Читать книгу Precious Bane - Bryony Lavery - Страница 8

Pentabus Theatre, the small touring company based in Ludlow which will celebrate their 30th anniversary this year, enjoys two quite distinguished and distinct reputations: one for nurturing and touring new plays, often with a theme that is resonant of the most rural county in the UK where the company flourishes, and the other for large-scale outdoor community plays in Shropshire which involve a vast cast of local people alongside the professional actors. Bryony Lavery’s SHOT THROUGH THE HEART was one of these big productions, produced in the atmospheric setting of Ludlow Castle in 2000.

Bryony’s PRECIOUS BANE is neither one nor the other of these types of productions – it is both! That is, a world premiere script by an award-winning writer with a community choir involving up to 100 singers at every performance. Last year the production sold out in 4 counties throughout the UK – Shropshire, Worcestershire, Somerset and Berkshire. When the Shrewsbury Summer Season invited Pentabus to re-stage the play for this year’s festival, the company were already familiar with the logistics of recruiting, rehearsing, individually choreographing and costuming so many people.

CDs were distributed which detailed all the singing parts, so people could practice at home. Weekly rehearsals were orchestrated, led by Sue Harris and Tony Belfield, with monthly Sunday sessions led by Mary Keith and assistant director Jo Cattell, who brought everyone together to work through the play, scene by scene and song by song.

The timetabling of sessions has required the logistical planning of air-traffic control. The project required enormous commitment and everyone you see in the show tonight has dedicated much of their spare time over the last few months to the production. There are three choirs here – one for every week of the Shrewsbury run – although many people are singing in two! They have been joined by a professional cast of 8 actors, some of who were in the original production. Now all we have to worry about is recruiting fine weather…

Reviews from the 2003 premiere of PRECIOUS BANE included:

‘Sublime’ The Times

‘Darkly delightful…full of wit, invention and charm. Outdoor theatre doesn’t come better than this.’ The Guardian

‘Bewitching. Time is rewound and the audience transfixed–with a cracking pace, stunning visual effects, and the quite superb singing of a 60-strong choir.’ The Stage

‘Gripping, uplifting and funny – a good night’s entertainment and an unqualified success!’ Shropshire Star