We are back to our usual schedule of Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons now, with things really on track to be absolutely incredible, with a team who are second to none!
The start of August was incredibly busy. We had a lot of catching up to do with rehearsals, alongside our Macbeth having an entire week free for rehearsals, and a couple of cast who needed extra help - so we took advantage of it! Rehearsing daily all week, sometimes at the community centre where we normally meet, and sometimes taking advantage of the beautiful summer weather at the beach combining rehearsal with beach party, with whichever cast members were available, we perfected the fight scenes, helped the cast who needed extra help, and fine-tuned our own performances.
We are back to our usual schedule of Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons now, with things really on track to be absolutely incredible, with a team who are second to none!
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Christophe Lombardi, a friend of the Players, took up the mantle, learning the role and arriving from Ireland, in Devon for the final two rehearsals, to star alongside Ryanna-Mae Lloyd as Lady Macbeth and a team of dedicated local actors.
The show, performed at Brixham Theatre, the South Devon Players home performance venue, and then at Torquay Museum, attracted record positive feedback from audience and critics, with feedback such as that it surpassed productions by the Globe in London, and the RSC. Hot on the heels of this success, came requests for a second larger show tour, including from Ireland and the USA, and a request from the Long Island Theatre Awards to enter the production for their 2019 awards. They were happy to accept a video submission of the show filmed at Brixham Theatre. Months later came the news, that the Players were among the award nominees, and a request from the Theatre Awards administrators to send a representative to New York. The Players were by this time working hard on their scheduled production of Les Miserables, with the plans underway for an autumn tour reprising Macbeth. Laura Jury, the South Devon Players founder and director of both Macbeth and Les Miserables, was unable to attend, but Christophe once more took up the mantle and travelled to New York, collecting the award on behalf of the Players, which will be brought back to Devon during the next week or so, as he travels back from the USA. Brixham Theatre was saved from closure in 2018 by a team of local volunteers, and it provides a critical base for local creativity, without which, successes like this, would not be possible for local people in their hometown. The Players owe this success to the continued existence of Brixham Theatre. The Players are now also beginning rehearsals for the second tour of Macbeth; keeping most of the original cast, including Ryanna-Mae Lloyd and Christophe Lombardi as the Macbeths; although also excited to welcome new performers as well. The tour is currently booked into Brixham, Ivybridge, Exeter and Bristol, with discussions underway to bring the show to London, and further venues, during the autumn of 2019. While plans for touring abroad had to be put on hold due to being unable to find funding to do so, this has no way dampened the team's desire to bring the show to regular and new venues here in the UK, and to revisit attempts to tour abroad in the future. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's best known dramas, alongside King Lear, Othello, Hamlet, and Romeo & Juliet. It tells the tale of a Scottish war hero, who, tempted by ambition, power, and supernatural whisperings, begins a series of murders, to take and hold the throne. Returning home from war, Macbeth encounters three mysterious women, whose prophecy of kingship, sets in motion his ambition, and ultimately his fall into madness and blood... The Players perform the original, uncut Shakespearian text, set in the dark aftermath of a nuclear WW3, in a post-apocalyptic design, with the exotic of the supernatural, and immersive soundscapes, to create Macbeths world in a new vision of the drama. The South Devon Players, founded in 2005/6 on the proceeds of a carboot sale, and still funded in much the same way, are winners of the national Epic Award 2017 for England, a national arts award celebrating creativity and innovation in grassroots arts, and international nominations for past productions. Based in Brixham, the Players primarily specialise in researched historical theatre productions and old “Classics”. Well, we had a very successful run of Les Miserables at Brixham Theatre, and cant wait to take it to Exeter on Friday (Tickets for Exeter here). Two days, three shows resulted in an exhausted by triumphant cast!
On Thursday's final dress rehearsal, with a few tweaks underway , local photographer Andrew Barnes came along to get some photos. On Friday, after final tweaks to set and costumes, we opened! It went great! On Saturday and Sunday we had the cast photoshoot for the vast majority of the cast, and these photos will be going out this week (some already have) attached to press releases marketing the show!
