FESTIVAL PROGRAMME THEATRE FESTIVAL Thu 12th to Sun 15th July 2018 PERFORMANCES & WORKSHOPS TO SUIT YOUNG AND OLD, IN BEAUTIFUL VENUES ALL OVER THE CITY For more information and to book tickets: www.wellstheatrefestival.org Booking fee required Enquiries : 01749 673848 6 4 Welcome to the Wells Theatre Festival 2018 Cedars Hall The Dance Studios THE CITY OF WELLS We are delighted to welcome you to the first Wells Theatre Festival which has been created by a small team of local theatre professionals with the aim of bringing a programme of world class Wells Theatre Festival theatre and performance to Wells and the surrounding communities. Venues and Parking Wells is a vibrant cultural hub with opportunities to experience a wide range of arts but until now, if you want to see professional theatre, you need to travel to Bath, Bristol or Salisbury. The Education Room driving force of this venture has been a vision to make it possible for our local young people to Wells Museum experience the transformative power of live theatre through both workshops and performance in 8 their own community. The centrepiece of this first Wells Theatre Festival is the community performance of 5 10 Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, performed entirely by local residents. It has been wonderful to 7 Education Room Cathedral Green Wells Cathedral see this production take shape since the first rehearsal in April and the cast with an age range of 16 to 65 – some of whom have never performed in front of a live audience before - come together to form a close knit, dedicated ensemble. P 3 The Bishop’s Palace As we have planned and developed this first festival, we have been blown away by the The Globe Inn P & Gardens 2 9 enthusiasm and encouragement of the local community to get involved and play their part. We 1 Almshouses Chapel would like to thank our many supporters and sponsors who have made this Festival possible through their generosity and vision. The Little Theatre P P Thank you to our Festival Patrons, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Richard Eyre, whose faith in the project and their continuing support has been invaluable. P P We would also like to thank David Merrifield of Just Us Agency for the development of our brand P and the website and all our publicity material. P We do hope you enjoy your visit to the Festival and we look forward to seeing you again next year! The Wells Festival Team THE VENUES PERFORMANCES WORKSHOPS 1 The Little Theatre 1 The Little Theatre 2 Almshouses Chapel 4 The Dance Studios, Wells Cathedral School 3 The Globe Inn 7 Education Room, Wells Cathedral 5 Cathedral Green 8 Education Room at the Museum 6 Cedars Hall 7 Education Room, Wells Cathedral 9 The Bishop’s Palace & Gardens 10 Box Office Left to Right: Alex Holdaway (PR), Louise Miller (co-Director Romeo and Juliet), Rosalind Johnson (Artistic Director), Anna Dixon (Costume Designer Romeo and Juliet), Neil Johnson (Producer of the Festival and Fight Director for Romeo and Juliet) , Lin Dickens (Marketing). 2 3 PATRONS Proud to sponsor the inaugural Wells Theatre Festival Dame Judi Dench has performed with the Sir Richard Eyre was associate director Royal Shakespeare Company, the National at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, and ran Theatre, and at The Old Vic Theatre. She is a the Nottingham Playhouse before being ten-time BAFTA winner including Best Actress in appointed Director of the National Theatre, a a Comedy Series for A Fine Romance (1981) in role he held from 1988–97. His theatre work which she appeared with her husband, Michael has included productions for the National Williams, and Best Supporting Actress in A Theatre, West End and Broadway. In opera he Handful of Dust (1988) and A Room with a View has directed Carmen, Werther and Le nozze (1985). di Figaro for the Metropolitan Opera, New York, and Manon Lescaut for the Baden- She was appointed an Officer of the Order Baden Festival. of the British Empire (OBE) in 1970, a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire Sir Richard has been the recipient of (DBE) in 1988 and a Member of the Order of numerous accolades including six Olivier the Companions of Honour (CH) in 2005. awards and a knighthood. “I am thrilled to be a Patron of such an exciting and ambitious venture as the Wells Theatre Festival. It is wonderful to be able to introduce young people to Shakespeare. Hopefully, they will be hooked for the rest of their lives, as I was.” Dame Judi Dench 4 5 Date: 12th July Time: 11:00 - 11:45 & 13:00 - 13:45 Venue: Education Room, Wells Museum Map location: 8 Cost: FREE PERFORMANCE L_VE HANGMAN A life-sized, 3D version of the timeless pen and paper favourite, reimagined as a macabre light- entertainment