The Festival Players Theatre Company Press Release FESTIVAL PLAYERS SERVE UP AN ALL-MALE “AS YOU LIKE IT” AT CULZEAN CASTLE - 60-date UK tour travels from village greens to castles of celebrity and royalty – - AYRSHIRE : Culzean Castle (NTS), Maybole, Tuesday, June 26, 7.15pm - Tickets: 01655 884455 If you go down to the woods today – you could be in for a big surprise! For the Festival Players, one of Britain’s top touring theatre companies, is marking its 22nd year with a pacy performance that will certainly keep audiences guessing. This year they have chosen to perform Shakespeare’s pastoral romantic comedy As You Like It – one of Shakespeare’s greatest crowd pleasers. Set in the Forest of Arden all kinds of antics are going on – from amorous advances to clowning, disguise and gender reversals! And the Players will be giving audiences even more of a conundrum - by fielding an all male cast! The Gloucestershire-based Festival Players will tour the UK with an exclusively male cast between May 31 and August 27, stopping at the spectacular Italianate Culzean Castle & Country Park on June 26 – one of many National Trust for Scotland properties at which they perform this summer Touchstone & Audrey Rosalind/|Ganymede, Celia/Aliena, Orlando Phebe & Silvius Rosalind, Duke Frederick, Celia The Players, who set out to deliver high class open-air (and occasionally indoor) theatre and make Shakespeare accessible to all, will stage more than 60 performances of the famous play across England, Scotland and Wales – at English country houses, abbeys, parks and village greens to wonderful Welsh gardens like Aberglasney and dramatic Scottish castles including, for the first time, the royal residence of Balmoral. In August (8-10) they will also stage four performances as part of the famous Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester and give two performances at Swan Theatre, Worcester as part of the Worcester Festival. David Lee-Jones will take the central pivotal role of Rosalind, the Duke’s daughter who disguises herself as a youth and teasingly tutors her own suitor on how to win her favours. David, who trained at The Academy Drama School, London will also take the roles of William and vicar Sir Oliver Martext. Walsall-based Martin Tomms will play three roles – Adam, Duke Senior and Corin. A popular Festival Players stalwart, Martin played Sir Tony Belch in the 2004 production of Twelfth Night, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Polonius in Hamlet. Orlando fights Charles the Wrestler watched by Rosalind & Celia Other cast members are: Cheltenham-based Andrew Holloway as Celia and Amiens, Alan Christopher as Touchstone and Oliver, Matthew Schmolle as Orlando, Audrey and Silvius and Paul Russell as Jaques, Phebe and Duke Frederick. Assistant Director Sindre Nilsen, from Norway, who is in the UK to complete an MA in theatre directing, will take the roles of Charles the Wrestler, Le Beau and Jacques de Boys. It will mark a hat trick of all-male performances for the Players. Last year they gained huge acclaim for an all-male production of Hamlet and in 2005 for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which became one of their most successful shows on record, with one performance in Wales alone attracting an audience of around 1,000. A year after their 21st anniversary, the ensemble will once again set out to prove why they are one of the most respected groups currently performing open-air Shakespeare in the UK. Director Michael Dyer (left) is known for his crystal clear productions, which make for easily digestible Shakespeare. He says “Two years ago we raised a few eyebrows when people realised there was not an actress in sight! But the feedback proved that people were intrigued by the idea and liked what they saw. Although it might seem unusual today to field an all-male cast it is in fact totally authentic - we are just following in the footsteps of Shakespeare’s own Elizabethan Globe Theatre when all the roles were taken by men.” Dyer, former director of Cornwall’s famous open air Minack Theatre, is no stranger to adventurous settings of Shakespeare - in 2001 he advanced the Players’ production of Shakespeare’s Henry V into a First World War scenario. He is looking forward to the challenge of directing the popular romantic comedy and putting his own spin on it in a witty and fast-moving production. He says: “This year will be the first time that no less than four of our male actors have donned skirts! I’ve taken the liberty of trimming Shakespeare’s text so the running time is just about two hours and we can promise audiences a lively production with colourful Renaissance- style costumes specially created for us by Richard Westcott.” The production will also unusually feature original music, specially composed by one of the country’s leading singer-songwriters Johnny Coppin, who made his name in 70s cult folk-rock band Decameron and whose past collaborations include Edge of Day, with well-loved writer Laurie Lee, of “Cider with Rosie” fame, whose poems he set to music. In a year when The Queen loomed large on the big screen and brought gongs galore for actress Helen Mirren, the Players will perform at the royal residence of Balmoral Castle for the first time and return to the “celebrity” castle of Sudeley in Gloucestershire – setting for Elizabeth Hurley’s recent starry wedding. Adding many new venues to their schedule this year (including Whiffler Theatre in Castle Gardens, Norwich and two Devon settings – Gnaton Hall and Hurlditch Court near Plymouth) the Players’ tour will include eight performances at National Trust for Scotland properties while in England they will return to National Trust properties Montacute (Somerset), Stourhead (Wiltshire) and Newark Park, Gloucestershire. Many of the 2007 performances will be in aid of charity. The Players have raised significant amounts of money for charities over the past 20years - from Save the Children to the Army Benevolent Fund, Farms for City Children and Victim Support. Performances of As You Like It continue until August Bank Holiday, taking in flagship performances at St. Peter’s Square, Hammersmith, London and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Tickets for the Culzean performances, which starts at 7.15pm are available on 01655-884455, price £10 (£6 for children). www.culzeancastle.net. The audience is invited to bring low-backed seats, rugs and picnics. Further information on the Festival Players 2007 performances can be found at www.thefestivalplayers.co.uk Ends June 2007 * A full UK tour list follows. For interviews with director Michael Dyer or cast members, high-resolution images and press review tickets please contact: Jane Brace PR on (01243) 789554 or email [email protected] or Festival Players administrator Sara Dave on (01453) 844610 or [email protected] FESTIVAL PLAYERS 2007 TOUR – AS YOU LIKE IT Date Time Venue Website Box Office Ticket Prices Thurs 31 7.00 Kingshill House, Dursley,Glos GL11 www.kingshillhouse.org. 01453 549133 £10 Adults May pm 4BZ uk £8.00 concessions Fri 1 June 7.30p Glebe House, Mildenhall, SN8 2LU www.riverbank.org.uk 01672 516480 £12.50; £10 children m & students Sat 2 June 7.00 New Inn, Gloucester GL1 1SF 01452 522177 £13.50 pm £10.00 students Sun 3 June 3.00 New Inn – as above pm Sat 9 June 7.30 Evenlode Village Green, nr Moreton-in- 01608 650608 /r £12.00 pm Marsh, Glos GL56 0NU 07771 823734 £6.00 under 16’s Wed 13 June 7.00 Beaudesert Park School, www.horsfallhouse.co.uk 01453 844570 / £12.50 pm Minchinhampton, 01453 731227 £8.00 concessions & GL6 9AF children Thur 14 June 7.30 Frampton Manor Farm,Frampton on 01452 740698 £12.50 pm Severn or 01435 £9.00 children/under 16’s Glos GL2 7EP 760960 £1.00 off for villagers Fri 15 June 7.30 Montacute House, nr Yeovil, TA15 6XP www.nationaltrust.org.uk 0870 3000 579 £12.50 £8.50 under 17’s pm (On door £14.00/£10.00) Sat 16 June 7.30 Maisemore Court, Maisemore, GL2 8EY 01452 750570/ £12.50 pm 01452 527462/ £10.00 children 01531 822123 Sun 17 June 7.30 Trinty Theatre,Tunbridge Wells, Kent www.trinitytheatre.net 01892 678678 £13.50 pm TN1 1JP £11.50 concessions Wed 20 June 8.00 Poulton House, Poulton, GL7 5HW 01285 851237 £12.50 £6.50 children up to 16 pm 01285 654180 Thur 21 June 7.30 Langford House, Langford ,BS40 5DU www.vetschool.bris.ac.u 0117 928 9207 £12.50 / £9.00 pm k Fri 22 June 7.30 Wolvesley Palace Gardens, Winchester, 01264 363487 £13.50 £10.00 concessions pm SO32 9ND £7.00 children under 18&students Sat 23 June 7.30 Ivyclad Hall, Brent Knoll TA9 4BB 01278 769093 £16.00 £12.00 children pm 01278 760225 Book before 9th June : £14/£10 Sun 24 June 2.00 Flaxley Abbey, nr Newnham on Severn 01285 651661 £11.00 pm GL14 1JR £6.00 under 15’s Tues 26 June 7.15 Culzean Castle, Maybole, KA19 8LE www.nts.org.uk 01655 884455 £10.00, £6.00 children pm Weds 27 7.15 Craigievar Castle (NTS), Alford, AB33 www.nts.org.uk 01339 883635 £10.00, £5.00 children June pm 8JF Thur 28 June 7.30 Balmoral Castle, Balmoral Estate, www.balmoralcastle.com 013397 42534 £12.50, £9.00 children pm Aberdeenshire AB35 5TB Family ticket £30 – 2 adults & up to 4 children Sat 30 June 7.30 School of St. Katherine & St. Helen, www.shsk.ork.uk 01235 532012 Tickets £12.50 students £6.00 pm Abingdon, OX14 1BE or vhammond@shs k.org.uk Sun 1 July 2.30 Gate Farmhouse, Inchington, Bristol 01454 413318 £12.50 pm BS35 3TA £9.00 under 15’s Weds 4 July 7.30 Gnaton Hall, Yealmpton, Plymouth PL8 01752 880237 £12.50 pm 2HU £9.00 children Thur 5 July 7.30 Hurlditch Court, Lamerton, Devon PL19 01752 880237 £12.50 pm 8QA £9.00 children Fri 6 July 7.30 The Royal Military Acadamy Sandhurst www.sandhurst.mod.uk 01276 412116 £15.00 pm Camberley,GU15 4PQ £10.00 children Sat 7 July 7.30 St Peter's Square, Hammersmith, 0208 741 7950 £12.50 / £9.00 children 5-16 yrs pm London W6 (2pm-8pm) Under 5’s free Sun 8 July 2.30 St Peter's Square, Hammersmith, London 0208 741 7950 All tickets £9.00 pm W6 (2pm-8pm) Under 5’s free Mon 9 July 7.30 Cressing Temple, Witham Road, www.cressingtemple.org.