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THE BI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF NEW THEATRE ROYAL, PORTSMOUTH AUTUMN/WINTER 15 EDITION
GET SET03 FOR OUR AUTUMN/ WINTER OPENING!
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GOING GLOBAL
With a performance piece at the Venice Biennale and a script reading in LA, New Theatre Royal’s Creative Lab associates are being celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic.
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IN THE LEAD
Earlier this year we welcomed our new Chairman, Judith Smyth, who has been working hard with both the NTR team and board of trustees to steer us through the final stages of development.
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TAKE A SEAT
Individuals and businesses from across the region have shown their support and will receive an engraved plaque to be displayed on a seat in our new auditorium.
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THE STAGE IS SET! 2015/16 WINTER PROGRAMME The Great Gatsby 15th - 17th October
Dickens Abridged 4th November
Ruby Wax 24th November
The Silver Sword 19th - 21st October
Risen! The Musical 6th - 7th November
Show of Hands 25th November
Behind the Curtain: The Found Hour 24th October
Toby Whithouse In Conversation with Bernie Byrnes 11th November
Josh Widdicombe 27th November
Double Bill of Halloween Horror 28th October The Holy and Horny Farewell Tour 30th October
Shakespeare Schools Festival 16th - 18th November Andy Hamilton 19th November
BOX OFFICE 023 9264 9000
Waiting for Godot 28th November The Upbeat Beatles 12th December The Santa Trap 19th December - 3rd January
newtheatreroyal.com
03 The curtain will be raised for the first time in two years on the 15th October with The Great Gatsby.
BOOK NOW Thursday 15 Oct 2015
7:30pm
Friday 16 Oct 2015
7:30pm
Saturday 17 Oct 2015
2:00pm
Saturday 17 Oct 2015
7:30pm
A glamorous new stage adaptation from the nationally acclaimed Blackeyed Theatre, audiences will be immersed in the decadence of America’s ‘Jazz Age’ as the sights, sounds and feel of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ are recreated. Featuring fabulous live music alongside the timeless language of Fitzgerald’s Great American Novel, this exciting new production runs until 17th October and promises to deliver a dazzling start to the theatre’s next chapter.
COMEDIANS are COMING! On the 19th November awardwinning comedian and comedy writer Andy Hamilton will be bringing his brand new solo stage show to Portsmouth. Change Management is Andy’s hilarious guide on how to cope with the inescapable human condition of change. Offering her own advice on how to survive the 21st century, much
loved US born comedian Ruby Wax is also due to grace the stage on the 24th November with her latest show, Sane New World. We have plenty of other comedians lined up to follow in Andy and Ruby’s footsteps including both international comedy acts as well as emerging new talent.
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GOING GLOBAL in the
LEAD New leadership to kick start our next chapter
Earlier this year we welcomed our new Chairman, Judith Smyth, who has been working hard with both the NTR team and board of trustees to steer us through the final stages of development. Judith has taken over from Josh Brown who has been Chairman at the theatre for the last five years and has been on the board since 2002. A Portsmouth resident for over 40 years and a keen supporter of the arts, Judith has worked as a management consultant with the public and voluntary sector and has brought with her a wealth of governance experience having sat on the board for First Wessex Housing Association and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. Judith’s main focus as Chairman will be to engage local communities in fun and innovative projects, inviting them to be involved with the future of our theatre. Judith is particularly passionate about giving everyone the chance to participate in and enjoy the arts.
05 From St Mark’s Square to Sunset Boulevard Following an invitation by Venice Agendas, our talented associate artist Jon Adams will be taking his performance art piece ‘Games with Water Horse’ to the prestigious International Arts Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia. The exhibition takes place once every two years in Venice and is now in its 56th edition. Meanwhile fellow Creative Lab artist Bernie C. Byrnes represented Portsmouth in Los Angeles after being shortlisted in a new project called ‘Us & Them’. Organised by Martin Jago, a director and writer originally from Portsmouth, the project invited scriptwriters from around the world to submit ten-minute dramas. A staged reading of the five shortlisted plays took place on Saturday 9th May at
the infamous Samuel French Bookstore on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood. Fresh from their adventures, theatre-goers will be able to experience and enjoy the work of both artists at New Theatre Royal, following our opening later this year.
What is Creative Lab?
Creative Lab is an innovative new programme that aims to inspire and facilitate artistic talent and drive forward creativity in Portsmouth while generating more work within the city. The Minghella Studio will be home to the theatre’s Creative Lab where emerging local talent will get the chance to explore, experiment and push the boundaries in the arts while enhancing their skills through mentorship.
