for members of the Teachers’ Preview Club
Stage directions Issue 54 May/June/July 2013 www.mousetrap.org.uk
Spring has sprung, offers are in and we have an exciting issue of StageDirections to present to you all.
Share the gift of theatre Give
Teachers Preview Club membership
Photo: Alex Rumford
• Just £30 a year or £125 for groups of 5+ • Access to the very best of London’s theatre • A unique resource for teachers of all subjects Buy gift membership: Online www.mousetrap.org.uk Phone 020 7240 1248 Email tpc@mousetrap.org.uk
how to book
DEAR TEACHERS
• We hope that you find your membership a useful resource. The ‘Preview’ in the Teachers’ Preview Club is designed to help you see theatre productions with a view to taking your class. • You are entitled to book two tickets to preview productions. • When booking your tickets, you will be asked for your TPC membership number on your membership card.
We’re offering an amazing opportunity to join other Teachers’ Preview Club members and come with a friend to see the multi-award winning War Horse, for just £10. Further details are on page 21.
• You can preview as many or as few productions as you wish.
We welcome an old favourite at a welcome new venue for us - Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats - plays at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking, which you can read more about on page 18.
• Most West End theatre offers can be booked through ATG on 0844 871 7644
We hope you enjoy the selection of West End shows this time, and wish you a happy, sunny summer term. Best wishes,
• All tickets are subject to availability. • Tickets CANNOT be transferred or bought on behalf of others.
• Other productions can be booked via their own box office telephone number which will appear under the production listing or venue name. • When collecting your tickets at the box office, you may be asked to show your TPC membership card. • If there are any changes in production dates or booking details after this magazine’s publication, you will receive an email with the updated information. • To log on to the website you will need your username – firstname.surname and a password. Unless you otherwise specify your password will be automatically be set to ‘mousetrap’. • If we have your email, you will also receive additional theatre offers during the quarter. • Your membership will expire exactly one year after you join, when we will write to you to remind you to renew.
* For lost membership cards, to register your email, reset your password, or renew your membership, call the TPC on 020 7240 1248 or email nancy@mousetrap.org.uk
HAMLET (Peter Schaufuss Ballet) @
BLOOMSBURY THEATRE
WEST END
Award Winning choreographer Peter Schaufuss comes to the Bloomsbury Theatre for the first time with his Hamlet inspired dance drama. Described in Germany as a ‘magnificent experience’, this is one not to be missed. TICKETS £20 / Mon – Thurs perfs / Until 18 July / To book call 0844 412 4659
WYNDHAMS THEATRE
MOUSETRAP THEATRE PROJECTS ...inspiring young people
Krister Henriksson, best known from his role in Wallander, will present the critically acclaimed one man Swedish show Doktor Glas the story of a 19th Century physician who falls madly in love with the beautiful young wife of a corrupt clergyman. TICKETS £15 / Every Weds @ 2.30pm and Sat @ 5pm / Until 11 May / Visit www.delfontmackintosh.com and use PROMO CODE – T42 or on the phone
LONDON WALL @
ST JAMES THEATRE
Hot off its Finborough run, London Wall has shaken off 80 years of dust with four stars from national critics. John van Druten’s play of 1930s office politics and romance is described as ‘rivetingly entertaining’ by ‘The Guardian.’ The play may be old but the struggle for women to be considered professional equals is totally topical. TICKETS £20 / Valid on all perfs / 7 May – 11 May / To book go online at www.stjamestheatre.co.uk and enter Promo Code TCPOFFER or call 0844 264 2140 and quote ‘TCP Offer’
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
@
WEST END
DOKTOR GLAS
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS @
FENCES
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Join us on
@
DUCHESS THEATRE
Following his triumphant performance as Othello, Lenny Henry returns to the London stage in August Wilson’s award winning Fences. Fences is one of the great American dramas of the 20th century, and winner of the New York Drama Critics’ Award, two Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Set between the Korean and Vietnam wars, it is the story of a family trying to hold itself together and of what happens when a strong man is robbed of his dreams - a universal story which will touch a chord in every heart. TICKETS £20 / Mon – Thurs perfs / Until 18 July / To book call 0844 412 4659 quote ‘TPC offer’
THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET
‘The funniest show on the planet’ – Daily Mail. Actor, stand-up comic and presenter Rufus Hound plays lovable chancer Francis Henshall in Nicholas Hytner’s five star West End production of One Man, Two Guvnors, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. TICKETS £22* / Mon – Thu eves and Weds mats / 1st May – 18 July (excl. 27 May – 2 June) / Book by 11 July / To book go online at www.onemantwoguvnors.com or call 020 7930 8800 and quote ‘Teachers20’ / *Incl. bkg fees and restoration levy
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VIVA FOREVER! @
PICcADILLY THEATRE
Viva Forever! has exploded on to the stage and is wowing audiences with its clever mix of classic Spice Girls hits combined with Jennifer Saunder’s irresistibly funny story. Including the hit songs Stop, Say You’ll Be There, 2 Become 1 and many more, Viva Forever! is a fabulous feel-good new musical that celebrates love, friendship and just being who you really, really wanna be…! TICKETS £20 / Mon – Thurs eves and Friday mats / Until 26 July / Ages 5+ / To book call 020 9707 7069 or login at www.mousetrap.org.uk
