Get your tickets now!
Monday 25 June 2012
Our Town update another Cast Members' Views
What does Gabriel think
http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/Y2012/stage2-our-town.html
Get your tickets now!
Get your tickets now!
New Mentor Team for Autumn Anounced
Congratulations to the new Stage2 Mentor Team for September 2012 - July 2013
Wallis Allen, George Bandy, Matt Childs,
Alex Earle, Sarah Kemp, Sarah Middlemiss,
Rosie Nisbet, Grace Smith, Siobhan Twissell
Alex Earle, Sarah Kemp, Sarah Middlemiss,
Rosie Nisbet, Grace Smith, Siobhan Twissell
We look forward to working with you all next year.
Stage2 is An Approved Provider of Safe and Effective Mentoring by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation
Alice's Adventures in Www.Land
Auditions for Autumn Terms Production are this Saturday 5.30pm -7.30pm
We want to see lots of Stage2 Members Auditioning for this fantastic production, we are very excited!
Alice is a 15 year old girl from Birmingham who has always identified herself with Alice in Wonderland, she enjoys being in her own world and has recently created an online wonderland of her own, and through Social Networking and internet searches she has immersed herself in Alice’s adventures. Alice is confused about identity and relationships and seeks validation and a sense of purpose via Social Media and meeting characters from her favourite book.
The play will be devised and created by Stage2 members using the structure of the original book but with profiles and Social Media sites as a meeting place for our quirky characters, she follows the White Rabbit hopping from tweet to tweet, comments on the Dodo’s confused status, tumbles into the Caterpillar’s blog, finds a Tea Party Chatroom and watches the Cheshire Cat live stream as she clicks from site to site in search of her own epic adventure.
Anyone can be in the chorus just by signing up at the Into Session on 22nd September
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| See all the dates and commitment level here |
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Wednesday 20 June 2012
A Great Evening for Pride and Entertainment
On: 29th June 2011 7.30-10pm At: The Library Theatre, Chamberlain Square, B3 3HQ
You will see extracts from 25+ varied plays (comedy, drama, classic and contemporary), performed by members taking LAMDA exams in Acting, and Choral Speaking as well as a showcase of Drama School applicants Audition speeches. Performers range from aged 9-21 and will be presenting solo, duo and group pieces – very useful for audition ideas! You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and soak up the process for taking exams withStage2.
This is also the night when Stage2 Certificates are presented for all the fabulous work and commitment shown in Spring 2012 in the areas of Attendance, Attitude and Achievement.
Tickets £6 on the door call 07961018841 if you would like to reserve tickets in advance if you are a member or a parent of Stage2 you can get tickets via our weekly Marketplaces.
You will see extracts from 25+ varied plays (comedy, drama, classic and contemporary), performed by members taking LAMDA exams in Acting, and Choral Speaking as well as a showcase of Drama School applicants Audition speeches. Performers range from aged 9-21 and will be presenting solo, duo and group pieces – very useful for audition ideas! You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and soak up the process for taking exams withStage2.
This is also the night when Stage2 Certificates are presented for all the fabulous work and commitment shown in Spring 2012 in the areas of Attendance, Attitude and Achievement.
Tickets £6 on the door call 07961018841 if you would like to reserve tickets in advance if you are a member or a parent of Stage2 you can get tickets via our weekly Marketplaces.
Tuesday 19 June 2012
Members views on Our Town
As Rowan says come and see Our Town it is a beautiful, funny, sweet, romantic, escapist piece of theatre!
Mentors 2012
Have you seen our new Mentor brochure
Stage2 is still the only Mentor and Befriending Foundation approved Youth Theatre in the UK. Yet another thing for Stage2 to be proud of
Sunday 10 June 2012
Costume Sheet for Our Town
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| Click to enlarge This should help with the finishing touches to our beautiful Our Town costumes! |
How is Our Town Going?
We had our first full run through without scripts this Saturday and although there are things we need to iron out and new things Lucy (the Director) wants to add, we are very pleased and proud of the show so far! The emotions and atmosphere in many of the scenes is really captivating!
