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 southdevonplayers@gmail.com, 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. 

As always, regular and new actors (and stage crew!) are equally welcome to apply, and we look forward to hearing from everyone who is interested. This is looking to be our biggest single stage tour yet, with more venues, and streaming performances to global audiences from at least two venues. 

If you would like to find out more, or discuss the project, then do please drop us a line on southdevonplayers@gmail.com

Fantastic news! 
We would like to extend a HUGE thank you to the owners of local health food shop Oats ( <- please like their page!) who will be stocking our fundraising book stall, beginning during next week! 
Thank you so much to Oats for helping support our work! 
You can visit their website at https://www.oatsofbrixham.co.uk

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

Today, the UK government released a road map of how they feel the UK will be able to emerge from lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic. 

According to this roadmap, and if all works towards the planned dates, theatres across the UK should be able to open in May. At this point, theatres will still require social distancing and when you are using smaller venues and relying soley on the ticket sales to pay the actors and crew, we feel it would not be viable. 
Additionally, before we return to the stage, we need to rehearse in person together. 

With the governments pledge for all adults to be offered their first vaccination by the end of July 2021, and noting that the government hopes to lift all social restrictions in late June 2021, we hope that by the end of July, or early August, we should be able to safely return to our rehearsal space in full, and also to take our shows on the road again. Before then, a one-or-two person return to the rehearsal hall will take place in order to sort out our costumes and equipment which have been in storage there, and to prepare. 

Therefore, our intention is to continue creating digital work, until July 2021, when we will be able to return to physical rehearsals, and performances. Live performances will only take place after a minimum of 4 weeks live rehearsal. 
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Not all venues will open at once. As the government have said; the dates they gave for the lifting of restrictions are provisional and "at the earliest". Any further outbreaks or rises in infections may delay matters. 
We are committed to keeping the team safe and well, therefore we would rather take a cautious approach,, than risk everyones health and wellbeing. 
There may still be some additional safety/ cleanliness procedures which are either legally required, or which we keep in place voluntarily, for a while, when we do return, and, when we know for definite what the date is when we return;  we will be encouraging conversations with all cast and crew in which we discuss ways to not only keep extra safe, but also support everyone's peace of mind in a safe, positive and happy (to put it mildly!) return. 


Last but not least: 
In further exciting news, we have also been contacted by an external company which uses professional actors for corporate training. The external company is pitching for a contract supplying training in social care, diversity and child protection, and if that contract goes through, will be supplying frequent work opportunities; for which those actors who work frequently with our company will be priorotised for this work, after the lockdowns end. 


​Laura and Ric (Company directors) 

This production is working from the original text. As it is a longer play, we have made some cuts, and it tells of the events in and around King Henry V's triumph at the Battle of Agincourt. With drama, humour and a wonderful range of characters, this is going to be a fantastic project to work on. You can read the original uncut text for the play for free on Project Gutenberg HERE 
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Ages. genders, etc at a glance. 
As with all our Shakespeare projects, we tend to cast the majority of roles as gender-blind - this means that any gender can audition for the same roles. Shakespeare's plays were notoriously male-heavy, originally, but that does not always fit a 21st Century way of working. People of all ethnicities are welcome to audition for any role. We are also very flexible on ages. While we are not casting children (under 18s) in this show, we do not have strictly preconcieved notions of characters ages, other than ensuring that any family groupings reflect a relevant range of ages. What is most important is that we select the strongest actors for the roles.