25 YearS oF horror!
WOMAN IN BLACK @
FORTUNE THEATRE
Now celebrating 25 years in the West End with over 7 million people having lived to tell the tale, The Woman in Black is of one of the most exciting, gripping and successful theatre events ever staged. TICKETS £20 (Upper Circle) / Tues – Thurs (and Mondays between 22 July – 24 Aug / Until 31 August / To book call 0844 871 7626 and quote Teacher Preview Club
Fortune theatre
LYRIC THEATRE, SHAFTESBURY AVE
@
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
Join our intrepid family of adventurers and their musical dog through the swishy swashy grass and the squelchy mud in search of a bear! Michael Rosen’s much loved book is brought vividly and noisily to life in this fun-filled and inventive stage adaptation. TICKETS £9.50 (Stalls & Circle) / Wed 3 July – Wed 31 July (Excludes all Sat & Sun 12pm perfs) / To book quote TPC Offer when calling 0844 412 4661 or online www.nimaxtheatres.com
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
WEST END
WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT
Take a daring leap into the world of espionage, high drama and rip-roaring comedy with The 39 Steps. The wonderfully inventive Olivier Award winning show is a brilliant stage recreation of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller and features just 4 fearless actors playing 139 roles in 100 minutes of fast-paced fun and thrilling action. Visit Love39Steps.com to download the 46 page education pack and to watch the fantastic new education video. TICKETS £15 / Ages 7+ / Mon – Thu at 8pm and Wed at 3pm / Until July / To book call 0844 871 7644 or login at www.mousetrap.org.uk and enter ‘TPC39Steps’
WEST END
THE 39 STEPS @ CRITERION THEATRE
WICKED @
APOLLO VICTORIA
Bring your classroom to life with London’s awardwinning stage musical. The free WICKED ACTIVE LEARNING online teacher resource combines the thrill of live performance with cross-curricular classroom-based activities that provoke discussion about the staging, themes and narrative of the production. Watch an EXCLUSIVE education trailer at WickedPreview.co.uk TICKETS £15.00 / Mon–Thu @ 7.30pm and Wed at 2.30pm / 1 May – 17 Jul 2013 (Excl. w/c 26 May) / To book call 020 9707 7069 or login at www.mousetrap.org.uk
APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE
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© WLPL
WICKED_APR13_Mousetrap_65x57_1a_vis.indd 1
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STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
mother and daughter team wrote the Lionboy series of three novels together, while Isabel was still at school.
Lionboy by Complicite
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Arguably the leading physical theatre company in the world, Complicite celebrates 30 years of international touring this year.