Please get your tickets for this beautiful and moving production Tickets @ http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/Y2012/stage2-our-town.html
See our Video Blog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=ULuB5f9RFv53w&v=uB5f9RFv53w&feature=player_detailpage
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| Young George Gibbs (played by Mark James) and Young Emily Webb (played by Ella Swarbrick) |
See our Video Blog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=ULuB5f9RFv53w&v=uB5f9RFv53w&feature=player_detailpage
Photo/Costume Sale and Question & Queries Evening
On: Saturday 16th June 5.30-7.30pm At: Millennium Point
This is an evening to drop in to Stage2 to get souvenirs of past shows and ask Questions to Tutors, Trainee Tutors, Mentors and company members. There will be spare photos from Stage2’s past shows sold at the fantastic price of 10 for £1 as well as photos from our latest shows (ROAD £1.50, Picasso’s Women and Shockheaded Peter £1) on sale too!
This is a great chance to ask any question about any area of the company and catch up on Stage2 information generally.
You can also get tickets for the other events below at this evening!
Wednesday 6 June 2012
Videos of Our Town
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1g9kqMqURA
See how rehearsals are going with mini interviews with the Cast, Chorus and Crew of Our Town
See how rehearsals are going with mini interviews with the Cast, Chorus and Crew of Our Town
Showcase Evening
On: 29th June 2011 7.30-10pm At: The Library Theatre, Chamberlain Square, B3 3HQ
You will see extracts from 25+ varied plays (comedy, drama, classic and contemporary), performed by members taking LAMDA exams in Acting, and Choral Speaking as well as a showcase of Drama School applicants Audition speeches. Performers range from aged 9-21 and will be presenting solo, duo and group pieces – very useful for audition ideas! You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and soak up the process for taking exams with Stage2.
This is also the night when Stage2 Certificates are presented for all the fabulous work and commitment shown in Spring 2012 in the areas of Attendance, Attitude and Achievement.
Tickets £6 on the door call 07961018841 if you would like to reserve tickets in advance if you are a member or a parent of Stage2 you can get tickets via our weekly Marketplaces.
You will see extracts from 25+ varied plays (comedy, drama, classic and contemporary), performed by members taking LAMDA exams in Acting, and Choral Speaking as well as a showcase of Drama School applicants Audition speeches. Performers range from aged 9-21 and will be presenting solo, duo and group pieces – very useful for audition ideas! You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and soak up the process for taking exams with Stage2.
This is also the night when Stage2 Certificates are presented for all the fabulous work and commitment shown in Spring 2012 in the areas of Attendance, Attitude and Achievement.
Tickets £6 on the door call 07961018841 if you would like to reserve tickets in advance if you are a member or a parent of Stage2 you can get tickets via our weekly Marketplaces.
ROAD follow up
ROAD by Jim Cartwright - Our latest production was very well received by public and press alike. We had many positive comments from audience members in our quotes book, via email, facebook, Twitter etc and we would like to thank you for your kind words – all reviews are copied for everyone involved and special mentions of individual performances are all passed on.
The reviews for the production included a 4* Review from www.behindthearras.com
“Forget this is youth theatre, forget it is an amateur production – this is first class theatre full of fine performances with not a single weak link.”
You can see the full review here: http://behindthearras.com/reviewsam/reviewsAMaprjun2012/Road_S204-12.html
We also had another brilliant review from the University of Birmingham which can be seen here: http://uoblogfest.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/road-the-crescent-theatre/
Well done to everyone involved! More quotes to follow...
NB Many potential audience members were turned away on the Saturday night as we had sold out so please buy Our Town tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.
The reviews for the production included a 4* Review from www.behindthearras.com
“Forget this is youth theatre, forget it is an amateur production – this is first class theatre full of fine performances with not a single weak link.”
You can see the full review here: http://behindthearras.com/reviewsam/reviewsAMaprjun2012/Road_S204-12.html
We also had another brilliant review from the University of Birmingham which can be seen here: http://uoblogfest.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/road-the-crescent-theatre/
Well done to everyone involved! More quotes to follow...
