News

Stewart Lee Extra Performance

09 May 2012

We're delighted to announce that an extra 4pm Matinee performance for Stewart Lee's Carpet Remnant World on Sunday 24 June has just been put on sale due to popular demand!

The 8pm show has completely sold out, so do spread the word - and be quick as tickets are likely to be snapped up!

The Exeter Northcott Theatre Open Day

18 Apr 2012

On Saturday 5 May we throw open our doors to the public for a packed day of activities and events. The Exeter Northcott Theatre Open Day will let people explore behind the scenes, meet the team and take part in lots of hands-on theatre-themed fun.

Arriving on the day, people will be greeted with two exciting interactive family shows taking place on the brand new Piazza outside. Uncle Tacko’s Flea Circus promises tiny feats of daring and astonishment, while The Whale is a giant metal creation which swallows audiences whole, to enjoy a charming, playful and subversive theatre experience. Not only will audience members get to meet a lovesick sailor who sings them a song, they will also get a little gift before they leave.

On entering the building, literally every nook and cranny of the Exeter Northcott will be hosting fascinating and fun activities, so pick up your programme from the Box Office to ensure you don’t miss a thing. Students from Somerset College will be offering stage make-up demos throughout the day in both the main entrance and the dressing rooms, so why not see what you would look liked aged by 50 years, or what about having a scar, wart or boil applied!

On the main stage throughout the day you can take part in a variety of workshops and activities. Can you solve the Costume Jigsaw by trying to assemble outfits according to their era, or what about learning how to plot lights to a soundtrack, or even creating your own soundscape in our special sound booth?

Our technical team will also be presenting a series of practical demonstrations in the main auditorium at regular intervals, including explosive fun with stage pyrotechnics. This will be followed by a more formal demonstration and Q&A session, The Art of Theatre Unmasked from 6pm. Tony Lidington will be joined by our production staff to explore the art of theatre and the various components that go into producing a show.

Devon Artist Network will be hosting family-friendly shadow puppet-making workshops and the chance to make a puppet to take home, while Rob Pudner from Entertainingly Different will be presenting family acting workshops, ideal for stars of the future. The Radio Exe team will also be setting up a news desk for people to try their hands at recording breaking stories and news reports.

Expect a whole host of other fun activities and surprises running throughout the day, including two very unusual treasure trails. The day will finish with a Ceilidh and your chance to come and socialise with the team from Exeter Northcott Theatre. Hot food and drinks will also be available, with the party running from 8pm till late.

Kate Tyrrell, Executive Director at Exeter Northcott Theatre said: “We are really looking forward to throwing open our doors and sharing some of the tricks of the trade with families and friends over the bank holiday weekend. We are very excited about the programme of activities on offer and hope you can join us for what promises to be a fascinating, informative and fun day.”

The Exeter Northcott Theatre Open Day will run from 10am till late. For more information please visit www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

Casting Call

13 Apr 2012

Casting for Gripping Yarns

A collaboration between Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Show of Strength & Exeter Northcott Theatre.

Exeter Northcott Theatre and South West theatre company Show of Strength are developing exciting new performances with the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM).

After a series of 6 successful writing workshops to create 5 minute monologues inspired by RAMM's extraordinary exhibits, we're now selecting 12 scripts for performance. Four actors will each perform three pieces live in RAMM, close to the real exhibits that inspired them, on Saturday and Sunday, 12 & 13 May.

The performances will be directed by Dawlish based, director, writer and performer, Tony Lidington. We'd like to hear from locally/regionally based professional actors interested in working with us on the project.

Key dates:

Monday 30 April auditions

Rehearse Wednesday 2-Friday 11 May at RAMM; individual calls with director.

All cast required Friday 11 May (dress rehearsal) and Saturday/Sunday 12/13 May (performances)

Actors will be employed on a self-employed basis by the Exeter Northcott Theatre, the fee for the project is £700. Lunch is provided on the tech and performance days.

Email CV, photo, playing age and where you're based to: Sophie McCormack by Friday 27 April. Details of any dates you aren't available between April 30th and May 10th would also be useful.

Find out more about Gripping Yarns and the project partners here:

http://www.exeternorthcott.com/page/creative-opportunities

http://showofstrength.org.uk/opportunities/gripping-yarns-free-writing-workshops-at-royal-albert-memorial-museum-exeter

http://www.rammuseum.org.uk/whats-on/live-performances-gripping-yarns-ramm-stories-tall-and-small

Early Autumnal Treats

26 Mar 2012

We have put two early treats from our Autumn and Winter 2012 Season on sale and they are already proving really popular with audiences.