Famed for its imaginative innovative work, this summer it will present its first ever show for children. Lionboy tells the story of eleven year old Charlie Ashanti. He is a perfectly normal boy apart from one thing: he can speak to cats, after an accident with the blood of a leopard cub. When Charlie’s parents are kidnapped, he sets off on a rescue mission with the help of a floating circus and its pride of performing lions. Lionboy the play is an adaptation of a book by Zizou Corder which is the pen name of novelist Louisa Young and her daughter Isabel Adomakoh Young. The
Currently in rehearsals, the stage production is directed by Complicite cofounder Annabel Arden, who as well as directing and appearing in a number of Complicite shows, has directed operas at Glynebourne, the Welsh National Opera and internationally. Arden is adapting the book with playwright Marcelo Dos Santos, Louisa Young, writer Mike Kenny and the company. The show will also feature original live music from percussionist Stephen Hiscock.
As well as it’s productions’ Complicite also runs a number of Creative Learning projects that support and illuminate its artistic work. A Co-production with Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, Oxford Playhouse, Wales Millennium Centre and Warwick Arts Centre, Lionboy tours the UK from May 29th, visiting the Unicorn in London from July 9th. For more info visit www.complicite.org
FEATURED SHOW
Complicite’s Master and Margarita, photo by Hugo Glendinning
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
FEATURED SHOW
TPC offer o n page 17
The production offers many routes into the curriculum: Literacy: Written by mother and daughter writing team, whilst Isabel was still at school. Creative writing inspiration. Citizenship: Charlie’s mixed race identity is an important theme both in the book and the stage show. Science: In the story, Charlie’s parents are scientists trying to develop a cure for asthma, which has become an epidemic.
Complicite’s Master and Margarita, photo by Hugo Glendinning
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BEYOND BARBICAN
To book visit www.barbican.org.uk and enter the promo code 22041 when prompted or call 0845 120 7511 and quote ‘TPC offer’ Haggerston
Theatre-Rites Bank On It
at The Rose Lipman Building, N1 5SQ Explore the secrets of a very unusual bank in this interactive show taking place in Hackney. Ideal for KS 1 & 2, Bank On It engages young audiences with the theme of money in a fun and creative way. Free learning resources provided, and free pre-show workshop in your school: see Barbican website for full details. TICKETS £6 fees apply / All perfs Sat 22 and Sun 23 Jun, & Fri 28 Jun 6.30pm perfs / Ages 5+
BUSH THEATRE
To book call 020 8743 5050 or book online at www.bushtheatre.co.uk and quote ‘DISGRACEDMT’ Shepherds Bush / Goldhawk Rd
Sons Without Fathers
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A new version of Anton Chekhov’s Platonov, adapted and directed by Helena Kaut-Howson Love and loyalty collide in this dazzling new play, a modern version of Chekhov’s rarely performed early work, Platonov. At once brilliantly comic, brutal and tragic, Sons Without Fathers, shines a light on a group of disaffected thirty-somethings – too old to move with the times, and too young to let go of their dreams. TICKETS £5 / Weds 8, Thurs 9, Sat 11 and Mon 13 May at 7.30pm and Sat 11 May at 2.30pm / Ages 15+
CHICKENSHED THEATRE
To book call 020 8292 9222 or email bookings@chickenshed.org.uk quoting ‘TPC Offer’ Oakwood
All I’ve Known
Inspired by growing up in a family that fostered children, writer and director Rachel Yates has interviewed people with their own stories to share. This new play weaves together excerpts from these interviews to create a backdrop for the story of a now grown-up son who is ready to reconnect with the family that loved him deeply. TICKETS £6 / Wed 1 May – Sat 4 May, Tues 7 May – Sat 11 May and Tues 14 May – Sat 18 May (Excl. Thurs 9 May) / Ages 15+
Finborough Theatre
AROUND TOWN
To book call 020 7503 1646 or online at www.arcolatheatre.com and quote ‘Mousetrap’ OVERGROUND: Dalston Kingsland / Dalston Junction Overground
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
AROUND TOWN
Arcola
To book call 0844 847 1652 or book online at ticketweb.co.uk/venue/finborough-theatre-tickets/ FINBOROERD/905 West Brompton
Disgraced
by Ayad Akhtar The winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Disgraced is the hit American play about culture, ambition and faith. Amir Kapoor is a hotshot Manhattan lawyer on the verge of promotion. But when Amir and his wife Emily host an intimate dinner party, an innocent conversation escalates into something far more damaging. TICKETS £12 / Friday 17, Saturday 18 and Monday 20 for the offer with the code DISGRACEDMT / Age suitability: 14+