NB Many potential audience members were turned away on the Saturday night as we had sold out so please buy Our Town tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.
NODA News
NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association) – We are very pleased to announce that both Romeo and Juliet (April 2011) and Our Day Out (July 2011) were nominated in the adult category for Best Play of the Year in the West Midlands and we are even more pleased to announce that Romeo and Juliet won the category. All members that took part - cast, chorus, crew, front of house – have received a copy of the certificate and the plaque is displayed on the office mantlepiece. Congratulations to everyone involved, we are very pleased that their hard work has been recognised in this way!
Tuesday 5 June 2012
Birmingham’s Festival of Acting and Musical Entertainment 2012
Presentation Night 3rd March 7pm, Dovehouse Theatre, Olton, Solihull
1. Youth Solo and Duo Awards
Stage2 members won and were highly commended in the following categories;
The W.T. Wiggin-Davies Shield For Under 14 Drama
Winner – Colette Nooney
Highly Commended - Luca Hoffman
The Bolton King Shield For Over 14 Drama
Winner - Mark James
Highly Commended - Rosa Simonet
The Frances Kenrick Shield For Drama Duologue
Winners - Jonni Dowsett* and Helen Carter
The Lillie C. Johnson Trophy For Singing
Winner – Rosa Simonet
The B.D.T.G. Shield For Over 14 Poetry
Winner – Connor Fox*
* = for the second year running!
2. Peripatetic Festival
Each year all amateur companies in the West Midlands enter all the productions they stage that year. Stage2 entered Romeo and Juliet, Our Day Out, Shockheaded Peter and Picasso’s Women
The Roy and Betty Gaunt Cup For Best Supporting Cast
Nominated – Romeo and Juliet and Shockheaded Peter
The Brodribb Cup For Direction
Nominated – Liz Light, Romeo and Juliet
The Savoy Cup for Most Outstanding Female Performance
Winner – Charlie Reilly for Gaby in Picasso’s Women
A huge thank you to everyone who took part and contributed to this fabulous success!
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Joining Stage2
Joining Stage2 |
Stage2 is open to absolutely all 9-21 year olds from Birmingham and its surrounding regions. There is no audition to join Stage2, and no previous experience is required, places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
As well as the educational benefits of Stage2 we have numerous fun, social events that all our members may choose to take advantage of (which are explained in our weekly admin slot.) We offer at least 4 Saturday options each term, designed to cater for our members' wide range of interests and abilities. Please note we cannot always guarantee everyone their first choice, we do however guarantee that there is room for everyone in the productions (every single term)!
You will also have the opportunity to join our Marketing and Fund-Raising Committees, learning useful skills and gaining real work experience. Schedules and diaries are given out at the Intro Session and options are explained in more detail, with all times and commitment levels confirmed for the whole term.
Please phone 07961 018841 or Email info@stage2.org if you have any queries at any time!
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Stage2: Autumn 2012 - Options |
We have many great options for you to choose from in the Autumn term, why not check out below to see what you might like to do...
Production – Alice’s Adventures in Www.land (Cast all day, Chorus am + some pm). Performances 9th – 12th January 2013 at The Crescent Studio, Birmingham. We will be devising and writing a brand new adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Set inside the internet's many social media platforms, surfing with the book’s biggest fan.
The Tempest: Pre-rehearsals (am) - These will be exploratory sessions for principal roles and other interested members, looking at the characters, text, themes & concepts ahead of full-scale rehearsals and performances in Spring.General Drama (pm) - Focussing on different aspects of drama each week such as vocal skills, improvisation, physicality etc at the same time as making new friends and building confidence.
