READ ALL THE ARTISTIC NEWS HAPPENING AT THE LOFT IN THE JULY NEWSLETTER PACKED WITH INFORMATION
So they went Up ‘n’ Under and round and about, down, sideways and flew through the air for the movement of this much-loved play by John Godber. There was cheering for the team from the auditorium for each victory during the match and for the final victory of the theatrical performance itself. The feedback from the audience and the critics was sporting and celebratory as all great games are. The cast were exhausted but thrilled to learned new skills about ball catching and the pain and exhilaration of the gym. Enormous thanks to Lorna Middleton and her whole company for this outstanding ‘conversion’ and wonderful gameplay. Lorna’s love affair with this playwright is to be continued………….
Next up….yes, it’s coming……….Doctor Faustus in an adaptation by David Fletcher based on the shorter version of Christopher Marlowe’s play. This long awaited, long discussed production has unleashed the creative might of the Loft team. Should we be very afraid? David and I discussed staging this play and agreed that he would write and direct this subject to throwing down the gauntlet to the creative teams and offering up the chance to ‘dare greatly’. They have responded with their collective inventiveness in every dimension of this play. I saw it in rehearsal in the studio before it moved down to the stage and even then with everyone in shorts and t shirts on a hot summer evening with none of the theatrical toys in use, it was arresting, imaginative and engaging. With Jonathan Fletcher composing the music specially for this production and with all the creativity offered by the team, we are going to present something which we hope will linger in the memory.
Alongside this, we are getting ready to launch our summer workshops for the Loft Youth Theatre Ensemble. Following two free taster sessions, Laura Hayward-Smith and her team will be offering summer fun at the theatre during the school holidays. Do you know young people between the ages of 8 and 15 who would relish the chance to engage in making theatre in all its forms? Head to the Loft website to the Youth Theatre page for all details. For those who don’t know the Loft, I am offering a free family friendly tour of the theatre on Saturday 12th July from 11.0 a.m. until 12.00 p.m. Do come and have a look back stage as well as front of house.
Planning for 2026 continues apace with the announcement of the first production of the new season. This will be Animal Farm by George Orwell in a version by Peter Hall which was at the National Theatre in the 80’s. A classic and a compelling piece of theatre. It will be directed by Mark Crossley, well known as an actor at the Loft, who directed a sell-out production in the Loft Studio in April. A professional professor of performing arts he knows this play well and is looking forward to casting it later this month. Look out for the details on the website and social media.
Our autumn programme has now begun rehearsing. Beginning in September by David Eldridge is the first of a trilogy by this contemporary playwright – an significant writer of our time – and we are thrilled to be staging it. Anticipation is already growing. The second in the three, Middle was a huge artistic triumph and the final play in his trilogy, End, is hotly awaited and will be having its London premiere later this year. This wonderful writer couldn’t be more current. Booking is now open. Come and see what started this trio of plays.
We shall be announcing the 2026 programme as each production is finalised with the theatrical agents and performing rights are secured. It is sometimes a protracted business. I am awaiting two agents in New York as I write to complete the contracts between us. We are aiming for a programme that will represent the best of what we do and who we are. We are keen always to bring a programme of plays to you that you might not have the chance to see elsewhere locally – we are inspired by the best writing and the best that London theatre has to offer, recreated with our own company on the Loft stage. The director team has a shared sense of purpose and a shared set of values and standards that they want to pursue.
There is a plentiful choice of great plays. We are eager and continuously ambitious to choose well and stage plays that will be engaging and stimulate the minds of the audience. Always striving for professional standards, we want to excite and offer a programme that is compelling.
We are grateful for your support of our work. We value it highly and as we face major construction work at the theatre in the immediate future, we need that support more than ever. Enormous thanks for being part of this journey with us and supporting the only live theatre company in Leamington. You are the reason we do this and you are the reason why we can continue to not just survive, but to thrive and keep this special art form alive.
Sue Moore
July 2025
