FROM THE SURREY MIRROR & CROYDON ADVERTISER

Bringing the Bard home

SHAKESPEARE 4 KIDZ
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dorking Halls, 1.30pm and 7.30pm on Thursday October 7 and 10am and 1.30pm on Friday October 8. Tickets: 01306 881717 or online at www.dorkinghalls.co.uk
Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon, November 3 at 1.30pm and 7.30pm and November 4 at 10am and 1.30pm. Tickets: on 020 8688 9291 at www.fairfield.co.uk

Croydon actor Gary Roe is bringing Shakespeare 4 Kidz to Dorking Halls and the Ashcroft Theatre

Graduate of Croydon’s famous BRIT School, Gary Roe, 23, has just landed a dream role.

He is playing funny workman Robin Starveling the tailor in the UK tour of the Shakespeare 4 Kidz musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which brings him to his home town and the Ashcroft Theatre next month.

Gary, who still lives in Shirley Park Road, went to Edenham High School in Monks Orchard and attended the Brit School from 2003-2005. He then studied further at the School of Musical Theatre.

He’s worked professionally in such shows a The Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island, The Sword in the Stone and Cinderella (as an Ugly Sister!) as well as getting under the skin of Daisy the cow in Jack and the Beanstalk.

Regulars at the Railway pub in West Wickham may also recognise Gary:  he’s worked there as a barman.

And he’s also worked at the Ashcroft Theatre and the Fairfield Concert Hall; “I was selling ice creams then!” he laughed.

On tour with S4K for the first time, we grabbed a minute with him as he went to go on stage in Sunderland.

“I absolutely love it – it’s very hard work, but I do get to see parts of the country that I’ve never been to.

“Also the feedback from the audience is fantastic. The shows have a sort of panto feel and the kids absolutely love it.

“In fact it’s just like they’re at a pop concert. They really love it. It’s very cool,” he added.

Fairies and fun, royalty and romance, magic and misunderstandings: A Midsummer Night’s Dream has them all and more. So, little wonder this enchanting play is one of the most popular ever written.

The Bard’s comedy gets a magical transformation from Shakespeare 4 Kidz, whose musical version has proved a huge hit every time it has toured.

The show is produced by Julian Chenery and Carolyn Chenery for the Shakespeare 4 Kidz Theatre Company. It is designed by regular S4K Creative Team member Jaimie Todd and directed/choreographed by Joseph Fowler. Joseph has worked closely with Julian as Co Director and Assistant Director on S4K’s Macbeth and S4K’s The Tempest.