Northwich theatres take centre stage (From Northwich Guardian)

Northwich theatres take centre stage

1:00pm Friday 27th July 2012 in News By Gina Bebbington

PERFORMERS are celebrating the growing vibrancy of Northwich’s entertainment scene after the town’s theatre companies triumphed in a Cheshire award ceremony.

Both Davenham Players, in Church Street, and Harlequin Players, in Queen Street, swept the board at the Cheshire Theatre Guild’s awards.

Ed Green, artistic director for Davenham Players, said: “It’s really good for the town – between the Harlequins and us we won just about most of the prizes on the table and the groups are only two-and-a-half miles apart.”

Davenham Players, based in the village, won four different awards for its production The Cripple of Inishmaan.

These included Best Actor for Ed Green’s portrayal of JohnnyPateenMike, Best Supporting Actor for Jamie Morris’s portrayal of Bartley, Best Presentation for the set and the play won the runner up shield for Best Overall Production.

Harlequin Players won Dramatic Achievement, Best Director, Best Overall Production 2011-2012 and Best Lighting and Sound for its production of Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol and Best Poster Design for its production of Eight.

Ed said Davenham Players was currently working on broadening its range and appeal.

“What we are trying to do is revitalise the place,” he said.

“If a theatre nowadays relies solely on drama, it’s going to struggle.

“What I’m trying to do as artistic director is turn it into a performing arts venue.”

In the past 12 months the theatre has been transformed into a jazz club once a month, which has proved very successful, it has held folk and soul and blues nights and the group has invited professional touring groups to perform in the space, as well as holding its own productions.

Ed said: “Jazz@Davenham is all professional musicians and we turn the theatre into a jazz club for the night with cafe tables, different lighting and we’ve got our own bar.

“We are sold out nearly every month.”

He added: “What we are trying to get over is that what you will see at Davenham Players now is high quality.

“And it’s a much more varied programme than in the past.

“The fact that we’ve won these awards out of the whole of Cheshire indicate that this is a little bit different, that we are not just a local amateur dramatic group.”

 

What’s coming up at Davenham Players:

• August 13 to 17, Physical Folk summer theatre camp for 12 to 18 year olds.

• August 10 to 24, Physical Folk summer theatre camp for eight to 11 year olds.

• September 24, 7.30pm, open audition for the next production God of Carnage, which will be performed in the week beginning February 4.

• November 27 to December 1, Tin Shed Theatre presents Playhouse Creatures by April de Angelis directed by Felicity Goodman

Jazz@Davenham:

• September 27, European Union Quartet

• October 18, Stuart McCallum Trio

• November 8, Ian Dixon/Mike Walker Quintet

• November 22, Helen Rodgers Quintet

 

For more information visit davenhamplayers.co.uk.