New Year News Round Up

NEW YEAR NEWS ROUND UP

So there it was……..the Centenary Year………..all wrapped up like a Christmas present. I can hardly believe that it seems to have played out so fast.

My thanks to director Mike Rolfe and his immaculate company for delivering such a splendid and visually stunning Shakespeare to round off the year in style. If you read the comments from reviewers and audience alike, you will know what a treat it was and the theme and music of the 60’s fitted like a glove. Inspired and inspiring.

What a great celebration 2022 proved to be of both plays and playwrights, that have defined us across our history. On top of the nine Loft productions, including a premiere by David Fletcher, we hosted a youth theatre production by Arts Insight, a chat show with Michael Billington and David Bradley as our honoured guests, a play reading to mark the Loft’s inaugural production, a 100 year party for our volunteers, a sell-out jazz concert with the highly acclaimed Down for the Count, exhibitions of our history throughout the year and welcomed a large number of new volunteers to contribute both on stage and off. We pushed the boundaries of how we present plays with the tech team hitting new heights, the lavish costuming and sets and all at consistently enviable standards, which received artistic acclaim. Our audiences have been fulsome in their feedback and it is terrific to hear them applaud not only the production they have come to see, but confirm how much they have enjoyed the whole year.

We have also been filming the year from the first round table reading of Hedda, to the closing moments of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mark Ellis our brilliant film maker will be editing hours of footage on stage and off into a short film to mark this extraordinary year. Something for posterity. He has a huge job to do. The old adage of “I have written a long note as I didn’t have the time to write a short one” has never been truer.

Now that 2022 has closed out we are also intending to publish a new book to cover the theatre’s history up to and including the Centenary year. It’s busy!

Of course, life does not stop and the rhythm of our theatre’s work continues. As I write I am in rehearsal for Yasmina Reza’s classic comedy ‘Art’ which I am directing and which opens on 18th January. You can read more about my thoughts on this on the ‘Art’ production page on the website. I love her writing and this is my second outing with a Reza play and my fourth outing with the writing of Christopher Hampton. Do come and see this terrific play and lift the gloom of a winter evening with such a sunny offering.

After the last night of ‘Art’, on Sunday, 29th January, we are staging ‘Twinkle’ by Philip Meeks starring Phil Reynolds, a Talisman Theatre production on tour! We are just spoiling you now – be honest.

2023 is finalised in terms of productions. Details of plays to be staged for the first half of the year are on the website and also there is a printed brochure available for you to pick up when you are next in the theatre.

The autumn productions will be ‘A Delicate Balance’ by Edward Albee, ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare and ‘Anyone Can Whistle’ by Stephen Sondheim. We are all excited to bring this year’s programme of productions to you.

As the only live theatre company in Leamington running and maintaining its own building, we know how exacting it is, but also how great the rewards are. Our heartfelt thanks to you all for the support you have shown us and the loyalty too. We never take this for granted and we hope that we can continue to tempt you to see our productions as we start to make history in a new centenary of theatre for this outstanding company.

SUE MOORE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR