and watched and admired her progression, her work, her work ethic over the years, in awe of all that she has been able to accomplish.
It is definitely a labour of love, but by no means should one mistake this for being a low-rent production company. The costumes alone will show you that. The talented performers in her group will show you that too. Many members of the company are neurodivergent, autistic, and other challenges, which none of it deflects from their incredible on-stage performances.
So, after 7 years, Laura and I combined forces as I was able to host her latest production, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at The Birmingham Black Box. She and her company drove 3.5 hours to get to Birmingham, ran a full tech/dress rehearsal, set the stage, and then performed the 3 hour show before driving the 3.5 hour return journey! The synergy was palpable as these performers gave it their absolute all in front of a delightfully enthusiastic audience.
There are already talks about our next collaborative effort and I'm very excited about the prospects. Let me tell you all, it's not easy being a Black woman/woman of colour in business, especially in theatre. But somehow, we're doing it and we're making lots of progress in the area of inclusion for all people to participate in the arts. I feel so privileged to call Laura my friend, she has helped me in ways I can't disclose here, but she's been a rock in my life's progression. Stay tuned to see what we come up with next! Sending lots of love to this outstanding group.
Picture
0 Comments

Bringing Macbeth to a local school and an amazing day

23/2/2024

0 Comments

 
We have had an absolutely incredible day today at Brixham Theatre bringing a full uncut performance to TSAT - Brixham College students, of our production of Macbeth, this concluding our show tour since November;
Hearing from one of the teachers that this is the first ever experience of live theatre for many of the students, and then seeing (and hearing from the school staff) that the students really engaged with and enjoyed the show was one of the best things in the world.

Also, a huge thank you to the Brixham Theatre staff for making it run smoothly and welcoming the students and teachers- and also to the students for being so lovely! It’s been a huge success for everyone and an absolute joy for our team <3 
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Dragons Den...

4/12/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Last Friday we were one of three Torbay organisations pitching at Local Spark: Torbay Community Supported Enterprise’s Dragons Den event - with Lisa Highton, Laura Jury and Rich Sandford, for help with new portable lights , marketing & outreach with our shows and education work, networking, touring transport etc.
Many many thanks to all those who offered consultancy, introductions to places & people who may be able to help us grow, and all sorts of useful help. They will all get followed up with alacrity over the next two or three weeks.
Also a huge thank you to Helen Ambler, Community Builder for Brixham for the photo of Laura pitching - and to everyone there for making it a truly excellent, positive, supportive space. 
Thank you again to everyone

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Welcoming lovely Sue.

16/9/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
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.

0 Comments

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

27/6/2022

0 Comments

 
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 [email protected]


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
​
0 Comments

Education pack addition - Ben Hur: British Sign Language

26/1/2022

0 Comments

 
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
0 Comments

More behind the scenes at Ben Hur

30/10/2021

0 Comments

 
Another look behind the scenes of rehearsals for Ben Hur. The cast and crew are doing fantastically. It is wonderful to see the characters and emotions coming through. We may not be costumed yet, and we may not have the set up, but the power of the acting is already so clear in the photos. Absolutely wonderful work. It is also beautiful how all the cast and crew are so friendly, kind & supportive to one another - it lets a production absolutely blossom.
Photos by Jenny Abrahall


0 Comments

On Saturday at the town hall

19/10/2021

0 Comments

 
We are delighted to announce that we will have a stall at this event organised by Brixham Town Council on Saturday. If you’ve ever wanted to get involved in theatre and creativity; do come along and have a chat with us to find out more. We welcome anyone aged 16-116, regardless of age, gender, experience, background, disability, who seriously wants to get involved in creating theatre and in futhering a career as a creative

#Brixham #theatre #devon #torbay #regionaltheatre #britishtheatre #actors #supportarts
Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous

    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

    If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at
    [email protected]

    The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company, is the trading name of The South Devon Players Limited;
    Registered at Companies House: Company number 11569166 
    ​

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required
    Email Format
    Picture
    Tweets by @sdevonplayers

    Categories

    All
    1307
    Accessibility
    Acting
    Actor
    Actors
    Arts Council
    Assassins Creed
    Audio Drama
    Auditions
    Awards And Prizes
    Behind The Scenes
    Ben Hur
    Beowulf
    Birmingham
    Bristol
    Brixham
    Brixham Theatre
    Cabaret
    Casting Agency
    Church
    Collaboration
    Community
    Copyright
    Costume
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Ebay
    Edinbugh Fringe
    Education
    Equity
    Exeter
    Fanfilm
    Feedback
    Film
    Film Festival
    Filmmaking
    Fundraising
    Great Gale Of Brixham
    Harry Potter
    Henry V
    Inclusion & Diversity
    Jack The Ripper
    Les Miserables
    Local History
    London
    Macbeth
    Marketing
    Midsummer Nights Dream
    Modeling
    Mordred
    Music
    Networking
    New Writing
    OnlineMidsummer
    Our Stage Productions
    Photogallery
    Photography
    Pirate
    Plymouth
    Police
    Poster
    Press
    Publicity
    Radio
    Radio Play
    Recycling
    Rehearsal
    Rehearsals
    Reviews
    Romeo & Juliet 2025
    Safety
    Schools
    Shakespeare
    Show Dates
    Show Results
    Special Effects
    Stamps
    Steampunk
    Streaming
    Supporters
    Templar
    Theatre
    Theatre Festival
    The Edge
    Three Musketeers
    Titanic
    Torquay
    Training And Workshops
    Training & Employability
    Venue
    Victorian
    Video
    Vintage
    Virtual Theatre
    Voiceover
    Volunteering
    Website Updates
    Wellbeing
    Xmas
    Young People

    RSS Feed

    The South Devon Players theatre company, Brixham

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About us
  • Box Office
  • Auditions
  • Crewing
  • Find Us
  • Training
  • Latest news
  • Previous projects
  • Contact
  • Streaming Theatre
  • Casting services
  • Youtube
  • Policies
  • Fundraising & sponsors
  • Learning Zone
  • Merchandise Shop
  • Awards
  • Safety, inclusion & access
  • Blog: Creating Theatre
  • Volunteering
  • Reviews
  • Ebay fundraising
  • Ebid fundraising stamp sales