World premiere Cast in stone at Doncaster theatre
NORTHERN Ballet will be returning to the stage of Doncaster’s flagship theatre to perform a version of The Boy in Striped Pyjamas next year.
The adaptation of John Boyne’s bestselling novel will be showing at the Cast theatre as part of the Spring/Summer programme which has recently been announced.
The play follows the conflicting narratives of two boys who form an unlikely friendship during the disturbing events of World War II. Choreographed and directed by Northern Ballet’s artistic associate Daniel de Andrade, the production is set to be equally as successful the company’s adaptation of Jane Eyre which premiered in Doncaster earlier this year.
Executive director of Cast, Matthew Russell said: “We have a really wide ranging programme, so we’ve got lots of opportunities to do all sorts of different things, from drama and musical theatre to dance, comedy, spoken work and pantomime.
“But as well as entertaining our audience we also want productions that make people think and The Boy in Striped Pyjamas will do just that.”
The 2017 programme will also see The Woman in Black grace Doncaster’s stage with her chilling presence for the first time. The stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s horror story that has been seen all over the country by 7m theatre-goers, will be touring in Doncaster throughout May.
Matthew added: “With something like The Woman in Black, a production that’s so chilling and so haunting, to watch it live is far more impactful than anything you could ever see on the Television or on screen.
“There’s nothing like the uniqueness of the live experience, the opportunity to share that with a group of people in a room, to laugh, to cry, to listen, to think, to be entertained, the buzz of that and doing that as a group activity is extraordinary.”
The Doncaster venue, which is known as the home of dance-theatre in South Yorkshire, will also play host to well-known stars such as Lesley Garett, Pam Ayres, Clare Teal, Ross Noble and Stewart Lee.
Matthew said: “We choose the productions based on our knowledge of the audience, the potential audience and the different sorts of people that are within the catchment area of the theatre. We choose based on seen work we like and work that’s of a high calibre. But of course, some of it’s based on long standing relationships too.”
Northern Ballet’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears will also be featuring in next year’s programme along with a spectacular street-dance and circus production of Jungle Book and performances of Robin Hood starring Gareth Gates.