Hard Feelings
Thatcher’s Britain – Brixton, 1981. As tensions mount on the streets, a group of Oxford University graduates barely notice what’s happening as police and rioters clash, shops are looted and buildings are set on fire. In both worlds there is a fight for rights... a fight for respect... a fight for control. TICKETS £14 / 11 and 12 June / £10 tickets for U30s 11 – 15 May (online only)
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POLKA THEATRE
To book call 020 8543 4888 and quote ‘Mousetrap Teachers Preview’ Wimbledon
RICHMOND THEATRE
To book call 0844 871 7651 and quote ‘Stage Directions Offer’ (bkg fees apply) Richmond
Nothing Is The End Of The World
To book call 0844 412 4322 and quote ‘Teacher’s Preview Club Offer’ (please note a £2.50 transaction fee applies) Holborn
Based on an adaptation by Geraldine McCaughrean Do you have what it takes to travel the world? Would your friends follow you to hell and back? And when the gods and all your luck turn against you: would you still have the strength to make it home? Jump onboard and join the crew for one of the greatest stories ever told! A new crosscurricular show, created especially for schools. 1 FREE ticket per teacher / 5 – 12 June / Ages 7 – 11 (KS2)
The Print Room
The Seagull Less Than Kind
Starring Sue Holderness (Only Fools and Horses, Green, Green Grass) and William Gaminara (Silent Witness), this beautiful Terence Rattigan comedy lay undiscovered due to an accident of wartime and is now brought to the stage in Adrian Brown’s critics’ choice production. TICKETS £10 / Mon 3 – Sat 8 Jun at 7.30pm
To book call 020 7221 6036 & quote ‘StageDirections Offer’ Royal Oak / Westbourne Park
A play about unrequited love – a story about how we create stories – and one of the greatest plays of the modern era. In The Seagull, Chekhov explores emotion, creativity and romantic conflict. John Donnelly’s new version from Headlong, brings to startling life the rawness, beauty and humour of Chekhov’s first major play. TICKETS £10 / Wed 29 May – Sat 1 Jun at 7.30pm / Ages 14+
Riverside Studios To book call 020 8237 1111 and quote ‘Teachers Preview’ Hammersmith
Around TOWN
PEACOCK theatre
The Odyssey
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
In the near-distant future, a New York City charter school becomes the first to welcome artificially intelligent students. Suddenly priorities and moralities turn inside out as the androids try to integrate, the students try to help them integrate, and everyone tries to survive junior year. TICKETS £14 on 21 and 22 May / £10 tickets for U30s 21 – 25 May (online only)
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
AROUND TOWN
(Except For The End Of The World)
Theatre Témoin presents
Blue Remembered Hills
ZooNation’s
Some Like It Hip Hop
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Back by popular demand, ZooNation’s smash-hit sensation Some Like It Hip Hop returns to the Peacock Theatre, 3 May - 30 June. This irresistible musical unites the UK’s hottest dance talent with a Twelfth Night inspired storyline, and is full of fizzing energy, razor-sharp choreography and a highly infectious original score, performed live. TICKETS £15 / Friday 3 May, 7.30pm / Ages 7+
4000 Miles
by Amy Herzog Following performances at Theatre Royal Bath, this award-winning American play receives its London Premiere. More info at www.the-print-room.org TICKETS £10 / 14 May – 1 Jun / Mon – Sat / Ages 12+
Amidst hilarious games and complex friendships, an unexpected turn of events leads these seven children tumbling into sudden tragedy one wartime summer. Dennis Potter’s charming and profound play takes us to a world of dappled sunshine and long, playful afternoons to remind us that no-one is ever truly innocent. TICKETS £10 / Tue 18 – Sat 22 Jun at 7.30pm / Ages 12+
Nineveh
Written by Julia Pascal and Directed by Ailin Conant Over the past year, Theatre Temoin have worked with groups of ex-fighters in Rwanda, Lebanon, Israel and Kashmir on a series of 4 creative projects around the theme of reintegration and the return to civilian life.The Return Project will culminate in a dynamic piece of new writing, Nineveh, written by British playwright Julia Pascal, inspired by the testimony of international soldiers. TICKETS £10 / Until Sat 11 May / Ages 14+
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Rose Theatre Kingston
To book in person or call 08444 821556 (bkg fee) or online at rosetheatrekingston.org (bkg fee) and quote code ‘Mousetrap’ RAIL: Kingston
TRICYCLE Theatre To book call 020 7328 1000 or visit tricycle.co.uk and quote ‘MOUSETRAP’ Kilburn
