Autumn 2009
Twelfth Night
by William Shakespeare
Wednesday 16th – Saturday 19th December 2009
“This is surely Twelfth Night as never seen before. Liz Light’s superbproduction reveals that her youth group has in Alex Butler a Malvolio who can handle both the preening that makes him so amusing and the distraught realisation that the heartless Maria has made a complete fool of him. Stage2 has done it again!” John Slim, Behind the Arras
For Stage2’s 100th major production we pulled out all the stops for a fabulous festive treat! Set in Victorian times, the red, green and gold colours largely used in the show added to the Christmas feel of the show – along with the three Christmas trees and two bay trees, later employed in a wonderfully ambitious version of the box tree scene! Our most extravagant set ever saw Orsino’s guests on a balcony 3 metres up and opened up all the rooms like a Victorian dolls house with steps leading onto a bustling street.The levels were consistently used to both powerful and hilarious effect- the ‘harmless barmy beanpole’ of a Sir Andrew (Ethan Hudson)sprawling his way up Olivia’s steps to eavesdrop on her declaration of love for Viola and Valentine singing like a siren in the midst of a very 3 dimensional shipwreck!
Carol singers outside the theatre and on stage in the interval and street urchins handing out programmes and presents ensured our whole company could take part. Thanks to a grant from The Charles Henry Foyle Trust we were able to bring in Pete Clifford as a magic consultant , the very versatile Wayne Fitzsimmons to help with movement and hair and Richard Radnor Williams for another beautiful score.
“Liz Light’s production of Twelfth Night was a thoroughly engaging, effervescent piece of theatre. The comic timing from Feste and Fabian (Jonni Dowsett and the pint sized Luca Hoffman) was superb, earning lots of laughs. There were many notable scenes but one of the highlights was when Malvolio was reading the letter… long will be remembered members of the cast appearing on stage with evergreen foliage held over their heads, eavesdropping to the reading. Moving downstage in unison and shrieking when in danger of being discovered –reminiscent of Burnham Wood. Together with the unwaveringly sure performances from all involved this made for an outstanding evenings entertainment.’ Curtain Call
Summer 2009
Permanent Way
by David Hare
Wednesday 22nd – Saturday 25th July 2009
In 1991, before an election they did not expect to win, the Conservative Government made a fateful decision to privatise the railways.
In The Permanent Way ‘our greatest living political playwright’ David Hare gathers together the first hand accounts of those most intimately involved, highlighting in particular the elevation of profit above safety that led to a succession of disasters at Southall, Ladbroke Grove, Hatfield and Potters Bar.
Funny, tragic and compelling, the play offers an extraordinary parable of British mismanagement that raises questions about the recent history of our country. Members of ‘Birmingham’s critically acclaimed Stage2’ portray the passengers, politicians, executives, experts, decision makers, rail workers,survivors and bereaved in this powerful and perceptive play.
‘Britain, yeah, beautiful country, shame we can’t run a railway’
This play was originally performed at The National Theatre in 2004. It offers an exploration of the Conservative Government’s railway privatisation,from the early ’90s to the early ’00s and the resulting crashes and public enquiries that followed. Put together from a series of interviews and meetings,this play takes a documentary-style look at the issues raised, with first hand accounts of many of those involved. All the characters in this play are real,from all walks of life, and experienced (many first hand) the disasters at Southall, Ladbroke Grove, Hatfield and Potters Bar whilst the bereaved search for justice in this physical, tragic and compelling production.
‘So yeah, really it was just a case of wanting to know if there were other people like me’
A cast of over 60, ages ranging from 9 to 20, portray the passengers,politicians, executives, experts, decision makers, rail workers, survivors and the bereaved and we examine mismanagement surrounding our railway system.Questions are raised about the recent history of Britain and the culture of putting profit above safety.
Spring 2009
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
by William Shakespeare
Wednesday 22nd – Saturday 25th April 2009
“For25 years I have somehow resisted the temptation to call this dynamic younggroup brilliant. This time I realised it was time to give up the struggle. LizLight directs the funniest Dream I have ever seen.” Evening Mail
In Stage2’s inimitable style a number of twists were added to this version of Shakespeare’s classic comedy – including a female Egea (in love with Theseus), a genuine love between Demetrius and Helena established from the offset and a devious pairing of Puck and the First Fairy – meaning it had something for newcomers and experts alike.The contrast between the rich reds and golds of court life, muddy browns of the mechanicals and the luscious greenery of the fairy world, complete with a whole host of diminutive green-clad fairies, served as a beautiful backdrop to the play throughout and further raised the standard of the production as a whole.
Audiences and reviewers alike acknowledged the standard of performances, with the Solihull Times commenting: “The whole show was a testament to the schooling that Stage2 has provided but credit must go to the young cast in which there must be a fair few stars of the future. Adrian Richards deserves aplace in a leading company if his portrayal of the hapless Bottom is anythingto go by” .
The Birmingham Mail was so impressed with Adrian that they did a separate interview with him about his future plans! The Edgbaston and Harborne Observer added, “The young actors were extremely professional and their execution of this intricately detailed piece was captivating,charming and extremely amusing, an illuminating performance that was thoroughly enjoyable for all ages.”
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