Circle Magazine by Norwich Theatre

for the Friends of Norwich Theatre Royal 74

RUNNING WILD Animal magic

DANCE LOVER Casanova hits the stage

CHRISTMAS SLEEP Wayne turns panto villain

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Running Wild Chicago

Photo: Garlinda Birkbeck

Introduction Peter Wilson MBE DL Chief Executive

Now’s a good time to think about giving someone a Christmas present of a Theatre Royal Friends membership.

ON SALE NOW These shows have been added to our programme since the last main brochure was issued in July, and are on sale now by phone, online or in person. Some seats have been held back from sale for Friends until now, to make sure you get the tickets you want. Mon 27 March – Sat 1 April ABIGAIL’S PARTY Sun 2 April SOLID SILVER 60S SHOW Mon 24 April BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETERS Tues 25 – Sat 29 April RUNNING WILD Sun 7 May SHAKIN’ STEVENS Mon 15 – Tues 16 May SUPER SUNDAY Thur 18 May CHOTTO DESH Sat 20 May DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER Sun 28 May IAN WAITE & NATALIE LOWE

It’s a gift that – as you know - offers priority booking and discounts, free mailings, reduced prices for drink and food at our bars and restaurant, advance information about incoming shows – especially important for those shows that are booked at the last moment – and notice of a number of special events that only Friends have access to. It’s not expensive relative to what we usually spend on Christmas presents, and every time it’s used, it will remind the user of you. And the choice is huge. In a normal year the Theatre Royal hosts up to 400 performances of over 100 different productions, with prices that at the upper limit are only 60% to 70% of what you might expect to spend in the West End. And all without the bother of taking the train. The Friends offer has been more or less the same for many years. Our fundamental belief has always been that it should be no-quibble: you’ll be offered the discount at every opportunity.

As I’ve written often before, we have about six times as many Friends as the measurable national average, contributing through its membership subscriptions over £200,000 towards the Theatre Royal’s running costs. This is an enormously valuable contribution to our stability. It’s what encourages us to book big shows sometimes two or three years in advance. It supports our learning and participation work. It helps us to take the occasional lunatic risk. You are our best ambassadors and strongest supporters. Your critical eyes on the shows we host and the way in which we treat our audiences and customers keep us on our toes. Above all, you have the best interests of this wonderful theatre at heart. So I know that you will welcome Stephen Crocker (see pages 9-10), who takes over from me in January, and help him and the great team here to ensure that Norwich Theatre Royal remains powerful, ambitious, generous, far-reaching, steadfast and - above all - ethical.

We’ve often turned away shows because they’ve refused to allow our Friends to get priority crack at the tickets, and I’m sure that’s the reason why the Norwich Theatre Royal Friends scheme is the envy of every other independent theatre in the country.

Circle Magazine November 2016

DANCE AWAY “We were here for the first time in March 1999,” the company’s executive director Isabel Tamen said – and it’s a visit she remembers well, for she was a founding dancer with the company and the first to perform many of Richard Alston’s most well-known pieces.

Isabel Tamen Richard Alston Dance Company is one of a special handful of companies which have been regular visitors to the Theatre Royal over many years and are held in high affection by our audiences. When the company returned in February this year, it was a coming of age as they celebrated their 18th year visiting Norwich.

The company is due to grace the Theatre Royal stage again in 2017 on February 10 and 11 – and one of the pieces it is presenting is Alston’s latest work inspired by the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, a composer who took inspiration from Spanish music. Titled An Italian in Madrid, it will include BBC Young Dancer 2015 grand finalist Vidya Patel. Often referred to as the ‘founding father of British contemporary dance’, perhaps more than any other choreographer Richard Alston is known for his instinctive musicality

and for drawing inspiration for dance directly from music – and it is a passion which Isabel shares. The programme she danced in 1999 included Beyond Measure - “one of my all-time favourite pieces by Richard. The music is by Bach and it was a beautiful duet he made for myself and another dancer - one of the pieces I really, really loved dancing to. Another wonderful Brahms piece called Waltzes and Disorder was part of that 1999 programme - that’s a beautiful piece. I hope Richard brings it back. He keeps on bringing back pieces that I have danced, like Brisk Singing.” Brisk Singing was on the programme again in Norwich earlier this year – and a distinctive red dress worn by one of the dancers was the very costume made for Isabel when she first performed the dance. So it is not

An Italian in Madrid. Dancers Nancy Nerantzi, Elly Braund, Monique Jonas, Jennifer Hayes, Oihana Vesga Bujan. Photo by Chris Nash

Circle Magazine November 2016

just the music and choreography that have borne the years well. Portuguese-born Isabel trained as a dancer at the Gulbenkian Ballet School in Lisbon before moving to the London Contemporary Dance School. She was with Richard Alston Dance Company from its formation in 1994 until hanging up her dancing shoes in 1999 to pursue a new career in the industry by moving behind the scenes into management. She returned to the company as its executive director in 2009. Her close association through the years with Richard and her understanding of how he works, plus being a former dancer, gives her an insight and ability to relate to the young dancers coming into the company today. “There’s a mutual respect. I watch the dancers with real pleasure. I loved what I did for many years with

a passion, but I love watching them just as much now. I know what the pieces should look like, but I don’t think it can only be done how I did it. They make it their own and I think that is wonderful.” Richard Alston Dance Company is based at The Place near King’s Cross in central London, established in 1969 as the focal point of contemporary dance creativity in Britain and also the home of the London Contemporary Dance School, which attracts students and teachers from all over the world. Isabel describes The Place as a building that is constantly buzzing with activity: “From the school and our professional company during the day, to the evenings when it’s full of open classes for the community around us – it is packed with all sorts of dance classes. During the weekends you have The Young Place where the little ones start and we have youth groups in the evenings as well. You can feel that dance happens – and then there is activity in the theatre with all the shows they programme all year round.”

