Swashbuckling Shakespeare
The Irving Stage Company’s production of Romeo and Juliet will play out against the stunning backdrop of St Edmundsbury Cathedral’s cloisters in Bury St Edmunds in July.
Tim Lodge, the play’s director, has taken a course in stage swordplay to inject passion and flair into the infamous fight scenes between the brawling Capulets and Montagues.“Romeo and Juliet has got intensive and exciting fight scenes,” he said. “It has got to be spectacular and great to look at.Mr Lodge, of nearby Walsham-le-Willows, picked up tips in stage combat at the course run by Young Blood Theatre Company in London.He learned the basics of sword handling, he learnt how to ‘kill and be killed’, skills which he is passing on to his team of young actors. He has now bought eight replica swords and four daggers to add panache to the period drama, which will be performed on a reproduction Elizabethan stage.Live musicians will perform original 16th-Century music in the unique production, which will run from July 15 to 17.
Tickets are available through the Theatre Royal box office on 01284 769505 or online at www.theatreroyal.org
Irving Stage Company member Charlotte Couture (Florence - Chess 2009 and Johanna - Sweeney Todd 2008) has recently travelled to Edinburgh to perform in the Fringe Festival 2009. Charlotte, together with fellow members of K2 Productions - Tom Crooke, Libby Earland, Sarah Burdett and Dan Stranger, performed Fear and Misery of the Third Reich by Bertolt Brecht in the Sweet ECA venue. The group completed twelve performances to critical acclaim. The group fund raised to reach the amount of £3000 needed to take the production to Edinburgh. Well done and congratulations to Charlotte and other members of the cast for a successful two weeks in Edinburgh.
This show was on early in the afternoon and when reading the blurb I did think it may be a bit heavy going. Instead it was awesome! Thoroughly enjoyed the piece. The only down point was the diction of a couple of characters in the first scene. Well done guys! Hope to see you again next year!
Emma - Glasgow
The show goes on ….for 50 years - an article in the Bury Free Press, December 2008
The Irving Stage Company is celebrating its 50th bIrthday in 2009. Ben Arnold takes a look back at the company’s history.
It is an old adage in theatre that the show must go on - and the Irving Stage Company (ISC) has always believed it, putting on 136 performances over 50 successful years. A big passion for theatre has been evident in every one of the company’s productions and next year that passion will be put into celebrating its golden jubilee. In March, a performance of the musical Chess, at the Theatre Royal, in Bury St Edmunds, will kick off a programme of events to celebrate the milestone. Alistair Robertson, ISC president, a position honoured to him as the company’s longest serving member, said: ‘We hope to have a garden party and a shared supper as well as touring a number of one-act festivals and, of course, there will be the spring and autumn shows.’ Based in Bury, the company was founded by a group of drama enthusiasts in 1959 as the Irving Club, named after the great Victorian actor Sir Henry Irving. Since then, it has put on shows including One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Sleeping Beauty and, most recently, Steel Magnolias, winning acclaim from audiences and reviewers alike. Rachel Sloane, of BBC Radio Suffolk, described the ISC’s interpretation of Sweeney Todd as ‘a performance to remember’. One of the memorable moments in the company’s history was a performance of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 2000, when the performance was interrupted by a fire alarm. Cast, crew and audience were swiftly evacuated and stood side by side in the street. But such was their desire to finish the show, the company trooped back inside and gave it their all, with great success. Jackie Deane, past ISC chairman, who was in that show and has been involved with the company since she was 14, said: ‘It was funny because the actors and audience are not supposed to come together in costume, yet there we all were standing outside.’ The company was a major contributor to the first restoration of the Theatre Royal in the 1960s, which was being used as a barrel store by brewer Greene King at the time. A two-week run of a pantomime helped to raise money for the theatre and members of the cast and crew helped to palnt and decorate it. The ISC has seen many talented performers over the years and some have gone on to act professionally Jamie Treacher, 34, who performed in two shows in 1992 with the company, has gone on to appear in film and television. He said: ‘I had a fantastic time with the Irving. It was the first thing I really did theatrically and before that, I was unsure about what I wanted to do. It gives people the confidence to believe they can fulfil any artistic ambitions they may have.’ One of the major contributors to the company’s success was Ray Dyer, who acted and directed in many shows before his death last year. Mr Dyer, who was awarded an MBE in 2006 for his services to drama, became involved with the company shortly after moving to Bury in 1976. Mr Dyer’s widow Daphne said: ‘We were still unpacking boxes when a woman knocked on the door and asked if Ray wanted to attend a meeting with the Irving, after they heard he was interested in drama. He came back an hour later looking sheepish and said he was directing their next show.’ New members have always been welcomed by the company and all auditions for its shows are open to anyone passionate about performing. A dedicated team of volunteers also works tirelessly backstage to ensure every performance is a showstopper.
Anyone interested in the group can visit its website at www.irvingstage.co.uk
