Month: March 2016

PLAQUE TO THE FUTURE

Hundreds of theatre lovers are to be reunited with personalised plaques after more than 25 years of supporting Darlington Civic Theatre.

In 1990/91 Darlington Civic Theatre introduced a ‘sponsor a seat’ programme where patrons could name a seat to show their support for the theatre and have a personalised plaque attached to a particular seat.

Now, 25 years on, Darlington Civic Theatre is keen to reunite these plaques with their owners. As well as many local theatre-lovers, some famous names have also sponsored seats in the past including Ken Dodd, Tom Jones, Cameron Mackintosh, actress Sylvia Syms and Tommy Cooper. Many local businesses and associations got involved too including Cummins Engine Ltd, The Northern Echo, Elm Ridge Garden Centre and Darlington Rotary Club.

Heather Walkington, Director of Fundraising and Development at Darlington Civic Theatre told us “It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to reunite people with their plaques. Many were dedicated to friends and family and their support made the 900 for the 90’s campaign possible. With a large restoration on the horizon we felt the time was right to re-unite people with their own part of the theatre”.

Over 300 brass plaques in total were produced. A comprehensive list of names has been drawn up and is shown below. If you were one of the supporters back in 1990/91 and would like to be reunited with your plaque or collect it on behalf of a family member or business, please email [email protected] with your name, address and contact details or call Heather Walkington on 01325 406104

NEIL ECKERSLEY

 

presents

Music by Frank Wildhorn     Lyrics by Jack Murphy

 

Book by Jack Murphy & Gregory Boyd     UK adaptation by Ava Eldred

Following sold out seasons in Tampa, Texas and Tokyo, the multi Grammy, Tony and Drama Desk Award nominated Frank Wildhorn’s Wonderland receives its UK and European première in this brand new British production, which debuts at the Edinburgh Playhouse from Friday 20^th to Saturday 28^th January 2017 ahead of a UK tour.

 

Hailed by the New York Times as “inspirational”, Wonderland is an enchanting musical adaption of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, with a huge heart, a medley of magic and a whole lot of wonder.

 

Here a timely and touching story of love in all its forms, it’s an adventurous exploration of who we are, who we want to be and the power of everyday magic in our lives.

 

In the tradition of the best stage musicals, Wonderland boasts a catchy score full of songs from Frank Wildhorn, writer of pop hits including Whitney Houston’s ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go?’ and theatre classics including ‘This is the Moment’ from his internationally acclaimed show, Jekyll & Hyde.

 

The first half of the inaugural Wonderland UK tour takes in Edinburgh, Sunderland, Birmingham, Southend, Oxford, Grimsby, York, Bromley, Derry, Belfast, Woking, Blackpool, Southampton and Manchester, with the second half of the tour to be announced in May.

 

Produced by Neil Eckersley, Wonderland has music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Jack Murphy, book by Jack Murphy and Gregory Boyd with UK adaptation by Ava Eldred. It is directed by Lotte Wakeham (Associate Director of Matilda, West End & Broadway), with musical supervision by Jason Howland (Beautiful, West End & Broadway), choreography by Lucie Pankhurst (Dogfight at the Southwark Playhouse), design by Georgia Lowe (Pomona for the Orange Tree, National Theatre & Royal Exchange) and lighting design by Tony Award nominee Nick Richings (current UK tours of Priscilla Queen of the Desert & The Rocky Horror Show).

 

 

“Inspirational” Musical Makes UK & European Première in January 2017

LISTINGS

 

Neil Eckersley presents

 

WONDERLAND

 

Music by Frank Wildhorn

Lyrics by Jack Murphy

Book by Jack Murphy & Gregory Boyd

UK adaptation Ava Eldred

 

Directed by Lotte Wakeham

Musical Supervision by Jason Howland

Choreography by Lucie Pankhurst

Design by Georgia Lowe

Lighting Design by Nick Richings

 

UK TOUR 2017

 