An Italian in Madrid. Dancer Liam Riddick. Photo by Chris Nash

She joined the school as a young classical dance student moving from her family and home in Portugal, fell in love with London and the learning opportunities it opened up for her and she has been here ever since. After completing her training she toured the world with a dance company called Images, before moving to the London Contemporary Dance Theatre, which was the resident company at The Place. When that closed due to funding problems, she was chosen as one of nine dancers from the theatre to join Richard’s newly-formed company. Tangent. Liam Riddick and Oihana Vesga Bujan. Photo by Chris Nash

As for the future, Isabel says “the wonderful thing is Richard doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He is always hungry to try new things.” She cites his recent works which have been influenced by hip-hop and also classical Indian dance which demonstrate how he is still learning himself. “He is passionate still about making new work, as well as passionate to bring back some of what he sees as his best works. He’s passionate about making sure that those works are properly archived and that there’s a legacy for these works. He’s passionate about nurturing young dancers and seeing them grow into their own careers and he has also now started to put some of his works into other companies, so I am starting to license those works internationally, and that widens the audience.” As the company’s executive director, Isabel is keenly aware of the need to become more diverse, to be more entrepreneurial and find other ways of making money to enable the company to keep moving forward. Touring Richard’s work is also extremely important to the company, and to him, but it is an expensive undertaking: “But I think it is also one of the most rewarding things for a dancer and a choreographer,” Isabel said. “Richard enjoys the chance to see his work performed in different theatres and in front of different audiences. If you take away the touring and you just performed in your own theatre, you wouldn’t have all the expense of travelling, but I think you would also miss out on a big deal – so I do hope that may long continue.”

An Italian in Madrid. Dancers Elly Braund and Nicholas Bodych. Photo by Chris Nash

Circle Magazine November 2016

Stephen Crocker It must be a little daunting coming to a new part of the country and stepping into the hot-seat at the Theatre Royal after Peter Wilson has put his own distinctive stamp on the building for almost a quarter of a century. But for Stephen Crocker, it is all about taking on a new challenge and in a candid chat around two months before he takes the helm, he admits he cannot wait. “I am really excited about coming to Norwich. Peter has built an amazing programme and an incredible organisation, and the opportunity to build on that fantastic legacy is so valuable. There are so many things that just sit on the horizon, particularly Stage Two.

If enthusiasm and excitement is anything to go by, Stephen Crocker is going to be an ideal choice to be chief executive of Norwich Theatre Royal from January. As he prepares to take on the role, he tells Circle how singing shaped his future, his love for Manchester, and his passion for making the Theatre Royal a world-renowned venue.

“It is not just that it is a facility for young people and local communities but it is right in the heart of the city. The fact that it is 20 paces away from the main stage is just unparalleled and I can’t wait to come here.” For anyone who has not yet heard, Stage Two is the flagship education and training building that sprang up in just under a year behind the theatre and is already being used by a number of organisations including the theatre’s own Arts Courses, Access To Music, and is the home of a trailblazing theatre course run in conjunction with the Prince’s Trust to help equip 16 to 25-year-olds with theatre skills plus the vitally important confidence and self-esteem to help them find work and a direction in their lives. And it is projects like these that have helped to cement Stephen’s bond with the city in just a handful of visits so far. “I have to say I have had a whirlwind love affair with Norwich. I have fallen in love with the city and it epitomises to me what a modern heritage city should be. “There is massive respect for the heritage of this place but it is also a city that is moving forward, feels vibrant,

Circle Magazine November 2016

and is wanting to grow, develop, and be cosmopolitan. To have a mix of those things is very rare and to be part of a major cultural institution in the midst of all of that is incredible.” So where does this passion for arts and culture come from? Growing up in South Wales, Stephen believes it has to be through the joy of singing. “I guess singing was something I grew up with. Everyone was singing in our house when we were kids. We would sing around the house and in the shower and always during long car journeys. I did some professional singing training over a period of time and I worked as a singer for a spell too. “My grandfather was also for many years a club singer working all around South Wales. It is something that has always been there.” And it was those early experiences which shaped his interest and passion as he launched a quest through his career to understand how to make the arts work and be relevant and accessible to everyone. “What I have learned is that creative experiences are so important to the world and I truly do believe that. There are so many challenges around us and being able to enjoy the kind of escapism created by sitting and enjoying a piece of artistic work is vital.” Two key projects in his past have proved particularly relevant and successful bearing in mind his passion and interest. He was part of the four-person team who raised money for the £36m renewal of St Martin-in-the-Fields in central London which occupies a key historical and cultural place in the capital. Stephen recalled: “St Martin’s was an amazing adventure. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to work on that team. It is an incredible institution with the most fantastic history. It is the Royal parish church because technically, Buckingham Palace sits within its

Stephen Crocker parish confines, and the parish church of the Royal Navy because the Admiralty is just next door. It has an incredible history but at that time had huge challenges because of the building. The renewal project was all about making it fit for the future. “It is a Grade One listed building with Grade Two listed buildings surrounding it, but it has modern relevance working with tens of thousands of homeless people bang in the centre of London. That is where my passion for supporting homelessness came from. I also got to work with the Chinese community there which was really interesting and a lot of work on the arts and cultural programme at St Martin’s. It was about how a heritage asset could be a true parish church and reach out to those most in need and celebrate its own communities. I have lots of happy memories of my time there.” Then it was a move to Manchester and after a period of time at Manchester Camerata, he joined the flagship Lowry in Salford in 2007 initially as Development Director before becoming Deputy Chief Executive. He was attracted by the city’s undoubted cultural buzz. Stephen explained: “When I joined, the Lowry had been open for seven years and the city was beginning to flourish following a period of regeneration that followed on from the terrible bomb in the mid-Nineties. There was huge investment in cultural infrastructure, the Bridgewater Hall had been open for six years, and it was just at that cusp when exciting things were going to happen with the launch of the Manchester International Festival, Media CityUK springing into action, and the redevelopment of Cornerhouse into a brand new facility called HOME.