For more information on New Theatre Royal’s Creative Lab programme, contact Creative Producer Laura Doye - laura@ newtheatreroyal.com
An invitation from our Chair... Judith would like to welcome you for a preview of the theatre and take the opportunity to find out what you want from your New Theatre Royal and hear your thoughts on our future. If you would like to be included in a preview please send us an email to boxoffice@newtheatreroyal. com with your name, contact details and any special interests you have and we will be in touch with timings for these events.
A GREAT HONOUR In May we were very honoured to be presented with a green plaque in recognition of our theatre’s importance to the city’s cultural heritage. Our Grade II* listed building, which was designed by British Victorian theatre architect Frank Matcham, is one of the few working Matcham theatres in the country. Known for setting new sightline standards as well as his exuberant interiors, Matcham was
commissioned in 1900 to enlarge the auditorium and improve the stage facilities at New Theatre Royal. We have been careful to preserve many of his design features including the pioneering steel cantilevers that allowed the balcony to be built out into the theatre without the use of pillars to create a more intimate setting for audiences and performers. The green plaque was presented by The Frank Matcham Society during their behind the scenes tour of the theatre in May.
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SEAT among the STARS We would like to say an enormous thank you to everyone that has supported our Take a Seat campaign so far. Thanks to you, and our many generous funders and supporters, New Theatre Royal is flourishing and when it re-opens its doors later this year, it will be one of the most modern and innovative theatres in the country.
Sponsors names will sit alongside some of our other supporters and patrons including actor Sheila Hancock CBE; former lead singer of Manfred Mann and BBC broadcaster Paul Jones; Cbeebies star Becky Kitter; acclaimed singersongwriter Beatie Wolfe; and international ‘Hoofer’ Lee Payne.
Individuals and businesses from across the region have shown their support and will receive an engraved plaque on their seat of choice in the new auditorium.
We still have seats available that cost just £215 when booked in our first year of opening.
Visit newtheatreroyal.com or call the box office on 02392 64 9000 to take your seat. Sponsoring a seat does not include admission to individual performances/events or guaranteed allocation of that seat for a particular performance. Seat choice is based on a first come first served basis.
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Founded in 2009 by Katy Costigan, Victoria Dyson and Sarah Gee, Filskit Theatre is a Gosport-based theatre company that combines physical performance and multimedia to deliver thought provoking productions for young audiences. The theatre company are currently working on their latest production ‘Breaking the Ice’, which will run at the Unicorn in London throughout September. Inspired by the incredible true story of a wild polar bear who makes friends with a Husky, the non-verbal show playfully uses live music and beautiful projection to tell this delightful tale of an unlikely friendship.
The company has been Lab Associates at New Theatre Royal since 2014.
What made you focus on children’s theatre? We started out making productions for adults and had lots of feedback that children would love what we do as we use lots of lights, shadows and projections. Once we started working on children’s theatre we caught the bug. Our aim is to create exciting theatre that ignites the imaginations of children and their families.
You cover interesting and important themes in your productions… We are not afraid to explore issues that other companies wouldn’t and get praised for not dumbing down the themes. Children’s theatre doesn’t have to be all about primary colours and songs.
How has being based in Hampshire helped your work? I came back to Gosport after living in London for several years and was reluctant at first as we had so many connections in London but the more I looked into it the more I found down here, including New Theatre Royal. It then snowballed from there! We got offered lots of projects through the theatre and were made associates of Creative Lab. Moving back down here is the best thing I have ever done.
How has being a Lab Associate at NTR helped? By being associates we’ve been offered the chance to work on lots of participation projects, which has helped us develop and explore how to make our shows appropriate for all audiences including children with special needs. The programme has also helped us get our names out there with other organisations such as Aspex and Unicorn Theatre.
Book now for tickets to our 2015 Christmas show! Mayflower Productions and Belfield & Slater present a new musical adaptation of the children’s book by bestselling author Jonathan Emmett and illustrator Poly Bernatene.
Bradley Bartleby is BAD! So bad that he plans to trap Santa Claus and steal all his presents! Will Santa be able to escape this awful ambush? Will Bradley succeed in ruining Christmas? Will someone explain why an elephant is roaming around the garden?
With guillotines, tigers and a houseful of dynamite, young audiences will adore this action-packed, explosively funny new musical show! Tickets are now on sale!