20 – 28 Jan	Edinburgh Playhouse	0844 871 3014
30 Jan – 4 Feb	Sunderland Empire	0844 871 3022
6 – 11 Feb	Birmingham Alexandra Theatre	0844 871 3011
13 – 18 Feb	Southend Cliffs Pavilion	01702 351 135
20 – 25 Feb	Oxford New Theatre	0844 871 3020
27 Feb – 4 Mar	Grimsby Auditorium	0300 300 0035
6 – 11 Mar	York Grand Opera House	0844 871 3024
13 – 18 Mar	Bromley Churchill Theatre	020 3285 6000
21 – 25 Mar	Derry Millennium Forum	028 7126 4455
27 Mar – 1 Apr	Belfast Grand Opera House	028 9024 1919
3 – 8 Apr	Woking New Victoria Theatre	0844 871 7645
10 – 15 Apr	Blackpool Opera House	0844 856 1111
18 – 22 Apr	Southampton Mayflower	023 8071 1811
24 – 29 Apr	Manchester Palace Theatre	0844 871 3019

 

For more details & online booking:

 

www.wonderlandthemusical.com

 

More tour dates coming May 2016.

 

TWITTER

 

Wonderland	@WonderlandStage
Frank Wildhorn	@FrankWildhorn
Neil Eckersley	@NeilEckersley
Lotte Wakeham	@LotteWakeham
Ava Eldred	@Ava_Eldred
Lucie Pankurst	@LuciePankhurst
Georgia Lowe	@GLoweDesign
Nick Richings	@NickRichings

Scamp Theatre presents

THE SCARECROWS’ WEDDING

Based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

MAKING WEST END DEBUT AT LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE FROM

SATURDAY 9 JULY TO SUNDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2016

Scamp Theatre are proud to present their latest production, a truly heart-warming adaptation of The Scarecrows’ Wedding, based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, playing in the West End at Leicester Square Theatre from Saturday 9 July to Sunday 4 September 2016. There will be press performances on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 July at 2.00pm.

Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay invite you to . . .

The best wedding ever, the best wedding yet,

The wedding that no one will ever forget.

 

Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay are excellent scarecrows (they scare a lot of crows). Harry loves Betty, and Betty loves Harry – so they decide to get married.  Harry sets off to search for their wedding day essentials including a dress of feathers, a bunch of flowers and a necklace made from shells. However, when the farmer notices he is missing a scarecrow, he replaces Harry with the devilishly smooth but dangerous Reginald Rake.  Dashing, daring and ever so cool, can Reginald persuade Betty that he is the scarecrow for her? Will Harry make it back in the nick of time before Reginald ruins their special day?

Bursting at the seams with Scamp Theatre’s inimitable style, this epic love story promises wit, drama, and wedding bells!

Suitable for ages 3+

 

Julia Donaldson is a British writer, playwright and performer, the 2011–2013 Children’s Laureate andthe prize-winning author of some of the world’s most-loved children’s books, most notably the modern classic The Gruffalo which has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. Julia is best known for her popular rhyming stories for children, especially those illustrated by Axel Scheffler, which include The Scarecrows Wedding, The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, Stick Man and Tiddler and other Terrific Tales.Their books have sold millions of copies and have been translated into 40 languages. Julia also received an MBE in 2011 for her services to Literature. Julia divides her time between Scotland and West Sussex where she lives with her husband, Malcolm.

Scamp Theatre was founded in 2003 by award-winning international producers Jennifer Sutherland and Louise Callow. Scamp bring a range of theatrical live performance to audiences of all ages, with a focus on adaptation, particularly in children’s literature. Scamp are best known for their stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s Stick Man, which has played five consecutive Christmas seasons at Leicester Square Theatre and toured all over the world. Scamp believe in creating playful and innovative theatrical experiences that not only startle and entertain but also encourage children and young people to use their imaginations. With productions touring constantly, Scamp have a superb track record in theatre production in London, on tour and at the world’s leading venues and festivals.

 

‘I love how Scamp scamper through my stories, transporting them from page to stage so faithfully and innovatively.’

Julia Donaldson

 

‘The quality of what Scamp do is amazing’

The Independent

 

The Scarecrows’ Wedding is directed by Eva Sampson, with design by James Button, lighting byElanor Higgins and music by Darren Clark. It is produced by Scamp Theatre in association withWatford Palace Theatre.

