Shakespeare 4 Kidz News

To be in the show or not to be in the show? That was the question which faced two composers when they discovered the score for their stage musical of Hamlet was over-running.

In the end Shakespeare 4 Kidz writers Julian Chenery and Matt Gimblett had no alternative but to axe To Be A Man because it made the show too long for its young target audience.

Now the ballad is enjoying a kiss-of-life revival. Not only will it be included in the score of a new 3D movie of the Bard’s greatest tragedy, to be directed by John Godber, but it will take centre stage at a glitzy charity gig.

The number may have ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor. But luckily that wasn’t the final resting place for the song.

Chenery and Gimblett entered it for the Stephen Sondheim/Stiles & Drewe song competition (to recognise the best student performer and the best song in a new British musical) which took place this summer at London’s Playhouse where it was sung by RADA student Michael Peavoy.

Judges and audience alike loved it: and the song was announced as runner-up.

Now the song will feature during a charity event called Snappy Title on September 20 to launch a new website (New Musicals Network).

The evening is to raise money for Mercury Musical Developments and the Actors’ Benevolent Fund and will include a number of songs from new musicals performed by cast members from West End shows.

Organiser Peter Auker saw Michael Peavoy perform To Be A Man at the Sondheim Society competition, and was greatly impressed.

He invited Michael to sing the song again at Snappy Title and Julian Chenery was delighted to give consent for To Be A Man to be part of the event.

He said: “When Michael sang To Be A Man at the Playhouse he absolutely brought the house down. I can’t wait to hear him perform it again – and for such a brilliant cause. Of course I will be there to cheer him on.

Tickets for the event at the Pigalle Club in London's West End on Sunday 20th September at 7.45pm can be purchased from See Tickets

It's Macbeth for Kidz

THE notorious Scottish Play – Macbeth - gets the Shakespeare 4 Kidz treatment next week at Lancaster Grand Theatre.
It's full of weird witches and spooky spells that make Harry Potter and his friends look like amateurs. There are bloody battles, gruesome ghosts and even a forest which moves.

And because many theatre folk believe the play to be jinxed lots of celebrities have been sending the company good luck wishes, including Stephen Fry, Joe Pasquale and West End actor Jonathan Pryce, who had his own bad luck stories to tell after playing Macbeth.

The S4K Macbeth has been very well received each of the five times it has toured since its premiere in 2000.

Creator Julian Chenery said: "The famous curse is something we've had our share of in the past.

"In the autumn of 2000 we had incessant rain for three months which affected all of our get-ins and get-outs; a national fuel strike which made it nigh impossible to move the production around the UK; the actor playing Banquo hit his head on the windscreen of the cast coach; the actor playing King Duncan went down with Bell's Palsy making half his face freeze; and one of the stage crew walked into a door and fractured her skull. Apart from that the show was a huge hit and has remained immensely popular ever since!"

Shakespeare 4 Kidz plays use the most famous lines from the original texts, weave them into modern language, and add some songs and dances into the mix.

The whole plot is retained and all the major characters are there too.

Macbeth plays the Grand on Friday, September 18 at 10.30am and 1.30pm. Tickets priced £16/£9.50 for children are on sale now from the box office on 64695.

CLICK HERE to see the original article on the Lancaster Guardian website

It's Macbeth for Kidz

Cumbrian kid to tread the boards in Shakespeare's Macbeth

By Kelly Eve

The name alone can strike fear into an actor but the excitement of appearing in a professional production of the notorious Scottish play is mounting for nine-year-old Toby Collard.

Toby, who lives with his family near Caldbeck, is busy learning his lines for Macbeth after he was invited to play a key role in the Shakespeare 4 Kidz production being staged in Carlisle next Thursday.

It will be Toby’s biggest stage show to date since developing a love for theatre three years ago.

Watching him will be his proud parents Jennifer and Andy, and his year five and six classmates from Fell View School in Caldbeck.

They are among the hundreds of children from schools across north Cumbria who are due to flock to the Sands Centre to watch Thursday’s two performances.

Toby was nominated for the role of Macduff’s son by his theatre school principal Naomi Bewsher.

He is a member of her Stagecoach school and rehearses every Saturday at Richard Rose Central Academy’s performing arts centre in Lismore Place, Carlisle.

He is also a member of Caldbeck Players with productions of Wind in the Willows and Puss in Boots under his belt.

Toby’s mother Jennifer said: “We’ve taken him to the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick since he was a little boy and he’s developed his interest from that.

“He’s also a member of Stagecoach and goes every Saturday morning. He’s been in little bits and pieces since he started but nothing like this. He’s also doing some of his theatre and stage exams.

“He’s been sent a script and DVD of the production and Toby has to show up next week to have a rehearsal and be ready to do it.”

She added: “Macbeth is quite gruesome and dark as a play but this production has been adapted for children in the audience.

“Toby is very excited about it. His school had already bought tickets to go before Toby was even asked to do the role but now it’ll be great to think his friends will be there watching him too.”

Naomi Bewsher, principal of Stagecoach in Carlisle, said: “Students are exposed to a wide variety of text and script during their weekly drama lesson and this has given Toby the stage discipline, knowledge and confidence, making him a wonderful young actor.

“He was also very successful within his recent Lamda examination which we offer at Stagecoach and was awarded our ‘Most Promising’ trophy for his continued commitment to his dance, singing and acting classes.

“I’m very proud of Toby and wish him well for his forthcoming performance.”

Shakespeare 4 Kidz is currently touring the country with Macbeth and they say the tale of ‘weird witches and spooky spells’ make Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts ‘look like amateurs’.

The company states that the whole plot of the Bard’s original play is retained.

It tells the story of the murderous Scottish warrior Macbeth who is encouraged by three witches and his evil wife to remove every obstacle in his quest to become king.

CLICK HERE to see the full story on the Cumberland News website