“It has been fascinating to see how a place can be built around an ambitious and internationally recognised cultural programme. Dare I say that this should be an ambition for a city like Norwich?” While in the North West, Stephen also shared his expertise and knowledge with other charities and organisations based in the Manchester area. He explained: “I guess I believe strongly that people in leadership roles can lend their abilities to help other organisations. That is how the arts and culture sector, and the broader charity sector, should work.” And so he has devoted time to the Albert Kennedy Trust which supports young people trying to come to terms with their sexuality or sexual identity. “My description of AKT’s young people is they are not runaways, they’re throwaways. When they have nowhere else to go, AKT steps in. It is a huge honour to give my time to support that charity,” he said. He is also a keen supporter of Maggie’s Manchester which gives vital support to those who have cancer, along with their loved ones. “Often the clinical provision in those situations is phenomenally strong. But the toll it takes emotionally on families and the individual can be huge. What Maggie’s centres do is provide these environments for families who can come together at times of crisis in a comfortable and supportive environment,” said Stephen. While his bonds and affection for Manchester are strong, he is preparing to create new ones in Norwich too. Stephen laughed: “I took a Facebook quiz with 15 questions that only a Mancunian would know. I got 15 out of 15 so I am

quite pleased with that. I have loved Manchester. It has been amazing to live there. I have so many friends and so many happy memories. I won’t be the ghost of Manchester and Salford but I still have a great affinity for it and will continue supporting some organisations where I can. I am also really excited about making Norwich my home.” With all these commitments, down-time is also important and Stephen is looking forward to exploring Norfolk with his partner Michael. “We love being outdoors. We love getting out into wide open spaces and that is what excites us with the beautiful countryside and the beautiful coast. Having said that, I also do really love a night in front of the telly. “One of my absolute passions is seeing artistic work and my tastes are hugely eclectic. I spend a lot of time in galleries and theatres. “Do I have a favourite genre? No, not really. I guess the only thing that would unite my artistic taste is I like stories. Stories really get me and really capture me. What I find exciting about working with producers, choreographers and directors is when they take a story and translate it. Whether it is drama or dance or a piece of art, I love seeing what that person has done with that particular story. You will find me at lots of different things.” So from early January, look forward to seeing Stephen out and about exploring the cultural delights of the region and taking the helm of Norwich Theatre Royal as it opens a new chapter in its history.

Circle Magazine November 2016

Circle Magazine July 2015

Whether you know E Nesbit’s classic novel or the 1970 movie, The Railway Children is a story which still exerts a strong fascination over a hundred years after it was first written.

Paul Jepson It is a heart-warming and poignant story which transcends the generations leaving both joy in your heart and a lump in your throat. A brand new stage production of The Railway Children is coming to Norwich Theatre Royal next summer and its director Paul Jepson talks about his plans for the show.

Originally serialised in The London Magazine in 1905, it was published as a novel the following year and tells the story of a family who are forced to move to the countryside after their father is wrongly imprisoned on suspicion of spying. The youngsters in the family befriend an old man who regularly takes the train, but can he help them prove their beloved dad is innocent of the charges against him? And so the scene is set for a story which shows the power of family love in an idyllic setting. He is collaborating with a video designer to bring the all-important train to the stage which is arguably the centre-piece of the production. Coupled with that will be the chance to bring a story which plays on so many emotions to the stage from July 31 to August 5. Paul explained: “The script is loved because we all have that warmth and connection to the story. I think the reason is that it is all about transition and it is also very well-mannered. It is about loss and pain and the ability to transcend them, and that is why people love it so much. “I also think it resonates because people are having a rough old time at the moment. If you are not sitting in London and earning a lot of money, times can be tough. I think there is an implication about the romance of a train taking you away somewhere for a better time that is important. In a nice and non-heavy way, The Railway Children is exciting.” Although no actor or actress has yet been linked with the production, Paul is very clear about the direction he wants to go. He explained: “The interesting thing about the casting is that we have the opportunity to cast good actors. You don’t need to shoe-horn in big names. We can get a really good company of actors and they can be young.”

Circle Magazine November 2016

And this fits in with his ethos as artistic and executive director at Exeter’s Northcott Theatre which is co-producing The Railway Children. Paul said: “We have made a big commitment to skills and skills development. This, and other projects we are looking at, are so important. It is great to give opportunities to people who are developing their career. We need to work harder to create them as well as give people the chance to develop.” One of his key aims down in Exeter is to build new audiences and get everyone on his team involved. “I expect all my staff to be on the lookout for ways that the theatre can engage with people. I have a monthly staff meeting where I want to hear their ideas and I expect them to talk about the theatre actively, about what we are doing and how they can get involved. I think that happens to be absolutely basic in the way buildings are run now,” he said. Although this will be his first major project under the Northcott banner, Paul is no stranger to producing with previous touring shows including Three Men In A Boat and Ben Elton’s play Gasping, as well as Charley’s Aunt at Norwich Playhouse (Paul said: “I had a lovely time doing that”), and a successful West End run of Telstar, which starred top movie star Nick Moran who wowed audiences in 12 Angry Men on the Norwich Theatre Royal stage back in 2013. Paul recalled: “I loved doing Telstar. Nick Moran is a good friend of mine. Sometimes in the early stages of the rehearsal process you get a feeling about whether or not something is going to work and I knew that was going to work. It was a very dark story and I would like to do it again.” Meanwhile he is looking forward to bringing the Railway Children to Norwich encapsulating a heart-warming story while aiming to showcase some of Britain’s most exciting and vibrant actors and actresses.

DANCE LOVER Northern Ballet is all set to bring history’s most infamous Italian adventurer to life with its brand new ballet Casanova which will premiere in the company’s home city of Leeds next March before touring to seven UK venues, arriving in Norwich from April 4-8. The ballet will transport audiences back two and a half centuries to decadent 18th century Venice, telling the sensational story of a man of many surprises in a seductive masquerade of passion and politics. Commissioned by artistic director David Nixon OBE, Casanova will be the first full-length ballet by the award-winning choreographer Kenneth Tindall, who previously danced many roles for the company in a performance career spanning 15 years.

Kenneth said: “Casanova lived a life far richer and stranger than most fictions and the physicality, theatricality and energy of his exploits make him a perfect subject for the stage.” He collaborated on the story for the new production with historian, actor and dramatist Ian Kelly, who lives at Eye in north Suffolk. Ian’s book on Casanova was the Sunday Times Biography of the Year in 2008-9. He has also written other 18th century biographies on Beau Brummell, Antonin Carême ‘Cooking for Kings’ and Samuel Foote in Mr Foote’s Other Leg (Winner, Theatre Book of the Year 2013), as well as a more modern autobiography on fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, which he co-wrote with Dame Vivienne in 2014. As a stage actor, Ian is perhaps best known for his role in Lee Hall’s award-winning The Pitmen Painters, as the art teacher Robert Lyon, and his own stage adaptation of Mr Foote's Other Leg, directed by Richard Eyre, ran at the Theatre Royal Haymarket last year, with the author taking the role of King George III opposite Simon Russell Beale.

