November Update

End of Butlins - ten minutes later they were all asleep.... Welcome to our November Update We have just returned from a jam-packed week in Butlins - we can safely say all kids took full advantage of all activities and every waking hour the trip provided! Stage2LAMDAEvening  andCertificates Presentation Tuesday 26th November Crescent Main House £5 in advance £7 on the door 'Stage2's answer to 50 Years at the National Theatre!' See excerpts from over 20 plays performed for you in a range of styles, from a range of performers! Grade 1 to Gold Medal, 9 year olds to Drama School Candidates, this evening is a real feast. We will also be presenting our Certificates for Attendance, Attitude, Achievement and Long Service from last term. Please come along to support and congratulate our members. Facebook Twitter Website Blogspot Towerblock TrioPhoto & Stage2Portfolio Sale, Questions and Queries Evening. Saturday 16th November 5.30-6.30pm Studios Millennium Point Look through and order photos of our last show. (We are also launching a Portfolio Sale -  you can order copies of the Portfolio Pages of the  last 3 years of shows!) If you have any Questions about Stage2past present or future this is a great evening for you to come and get all the answers. This evening is especially advised for anyone taking part in this term's production. Next Term Discount booking forSpring 2014 has now ended places are now £140 (£100 for siblings) the options for next term include a fantastic production of Why is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? by Stage2's Patron Claire Dowie. For more information and to book go to our Website A Chorus of Disapproval By Alan Ayckbourn  Just a reminder that tickets are on sale now! As it is in the Studio Theatre tickets are limited but unallocated. You can start getting them now and get the rest of your party's tickets later and you can still sit together. Please spread the word (leaflets and posters). Watch  an Amdram Theatre Company as they attempt to stage The Beggars Opera - a great show for thespians, this is a hilarious play suitable for all the family. BOOK TICKETS HERE OR on a Saturday from Lucy in our Marketplace Thank you so much to everyone who donated to the 1st stage of the Big Give Campaign you will all receive an email with the next steps and the progress of theMentor project. Copyright © 2013 Stage2 Youth Theatre, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email after signing up at a Stage2 session or production or online. Our mailing address is: Stage2 Youth Theatre 12 Valentine Road Kings Heath Birmingham, West Midlands B14 6DL United Kingdom Add us to your address book

A Chorus of Disapproval: Update!

Time has flown by over the past few months. The new school year has began, the nights draw in, Christmas will soon be upon us and at Stage2 we find ourselves over half way through what has been another fantastic term.

The rehearsal process for this terms show, A Chours of Disapproval, has been well underway since the end of September. We have now fully blocked the whole show! Director, Liz Light, has given the show a skeleton by directing in all basic moves and voice work. This has given the cast a chance to build on her direction before we plunge into polishing and add the flesh to our skeleton by perfecting the play.


But let’s hear from the people involved!


Assistant Director, Sarah Middlemiss says:
"Aykboure is an exceptional playwright and A Chorus of Dissaproval is beautiful. We have been working hard on characters that make us laugh, characters that make us cry and all the characters between!"

Cast member, Andrew Brown’s thoughts on A Chours of Disapproval:
"I've thoroughly enjoyed rehearsals for A Chorus of Disapproval this term. The play is really rich in so many ways - the characters, relationships, style and mood throughout are fantastically varied. It's been great to see all these different elements come together in to one wonderful production!"

A Chours of Disapproval Promises to be ‘A serious comic masterpiece: brilliantly constriucted, ruthlessly observant, hilarious and hard as nails.’ 

The Show runs from Wednesday 8^th January – Saturday 11^th January 7.45pm (Including a Saturday Matinee 2pm) at The Crescent Studio Theatre, Brindley Place, Birmingham.

Tickets available here

 All Stage2 members were given the chance to be part of this terms show as Stage2 always promises! If you would like to be part of the next Stage2 production (Why Is John Lennon Wearing A Skirt? By critically acclaimed playwright and Stage2 Patron, Claire Dowie) or know someone who would then why not visit our website for more information on how to book – www.stage2.org .

Can you help Stage2 help others?

The Big Give  Christmas Challenge Stage2 have been given a special opportunity to raise awareness and funds for our Mentor Scheme via The Big Give’s Christmas Challenge. The Big Give is an organisation who put chosen charities in touch with funders and sponsors. Stage2 has been sponsored for this Christmas Challenge by The Cabinet Office who will match fund any donations Stage2 receive! As you may know Stage2’s Mentor Scheme was set up 10 years ago to enable us to officially welcome new members and nurture current members. Our excellent work in this field has been acknowledged by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation, who awarded us their Approved Provider Standard - and we were the first (and are currently still the only) youth theatre in the UK with this award! All of our Mentors receive specialist training and are fully supported by all staff. They are each hugely committed to their roles, in particular making sure that all members get the very best experience out of Stage2. We run a Buddy Programme to fully integrate new members in to all the Stage2 activities. They even organise fun social events for everyone in the company to attend, including discos, parties, Summer Fêtes and quiz nights! Our Mentor Scheme (including all related overheads and subsidies) costs Stage2 in excess of £11,000 per year and we have been extremely lucky to have been supported by Four Acre Trust for the past 4 years, but this funding has come to an end, hence we are searching elsewhere. We are looking for your support to promote this opportunity to all your contacts, but also if any of you are in a position to help us financially - please do so by donating via this link:  http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/pledge/stage2 There are 2 times to donate: ·      One is between now and October 25th where you will pledge to give at least £100 which will be QUADRUPLED (x 4 ie at least £400)! ·      The other is when our Sponsorship Campaign runs for the 12 days of Christmas (we will remind you of this later) where every donation (no matter how small) counts, as every £1 you donate will be doubled and will make a real difference to our team of Mentors, our existing members, and countless new recruits! Thank you

September Update

View this email in your browser Welcome back! We hope you had a lovely Summer. Now that we are back into the routine of School, College or just extra traffic in the mornings, we thought we would bring you up to date with Stage2! We have just had our  LAMDA exam results back and once again we had 100% Merits and Distinctions  This has helped some of our members secure places at their chosen Universities so well done to them.  For more info and details of what we are up to visit www.stage2.org Stage2 presents A Chorus of Disapproval By Alan Ayckbourn Liz and the Cast have been working on the text and their characters over the Summer and are all very excited for rehearsals to start. There is still opportunities for new members to join in, no audition necessary... Wed 8th – Sat 11thJanuary 2014 At 7.45pm (+ Sat 2pm) Tickets on Sale Now BOX OFFICE  The Crescent Studio,  Brindleyplace, Birmingham B16 8AE Nothing if not ambitious, the Pendon Amateur Light Operatic Society (PALOS) is taking onThe Beggar’s Opera. And The Beggar’s Opera is definitely winning . . . until, that is, personable but shy Guy Jones joins the team . . . ‘Deliriously funny. Director Liz Light makes ingenious use of the Bedlam Theatre space.’ The Scotsman on Stage2’s previous production of this play at The Edinburgh Fringe We had a great time at the Summer Schoolswith new and old kids mixing and making new friends and excellent theatre. Members really developed their skills and confidence in Mask and Movement work. Thank you to everyone who came to watch us in Kings Heath Village Square  We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has come into the Stage2 office or to events to help us with Marketing over the Summer. It has been great to see the support and enthusiasm of members. We are all very excited about the Autumn Term but are still trying to build up membership. Any help you can give would be excellent. Could you - give out leaflets to other kids or parents at school? - tell your social groups, clubs or societies aboutStage2? - leaflet door to door in your neighbourhood? - put up a Stage2 poster in your staff room, canteen or library at work/school? - take leaflets into local shops? If you need any leaflets or posters emailinfo@stage2.org or reply to this email to arrange collection. If you have time to do any of the above thank you  (N.B. if you are planning to put leaflets throughdoors please text 07961 018841 with the name of the road so we can cross reference that the same road hasn't already been done)  Those of you who attended our last LAMDA Evening and Certificates Presentation will know that Sam Hotchin, Jacoba Williams and Emily Slater are all taking up places at Drama Schools this September (ALRA, Italia Conti, Arts Ed respectively) andStage2 would like to wish them the best of luck. We would like to thank them for all their work and commitment toStage2. Then Join Stage2   Stage2 starts 21st September 9.30am-2.30pm Stage1 starts 28th September 1.30pm-5pm @Millennium Point   As Birmingham's busiest Youth Theatre providing training and experience in so many areas of theatre - the art and the industry - there has never been a better term to join Stage2. - This term's play A Chorus of Disapprovalis about putting on a play and anyone can get involved, no audition necessary! - We have ourTechnical Theatrecourse training in a different industry profession each week. - Our Musical Theatrecourse will teach a whole new set of skills. - All this on top ofGeneral Drama andStage1 providing a grounding in drama and acting training. And that's just for starters - we have events, special guests(including Claire Dowie!), residential trips, Marketing and Fundraising Committees... So come on, now is your time to JOIN IN! Book Now Facebook Twitter Website unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

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Edinburgh 2013

I have just come back from an excellent trip to The Edinburgh Festival, gathering inspiration, ideas and new plays for Stage2 and having a lot of fun watching new and exciting theatre, dance, comedy and art pieces. 

While I was there I saw Stage2 ex-member Charlie Reilly perform in Birmingham University Footnotes Disagree (in a cave) I really enjoyed the show and Charlie was excellent in a really funny great devised sketch show.











I also saw Philip Ridleys new play Dark Vanilla Jungle which is a very upsetting and brilliantly performed one woman show. Charlie, Emma, my mum and I were totally captivated throughout. We noticed parallels between this show and Towerblock Trio and it felt very special to see something else by a writer we have come to know so well.






We also saw a Steven Berkoff play An Actor's Lament, all about the acting industry. I was reminded that last time Stage2 saw a Berkoff play in Edinburgh he gave us special permission to do the premier performance of Requiem for Ground Zero. An Actors Lament  is an excellent play and will definitely be sneaking in to our LAMDA  and Drama School repertoire.





Finally I went to see Claire Dowie perform 2 one woman shows H to He and Why is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? and although I have seen Claire perform both of these pieces before and know both plays well, it was great to see her performing her own words and using the audience and the text in a way that is so typical of her style and bringing such character and life to these brilliant plays. I am really looking forward to Stage2 producing Why is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? in the spring term and can't wait for more Stage2 members to get to work with Claire when she comes in in October. I also did an excellent workshop with Colin Watkeys (Claire Dowie's Director) while in Edinburgh on An Introdution to Solo Theatre. Look out for my one woman show...

This all reminded me just how lucky we are to have Stage2, the variety of work we produce is  out standing and the performers, writers, directors and practitioners your eyes are opened to is remarkable. When were you last reminded of Stage2?

I hope to go back to Edinburgh soon. Lucy Bailey-Wright

August at Stage2

View this email in your browser Happy Summer Stage2 Supporters! Thank you to everyone who came to see Towerblock Trio it was great to get such positive feedback! We really enjoyed production week and although tickets sales were not as high as we would like we still enjoyed performing this premiere. Stage2 Summer School - Masks and Movement 10am-4pm  26th-30th August@Millennium Point  just £75 (Plus a Sharing on Friday evening and a performance in Kings Heath Square onSaturday 31st August) Each day we will explore a different style of mask work, by playing games doing exercises and putting together performances. Anyone can take part in this fantastic week long course. Visit www.stage2.org to book your place! If you can  not make the Monday because you are away over the bank holiday please let us know as there may still be places to join on the Tuesday. So... BOOK NOW Facebook Twitter Website Email Stage2  Autumn Term Stage2 starts back on 21st September at 9.30am.  Stage1 starts back on 28th September at 1.30pm. We still have spaces for both groups www.Stage2.org has all the details!  We have 5 great options to choose from A Chorus of Disapproval General Drama Technical Theatre Musical Theatre  Stage1 Choose more than one option at no extra cost. **STOP PRESS** A Chorus of Disapproval  Jan 8-11 2014 is on sale NOW! Book your tickets  PLEASE HELP Birmingham's free arts festival - Artsfest - has been cancelled. It has been an excellent promotional and performance opportunity for Stage2.  So this month we are asking you to help us let everyone know about Stage2!  We usually recruit 50 new members per year through Artsfest. We need to get as close as we can to these numbers to maintain the diversity and range of options available to our members.If you know of any alternative events please let us knowinfo@stage2.org.