gameshow from the 70s. The fate of the condemned is in your hands... can you guess the mystery words to win, or is the malevolent host going to get his way? Get it wrong and watch him swing! Pick a letter to play the highest-stakes spelling game in town. With a catchy original soundtrack, tongue-in- and projects. We create play activities for cheek puppetry and awful dress sense, L_ve community and family groups and shout about Hangman is wicked interactive fun for all ages. the importance of play, for everyone. Mufti Games create playful and memorable experiences for all ages. We make and tour Want to play? Stay in touch at muftigames.com our own work and create games for others, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and to engage audiences in exhibitions, ideas Instagram @muftigames Date: 12th July Time: 14:15 - 14:45 & 14th July Times: 14:15 - 14:45 & 15:15 - 15:45 Venue: The Little Theatre Map location: 1 Cost: £8 Concessions: £5 PERFORMANCE STICKY ENDS Sticky Ends is a lo-tech, one-woman storytelling show by makers of award-winning family theatre, Brave Bold Drama. Expect a collection of brand new comic cautionary tales told with good humour, live music and lots of joining in for families of all ages to enjoy together. Never again will your child spend too much time on computer games, demand icecream on a daily basis or refuse to go to bed after watching Sticky Ends . perhaps! Each batch of tales lasts 30 minutes and you choose the stories you want to hear, plus the “Intelligent comedy and deliciously chance to help make a brand new bonus story. humorous verse kept the young audience Every show is inspired by your suggestions! enthralled (but not scared!). Witty & dark- Bonus tales created on the current 2018 tour humoured, a highly original show.” include “Don’t Drop Litter In Your Mum’s Car”, Edinburgh Fringe Review “Too Many Trick and Treat Sweets” and “Why “Excellent performance . .” Drawing On The Walls Isn’t Always A Great Idea”. Buxton Fringe Review 6 7 Date: 12th July Time: 19:00 - 20:40 Venue: The Little Theatre Map location: 1 Cost: £10 Concessions: £7 PERFORMANCE STOLEN Daniel Morden transports you to the Land of No Return, his storytelling enhanced by the hypnotic string accompaniment of Sarah Moody and Oliver Wilson-Dickson. The ensemble take you on an epic journey, through a dreamlike land where you will encounter a King turned to stone, an old woman living in the claw of a giant cockerel and a glass man filled with wasps. Stolen is a tale of lost loves, bravery and above all else, hope. “We hear stories within stories, like “A scintillating combination of music, Chinese boxes, laced with tears and sound and story” (The Times) laughter. The paradox is that these Visit www.thedevilsviolin.co.uk for more magical tales are really our humdrum information. lives, wrapped in imagination and mystery.” (Remote Goat) Age Recommendation 10+ 8 9 Date: 12th July Time: 21:15 - 22:30 Date: 13th July Time: 13:00 - 14:00 PERFORMANCE Venue: Cedars Hall Map location: 6 Cost: £10 Concessions: £7 Venue: Education Room, Wells Cathedral Map location: 7 Cost: £15 WORKSHOP GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY SIR RICHARD EYRE Scratchworks Theatre Co Directing Shakespeare In the early hours of Thursday 8th August 1963 Sir Richard Eyre gives us some insights the heist of the century was underway. Whilst from his extensive experience of directing the world was tucked up in bed, 15 men put a Shakespeare in film and theatre. With a finger up to the government and stole 2 million particular emphasis on his critically acclaimed British pounds from Her Majesty’s Royal Mail 2017 film production of King Lear with Train. Five days later the first clues were found, Anthony Hopkins. This will be followed by a the gang was busted and the rest is history. But Q&A with festival director Ros Johnson. what about the ones that got away? Join the four forgotten females as they leave behind their kitchen-sink lives and embark “Inventive and intelligent physical on a madcap adventure of mischief and theatre… Wondrously enjoyable.” (Theatre mayhem. Using a raucous combination of Bubble) physical theatre, live music and clowning, Scratchworks will unfold the untold tale of the “A great show that can be enjoyed by all unlikely female four. the family” (Broadway Baby) “Just raw talent… a totally captivating “Genuinely funny… an engaging show” (Beaford Arts) performance.” (The Peg Review) Date: 13th July Time: 14:30 - 15:30 Venue: Education Room, Wells Cathedral Map location: 7 Cost: £15 Concessions: £12 WORKSHOP CLARKE PETERS Musical Memories Clarke Peters has had a varied career in musical theatre, television and film, including Five Guys Named Moe, Nat King Cole, The Wire and Three Billboards.