Skills Workshop: Graft (pm) - The group will be preparing a stylised, physical theatre piece that will be entered into the One Act Play festival at the 2013 Birmingham and District Theatre Guild’s BFAME Festival
Stage1 (pm) - a smaller, informal group for the under 10s
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Stage1 & 2: Autumn 2012 - Fees |
ONLY £110 per person for the whole term (Before 1st July)
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Summer Schools 2012
Monday 27th – Friday 31st August 2012
At Millennium Point
10am – 4pm (longer on Friday) £75 per person for the whole week
Stage2 will be holding two Summer Schools this year:
1) Pre-text work on the The Tempest by William Shakespeare – Run by Liz Light
In Spring 2013 Stage2 will be staging a fantastic, huge-scale production of The Tempest. We have an excellent reputation for producing high quality, award-winning Shakespeare’s that are fun, accessible and full of life! Our past productions of Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado have been acclaimed by the public as some of the most innovative, yet clearest versions of the plays they have ever seen and we have converted many people who had previously thought Shakespeare was not for them! This workshop will be fantastically useful for anyone studying English or Drama as we will be paraphrasing and explaining every single word and ensuring you understand all the intentions, the themes and the richness of the characters as well as the story.
2) General Acting - Run by Lucy Bailey-Wright
Work closely with new people in a creative, fun and productive way as w and e improvise, devise and try out lots of fun and inventive ways to look at characters and scenes. You will learn and revise all of the basics of acting, building a character understanding theatre. We will focus particularly on what makes good Street Theatre and how to use physicality and vocal techniques to engage people in large open spaces. We will be exploring, devising, putting together and rehearsing a Performance Sharing at the end of the week for family and friends and other Summer School attendees. This performance will also feature at Artsfest Weekend in Birmingham City Centre on September 8th & 9th 2012 (though you can still do this Summer School if you cannot do these dates). All ages are welcome.
To book your place visit http://www.stage2.org/component/rsform/form/4-summer-school-booking-form.html
At Millennium Point
10am – 4pm (longer on Friday) £75 per person for the whole week
Stage2 will be holding two Summer Schools this year:
1) Pre-text work on the The Tempest by William Shakespeare – Run by Liz Light
In Spring 2013 Stage2 will be staging a fantastic, huge-scale production of The Tempest. We have an excellent reputation for producing high quality, award-winning Shakespeare’s that are fun, accessible and full of life! Our past productions of Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado have been acclaimed by the public as some of the most innovative, yet clearest versions of the plays they have ever seen and we have converted many people who had previously thought Shakespeare was not for them! This workshop will be fantastically useful for anyone studying English or Drama as we will be paraphrasing and explaining every single word and ensuring you understand all the intentions, the themes and the richness of the characters as well as the story.
2) General Acting - Run by Lucy Bailey-Wright
Work closely with new people in a creative, fun and productive way as w and e improvise, devise and try out lots of fun and inventive ways to look at characters and scenes. You will learn and revise all of the basics of acting, building a character understanding theatre. We will focus particularly on what makes good Street Theatre and how to use physicality and vocal techniques to engage people in large open spaces. We will be exploring, devising, putting together and rehearsing a Performance Sharing at the end of the week for family and friends and other Summer School attendees. This performance will also feature at Artsfest Weekend in Birmingham City Centre on September 8th & 9th 2012 (though you can still do this Summer School if you cannot do these dates). All ages are welcome.
To book your place visit http://www.stage2.org/component/rsform/form/4-summer-school-booking-form.html
Our Town (some more to tickle your taste buds)
Stage2 presents...
Our Town By Thornton Wilder
Wed
18th - Sat 21st July 2012 at 7.30pm
at
the Crescent Theatre, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B16 8AE
Tickets
just £9!
Since it was written in
1938, Our Town has been embraced as an
American classic, but Stage2 aim to bring the
beautifully written play to new audiences across the West Midlands in our
traditional portrayal of this literary treasure.
Our Town...a play in 3 acts.
This play is a story
about ordinary people living their ordinary lives in the ordinary little town
of New Hampshire. The play is delivered to us by the stage manager (played by
four actors in our production) who gently guides and creates the scene for us
upon the stage.
In the first act – ‘daily
life’, we see the lives and activities of the people in Grover’s corners. The
post- and milkmen doing their daily routine and the two main families on which
the story will focus -the Gibbs and the Webb’s with their children- George and
Emily -rushing off to school; We watch the choir sing their harmonious songs
and many more genuine characters that bring to life the 1900’s new Hampshire
town.