 

@ScampTheatre

Watch the trailer HERE

 

FORCED ENTERTAINMENT TO BE AWARDED
INTERNATIONAL IBSEN AWARD

SHEFFIELD BASED THEATRE COMPANY WILL BE FIRST EVER UK GROUP TO RECEIVE WORLD’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS THEATRE AWARD

Sheffield based theatre company Forced Entertainment are to become the first ever UK based recipients of one of theatre’s most prestigious awards it was today announced. The International Ibsen Award, honouring extraordinary contribution to art and culture, is only given every two years by the Norwegian government on Henrik Ibsen’s birthday. The prize is 2.5 million Norwegian Kroner, equivalent to around £200,000. The first ever group to win the prize, Forced Entertainment join a distinguished list of previous winners including Peter Handke, Heiner Goebbels, Jon Fosse, Ariane Mnouchkine and Peter Brook. The award ceremony will take place during the International Ibsen Festival at the National Theatre in Oslo in September where Forced Entertainment will showcase a selection of their groundbreaking work.

Simon Mellor, Executive Director, Arts and Culture, Arts Council England said: ‘The Ibsen Award  is a fitting tribute to Forced Entertainment’s thirty-year history of producing startlingly original work and a recognition of their far-reaching and profound influence on the contemporary theatre and performance scene.’

Tim Etchells, Artistic Director, Forced Entertainment said: ‘On behalf of all six members of Forced Entertainment I am very happy to receive this prestigious award. The list of previous winners is formidable and we feel honoured to be alongside them. We have been making work together for over thirty years now, asking questions about what theatre is and the kinds of experiences it can create in order to speak into the times we are living through; we are particularly proud that our collaborative work has been celebrated in this way. We also feel that giving this award to Forced Entertainment recognises a whole area of contemporary practice away from the literary mainstream; an area of experiment and work across art forms that has consistently championed experimental approaches to performance, from group work to devising and improvisation.’

The boundary-breaking company has been making work since 1984 and is a key part of the contemporary European and UK theatre landscape, having shaped its development significantly over the last three decades. Their work is widely studied across UK and European university syllabuses as pioneering, trailblazing theatre.

The International Ibsen Award jury said: ‘Forced Entertainment have created their own performative space within the history of theatre. Here, theatrical conventions are played out, and they are torn apart. This influential theatre group is a group that recognises the theatre as a central voice within society, and which sincerely and with dedication uses theatre as an arena for public debate; an open, reflexive and poetic space with ethical and social value.

They have developed a theatrical language that does not seek to represent the world beyond the theatre stage, but rather examines the reality of the theatre situation as being imaginary and speculative, as well as a real, physical space of experience – a language they have researched for thirty years.

On this basis, and under the direction of Tim Etchells, the company has developed an entirely new relationship between production and audience, and between new narrative strategies and new theatrical forms. Forced Entertainment’s theatre is not illusory, but imaginative. It is not political in the sense of agitation, but offers the experience of an artistically mediated practice – the performances thereby anticipating the state of another world.

Forced Entertainment’s work does not rest with a single form, style or tradition, but represents a seeking and revivifying force; a continual creative exploration of what the theatre is and can be, in a way that has changed theatre’s possibilities. An award to Forced Entertainment is therefore an award to the entire dynamic, challenging and collective process that is theatre, and to what theatre might be in the future.’

The International Ibsen Award, founded in 2007 was established as part of the Norwegian Parliament’s national budget and is awarded every second year in March. It aims to stimulate critical debate about important social and existential issues. The winner is selected from a list of nominees by a committee of esteemed judges, all experts in their fields. This year the panel included Per Boye Hansen (Artistic Director of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet); Julie Holledge (Chief Investigator for AusStage project); Roman Dolzhanskiy  (Chief Dramaturge at the Theatre of Nations Moscow and Artistic Director of the New European Theatre Festival); Dr. Thomas Oberender (Director of the Berlin Festival); Hanne Tømta (Artistic Director of the National Theatre in Oslo); Stephane Braunschweig (Theatre Director and Artistic Director of Théâtre National de Colline, Paris) and Sofia Jupither (Producer and Director of Jupither Josephsson Theatre Company).

There are no conditions attached to the acceptance of the Ibsen Award, and anyone may nominate candidates. Nominations remain strictly confidential both prior to and after the winner of the award has been announced. The award ceremony and symposium take place in September during the International Ibsen Festival at the National Theatre in Oslo.

@ForcedEnts
@ibsenaward  / #IIA2016

THRILLER LIVE MOONWALKS ONTO THE LYCEUM STAGE THIS MONTH

 

Direct from London’s West End, where it is now in its record breaking seventh year, Thriller Live a spectacular concert celebrating the career of the world’s greatest entertainer, Michael Jackson, comes to the Lyceum Theatre from Tuesday 29 March – Saturday 2 April.

