Just to remind all our lovely supporters; tickets are on sale for our digital performances of Shakespeare's Henry V - don't forget you can get your tickets over at ​https://www.southdevonplayers.com/box-office.html

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!

Hello lovely people! 
Apologies for the delay in updating. 

Mailchimp
First of all, we think and hope that we have got the mailchimp glitches sorted out. It should all come out smoothly only Friday to everyone again as usual. We do ask anyone recieving our newsletter to let us know if anything seems glitchy though! 

Edinburgh Fringe Festival
In very good news, we are, for the first time, but not the last, bringing our shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This year we will be taking Henry V, and next year Ben Hur. Many thanks to our actor Eve Germaine, for finding the details of such a fantastic opportunity! 

As soon as we have ticketing information, we shall of course be sharing the details all across oour website and social media. 

Henry V
The rehearsals are going fabulously well; it is a real privilege to work such brilliant cast! Everyone is almost off-book and thier characterisations are flawless - it is simply a case now of practicing the techincal aspects and the show will be ready. 

Ben Hur
A number of people have been asking for the audition packs and sides - which are already available. The information packs are on our website - and please email us on [email protected] for sides. 

Other
Over the past months three people have been able to get their membership of Spotlight approved based on their South Devon Players credits - which is a question we are often asked - so it does indeed look as if the credits are easily accepted. Again, all fantastic news for everyone building thier careers. 

And that, in a quick summary, is the main news of the last little while. 
​Stay safe, and keep well! 

Fundraising 
This week has been very positive. 

First of all, we would like to make a huge thanks to the healthy living shop in town, Oats, from whom we collected our fundraising pot the other day. It was counted up today and we had raised £22.28 - enough for a week of rehearsal hall hire when we return to our physical rehearsals later this summer; which is fantastic! 
You can check out Oats (who have a super shop) at www.oatsofbrixham.co.uk. 

Our lovely friend Alllie and supporter also brought up a stamp collection which was left to us for fundraising by her mother, Margaret, who used to love coming to our outdoor shows and events;  the stamps were amazing and have been put on sale online on our fundraising ebay account - if you, or a friend like stamp collecting, please pop over to our ebay shop at www.ebay.co.uk/usr/southdevonplayers 

Mailchimp
We have suspended the email newsletters on mailchimp while we sort out a glitch; a couple of recipients reported recieving the same email dozens of times, and while we get to the bottom of the glitch, and sort it out, newsletters are suspended as we dont want anyone else getting their inbox swamped. Hopefully it should only take a week or two!

Henry V
We are continuing with rehearsals; the cast and crew are amazing! And the education pack is coming along well, with videos and additional resources. We would love to create a video or document (or both!!) answering wider student questions, so if you have any about creating digital theatre in general, or about the show in particular, please send them our way ( [email protected]). 

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

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

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. 
​
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)