In the second act - Love and marriage, we see George and Emily evolving into mature adults and the act culminates with their beautiful, uplifting wedding.
Finally, we arrive at the third act - death and eternity. As we watch this act we see that quite a lot of things have changed in Grover’s corners. We learn some important lessons while the act unfolds; essentially that nothing is ordinary in life! Emily tells us: 'Oh, earth you're too wonderful for anybody to realise you. Do any human beings ever realise life while they live it?’
During the play the
Stage Manager explains that he is putting a copy of Our Town in a time
capsule...
“So people a thousand years
from now’ll know a few facts about us. This is the way we were: in our growing
up and in our marrying and in our living and in our dying” Thornton Wilder’s drama
is its own time capsule allowing the audience to glimpse turn-of-the-century
New England. As nostalgic as Our Town appears, the play also delivers powerful
life lessons, relevant to any generation:
1-Everything changes
(gradually)
2-Try to help others
(but know what cannot be helped)
3-Love transforms us
4-Carpe Diem (seize the
day!)
This promises to be a
stunning production of this classic text and is suitable for the whole family
so; why not use your imagination and let this play and these characters come
beautifully, charmingly and touchingly to life?
“Our claim, our hope, our despair are in the
mind- not in things not in ‘scenery’.
All tickets are at a great value of only £9.00 and
are on sale NOW! You can book via the crescent box office: 0121 643 5858 or www.crescent-theatre.co.uk
For more information on Stage2 visit our website www.stage2.org , email us on info@stage2.org or call us on 07961 018 841
‘If anyone can do it Birmingham’s Stage2
can!’ - Birmingham
post
Our Town Press Release
For Immediate
Release 23/05/2012
PRESS RELEASE
Young people
bring an American Classic to Birmingham
18th
–21st July 2012 @ The Crescent Theatre BrindleyPlace
Members of Birmingham’s busiest and most celebrated youth
theatre, Stage2, are taking to the stage
again, fresh from 4* and 5* reviews of their recent shows, Shockheaded Peter, Picasso’s
Women and ROAD.
Debuted
in 1938, Our Town by Thornton
Wilder is an American classic, and this summer Stage2 is bringing its timeless charm to Birmingham. Follow the daily life of the fictional
Grover’s Corners in New Hampshire from 1901 to 1913, and travel through the
years with its residents, who express one simple hope, that ‘people a thousand years from now’ll know a
few facts about us. This is the way we
were: in our growing up and in our marrying and in our living and in our
dying’.
“Forget this is youth theatre,
forget it is an amateur production – this is first class theatre full of fine
performances with not a single weak link.” - Roger
Clarke, Behind the Arras on ROAD April 2012
While
the play bears traditional values including morality, community, family and
appreciation of life, the presentation of these values on stage is innovative
and exciting. The scenes are set by the
four Stage Managers who act as narrators, managing the ever-changing set and
delicately manipulate the passage of time, demonstrating, that despite
everything, life really does go on. So
let your imagination run free, and allow yourself to be engulfed in these
stories as they come beautifully and enchantingly to life before your eyes.
Our Town
is complex and intriguing enough to be studied by literature, theatre and
history students alike, but while it sometimes seems nostalgic, it maintains a
sense of beauty and carries powerful life lessons that make it a play that is
well loved by all generations.
“The exuberance of the
performances and the uncompromising production of a challenging play was a
truly immersive evening of theatre; unpretentious, funny, sad, and brilliantly
played.” - James Grady, UoBlogfest on ROAD April 2012
The
production will be taking place at 7.30pm, 18th - 21st July 2012, at The
Crescent Theatre. However, with only 300
seats available for each night, it is highly recommended you get yours now to
avoid disappointment. Tickets are just
£9, details below.
Box office: 0121 643 5868
The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham,
B16 8AE
Or
follow us on Twitter @Stage2YT
PRESS RELEASE
ENDS
Sarah
Middlemiss, aged 17, Mentor and Marketing Committee member.
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