Ruby in the Dust presents
The Great Gatsby Musical
UNICORN Theatre To book call 020 7645 0560 and quote ‘Mousetrap Teacher Preview’ London Bridge
Payback The Musical
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Written by Paul Rayfield and Developed and Directed by Simon Greiff A young orphan couple from Rio’s favelas are desperate to better themselves and win the prize from the UK TV paternity show ‘PAYBACK’ [You Play - You Pay], run by the infamous Matt Mathews, looks like the answer to their prayers. Lambs to the slaughter? Maybe not. This highly topical and satirical show is “fresh, original and funny” and has foot tapping songs you’ll be singing the morning after. TICKETS £14 / Wed 12 June – Sat 30 June / Some strong language Ages 12+
Ruby in the Dust presents
Hutch
Book by Joe Evans Adapted from ‘Hutch’ by Charlotte Breese Directed b y Linnie Reedman Featuring the music of Cole Porter At the height the “Jazz Age”, Leslie ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson became London’s most popular cabaret attraction is the tale of a remarkable Caribbean pianist who escaped his past to reach the highest levels of British society: a story of illicit love, sex and betrayal. And music. TICKETS £15 / Tuesday 14 May – 8 June (please check website for details)
A Day in the Death of joe egg
This fast-paced black comedy blazes with the love and pain, the anger and strain of a young couple raising a disabled child. Highly theatrical, frequently heart wrenching and often very funny, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1967) is one of the great plays of the modern British theatre. Featuring Ralf Little as Bri and Rebecca Johnson as Sheila. TICKETS £10 / Mon–Sat – eves & Thu & Sat – mats / 6 – 11 May
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
By Alexi Kaye Campbell After years apart, two families come together to rediscover their lost friendship. Instead, they conjure up the spirit of a buried tragedy. Set against the economic crisis of the 1930s, this boldly theatrical tale of grief and denial by Alexi Kaye Campbell (The Pride, Apologia, The Faith Machine) is vividly brought to life by Shared Experience (Mary Shelley, Brontë) and the Tricycle Theatre. TICKETS £12 / 6, 7, 8 & 10 June at 7.30pm / Ages 14+ / Limited offer. Unreserved seating only. Advanced booking only.
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
AROUND TOWN
Bracken Moor
AROUND TOWN
Tricycle Theatre and Shared Experience present
Adapted by Joe Evans and Linnie Reedman F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless 1920s classic is recreated for the stage against a backdrop of original “Jazz Age” music. Matilda Sturridge plays the pivotal role of Daisy Buchanan, the woman for whom Gatsby would sacrifice everything. “The music and lyrics evoke the decadent rush of the jazz era… Affecting and stylish” TimeOut – Show Of The Week. TICKETS £15 / Tuesday 21st May to 8th June (please check website for details)
Lionboy
by Complicite Charlie Ashanti is eleven years old. He’s a perfectly normal boy, except for one thing: he can speak to cats. When Charlie’s parents are kidnapped, he sets off on a rescue mission – with a little help from a floating circus and its pride of performing lions. Award-winning theatre company Complicite presents its first show for families and young people, inspired by Zizou Corder’s best-selling Lionboy trilogy. TICKETS £5 / Tue 9 July 7pm and Wed 10 July 7pm / Ages 8+
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Now, in its 14th year Shakespeare Schools Festival is bigger and better than ever before. As the UK’s largest Youth Drama Festival, SSF is supported by the Department for Education and gives young people (aged 8-18) the opportunity to perform 30 minute Shakespeare plays on a professional stage in their local theatre. This year, 1,000 schools, 1,000 teachers and 30,000 young people are taking part. The Festival works with 120 theatres across the UK where four schools perform different plays each night creating 250 unique nights of performance to take place in October-November 2013. As a non-competitive and inclusive Festival, SSF is open to every primary, secondary and special school in the UK. SSF inspires young people to experience theatre and the arts at a young age. 84% of SSF theatres in 2012 were able to build relationships with new schools and 100% of our teachers felt that the experience had a positive effect on their school. “SSF enables young people to express themselves and do what they love; it is one of the things that has made me realise what I want to do. I say this on behalf of all the young people you have ever come in contact with as I’m sure SSF has left similar marks on them.” (SSF student, 2012).