Many thanks to Brixham Theatre , one of our show venues, for letting us shoot on the stage in the morning! Photos by Andrew Barnes and Laura Jury. Shows are Friday May 31st, and June 1st at Brixham Theatre, and then June 7th at the Barnfield Theatre in Exeter. Our box office page HERE has links to all the relevant tickets! Book today! Brixham based theatre company's Shakespeare production nominated for theatre award in New York. Following a hugely successful production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth this winter, the South Devon Players have been nominated for a theatre award in New York, specifically the Long Island Lighthouse Theatre Awards, in the Theatre Partner Award category, specifically for productions outside the Long Island Nassau County area. As a company who (by force of circumstance, with the difficulty of finding funding in the local theatre sector) work on profit share from ticket sales to our cast and crew, we fall somewhere between the voluntary and full salary sectors, and therefore are eligible for this award. The VTAA , who sponsor this award are mainly US based (but open internationally) and are the "Equity for voluntary and low paid theatre" of which we have been an organisational member for several years. During January and February 2019, the South Devon Players performed a post-apocalyptic set production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Completely unabridged and unchanged from the original text, other than being set in a post World War 3 near-future, this production attracted such audience feedback as “The power of the final scene was such that the audience sat transfixed in silence, barely able to comprehend the beauty of what they’d just witnessed. “ “Easily on a par with the production of Macbeth we saw at the Globe” The show was almost called off, after the lead role needed to be recast with less than 10 days before opening night. French/Irish actor Christophe Lombardi stepped in, learned the role in a matter of days and travelled to the UK to take the role, alongside Ryanna-Mae Lloyd as Lady Macbeth, with a powerful team of actors; and techs. Despite this crisis, the show attracted fantastic audience feedback, from the shows at both Brixham Theatre & Torquay Museum, swiftly followed by invitations for more shows in the UK, and abroad. While work continues to get the team out to the venues abroad, the team are taking up the show invitations in the UK, at Ivybridge's Watermark theatre, and Exeter's Barnfield Theatre and are also booking additional dates at the end of the summer and during the autumn of 2019. At Brixham Theatre, the show was filmed by a local filmmaker, and the resultant film was submitted to the 2019 Long Island Community Theatre Awards. The South Devon Players were informed on April 24th 2014, that the production of Macbeth was nominated for; the outcome of the awards will be finally known on June 10th in the evening, New York time. The South Devon Players, founded in 2005/6 on the proceeds of a carboot sale, and funded in much the same way, are already winners of the national Epic Award 2017 for England, a national arts award celebrating creativity and innovation in grassroots arts, and international nominations for past productions. Based in Brixham, the Players pride themselves on supportive, friendly, and ambitious grassroots team of professional and aspiring professional actors at all stages of their careers, who primarily specialise in researched historical theatre productions and Classics, to provide an opportunity for local people to develop their skills in creating shows to a national standard, in order to develop internationally recognised professional skills, portfolios and credits. They always welcome new performers and creatives who would like to get involved. The Players are working hard to be able to offer more education, steady employment, and more regular shows at an international standard. Laura Jury (Director) studied performing arts at South Devon College, then a Bachelors degree in film & TV production from the University of Plymouth, before progressing to a Masters in teaching theatre from Exeter University With a history of performing since 1996, and directing since 2000, in between her training she has also pursued a career as a professional performer, and in 2006 founded the now multi award-winning South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company with three others, to create new projects in Torbay. Fantastic news - by audience request, and word of mouth, we have been asked to reprise our post-apocalyptic, original uncut text production of William Shakespeares Macbeth. While contracts are still being sorted out, tickets will be on sale soon.
We have been invited to venues in Europe as well, for this show, and it is all depending on Brexit and funding to try and get out to those venues as well, but the UK shows are being booked up like crazy. This is such a fantastic piece of recognition for all our amazing team members. Watch this space for announcements soon, on upcoming ticket sales! www.southdevonplayers.com Fantastic day again at Les Miserables rehearsals for Act 2. Here are a few pictures nabbed in between racing around and dying over the barricade - and some partial costume starting to appear :D . A LONG afternoon today, but it really paid off, with the cues and reactions, especially on the extremely fast paced barricade scenes. Thank you so much to all the great people who helped make it happen.
Rehearsals are now well underway for our production of Les Miserables; costumes will begin to appear over the next few weeks now. The cast are working together as a fantastic team regardless of age and background. Over the next three/four weeks scripts will go down and costumes will appear!
Photos by Tabatha Cart iRehearsals are now fully underway for our production of Les Miserables. While costumes wont be making an appearance until next week, Andrew came up today and got some brilliant pictures of the rehearsals behind the scenes. We did Act 1 (the first half) today, and the team are so strong already. Behind the scenes the teamwork and cohesion is ideal, onstage the energy and dynamism is so powerful that it is amazing to think what it will become, when it is this strong already. Truly wonderful - and a privilige to direct such great actors.
Had an absolutely awesome Sunday afternoon getting Les Mis underway at our rehearsal base of Chestnut Community Centre! This team is sheer joy personified. The professionalism, coupled with the laughter and supportive-ness is second-to-none!
From complete to beginners to trained professionals we are all working together in a joyful, supportive team- the energy is magnificent. We cant wait to be joined by the youngsters and the people away this week (we were due to start next week but decided to get cracking!) . We still have some roles open so please get in touch if you would like to join us. With Fiona as Mlle Gillenormand, Mitchell as Enjolras, Carmen as Fantine, Louisa as grown up Cosette, and Al as Jean Valjean |
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