English Touring Opera return with a bold programme that celebrates some of the most dramatically assured opera of the 20th Century.

Peter Maxwell Davies' haunting opera The Lighthouse (24 October) is based on a real-life account of the mysterious disappearance of the men sent to relieve the keepers of a remote lighthouse in 1900. Meanwhile Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring (25 & 27 October) is a genuinely hilarious depiction of English village life. Finally the The Emperor of Atlantis (26 October) was written when Viktor Ullmann (composer) and Peter Kien (writer) were prisoners at the Terezin concentration camp during World War II, and has since been acclaimed as an extraordinary testament of wit and humanity in the face of barbarity.
Click here for more information

For something completely different, we are over-the-moon to be welcoming hysterical comedian Greg Davis with The Back of My Mum’s Head (13 October). Most famous for playing the sardonic Mr Gilbert, Head of the Sixth Form in the BAFTA award-winning The Inbetweeners, this is sure to be huge, so don’t miss out.
Click here for more information

Devon Artist Network Spring Exhibition

14 Mar 2012

Following the success of their exhibition last year, members from the Devon Artist Network are once again delighted to be showing a selection of works at the Exeter Northcott Theatre.

Working in a range of media, painting, ceramics, photography and glass, it is intended as a showcase for both emerging and established artists.

Artists’ profiles can be viewed at www.devonartistnetwork.co.uk, while the exhibition will run from the 13 March through until 18 May 2012, throughout the cafe/bar areas.

Every month Devon Artist Network has also invited sculptor members to display a piece of their work, or an installation of pieces on the nine-foot plinth in the Theatre foyer. Exhibits are being changed on a monthly basis and we currently have The Peaceful Warrior (2) Transformers with the Three Graces by Jane Baker on display (Ceramic; yew planks on cedar; cherry planks and wood shavings).

www.janebaker-art.co.uk

Theatre awarded Arts Council funding

31 Jan 2012

MEDIA STATEMENT

Click here to download a Word version of this statement

We are delighted to be able to announce that Arts Council England South West has awarded £125,000 per year for the next three years to Exeter Northcott Theatre to enable us to continue the important work we have been doing in our very special theatre. This funding comes from the Arts Council’s strategic fund for theatre in Exeter, one of the aims of this fund is to support mid-scale touring productions in the city. This vote of confidence from the Arts Council will provide reassurance to our other funders that the theatre remains an important part of the national theatre infrastructure.

This endorsement is extremely welcome coming as it does at the end of a very difficult few years. The Exeter Northcott Theatre is loved by audiences and artists and is vital to the cultural life of Exeter and Devon. This investment by the Arts Council gives us three years security and is an enormous boost for both patrons and staff.

The money will enable us to continue to present high quality national companies including English Touring Theatre, Theatre Alibi, Out of Joint, Richard Alston Dance Company, Ballet Black, Jasmin Vardimon Company and English Touring Opera. We will also be able to continue with our popular year-round family programme – families now represent 37% of our annual audience.

We are looking forward to working with all our arts colleagues in the city, ACE, the University of Exeter and Exeter City Council to build on our vibrant programme, as well as getting involved with the other exciting local projects that have also been awarded funding.

This funding will allow the theatre to continue to provide inspiring entertainment to an ever growing and diversifying audience. This starts right now with an exciting spring and summer season that is already selling extremely well. We look forward to welcoming theatre lovers through our door again very soon – what better way to help us celebrate than by joining us for an afternoon or evening of top class theatre!

Kate Tyrrell, Executive Director said: "This is fantastic news for everyone here at the theatre and we look forward to celebrating with all our supporters. It's been a tricky few years for the Exeter Northcott Theatre and the talented team here have shown exceptional professionalism and commitment throughout. I want to thank them and also our stakeholders for sticking with us. It's extremely exciting to at last have some good news and be able to plan with confidence for the future."

Cllr Rosie Denham, Exeter City Council's Lead Councillor for Economy and Tourism, said: "I am absolutely delighted that Exeter Northcott Theatre has been successful with its application for funding from the Arts Council England’s Strategic Theatre in Exeter Fund. Not only does this give the theatre and its stakeholders a sense of security for the next three years but it also validates the importance of Exeter Northcott to the city’s cultural make up. Most important of all, the residents of Exeter and the wider region will be able to continue to enjoy a high quality theatre experience at one of the city’s best loved venues.”

Theatre Board Chairman Phil Attwell said: "The University of Exeter has been working very hard over the last 18 months to find a way of sustaining the theatre. We are delighted that the Arts Council has recognised the importance of the theatre to the region. The University has supported the theatre for many years and is happy to continue doing so."