 

Experience over two hours of non-stop hits from pop to rock, soul to disco as the cast pay homage to Jackson’s legendary live performances and innovative dance moves. Expect your favourite songs delivered by an exceptionally talented cast and band, including: I Want You Back, ABC, Can You Feel It, Off The Wall, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal, Beat It, Billie Jean, Dirty Diana,Bad, Rock With You, They Don’t Care About Us, Dangerous and Thriller, plus many more.

Seen by over three million people in over 30 countries, Thriller Live continues to moonwalk around the world, taking audiences on a visual, audio and electrifying journey through the magic of Michael’s 45 year musical history.

Thriller Live is at the Lyceum Theatre from Tuesday 29 March – Saturday 2 April.  Tickets can be purchased from Sheffield Theatres’ Box Office in-person, by phone on 0114 249 6000 or online at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk and are priced from £17.00 – £32.00 (a transaction fee of £1.50 (£1.00 online) applies to all bookings made at the Box Office, excluding cash).  Concessions and group discounts are available

The Brockley Jack Studio Theatre 17 March – 2 April.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

I must admit that I have never made it all the way through Anna Karenina, on page or screen. I know the plot, and I know that it is a brilliantly written novel, but I just don’t want to read about the socio-political idiosyncrasies of the Russian peasantry and farming methods, while most film adaptations make Anna unlikeable and annoying.

You can always count on Arrows & Traps to breathe new and exciting life into a classic, and this version of Anna Karenina doesn’t disappoint. Helen Edmundson’s adaptation manages to condense the hefty tome into 2 hours and 25 minutes of emotional and intense storytelling. The throngs of aristocrats and peasants are trimmed down to 15 characters, played by a cast of 8.

Anna Karenina, married to a respectable government official, begins an affair with dashing Vronsky. She falls pregnant and their struggle to be together, Russian society’s double standards about married men and women having affairs, and Anna’s own choices and demons mean their romance will end in tragedy.

Levin is a shy landed gentleman, whose proposal to Kitty has been rebuffed as she is smitten with Vronsky. He withdraws to his estate and throws himself into new farming methods and study of the peasants, trying to find peace after his previous youthful debauchery. He finally realise that Kitty is the only woman he loves and returns to Moscow to propose again. They marry but find that living together is not the idyll they had imagined.

Edmundson intertwines the two stories sensitively, using Levin and Anna as narrators and co-conspirators in their choices. They constantly ask each other “Where are you now?” to explain plot and location shifts, and watch helplessly as they each make dubious choices, often berating each other between scenes and discussing hypocrisy, faith and mortality. This gives Anna’s motivation and mental disintegration much more focus, even in the short running time, and allows Ellie Jacob to make Anna more rounded and sympathetic; her increasing tenderness towards Death (creeping on stage at every opportunity) as her morphine addiction builds is beautifully played. David Paisley’s Levin is sweet and frustrating in his adoration of Kitty and his often patronising talk of his peasant workers. Together, they grip the audience’s attention with their chemistry and bring a sense of continuity to the episodic plot.

The set is bare, relying on Beth Gibbs fantastic lighting design and cast movement to provide a sense of place and memory. This works brilliantly – the railway and the horse race scenes being the standouts, although the writing in the horse race, with the cast describing Vronsky’s equine mount as he is mounting Anna, may have had a lot to do with my loving that scene! Director Ross McGregor has managed to create an intimate play that still has a sense of the sweeping scale of Tolstoy’s novel.

The entire cast give wonderful performances, Adam Elliott’s Karenin is a very English Russian aristocrat, with wonderfully correct and measured lines, delivered with a delightful comic touch. Spencer Lee Osborne plays each of his characters with a twinkle in his eye. His priest had the audience in fits of laughter with just facial expressions and hand gestures. Will Mytum’s Vronsky is every inch the shallow arrogant aristocrat, and his scenes as Nikolai were literally breath-taking – I thought he was about to lose a lung. Cornelia Baumann, Pippa Caddick and Hannah Wilder almost stole the show with a few minutes of hysterical eye and fan fluttering.

This production has completely changed my mind about Anna Karenina, and I may just be tempted to have another crack at the novel. This is a wonderful full blooded production that is simply unmissable.