As part of the Festival, SSF equips teachers with a Teacher Director Handbook, access to teaching resources, a choice of twenty-one abridged Shakespeare plays to perform and a regional coordinator who is there to help at any given moment. The abridgements include all the relevant plot points, characters and themes, whilst keeping Shakespearean language as a focus. Nine plays have been specifically adapted for primary schools with a greater emphasis on narration to make the plays more accessible for younger performers. “SSF is the highlight of my year; I’ve seen exceptional collaboration, team pride and achievement. And most of all, I’ve seen some powerful and committed on-stage storytelling. I couldn’t recommend SSF highly enough.” (SSF Teacher, 2012) SSF is growing as more teachers, more schools, more students and more theatres are entranced by the magic of the Festival. In 2014 we aim to work with 1,500 schools and 2,000 in 2015. Shakespeare Schools Festival is open to every primary, secondary and special school in the UK. Limited spaces are available for the 2013 Festival. Register your school online: www.ssf.uk.com/register or book your space early for the 2014 Festival on http://www.ssf.uk.com/2014/interest. SSF also offers school trips at discounted prices to selected theatres. To find out more email us at enquiries@ssf.uk.com or call us on 020 7601 1800.
FEATURED SHOW
‘Something wicked this way comes...’
perform on a real stage, they can perform to a big audience and just challenge themselves in ways that they haven’t done before.” (SSF Teacher, 2012)
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
Shakespeare Schools Festival
SSF offers high quality teacher training, to give teachers the skills and know-how they need to bring Shakespeare into their classroom and onto the stage. Workshops are designed to empower teachers to work confidently with Shakespeare and embrace the challenge of being a teacher and a director simultaneously. The biggest thrill for teachers and students is the opportunity to work in a professional theatre. SSF offers performance nights, cast workshops, technical sessions and rehearsal slots within a large network of venues including The Mac in Belfast, The Contact Theatre in Manchester, The Leicester Curve, The Riverside Studios in Hammersmith and many more. The experience of performing to an audience in a professional arena is the pinnacle of the Festival and gives everyone involved an unforgettable experience. “The children can learn about Shakespeare and have a chance to do something that they have never done before; they can experience a new language, they can
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Horrible Histories
TICKETS 2 for 1 / Quote ‘TPC offer’ Wed 1 May at 7pm (Tudors) Hawth Theatre Crawley Box office: 01293553636 Thurs 9 May at 7pm (Victorians) Bournemouth Pavilion Box office: 0844 576 3000
Cats
Wed 26 June at 7pm (Tudors) Dorking Halls Box Office: 01306 881717
New Victoria Theatre, Woking
Mon 1 July at 7pm (Tudors) Watford Colosseum Box office 0845 075 3993
The memory returns this summer with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s extraordinary recording-breaking, smash-hit musical Cats. A wonderful blend of fantasy, drama and romance, join the Jellicle Cats as they meet for the Jellicle Ball in a sparkling fusion of music, dance and verse that will enchant the whole family! Up to 2 children go at HALF PRICE per full paying adult / Tue 9 – Sat 20 July / Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm & Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm / (Mon – Thu perfs only, booking subject to maximum of 4 children in total)
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To book call the Box Office on 08448717645 and quote ‘StageDirections offer’ or online at www.atgtickets.com/ woking and enter promo code ‘SDOFFER’
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
Around the Country
Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors and Vile Victorians ends its hugely successful tour in July, so grab your last chance to enjoy history with all the yucky bits left in! KS2 topics covered with foul facts, awful jokes and amazing 3D special effects - great for ages 6+. Free teachers notes downloadable at www.birminghamstage.com
Around the Country
Terrible Tudors & Vile Victorians
Suita ble all ag for es 19
SPECIAL EVENT
Monday 20th May 7.30pm At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the Cavalry and shipped to France. Joey’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land.
