Preview: Brave New World at Darlington Civic Theatre

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Full Cast Announced For Brave New World

Brave New World

Darlington Civic Theatre

Tuesday 10^th to Saturday 14^th November 2015

The full cast and creative team has been announced for the world premiere of a brand new stage adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s seminal novel Brave New World, presented by Touring Consortium Theatre Company and Royal & Derngate Northampton which comes to Darlington Civic Theatre from Tuesday 10 to Saturday 14 November.

Brave New World, widely considered to be one of the finest and most prophetic dystopian novels of the twentieth century, bursts into life on stage in an adaptation by award-winning playwright Dawn King, directed by James Dacre and designed by Naomi Dawson, with original new music by the ground breaking British band These New Puritans.

Sophie Ward - Photo: Gemma Betts

Sophie Ward, whose extensive screen credits include TV series Land Girls, Heartbeat and Holby City, and films including Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Young Sherlock, will play ‘Margaret Mond’, the Regional World Controller for Western Europe (a character that was the male ‘Mustapha Mond’ in the original novel),. Her theatre work includes One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Go Back For Murder and Private Lives. Olivier Award-winning Abigail McKern, last seen in Northampton in A Tale of Two Cities and fresh from Shakespeare in Love in the West End, takes the role of ‘Linda’. The ensemble cast also includes Olivia Morgan (Macbeth, West End, The Taming of the Shrew,

Shakespeare’s Globe), William Postlethwaite (King Lear, Bath Theatre Royal, Collaborators, National Theatre) as John the Savage, Scott Karim (The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare’s Globe, Great Britain, National Theatre) as Helmholtz Watson, and Gruffudd Glyn (Three Sisters, Young Vic, Hamlet, RSC) as Bernard. The cast also includes Theo Ogundipe as Benito, Samantha Pearl as Polly, James Howard as the Director and David Burnett as Henry.

The play is directed by Royal & Derngate’s Artistic Director James Dacre (The Body of an American, King John, Arthur Miller’s The Hook) with original music by These New Puritans, whose last album was described by Record Collector as “arguably the musical achievement of the 2010s so far.” It has been adapted for the stage by Dawn King, whose credits include the plays Ciphers and Foxfinder, and the BAFTA-nominated short film The Karman Line. The production is designed by Naomi Dawson, whose recent credits include The Roaring Girl, King John and As You Like It for the RSC, with Frantic Assembly’s Eddie Kay (The Pass, Royal Court, Othello, Frantic Assembly) as movement director. Lighting design is by Colin Grenfell (Black Watch, National Theatre of Scotland, The Mother, Theatre Royal Bath) with sound design by George Dennis (Regeneration, Royal & Derngate/Touring Consortium Theatre Company, Liberian Girl, Royal Court).

Video designer Keith Skretch also joins the creative team, with fight direction by RC Annie.

Tickets:

Brave New World is at Darlington Civic Theatre from Tuesday 10^th to Saturday 14^th November 2015.

Tickets* are priced from £17.40

*All ticket prices include a £1 restoration levy.

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk  

News: Theatre Cloud brings back successful young reporter scheme

WHAT’S THE SCOOP?

Theatre Cloud brings back successful young reporter scheme for its second year to report on Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge

TheatreCloud.com (www.theatrecloud.com ), the new UK touring theatre website, is launching a new search for budding young arts journalists in Darlington.

After a successful pilot scheme centered on last autumn’s world premiere stage adaptation of Pat Barker’s Regeneration, the search is now on for aspiring reporters to cover the behind-the-scenes action on Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, on tour this spring to mark the centenary of the renowned American playwright’s birth.

Miller’s 1956 classic is set in the dangerous world of New York’s Brooklyn harbor, where Eddie Carbone lives with his wife and niece in a tight-knit Italian immigrant community bound by strong moral codes of justice and loyalty and a fevered pursuit of “The American Dream”.

This brand new production of Miller’s 1956 classic, directed by Stephen Unwin, opens at Nottingham Theatre Royal on 4 March and then tours until 11 April 2015. A View from the Bridge is produced by the Touring Consortium Theatre Company.

As part of its new Young Reporters Scheme, Theatre Cloud is recruiting would-be journalists, aged 17-30 years old, to report on the production’s run at Darlington Civic Theatre from March 17 – 21.

In the week that A View From The Bridge hits Darlington, Young Reporters will not only see the show, they’ll be granted special access at Darlington Civic Theatre to carry out a variety of A View From The Bridge media assignments, including: interview features with the cast and related experts, video blogs, audience vox pops, crew diaries and backstage tour reports. All articles will be published, with bylines, on TheatreCloud.com.

