Young
Dance Talent From The North East To Star In World Premiere Of Matthew Bourne’s Romeo And Juliet
Matthew Bourne's Romeo
and Juliet
Newcastle
Theatre Royal
Wednesday
9 - Saturday 12 October 2019
Matthew Bourne’s pioneering dance company New Adventures has cast six young dancers from the North East in its world premiere production of Romeo and Juliet which will appear at Newcastle Theatre Royal in October 2019.
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo
and Juliet is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s
classic love story. Bursting with youth, vitality and Matthew Bourne’s
trademark storytelling, Britain’s brightest young dance talent join the New
Adventures company for this World Premiere production.
As part of New Adventures’ ambition to support the next
generation of on-stage talent the Romeo and
Juliet UK tour will feature the finest emerging male
and female dancers from each UK region. The search began in April 2018 with a
call-out for young dancers currently in training aged between 16 and 19.
Attracting over 1000 applications and following a UK-wide audition tour, local
Young Cast members will perform at each venue alongside the New Adventures
company.
During the show’s run at Newcastle Theatre Royal, the six Young
Cast members will include: Louis Baxter from Bishop Auckland, Sam Curruthers from
Whitley Bay, Kayleigh Oborka-Letman from Germany but now living in Newcastle,
Lisa Robinson from Durham, Andrew Scott from Sunderland and Chloe Shutt from Darlington.
Matthew Bourne said today: “New Adventures’ Romeo and Juliet will be a celebration
of youthful energy, talent and creativity both on and off-stage and, uniquely,
in all aspects of Choreography, Design and Music through the appointment of a
series of “Young Associate Artists”. As
we enter our fourth decade as a company I’m finding the development of young
talent ever more important and fulfilling. Our new company of Romeo and Juliet features a staggering 97 young dancers making their debuts with us; some are joining us
as part of their third year of training, others have come through our Company
initiatives such as ‘Swan School’, ‘A Summer Adventure’ and of course, our
production of Lord of the Flies which
inspired so many young men to seek careers in dance. This time we have focused
on nurturing young male and female dancers, and I have been overwhelmed by the
talent that we have had to choose from throughout the UK. I’m particularly
happy to be working alongside my Young Associate Choreographer, Arielle Smith,
an exceptional young dancemaker of great maturity and vision. In turn, after 30
years as a professional choreographer, I look forward to being refreshed and
inspired by what this team of young artists will bring to Shakespeare’s classic
tale of tragic conflict and young love”.
The title roles of ‘Romeo’ and ‘Juliet’ will be played by
six New Adventures rising stars and two exciting new dancers making their
professional debuts.
Creating the role of Juliet will be Cordelia Braithwaite,
currently performing as ‘Cinderella’ on the international tour; Seren Williams,
who joined New Adventures in 2016 with Matthew Bourne’s award-winning
production of The Red Shoes and
Bryony Harrison who is making her debut with New Adventures on tour with
Matthew Bourne’s legendary production of Swan
Lake.
The role of Romeo will be created by Andrew Monaghan,
currently ‘The Pilot’ in Cinderella,
Paris Fitzpatrick who is playing the ‘Angel’ in Cinderella and João Carolino who joined the company in 2017 with Early Adventures.
Making their professional debuts with the company are
Harrison Dowzell, as ‘Romeo’, who auditioned for the Young Cast in Nottingham,
and Bryony Wood, as ‘Juliet’, discovered during the Young Cast auditions in
Southampton. Both are in their graduate years at Performers College and Tring
Park School for the Performing Arts respectively.
They are joined by leading New Adventures artists,
Madelaine Brennan, Daisy May Kemp, Danny Reubens and Daniel Wright who will
create the ‘adult’ world of Romeo and
Juliet.
Ben Brown, Reece Causton, Jackson Fisch, Kate Lyons,
Stephen Murray and Mark Samaras will come to this production direct from our
USA Tour of Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella.
New Adventures is committed to finding and developing
diverse young talent from across the UK. Since Lord of the Flies in 2014 New Adventures has been supporting young
dancers from this production on their journey into training and professional
work. The company have delivered various
initiatives, including ‘Swan School’, two week-long intensives designed to
prepare graduate level dancers for the audition process.
Continuing New Adventures’ commitment to developing
off-stage talent, a team of Young Associate Artists have been recruited to work
alongside the Artistic team in the creation of this world premiere production.
Arielle Smith joins as Young Associate Choreographer; Elin Steele as Young
Associate Set & Costume Designer and Ali Hunter as Young Associate Lighting
Designer.
Romeo
And Juliet is directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne,
collaborating with his entire New Adventures Associate Artistic team; Etta
Murfitt, Associate Artistic Director, set and costume design by Lez
Brotherston; lighting by Paule Constable; sound by Paul Groothuis; and new
orchestrations of the Prokofiev score by Terry Davies, played live at every
venue by The New Adventures Orchestra conducted by Brett Morris.
The
six North East dancers:
Louis
Baxter was born in Bishop Auckland and lives in Newton
Aycliffe. He is training at Dance City
CAT for the Dance City BTEC. Having seen “Lord of the Flies” in 2014 he thought
being part of the Young Cast for “Romeo and Juliet” would be an amazing
experience and opportunity to work with a professional team of dancers along
with other dancers of his own age.
Sam
Curruthers was born in Carlisle and lives in Whitley Bay. He returns
to the Theatre Royal having been part of the Young Cast for “Lord of the Flies”
in 2014. He wanted to be part of the Young Cast for “Romeo and Juliet” to
continue to improve his skills and challenge himself in a professional
production.
Kayleigh
Oborka-Letman was born in Germany and lives in Newcastle. She
is training at Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance. She is an
aspiring choreographer and this production felt like a great opportunity to
learn from the best.
Lisa
Robinson was born in Bishop Auckland and lives in Durham. She is training at Dance City Newcastle and
Nadines Dance Company. From a young age she has had an ardent passion for dance
and performance. She respects and adores how refreshing, unique, inspiring and
ground-breaking New Adventures productions continue to be and couldn’t let the
opportunity to grow and learn pass her by.
Andrew
Scott was born in Sunderland and lives in London training at the
London Contemporary School of Dance. He
has always been a massive fan of Matthew Bourne’s work. He loves the twists he puts on the original
storyline. It is an amazing opportunity
to be part of one of his productions and is looking forward to the whole
process, topped off by the chance to perform at the Theatre Royal alongside New
Adventures.
Chloe
Shutt was born in Darlington and lives in Newton Aycliffe. She is training at Dance City,
Newcastle. She wanted to be part of the
Young Cast for “Romeo and Juliet” because as an emerging dancer in training the
opportunity provides a great insight into the professional world on such a huge
scale with an amazingly creative and world-renowned company.
On The
Web:
Tickets
Romeo
and Juliet is at Newcastle Theatre Royal for four nights only between
Wednesday 9 and Saturday 12 October 2019 playing evenings at 7.30pm and matinees
on Weds & Thurs at 2pm and Sat at 2.30pm.
Early booking is advisable. Tickets
from £17.50 can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21
21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your
phone company’s access charge) or book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk.
