“Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love”
This March, West Yorkshire Playhouse presents Shakespeare’s classic tale of youthful defiance in a vibrant new production of Romeo & Juliet. Set against an epic Northern landscape this is a powerful portrayal of one of the greatest love stories ever told. A brutal and long standing feud between two families, the Capulets and Montagues, is reignited in the stifling head of a long hot summer. However, in the eye of the storm and across the conflict, an all-consuming first love is born from a stolen moment. Yet fate dictates their future and violent riots lead to fatal consequences. Director Amy Leach says “We’ve been trying to imagine this as a new play – written for 2017 not 1595. What might happen if Verona wasn’t an Italian city full of lords and ladies, masked balls and sword fights, but an urban northern city – multi-cultural, pulsating, made of concrete and metal. We’ve been thinking about the headiness of turning 16, of sweltering summer holidays filled with first loves, festivals and anthemic music. And we’ve been interrogating how this story – with its feuds, gang warfare, and divide between youth and age – resonates with our world now.” To complement this production WYP are offering a whole range of insightful and dynamic workshops that directly support the curriculum so that you and your students can get the most from your visit. A West Yorkshire Playhouse production: Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare, 3 – 25 March, Box Office 0113 213 7700, www.wyp.org.uk
New theatre in Letchworth
A brand new theatre is coming to Letchworth with a programme of live work which will appeal especially to schools and young people. With the first Broadway Theatre season opening in February 2017, schools have an exclusive opportunity to book ahead of everyone else. Here’s a selection of the productions on offer this season:
THE MACHINE STOPS, by EM Forster, Suitable for Year 7+ – his short story masterpiece published in 1909 is astoundingly prophetic and poignant in 2016: a chilling prediction and exploration of our increasingly complex relationship with technology.
REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY, suitable for Year 9+. Acclaimed stars of the West End stage, the Reduced Shakespeare Company, are back with another barnstormingly irreverent and breathtakingly hilarious celebration of our cultural heritage – William Shakespeare’s long lost first play (abridged).
HORRIBLE HISTORIES – Live on Stage – The Best of Barmy Britain, Suitable for Year 1+.
Check out the website www.broadway-letchworth.com for booking details and schools’ offers for these shows and special events, such as MICHAEL MORPURGO, THE MOZART QUESTION on Sunday 7 May, 3.00pm.
SCHOOL OF ROCK THE MUSICAL EXTENDED BOOKING IN WEST END
Having recently twice smashed the house record at the New London Theatre, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West End production of School of Rock – The Musical is extending booking for a second time since its official opening. Tickets are now available to 28 May 2017. Based on the iconic hit movie and with a rocking new score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, School of Rock – The Musical follows slacker and wannabe rock star Dewey Finn turn a class of straight-A 10 year old students into an ear popping, riff scorching, all conquering rock band. Best seats for £10.00 are available every Wednesday evening an hour before curtain to purchase as part of the School of Rock – The Musical Student Rush scheme. These tickets are only available in person from the New London Theatre Box Office. www.schoolofrockthemusical.co.uk
Registration now open for re-branded Music & Drama Education Expo!
Europe’s largest free-to-attend conference for music and drama education returns to London in February to celebrate its fifth birthday! Taking place on 9 & 10 February 2017 at London Olympia, the free show will offer two days of high-quality CPD, unrivalled networking opportunities and the chance to try out hundreds of products with more than 150 exhibitors. The re-branded Music & Drama Education Expo is set to be the biggest show yet, with a host of new elements to engage, inspire and entertain both music and drama teachers, with more than 60 sessions/44 hours of CPD, over two days, the conference will offer more than 60 workshops, seminars and debates from award-winning teachers, academics and practitioners. Register today at www.musicanddramaeducationexpo.co.uk
YMT AUDITIONS – BOOKING IS NOW OPEN!
Join the UK’s leading music theatre company for young people aged 11-21! Youth Music Theatre UK will be auditioning across the UK and Ireland in January and February 2017. Join the YMT 2017 Company and star in a brand new musical this summer. You are auditioning to join the YMT Company and take part in YMT’s 2017 Summer Season of New Music Theatre. These are two/three-week residential courses where you’ll work with a professional artistic team to create a brand new piece of music theatre that will be performed in a professional theatre at the end of the project. Unlike most other youth theatres, YMT is unique in creating ONLY brand new shows. Be part of something incredible and star in one of eight new shows taking place across the UK. They are looking for anyone aged 11-21 who loves theatre – people with guts, determination, integrity, ambition, energy, authenticity, generosity and a willingness to give it everything! You don’t need to have any prior experience whatsoever; they are looking for potential!
Visit youthmusictheatreuk.org/auditionsfor full dates and booking information.