Amateur Stage
Sep 26 2008 By John Slim
* WOLVERHAMPTON’S Central Youth Theatre is about to start celebrating its 25th anniversary and has openings for new members.
The group is planning to stage extracts from 25 past productions in one week next January at Wolverhampton’s Arena Theatre – and it needs young actors aged from eight to 25.
Youth theatre director Jane Ward says: “We are particularly keen to hear from any budding young male actors of any age. This is a particularly ambitious project for us and we need as many actors as we can recruit.
“Staging extracts from 25 shows is no easy task. Some of the cast sizes will be large and others will be as small as one or two actors. We will be staging comedies, tragedies, devised shows, musicals and straight dramas, so we need people with all kinds of different talents.
‘‘Examples of the kind of shows we are intending to reprise are Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Scully, Look Back in Anger, Antigone and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Each of these will need casts of very different age ranges.”
Other plans for the anniversary include a photographic exhibition, career lectures and workshops by former members who are now working in the theatre and television industries and a big reunion.
The group meets on Sundays at the Newhampton Arts Centre, Dunkley Street. Anyone interested in joining CYT should call Jane on 07941 922580.
* SOME new faces will be involved when Lichfield Players’ new season starts with Alan Ayckbourn’s Tons of Money, running from next Wednesday to the end of the week at the Lichfield Garrick.
From The Top Theatre Company will be at Birmingham’s Crescent Theatre for the same four nights, with Anything Goes – and is on the lookout for volunteers to help backstage. Trish Brookes has more information on 07974 894542.
* LAPWORTH Players have a short but interesting list of wants for their December production of A Christmas Carol. They are looking for tall top hats, a brass coal scuttle – and stuffed rabbits and pheasants. If anyone can help, Terry Powderhill may be contacted on 01564 778425.