IT’S MURDER AT THE CIVIC

Talking Scarlet presents Frederick Knott’s classic thriller Dial ‘M’ For Murder at Darlington Civic Theatre from Tuesday 29 March to Saturday 2 April.

Tony, a former professional tennis player, has grown accustomed to the lavish lifestyle made possible by his heiress wife, Margot. Convinced Margot is having an affair, Tony, rather than play victim to her waning affections, begins to plot her demise.

Tony plans the perfect murder, but the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. Between cocktails, a game of cat and mouse, laced with blackmail and intrigue, begins. When Tony’s precise plans go awry he must improvise an equally deadly plan and stay one step ahead of the police.

As tension vigorously mounts alongside Tony’s tenacity to get away with murder, he maintains a façade of great charm and charisma. The continuous and sinister game Tony plays with his wife and the seemingly disinterested Scotland Yard detective, keeps audiences spellbound. Claustrophobic and frightening, this new production reclaims this brilliant tale of betrayal, passion and, ultimately, murder.

Famously filmed by Alfred Hitchcock starring Ray Milland and Grace Kelly, this intense and darkly gripping stage production stars Oliver Mellor (Coronation Street), Terri Dwyer (Hollyoaks) and Marcus Hutton (Brookside).

There is a free post show talk on Wednesday 30 March.

Dial ‘M’ For Murder is at Darlington Civic Theatre from Tuesday 29 March to Saturday 2 April.

Tickets* are priced £12.60 to £20. To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk

*Includes a £1 restoration levy

New children’s play to explore Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Following on from their acclaimed 2014 production of Monday’s Child which explored Alzheimer’s disease, the much-admired Leeds theatre company tutti frutti are set to premiere WILd!, a new play written by award-winning writer Evan Placey (Girls Like That, Unicorn Theatre), that unravels the story of a boy with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Aimed at children aged 8 years upwards, WiLd!, which is supported by a Wellcome Trust Arts Award, will premiere at The Carriageworks in Leeds on the 30^th April before embarking on a UK and Ireland tour until 9 July including various dates as part of the Yorkshire Festival 2016.

WiLd! is a one person show with a live musician that explores the fragility of a misunderstood boy who lives within his wild imagination, in a sensitive, empathetic, but fun and accessible way. The play tells the central protagonist’s story, as he navigates his real and his imagined world which will be underpinned by the emotions, behaviours and perceptions in relation to ADHD. WiLd! will be informed by current biomedical science and will interrogate the use of medication and behavioural intervention.

With the funding from the Wellcome Trust, tutti frutti’s creative team have been working in partnership with Professor David Daley of CANDAL (the Centre for ADHD and Neurodevelopmental Disorders across the Lifespan at the Institute of Mental Health) and his team at University of Nottingham on researching with ADHD patient groups. The CANDAL centre engages in world leading research into the causes, recognition and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders across the lifespan.

In 2014, tutti frutti worked in collaboration with a neuroscientist and a psychologist from Sussex University and the Alzheimer’s Society for Brendan Murray’s play Monday’s Child, which explored memory and Alzheimer’s.

WILd! will be directed by tutti frutti’s artistic director Wendy Harris and feature music by Dominic Sales, movement from Jo Bernard and designs by Kate Bunce. The cast will feature Rhys Warrington (Great Expectations, Vaudeville Theatre) and musician Molly Lopresti.

Director Wendy Harris said about the new production:

“WiLd! is one of the most thrilling projects tutti frutti has embarked on for some time. This play will tell a really important, but uplifting, story which is underpinned by research in the area of ADHD in children. We are also delighted to be making this play for children aged 8+, a development from our usual age band of 3-7 years. Following the huge success we had with Monday’s Child, a show based in scientific research about ‘memory’, we can’t wait to get started on this new, brilliant project.”

 

Playwright Evan Placey who recently won the Writers’ Guild Award for Best Play for Young Audiences for Girls Like That added:

‘I am really excited about finding theatrical and innovative performance-based ways to express the brain of a child with ADHD. Having spent my early years as a writer working with young people with ADHD, I am aware of the stigma and misunderstanding that surrounds these young people; I am eager to create a piece in which the audience see everything through his eyes and through engaging with his creative imagination and the journey of his mind, can begin to understand him.”

tutti frutti are a national touring company creating high quality work for children and their families to enjoy. Based in Leeds, tutti frutti has been delighting children aged 3, and over, for more than 20 years and tour nationally and internationally to schools, venues, arts centres and village halls through the rural touring schemes. Previous tutti frutti productions have included The Princess and the Pea, Rapunzel, Monday’s Child and Snow Child. In 2014, the company’s work was showcased at the prestigious 18th ASSITEJ World Congress in Warsaw.