Text copyright © Jonathan Emmett 2013 Illustration copyright © Poly Bernatene 2013 First published 2013 by Macmillan Children’s Books
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© Paul H Lunnon
a STAGE for all AGES
11 The centrepiece of our new theatre will be The Minghella. Named after the great educator and filmmaker Antony Minghella CBE, the contemporary studio space can be enjoyed and utilised by all members of the community. It can also transform into a 90-seat theatre to be used by world-class actors and directors as well as new local talent looking to hone their skills on and off the stage.
From The Minghella we will run a variety of workshops, masterclasses and group activities for you to come and take part in. These include: Youth Theatre From September 2015, children and young people aged between 5 and 18 can take part in weekly workshops. Learning from top professionals in the industry, aspiring actors can also take to the stage in performances throughout the year including our special Christmas Review. NTR Players Aimed at over 55s looking to explore and develop their drama skills. With workshops and master classes from professional performers, our players can develop the confidence and experience needed to create high quality shows.
There will also be plenty of opportunities to take to the stage in the Christmas Review and our first full production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in March 2016. To find out more about the events we will be running at The Minghella and how you can get involved please click here.
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fabulous & FUN
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CBEEBIES STAR TO INSPIRE YOUNG TALENT IN PORTSMOUTH We are very excited to announce that Cbeebies star Becky Kitter will be joining New Theatre Royal as our children’s patron. Originally from Portsmouth, Becky first discovered a passion for the arts when she visited our theatre aged just seven. She went on to study dance and drama at Portsmouth College before going to Middlesex University. Becky is now a well-known figure in children’s theatre and entertainment with TV credits that include Ma Ha Ha in The Ha Ha Haries for Cartoonito and Mrs Pufferbang in Grandpa In My Pocket for Cbeebies.
Other credits include Alice In Wonderland and Snow Queen for Proteus Theatre Company, The Gruffalo with Tall Stories and The Three Sillies for The Arcola Theatre. We could not be more proud to announce Becky as our new patron, there couldn’t be a more passionate artist to champion our work with children. Just as we inspired Becky all those years ago to pursue her dream in the arts, we hope to do the same for many more future generations to come. Find out more about our Youth Theatre programme by visiting www.newtheatreroyal.com
our new CAFE+BAR
Named after the talented theatre architects that contributed to our beautiful historical building - The Phipps Cafe Bar and Matcham Bar will be ready in time for when we raise the curtain on our opening night. Working with Resonate Interiors, the new catering areas have been styled to complement the renowned design work of Frank Matcham and Charles John Phipps while in keeping with the new refurbishment. Open to the public as well as theatre-goers, our new cafe and bar areas will be serving delicious snacks, lunches and sharing boards every day of the week for you to pop in and enjoy. We are passionate about working with local producers and have partnered with the likes of Minghella Ice Cream as well as local butchers, bakers and grocers to offer the best possible eating experience. We are also delighted to announce our new partnership with British brewery, Greene King, who will be providing us with their delicious ales and craft lagers including Old Speckled Hen and Noble. Our bars will also be stocked with an extensive menu of hot beverages, soft drinks, wines, liquors and spirits - ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy.
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NEWFACES
We have been busy building our team and have recently welcomed two new key members. Sheena Hulme joined us in June as Operations Director and Deputy CEO. Sheena has worked within the events industry for 15 years and in this time has managed a variety of theatres including London’s Dominion Theatre and Hammersmith Apollo. Before joining NTR, Sheena worked as a City Operations Manager for London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).
Luc Batory is our new Technical Manager and brings with him over 30 years of technical experience having worked at various London theatres including the National Theatre for 20 years where he worked on over 200 productions. Luc then moved to University of Cumbria where he spent five years running the technical department and also gaining his degree in Performance and Production. Sheena and Luc both live locally and we feel very lucky to have them on board!
Calling All Volunteers! We are looking for enthusiastic and friendly volunteers to help us provide an outstanding audience experience as part of our front of house team. With volunteering opportunities available both during the week and at weekends, we will make sure you have all the training and support needed.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please click here.
THREE WAYS TO SUPPORT US
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MAKE A DONATION
SPONSOR A SEAT
You can become a part of New Theatre Royal by donating as little as £5 to go towards our theatre facilities, programming and important work in the community.
Take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity to sponsor a seat in our newly refurbished theatre. Sponsorship entitles you to have a dedicated brass plaque on a seat of your choice.
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BECOME A FRIEND Become a friend of NTR and enjoy exciting ticket offers and exclusive benefits. Available at the special price of £20.15 to the first 2,015 theatre friends that sign up.