Kenneth Tindall

He is thrilled to now be working on a ballet and much of the ground work to-date has been done at his Eye home where there has been a sense of following in the footsteps of one of the greatest choreographers of all time, Sir Frederick Ashton, who lived at Chandos Lodge in Eye. “It is unique that in the 21st century there should be a new

Circle Magazine November 2016

ballet coming out of Eye,” Ian said. “It’s almost unique to have a modern biography and non-fiction as a source of material for a new ballet and I feel immensely blessed that rather than asking to take the rights and do with it as they will, Kenny asked me to come on board as a co-scenario writer. That has been a fascinating journey as a dramatist and creative writer already - and there is more to come.” It was Ian’s fascination with the 18th century which led to him spending many hours researching in dusty archives across Europe, delving into the rich seam of writings left behind by Casanova, including his 3,600 folio pages of memoirs. “This is a true story and it is rooted in some of the realities of 18th century life,” Ian said. Casanova was born in a theatre to a Venetian commedia dell’arte actress and his life story was “the stuff of theatre”. But Ian is keen to separate the man from the myth and said there was a question hovering over him as to why “a fiercely proud intellectual and polymath, who tried all his life to be treated seriously as a philosophical writer, should largely only be remembered as a man who slept around quite a lot and then wrote about it.” He explained Casanova wrote 42 books, published material on mathematics and Polish history, wrote eight opera libretti as well as part of the libretto with Lorenzo Da Ponte for Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and was the first person to translate The Iliad into modern Italian. He spoke six

DANCE LOVER languages and wrote fluently in four of them, and was in correspondence with Voltaire, Rousseau, Catherine the Great and Frederick the Great, and he met Dr Johnson and James Boswell on a visit to London. He also travelled 75,000 miles in an era when it took as long to travel in a day a distance we would now expect to travel in an hour. Ian Kelly

“He would very possibly be appalled by his modern reputation,” Ian said. The new production will be set to an original score by modern classical, film and television composer Kerry Muzzey and for a writer to hear his words expressed in music has also been “a joy” for Ian. “I nerd around in archives most of the time as a writer and to have that music land on my laptop electronically - and it is ravishing, the most beautiful

music and everything I could have possibly have dreamt of that has been one of the most moving parts of it all from my point of view. You become a bit obsessive as a biographer and I feel I know these characters intimately. They have been dead 200 years and most of them have been forgotten, and here we are trying to recreate some of the passions they felt when they were alive. There’s something just heart-soaring about that and that’s one of the things music can do. I’m in awe of it and to see the astonishing talent of Kerry Muzzey brought to bear on what was originally some of my research is humbling.” Ian would like to think, if they get the balance right in this balletic telling of his life story, then Casanova “would be proud”.

Circle Magazine November 2016

KEMP’S XMAS MENU 2 courses

3 courses

Adults: £17.50 including filter coffee & mini mince pie Children: £9.95 including squash& mini mince pie

Adults: £22.50 including filter coffee & mini mince pie Children: £12.95 including squash & mini mince pie

FRIENDS’ OFFER 20% off menu prices for 5th - 10th December if booked in advance. (01603) 598577 restaurant@theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

Desserts

Child Adult

Christmas pudding (v)

£3.65 £5.25

Brandy sauce, vanilla ice cream or double cream

Double Chocolate brownie

STARTERS

Profiteroles

Olives (v) ........................................................£3.95 Focaccia bread (v) ...........................................£3.95 rape seed oil & balsamic vinegar Child

£3.65 £5.25

Honeycomb & vanilla fudge ice cream

£3.65 £5.25

Crème pâtissière, dark chocolate ganache

Adult

Trio of local Ice Creams & Sorbets £3.65 £5.25

Ciabatta bread

chocolate, vanilla, strawberry ice cream lemon, orange, raspberry sorbet

Salmon gravadlax

additional scoops

Soup of the day (v) .......................................£3.95 .........£5.95 £3.95 £5.95 Smoked beetroot purée, honey roast beetroot celeriac remoulade, caraway and rye bread

Chinese style pork spring rolls ...............£3.95 ........£5.95 Julienne vegetable salad, sesame, soy dressing, sweet chilli sauce

Wild mushroom gratin (v) .........................£3.95 .........£5.95

85p

Local Cheese Board selection of local cheeses celery, grapes, biscuits & apple

£1.75

for 1 £6.95 for 2 £12.95

Add a glass of Cockburn’s port £3.30

Cream, garlic and white wine - topped with parmesan cheese, with warmed ciabatta bread

MAINS Roast East Anglian turkey ..........................£6.95 ........£11.95

Hot Beverages Tea

with mince pie

Chipolata, stuffing, roast potatoes, vegetables & cranberry

Pot for one Pot for two

£1.80 £2.50

Handmade East Anglian Steak Burger ..£6.95 ........£11.95 Brioche bun, cheese, smoked bacon, beef tomato, lettuce, burger sauce, coleslaw, dried onions, hand cut chips

English breakfast & Earl Grey, green, camomile, mixed berry, strawberry & kiwi, Egyptian mint £2.20

Parsnip and cashew nut loaf (v) ..............£6.95 ........£11.95

Fairtrade Coffee – cappuccino, latte, Americano & espresso

Butternut squash and sage gratin, seasonal vegetables

Extra shot of Coffee

£1.00

Filtered Fairtrade Coffee Fairtrade Hot Chocolate

£1.80 £1.80

Binham blue and leek tart (v) ..................£6.95 ........£11.95 Roasted walnuts, spiced pear purée, new potatoes, salad bowl

Pan fried cod fillet .......................................£6.95 ........£11.95 Bean casserole with chorizo, saffron, wine, garlic oil, coriander

Panko monkfish ............................................£6.95 ........£11.95 Hand cut chips, salsa verde, mixed salad