But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-sized puppets, who bring breathing, galloping charging horses to life on stage. TICKETS £10 Includes a Post show talk with a complimentary glass of wine and an education pack. To book your pair of tickets, email elly@mousetrap.org. uk with your name, daytime telephone number, and TPC membership number.
Ticke ts £10
Special Event
WAR HORSE NEW LONDON THEATRE
STAGE DIRECTIONS mousetrap.org.uk
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inspiring young people
Mousetrap Theatre Projects’ latest NEWS Family First Nights
Youth Forum Film
At the recent Family Arts Conference in Birmingham, we presented two sessions on our Family First Nights programme to assist other UK arts organisations and venues who wish to replicate this scheme. The TMA’s Prompt magazine also featured it in its latest issue. You can read this article on our homepage at www.mousetrap.org.uk
Envision Matilda the Musical Family First Nights
64 blind and partially sighted young people attended two audio-described performances of Matilda The Musical in March, each preceded by 90-minute drama workshops. Students were then led on an onstage touch tour at the Cambridge Theatre having the chance to get close to the set and props. When asked what they enjoyed most, one 16 year old responded, “Meeting people that have different and the same disabilities as you, making friends, enjoying acting.”
The Voice of Young Theatre-goers The Mousetraps and Etiquette Film Envision
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2013 will mark the 15th anniversary of our groundbreaking 5-week summer family theatregoing programme, Family First Nights. Over the past 14 years, we’ve taken over 7,000 families with all tickets at £5. Families have seen top West End shows as well as children’s theatre. We then stay in touch with these families with more than 3,000 now on our database who are keen to attend theatre, opera, dance and more. Last year these families were sent 70 additional special offers all of which were completely filled.
‘The Mousetraps’ are voted on by hundreds of young theatregoers (aged 15 - 23) and were presented to 10 outstanding West End shows and individuals. In addition to traditional categories such as ‘Best Musical’, ‘The Mousetraps’ also celebrated shows with awards such as: Soundtrack I am Most Likely to Download (Les Misérables); Show That Shouldn’t Have Closed (Blood Brothers) and Guilty Pleasure (Mama Mia!). Youth Forum members also created their own short film on theatre etiquette which they wrote, directed, auditioned, acted in and filmed. It’s funny and timeless and prepares young and old for what not to do as a theatre audience member. You can watch this film on our homepage at www.mousetrap.org.uk
StageSong On 19th March, a showcase of students’ musical theatre compositions was presented by professional actors on the stage of the St. James Theatre. Four schools participated in our StageSong education programme which brought professional composers and lyricists into the classroom to teach music students how to write musical theatre. A panel, comprised of composer and lyricist, Adam Cork (London Road), musical theatre star Samuel B Holmes (Kiss Me Kate) and journalist/theatre critic Mark Shenton, critiqued the students’ musical compositions. One parent wrote to say, “I was incredibly impressed with the standard of the music and lyrics which the pupils had developed. It is so good for them to be able to mix with professional musicians and lyricists, to see their work coming alive’ on the stage and to get such detailed feedback from experts in the field.”
Susan Whiddington Director, Mousetrap Theatre Projects’
Our Youth Forum, a group of active teenagers who support the work of our charity in countless ways, has been even busier of late. In February, it hosted Awards named ‘The Mousetraps’ for a second year.
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Superbreak is pleased to offer members of TPC a 10% discount on all Uk and European short breaks This includes great low prices at over 5000 hotels and discounts on a full range of London theatre and event breaks. Too see the huge range of options available to members, please visit www.superbreak.com To book call 0871 221 1199 and quote ‘Teachers’ Preview Club’ to claim savings (Calls cost 10p a minute)
Membership JUST £30 a year Teachers’ Preview Club
Registered Charity no: 1053434
design:feastcreative.com
MOUSETRAP THEATRE PROJECTS 23–24 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8ND T. 020 72401248 F. 020 7632 4111 E. tpc@mousetrap.org.uk www.mousetrap.org.uk