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to improving health by supporting bright minds in science, the humanities and social sciences, and public engagement.

 

The production is funded by The Arts Council of England, The Wellcome Trust and Leeds City Council. It is also supported by CANDAL, The University of Nottingham, The Golsoncott Foundation, Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation and Wades Charity.

WiLd! will feature at Yorkshire Festival 2016, which runs from 16 June to 3 July 2016 and features 100 events, which have been selected to be officially part of the Festival, as well as hundreds of fringe events.

WiLd! is suitable for children aged 8+ and their families and will tour nationally from 30 April – 9 July 2016.

THE DOCTOR IN SPITE OF HIMSELF
June 21st – July 13th 2016, Drayton Arms Theatre

Critically acclaimed French theatre company Exchange Theatre return to the Drayton Arms this summer with a new adaptation of Moliere’s rarely-performed French farce The Doctor In Spite of Himself, playing in both English and French as part of the Bastille Festival 2016, which also includes workshops and other French productions.

“mega-multicultural Exchange Theatre have done the unimaginable”  (Londonist on The Flies)

In this classic Moliere affair, nothing is quite what it seems. Sganarelle is a drunk and beats his wife, who in return spreads the word that he is actually a brilliant doctor who can only work when he is beaten. Cue a stream of patients and beatings – and in spite of himself, it seems Sganarelle can perform miracles after all!

This farce marked Moliere’s return to the genre after a couple of years in the wilderness trying to take himself more seriously, and as such forms the basis for much of his later, more famous work. Unjustly overlooked, The Doctor In Spite of Himself offers a protean look into Moliere’s trademark wit, and a rare treat for French theatre lovers.

“Exchange have done a service making those plays available in English” (Reviewsgate)

Exchange Theatre is an international company established in 2006 in London in order to translate and produce unknown or rare French-speaking plays in English. Led by David Furlong and Fanny Dulin, the company translates plays from major French playwrights for the first time in London and off Broadway before being resident at the French Institute from 2010 to 2012.

“Everything here is perfectly spick and span, well organised and genuinely enjoyable” (One Stop Arts on A Family Affair)

GOLDEN TICKET WINNERS GET ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY ON HIT WEST END MUSICAL CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Five aspiring stage managers have won their big break into the theatre industry after receiving a Golden Ticket to a week-long paid work placement on Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the record-breaking West End musical, directed by Sam Mendes.

The five lucky winners were Lizzie Alderson, 25, from Maidstone, Kent, Jyothi Giles, 22, from Oxford, Joeleen Green, 29, from Albany, Australia,  Patrick Mullan, 27, from County Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, and Katie Williams, 27, from Murwillumbah, Australia. They were shortlisted from hundreds of applicants, following a demanding assessment day at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, to be named this year’s recipients of the Golden Ticket.

At the end of the week-long placement earlier this month, Katie Williams was named the most promising candidate and receives a two-month paid placement as a production intern on the show, one of the largest productions in the West End.

On her win, Williams said:

‘As a Golden Ticket winner I was given an all access pass to the inner workings of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. My week was spent exploring and observing all of the backstage departments that come together to create this mammoth show, from learning how to secure a wig on a performer, to testing microphones, to discovering how they really make Willy Wonka’s coat disappear. Every day I discovered something new about the show. I’m thrilled to have been chosen to stay and work on the show for the next two months. I’m very much looking forward to continuing to work with and learn from some of the best professionals in the theatre industry.’

It marks a third year for the scheme which invests in emerging talent in the UK, awarding successful candidates the opportunity to gain experience working with the production’s highly-experienced backstage team in the lighting, sound, automation, wardrobe, wigs, make-up and stage management departments.

The Golden Ticket placements are part of Warner Bros. Creative Talent, a programme of investment in skills and training for the UK creative industries.

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has quickly become one of the West End’s most popular and successful stage musicals. It has broken multiple records at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where it has been seen by over 1.8 million people since it opened in June 2013. It is currently taking bookings until 7 January 2017.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Langley Park Productions.