£2.10 £2.80

£2.50

£2.10 £2.10

Liqueur Coffee with a 25ml measure of one of the following: Cointreau, Tia Maria, Baileys, Jamesons, rum, vodka, brandy £4.30

Circle Magazine November 2016

FRIENDS EVENTS

The Commitments Wednesday 30th November Post Performance Q&A, following the matinee performance. Free to ticket holders – just move to the front stalls after the show Richard Alston Dance Company Friday 10th February – Pre-performance Q&A 6.30pm – 7.00pm, taking place in the Targetfollow Room prior to the evening performance with Richard Alston. Free to attend but it is a ticketed event that you must book in advance, as places are limited. Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes Tuesday 21st February – Post-performance Q&A, following the evening performance with Sir Matthew Bourne (if available) or members of the company. Free to ticket holders – just move to the front stalls after the show Northern Ballet - Casanova Wednesday 5th April, 6.30pm – 7.00pm Pre-show Q&A. Taking place in the Targetfollow Room prior to the evening performance with a member of the Northern Ballet company. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance via the Box Office Thursday 6th April: Ballet Revealed – 11.15am – 12.45pm in the Targetfollow Room and Auditorium. Cost £5.00 per ticket. A 30-minute talk about Northern Ballet, the production and the touring life of a dance company is followed by the chance to watch the dancers take their daily ballet class on stage. Please book through the box office. Thursday 6th April – Technical Post-performance Q&A following the matinee performance. An opportunity to hear from Northern Ballet’s Technical Team. Free to ticket holders – just move to the front stalls after the show. Thursday 6th April Post-performance Q&A, following the evening performance with members of the company. Free to ticket holders - just move to the front stalls after the show. 25

Christmas Sleep

which changed his life. Wayne recalled: “I had to give up being hooker in the rugby squad. I was the right size. I could get the ball and get it into my side of the scrum. Our matches were on a Saturday morning and I couldn’t do it because my ballet classes were also on a Saturday morning. “Performing also really helped stop me being bullied. If people ask me for advice because they are being bullied, I just say ‘make them laugh’. I remember them announcing in assembly that I had got the scholarship. I went from West Hartlepool Tech to Queen Victoria’s hunting lodge in Richmond Park. Talk about a culture shock.”

Wayne Sleep From The Hot Shoe Show and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to his hugely successful dance company Dash, Wayne Sleep is one of Britain’s best-known dancers who helped bring the genre into the mainstream - making him one of the UK’s top creatives, a respected performer and a media celebrity. And now Wayne Sleep is set to bring his showbiz sparkle to this year’s Norwich Theatre Royal pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk. Circle tells how he went from humble beginnings in the North East to one of the globe’s most recognisable dance favourites.

He is a dance icon, a West End legend and a man with a superb celebrity anecdote for every occasion. He is set to play the villainous Phineas P Stinkworthy in Jack and the Beanstalk, and he cannot wait. “It is my first time as a villain. I usually take on roles like Buttons or The Dame, but I am really looking forward to it. I will be out to scare everyone a bit, but not too much,” he laughed. It also marks a return to the city’s festive spectacular after he previously appeared in two during the Eighties at the Theatre Royal. Wayne actually made his panto debut doing a 14-week run at the London Palladium opposite Danny La Rue before taking a break from it for many years due to his other performing commitments. But a call from Norwich to star in Goldilocks And The Three Bears during 1984-85 marked his city panto debut. “It brings back lots of wonderful memories working with Dilys Watling and we had a fantastic cast, and it was a case of no expense spared. They brought in laser beams, a mirrored floor which represented a lake with water, and the laser beams would go onto the water and ricochet all over. I had laser beam mirrors on my costume and, when I spun, I looked like a mirror ball.” Then he was back in 1987-88 in Aladdin which also boasted a superb cast. Wayne recalled: “I came back and worked with Wei Wei Wong, then-unknown Bradley Walsh in his first pantomime, and Stephen Mear

was in the ensemble - he went on to become an acclaimed choreographer. I took Stephen on the cabaret circuit with me because he was so brilliant.” And then it is fast forward to this Christmas where he will share the stage with the likes of panto stalwarts Richard Gauntlett and Ben Langley in a show which boasts the traditional elements of panto and a Wild West setting. So was Wayne always destined to perform? Well it seems so. From the age of three, he always wanted to get up and dance every time he heard music played. His natural enthusiasm was there and he always put himself forward. “I wouldn’t say I was a big head. I always put my hand up first to answer questions because I was keen,” he said. After spending his early life in Plymouth with his mum, they then moved up to the North East and winning a dancing cup for under-12s set him on the path to success. “The adjudicator said ‘where is this boy’s mother? He must learn ballet.’ My mother just shivered and thought Fred Astaire would be alright but she did not want her son wearing tights,” he laughed. But that dance victory led to him getting the prestigious Levenshulme Scholarship to the Royal Ballet School Circle Magazine November 2016

Wayne admits he was very lucky to be part of the Royal Ballet during what is known as its golden era working with the likes of Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, Sir Frederick Ashton and Sir Kenneth MacMillan. Ironically, his size, which was initially seen as a professional handicap, actually made him stand out and develop his career. Wayne explained: “The director of the Royal Ballet said you have to spin twice as fast as the others and jump twice as high. I could do a lot of things that the other kids couldn’t and choreographers wanted to work with me because they could invent steps for me.” And it did not just bring him prominence in this country but gave him the chance to share his success with audiences all over the world. A total of 18 years at the Royal Ballet would be enough for some, but Wayne had ambitions to learn and develop his dance even further. During some leaves of absence, he decided to explore other genres in more detail. “I had gone to contemporary dance lessons, acting lessons, jazz lessons at The Dance Centre and I was learning everything that it was possible to learn in the dance world. I thought wouldn’t it be great to put all these disciplines of dance under one roof in one performance?” And so Wayne decided that was exactly what he would do, forming the company Dash which became hugely popular nationwide in the early Eighties. “I got the best contemporary dancer, the best jazz dancer etc. There were only six of us and four in the band, and only two theatres in Britain wanted to book us to start with.” But Wayne proved the other venues wrong and Dash proved to be hugely successful - mixing different styles of dance with some comedy pieces which saw Wayne creating work celebrating the likes of Charlie Chaplin through Torvill and Dean to John McEnroe. The mix of styles proved incredibly popular and saw the company tour venues all over Britain, including Norwich Theatre Royal.

calling with Wayne gaining the role of Mr Mistofelees in Cats. Wayne said: “I was actually due to star opposite Judi Dench as Grizabella but she snapped her Achilles tendon in rehearsal so she couldn’t do it. They brought in Elaine Paige the day before previews began and they were still writing the song Memories. It was chaos, the whole thing, but somehow it all came together. Let’s face it, you had a show featuring input from TS Eliot, Trevor Nunn and Andrew Lloyd Webber. What a team.” And that West End pedigree has continued with a wide range of roles including Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Emcee in Cabaret, and The Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In tandem with this, Wayne was also becoming a star of the small screen starting with The Hot Shoe Show which helped popularise dance in the same way as the likes of Dash. Again, it would see a mix of different styles and Wayne dipping into his contacts book to work with the likes of Bonnie Langford, Pan’s People dancer Cherry Gillespie and former Rambert Artistic Director Christopher Bruce. He has never been far from TV. His full list of credits includes I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Celebrity MasterChef, This Is Your Life, The Goodies and Wogan. He was also a judge on ITV’s dance show Stepping Out as well as proving to be hugely popular when he joined several more mature celebrities in The Real Marigold Hotel which saw him explore India. “It was the most wonderful country with really nice people. I definitely want to go back,” he said. In spare moments, when he gets them, Wayne is also working hard supporting the next generation of performers though his Wayne Sleep Foundation which was formed through his close friendship with the late Princess of Wales. He recalled: “A year after she died, the media were still asking for interviews and I said no. She is a friend of mine who has died but they didn’t understand. They said they would pay me so I remembered all the letters I got from mums and dads of young people who said they had got a vocational place but they couldn’t afford the board and lodgings because they have to move away from home. “I set the foundation up to pay for all their expenses so they don’t have to go and take on extra work if they do not want to. It eases the pain for the families. I also don’t choose who gets the help. The colleges themselves come to me.” And it also brings things full circle for Wayne bringing back memories of that all-important scholarship he gained that first set him on the road to dance stardom.

From there, thanks to its success and runs in some of the biggest venues in London, other West End shows came Circle Magazine November 2016

Norwich Playhouse

THE JOE RINGER BAND

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR SHOW

DILLIE KEANE

The Norwich Playhouse Spring 2017 season has just gone on sale – but we still have plenty of seasonal treats coming up to round off 2016. Popular local group THE JOE RINGER BAND (6 – 8 Dec) return to perform Christmas songs both old and new in their musical extravaganza It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas. Classical group The Locrian Ensemble present CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT (9 Dec). Folk band The Demon Barbers bring a seasonal version of their sell-out show THE LOCK IN (10 Dec) blending folk dance and hip hop to create a great night out – part gig, part dance show and part panto! Looking forward to 2017, don’t miss our hilarious and fun family shows coming soon. THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR SHOW (11-13 Feb) brings four stories by picture book author Eric Carle to the stage, including everyone’s favourite tale about a greedy caterpillar who just can’t stop munching on everything he sees! THE FIRST HIPPO ON THE MOON (18-22 March), based on the children’s book by comedian David Walliams, tells the story of two hippos on one enormous adventure. CBeebies hit show MR BLOOM’S NURSERY (1 April) visits the Playhouse as Mr Bloom and the Veggies head out on their first ever live tour. The Playhouse is the place for fantastic female performers this spring. FASCINATING AIDA’S DILLIE KEANE (5 & 6 April) performs gorgeous songs of love and songs of disgraceful filth. Actress ANNE REID (25 Feb), best known for dinnerladies and Last Tango in Halifax, sings and tells hilarious anecdotes in a night of music and memories. Comedian RUBY WAX (10 & 11 March) discusses mental health and

mindfulness in new show Frazzled! Cult cabaret star CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN (16 & 17 March) returns to the Playhouse with her unique and heartfelt covers of Jacques Brel, Nick Cave, David Bowie and more. Norwich Playhouse brings the best shows direct from the Edinburgh Fringe to Norwich, which this spring includes charming new show MEET FRED (25 Mar) Fred is a small cloth puppet who just wants to be part of the real world, to get a job and meet a girl, but when threatened with losing his PLA (Puppetry Living Allowance), Fred’s life begins to spiral out of his control. There will be an evening performance and also a relaxed matinee performance. To find out more or to book tickets for these and many more shows, call our Box Office on 01603 598598 or visit norwichplayhouse.co.uk

RUBY WAX

Circle Magazine November 2016

COMEDY COMING SOON to Norwich Playhouse SUSAN CALMAN: THE CALMAN BEFORE THE STORM Fri 2 & Sat 3 Dec 8pm

JOSIE LONG: SOMETHING BETTER Sat 18 Feb 8pm

TERRY ALDERTON’S ALL CRAZY NOW Fri 24 Mar 8pm

THE NIMMO TWINS: THE COUNTRY MEMBERS Tue 17 – Sat 21 Jan, Tue 24 – Sat 28 Jan 7.30pm

JAMES ACASTER TRILOGY Wed 22 – Fri 24 Feb 8pm

ANDY PARSONS: PEAK BULLSH**T Sat 1 & Sun 2 Apr 8pm

SIMON EVANS: IN THE MONEY Thu 2 Feb 8pm SEANN WALSH: ONE FOR THE ROAD Sat 11 Feb 8pm JENNY ÉCLAIR: HOW TO BE A MIDDLE AGED WOMAN Thu 16 Feb 8pm THE NOISE NEXT DOOR: UPROAR Fri 17 Feb 8pm

MARK THOMAS: THE RED SHED Thu 2 & Fri 3 Mar 8pm DAVID O’DOHERTY: BIG TIME Sun 5 – Tue 7 Mar 8pm JOHN SHUTTLEWORTH: MY LAST WILL AND TASTY MINT Wed 15 Mar 8pm JONNY & THE BAPTISTS: EAT THE POOR Tue 21 Mar 7.30pm