Theatre Cloud’s Young Reporters Scheme is approved as part of the Arts Council-funded national Arts Award (www.artsaward.org.uk ). Participation will prove invaluable for those gaining experience and credits while working towards their bronze, silver or gold level Arts Award.

To apply for scheme consideration, young people should tell us in no more than 250 words, why they would like to be a Theatre Cloud young reporter, plus give us one story idea around A View From The Bridge at their local theatre, along with their name, age, address and contact details to reporters@theatrecloud.com. Please note that this is unpaid work experience however contribution towards expenses will be provided. Deadline for applications from Darlington is Thursday 5th March 2015.

Preview: A View From The Bridge at Darlington Civic

A View From The Bridge

By Arthur Miller

A production from The Touring Consortium Theatre Company

Darlington Civic Theatre

Tuesday 17th March to Saturday 21 March 2015

This gripping and passionate drama ranks as one of the great classics of our time; a powerful and deeply moving play.

2015 marks the centenary of Arthur Miller’s birth and Darlington Civic Theatre is delighted to be celebrating it with a production of one of his most popular plays as The Touring Consortium Theatre Company present the modern classic A View from the Bridge.

Set in 1950s New York and crackling with raw emotion, this American classic simmers with tension as longshoreman Eddie Carbone's obsession with his orphaned niece spirals out of control. In a close Italian immigrant community bound by codes of justice and vengeance, the scene is set for disaster when Eddie and his wife welcome Sicilian cousins into their home.

Sexual repression, paranoia and homophobia drive Eddie to an act of betrayal that has tragic consequences for himself, his family and the whole community. This dark and passionate tale ranks as one of the great classics of our time.

Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge starring Michael Brandon (Dempsey & Makepiece, Mr Selfridge, Hustle, Doctor Who) and Jonathan Guy Lewis (Skins, Holby City, Heartbeat) will play at Darlington Civic Theatre from Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 March. The cast will also include Teresa Banham (Vera, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Silent Witness), Daisy Boulton, James Rastall, Philip Cairns, Orestes Sophocleous, John Alistair, Paul Chesterton and Ben Woodhall. 

Also in the cast will be a small group of local actors who went through an audition process to be picked by the production company to appear in the Darlington leg of the tour. Auditionees included emerging professionals, a maths teacher, a TA volunteer, keen amateur performers and a mum of two with a dream of treading the boards.

 

Tickets:

A View from the Bridge runs at Darlington Civic Theatre from Tuesday March 17 to Saturday March 21.

Evenings 7.30pm, Matinees Thu 2pm, Sat 2.30pm

Tickets* are priced from £17.40

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk  

*Includes a £1 restoration levy

News: Community casting for classic in Darlington

              

Community casting for Miller masterpiece!

Touring Consortium Theatre Company hold auditions in Darlington for community casting in next production of Arthur Miller’s ‘A View from the Bridge’

 

In spring 2015, the Touring Consortium Theatre Company will, with York Theatre Royal, co-produce Arthur Miller's modern classic, A View from the Bridge, directed by Damian Cruden. 2015 is the centenary of Arthur Miller’s birth and they are delighted to be celebrating it with this production of one of his most popular plays.

Set in 1950s New York and crackling with raw emotion, this American classic simmers with tension as longshoreman Eddie Carbone's obsession with his orphaned niece spirals out of control. In a close Italian immigrant community bound by codes of justice and vengeance, the scene is set for disaster when Eddie and his wife welcome Sicilian cousins into their home.

Sexual repression, paranoia and homophobia drive Eddie to an act of betrayal that has tragic consequences for himself, his family and the whole community. This dark and passionate tale ranks as one of the great classics of our time.

"Compelling…memorable…perfect" - The Guardian

The Touring Consortium Theatre Company will be holding open auditions at Darlington Civic Theatre to cast between 10-12 people who will make up the ensemble casting for this production. Local members of the community will perform alongside the professional cast for the entire week that it plays at Darlington Civic Theatre.

It’s a wonderful opportunity for local actors to be part of a national touring production.  The Touring Consortium Theatre Company has included community ensembles in their previous tours of WhatsOnStage nominated To Sir With Love and Brassed Off. Anyone with even a little acting experience is welcome to audition. Just bring your enthusiasm and commitment.

Auditions will be held on the Civic Theatre’s stage this autumn. To apply for a casting slot, please send a recent photo and a short paragraph about yourself explaining why you would like to take part to stacey@touringconsortium.com. Please note you must be over 16 years old to apply. Deadline for applications is  24^th October.

A View from the Bridge is the fourth production of our Arts Council England-funded Strategic Touring Programme.

On The Web

Theatre Company

Website: http://theatrecloud.com/news/audition-for-a-view-from-the-bridge 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TCTcompany

Darlington Civic

Website: www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarloCivic