Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

18th-21st April

The Crescent Theatre

"However many times I see this ever changing young company, I am unfailingly amazed at the wealth of talent that director Liz Light contrives to fashion. This time it's a slice of Shakespeare, served up by a cast of 70 to yield a boisterous result that defies you not to be enraptured. It's very funny too - thanks in no small measure to Rowan Turner-Powell, a miniature Dogberry who is word perfect, joyous in his gestures and clear in his delivery. Here is a youngster destined to go far. Mastery of the script as is expected of Stage2, is universal. There are a host of powerful performances - Carly-Jayne Hutchinson a fiery Beatrice, Billy Coughlin (Benedick), Matthew Urwin (Claudio), Ellie Jurczak (Hero) and Lucy Bailey as Leonata - are all remarkable. This is a clean-cut production that brims with life, that often overruns the auditorium and that even uses outsized puppets in its wonderful trial scene. It's a joy of ingenuity. A Great Ado." Evening Mail

TWO - Jim Cartwright

19th-21st July

The Crescent Theatre

"Jim Cartwright's award winning play is usually for two actors involving just the fiercely bickering Landlord and Landlady. But Stage2 have cleverly adapted the bitter-sweet drama to involve virtually the entire company of 9-21 year olds. Yolanda Kettle and Luke Waite are outstanding as the feuding couple who run the pub and Scott Westwood is the pick of the 'regulars' as the vicious bully Roy." Evening Mail.

Yolanda Kettle went on to perform at the Royal Court and tour China with the National Youth Theatre (even appearing in the handover of the Olympic Games 2008) before taking up a place at LAMDA.

Adult Child Dead Child - Claire Dowie

13th-15th April

The Crescent Theatre

"What started life as a monologue by Claire Dowie has been transformed into a maelstrom for 80 black-clad youngsters in Liz Light's remarkable production. In this startling adaptation the child is played, often just a phrase at a time by a host of youngsters in an evening of diction that is beautifully spoken; of pauses that are held and held and of which Pinter would have been proud. Every so often the stage erupts into carefully choreographed chaos. The build-up of torment until the mind gives way and the eventual recovery is remarkably achieved by a company that shows discipline beyond its years in a triumph of teamwork." Evening Mail

Cider with Rosie - Nick Darke

20th-22nd July

The Crescent Theatre

"Liz Light's remarkable production, sporting a company of more than 80 well-drilled youngsters, really captures the feel and spirit of Laurie Lee's childhood autobiography in the Cotswolds. Sam Clear as the narrator justifies his name with diction that is beautifully unhurried and Neil Gardner is the characterful young Loll who comes amusingly into his own with his undisguised bemusement in the first schoolroom scene. Kathryn Levell provides an emotional rollercoaster as his mother, Paula Chatterjee is a firecracker of a school teacher and Hannah Jordan and Lisa-Kay Waite bring delightful cameos as the feuding old women." Evening Mail. The company enjoyed days out in Gloucestershire, picnicing on Painswick Beacon, exploring Slad and even being shown round Laurie Lee's actual childhood home by the current owners!