CHRIS RAMSEY: IS THAT CHRIS RAMSEY Mon 3 & Tue 4 Apr 7.30pm SARA PASCOE: ANIMAL Tue 18 & Wed 19 Apr 8pm BRIDGET CHRISTIE: BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT Tue 2 May 8pm RICHARD HERRING: THE BEST Wed 3 & Thu 4 May 8pm

COMPETITION 74 Abigail's Party, coming to Norwich Theatre Royal in March, is a wickedly sharp satirical comedy play featuring a social gathering held by 1970's suburbanites Laurence and Beverly. As the small-talk and nibbles subside, the strains and tensions rise in this classic comedy of manners, couples, alcohol and one-upmanship! The famous 1970's TV version starring Alison Steadman is still a much-loved, tense yet witty drama but who was this “Play for Today” originally devised and directed by? a b c

Mike Brie Mike Leigh Mike Smee

To be in with the chance of winning a £20 Theatre Royal Gift Voucher, which can be used at the Box Office or in the restaurant, simply answer this question and send the answer along with your name and address on a postcard to: Competition 74, Friends Department, Norwich Theatre Royal, Theatre Street, Norwich, NR2 1RL by Monday 30th January 2017.

Circle 73 competition winner: Congratulations to Mrs M Blyth, Coltishall, whose correct answer of “The Good Life” was drawn from the hat.

TALKING TO What did you do before you started working here? / Were you interested in theatre before working here? I have a long standing interest in the theatre since taking part in primary school plays! I have previously taught theatre arts at children’s adventure centres (along with abseiling, rock climbing and canoeing), taught drama and expressive arts in secondary schools, and managed a young people’s arts centre. Directly before starting at the Theatre Royal I worked for MAP in Norwich, leading their youth work team. What do you enjoy most about your job?

Name: WENDY ELLIS Job Title: LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION MANAGER Describe your role at the theatre. My role is leading the new Learning and Participation team at the theatre. We have the privilege of having just moved the theatre’s Education and Theatre Arts Course teams into the new education and learning centre, Stage Two. My job will involve developing both of these along with new community work; aiming to widen our reach and broaden our access into all areas of participation within the theatre.

Circle Magazine November 2016

The variety of what each day brings – working in the theatre and Stage Two, there is always something different every day. I also appreciate that I am very privileged to be involved from the start of the journey at Stage Two. Developing a new team, exploring new work avenues and partnerships, and ensuring that the work we do within the L&P team is cohesive and collaborative with the main organisation. All challenging, but very enjoyable. Describe your first theatrical experience. As an audience member – going to London to see 42nd Street with my mum. It was at Drury Lane, seated in the balcony – for a young girl the height and steep raking of the seats scared me! I don’t think we got up at the interval. On stage my first recollection is at primary school, in Charlie and the Chocolate factory – I still remember my first line “Grandpa, grandpa, you will never believe what happened. It was so cold and the snow was falling so hard, but I got it Grandpa. I got the golden ticket.”

What’s the most memorable production you’ve seen at the Theatre Royal? Sans Objet during this year’s Norfolk and Norwich Festival was spectacular. It involved a huge machine taking up most of the stage, two men and lot of material! I tried to explain this show to countless people since having seen it, and failed dismally! I am not sure it is possible to describe it with any sort of justice at all. But I am so glad I went to see it. It’s one of the joys of the Festival, being able to see things you may not necessarily see otherwise. What show or act would you most like to see come to the theatre? One that hasn’t been written or created yet! I would love to see a community project facilitated by the Learning and Participation team, which challenges perceptions of theatre, participation and accessibility; and which is owned, created and performed by a diverse cross section of the community in Norfolk. What would you wish for the future of the Theatre Royal? I hope that the theatre continues to increase its work in accessibility, and explores new avenues to engage and broaden its audience. I hope it keeps a mindful eye on its traditions and heritage, whilst expanding horizons in the future. That heady mix of caution and risk, catering for existing and new audiences.

animals, such as elephants, held in captivity. She explained that many people think the Born Free Foundation came about because of her involvement with lions in the 1966 Born Free film in which she played naturalist Joy Adamson who raised a lion cub called Elsa. “But we started it because of an elephant and this is why elephants are so important to us at Born Free – it was the death of an elephant at London Zoo called Pole Pole with who we had worked in a film which my husband [the late Bill Travers] had made, that was the catalyst for us.” The film was An Elephant Called Slowly.

Running Wild There can be no natural disaster in modern times which has become more imprinted in people’s memories than the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami on Boxing Day 2004. It was the third largest earthquake ever recorded and, together with the tsunami that followed it, caused huge economic and environmental damage and left humanitarian devastation in its wake. In Indonesia alone, the worst affected area, the death toll was estimated to be around 170,000. It might not seem suitable subject matter for a children’s story, but in the hands of one of Britain’s best-loved story-makers Michael Morpurgo – whose books include War Horse and Private Peaceful – it has been turned into a contemporary tale of human resilience and hope called Running Wild - arriving in Norwich from April 25-29. During the show’s UK tour, the production will also work to support the Born Free Foundation’s global elephant conservation projects. The renowned charity was founded by stage and screen actress, author and wildlife campaigner Virginia McKenna, who recently joined Michael Morpurgo at the tour launch. Running Wild follows the story of a girl called Lilly who is taken on holiday to Indonesia by her mother

Michael Morpurgo

after the death of her father. She is having a ride on the beach on the back of an elephant called Oona when the tsunami comes – and Oona charges to safety in the jungle with Lilly desperately clinging on. Miles from civilisation, at first there’s wonder, discovery and tree-top adventures amongst the orangutans. But, as thoughts turn to her mother left behind on the beach, wild tigers prowl and hunger hits, and Lilly has to learn to survive the rainforest. Then the hunters come... Michael said his book had been many years in coming to fruition. He was entranced as a child by Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories and particularly The Elephant’s Child which was read to him by his mother. “Once someone has written a story as wonderful as that, it’s very hard for someone else who is trying to be a writer to then write a book about an elephant. It’s just too good. So I avoided all stories about elephants because this story was ringing in my head.” When he read Kipling’s Jungle Book it had a similar effect preventing him from setting any story in a jungle. “The best writers always block the way for other writers to follow,” he said. But the tsunami in 2004 brought him a story he just had to write. He read a newspaper article about the real-life story of eight-year-old Amber Owen, who was on a family holiday in Phuket in 2004 when she went on an elephant ride. When the

tsunami hit, the elephant broke away from the seashore with the child on its back and headed towards the jungle, so saving her life. Michael said it was a small piece of hope amid the destruction of a huge tragedy. “So I thought ‘well stuff you Kipling, I am going to write a story about an elephant and I’m going to write my own Jungle Book’,” Michael said. “So I wrote the book and then theatre adds another dimension. I’ve loved what this play has done with my story.” He is thrilled that some of the puppet-makers who worked on War Horse – the hugely successful dramatisation of another of his books – have now made the elephants and orangutans for Running Wild.

“Elephants are very social animals and that is why it is horrific when you see them alone in captivity. So Born Free works to inspire people to care about animals, particularly in this case elephants, and to

One of his hopes is that the story on stage will make children ask questions and go away to find out more about what is happening in the rainforests, how human demand for palm oil is leading to the destruction of forest habitats, how many tigers there are left in the wild and how many elephants there are left in the world. “It’s good they start asking those questions because they are the people who, if it is going to be solved, it’s going to be them doing it. So I just want them to go away with that story ringing in their heads.”

understand how deprived they are in captivity, how they suffer when they are not in a family group because they are just loving family creatures, and how we exploit them in very many different ways. We work very seriously to try to prevent that continuing and that’s our battle. But we never lose hope ever, because you have to be an optimist otherwise you can’t do it unless you feel there is a chance. “I always feel there is a chance and even if you change the view of one person sitting out there in a theatre, you have achieved something. That’s what matters and we are so honoured to be part of this wonderful play with its fantastic animated elephant and all the orangutans and all the other creatures – it is a veritable feast of wildlife.”

As a passionate wildlife campaigner, Virginia McKenna is also keen for children to ask questions about

Virginia McKenna Circle Magazine November 2016

Circle Magazine November 2016

Shirley Valentine Jodie Prenger She is as well known for her chips and egg as she is for her quest for love on distant shores. Thirty years since her journey began, Shirley Valentine is set to visit Norwich Theatre Royal on a major UK tour and Jodie Prenger cannot wait to take on the role. Shirley Valentine was the ultimate bored housewife. Stuck in a rut with the highlight of her life being food preparation for her distant husband, excitement was sorely lacking. So when her friend wins a fortnight’s holiday in Greece, she decides to go with her and that journey changes her life for ever. The inspirational, bittersweet and (at times) hilarious story has been a West End hit and a famous film.

It will reach Norwich Theatre Royal on September 5-9 and features top theatre, TV and radio star Jodie Prenger as the heroine in the one-woman show.

“When you sit there and hear Willy speak, you just think this man’s hand has written this Olivier Award-winning show. I am very honoured to be a part of it.”

Having this opportunity is a dream come true for Jodie. She said: “I can just remember watching the film and thinking ‘oh, that’s wonderful.’ It has that fantastic Northern humour and Shirley just says what us girls would say.

And the respect is very definitely mutual as Willy himself believes Jodie is absolutely perfect for the part. He said: “When I was first introduced to her, I knew in an instant that here was a formidable actress. She is the one who possesses the grit and the warmth, the drive and the vulnerability, the energy and the heart to make Shirley Valentine really live again. How could any playwright resist that or deny the UK the chance to see Jodie bring Shirley to life?”

“Willy Russell (the playwright) is great at how he creates these characters and he truly speaks in the tongue of women. He used to be a hairdresser and that is how he picks this wonderful dialogue up. Shirley Valentine has so much warmth and truth behind her, and I think everyone has a bit of Shirley in them.” It may seem a bit daunting taking to the stage on your own but that will not be a new experience for Jodie as she spent part of this year in Tell Me On A Sunday which also features a character going on an emotional journey. She laughed: “All these one-woman shows. I don’t think anyone wants to work with me!” As preparation, she has also met up with Willy Russell, and Glen Walford who directed the original production 30 years ago and is returning to the play for the birthday tour. Even the ever-bubbly Jodie realised she was in the presence of theatrical royalty. She laughed: “I didn’t know what to do. I thought I needed to curtsey. I know Willy’s work through Blood Brothers and Educating Rita. In fact, Glen originally commissioned Willy to write a musical. He turned up with this one-woman show with no music in it whatsoever.

They are all comments which Jodie is delighted with. She laughed: “Willy said some lovely things. I had to pay him a fiver and cook him chips and egg.”

Ever-modest, she admits she still can’t quite believe how successful she has been and how many different performing projects she has worked on. “I have so many ‘pinch me’ moments and every day, I think about how lucky I am. There are days you want to just sit in your pyjamas and relax but you get up, put on your slap and off you go,” she laughed. And she credits her love of performing to her early life in Blackpool, the place where many say show-business is in the water. “I can remember all these huge summer seasons with big stars like Russ Abbot and Danny La Rue. I remember my Nan taking me to these shows and I was just amazed. I think it has definitely contributed to me wanting to step on the stage.”

So with the CV that she has, are there any theatre shows she still wants to do? “Give me 20 years and I would love to do Gypsy, or just any show that will have me really,” she joked. One thing she is looking forward to is stepping onto the Norwich Theatre Royal stage for the first time. Jodie said: “I have definitely missed out by never having been there before. I like a bit of sight-seeing and I hear Norwich is good for that.” It sounds as though, 30 years on, Shirley Valentine is in very safe hands.

It is the latest role in a long career for Jodie who first shot to fame after winning BBC One’s I’d Do Anything which saw her land the role of Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. From there the stage work flooded in with roles including The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, Dolly in One Man, Two Guvnors, and the title role in Calamity Jane. She is also no stranger to TV working on the likes of This Morning, Strictly Come Dancing, The Chase, and All Star Family Fortunes as well as guest-presenting for the likes of Elaine Paige and Paul O’Grady on BBC Radio 2 on many occasions. Jodie toured with John Barrowman on two of his tours and has also appeared in a number of concerts for BBC Radio 2 including a special edition of Friday Night Is Music Night recorded at the King’s Lynn Festival.

Willy Russell

Circle Magazine November 2016

Circle Magazine July 2016

Friends OFFER

Circle Magazine November 2016

For Friends of the Theatre Royal