Meet the Cinderella cast: Alex Spinney

Alex Spinney

This week our meet the cast interview is with Alex Spinney, who is starring as Prince Charming. As Alex is new to Stafford we thought  it was time to get to know him better...

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre:What attracted you to our Rock 'n' Roll Panto?

Alex Spinney: The rock 'n' roll pantomimes combine really great music with very funny scripts and it is so exciting to work with such a small cast, with all of us playing, singing, acting and even dancing!

SGT: What instruments are you playing in the show?

AS: Alto saxophone and piano.

SGT: What are you most looking forward to in the show?

Alex in action as Prince Charming

AS: I'm most looking forward to singing some rock 'n' roll classics, and of course gettung up close and personal with the lovely Cinderella!

What do you think audiences will particularly enjoy this year?

AS:  I think audiences will love Hernia and Verruca, the beautifully ugly stepsisters.

SGT: Why do you think panto has remained such a popular tradition?

AS: It is a truly British institution that gives audiences the chance to let loose and relax over Christmas.

Cinderella is now open and runs until January 10th 2015.

 

You can book your tickets here - but hurry they're selling fast!

 

 

Meet The Cinderella cast: Beth Peach-Robinson

Beth Peach-Robinson

The lovely Beth Peach-Robinson made her panto debut last year as Princess Susie and is back playing the title role in Cinderella in this year's Rock 'n' Roll Panto. We caught up with the West Midlands born actress to talk about this year's show.

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre: What made you decide to come back this year?

Beth Peach-Robinson: I find being surrounded by so many talented people so inspiring and it's so fun to do something that makes Christmas extra special.

SGT: Can you tell us what instruments you will be playing in the show?

B P-R: Alto saxaphone, tenor saxaphone and baritone saxaphone.



Beth as Princess Susie in Sleeping Beauty

SGT: What are you most looking forward to in the show this year?

B P-R: I'm really looking forward to my magical transformation and I think audience will really enjoy our ugly sisters!






SGT: Why do you think Panto has remained such a popular tradition?

B P-R: Because it is always full on songs that audiences long and everyone loves a bit of "he's behind you" audience participation!


SGT: Have you got any pre-show rituals?

B P-R: I dance around like a crazy person to my favourite 90's tunes!

SGT: That sounds like a pretty fun ritual to us! Break a leg for opening night next week Beth!

Cinderella opens to schools on Wednesday 10th December and the first evennig public performance is on Friday 12th December. The show runs until Saturday 10th Janaury and you can book your tickets by clicking here.

Meet the As You Like It Cast: Georgina White

Georgina White

Today's meet the cast is with Georgina White, who has been receiving critical acclaim for her role of Rosalind in this year's SFS production. She also performed with us in Twelfth Night in 2009 and A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2013. Here's what she had to say about returning to Stafford Castle...
  
Stafford Gatehouse Theatre: How does it feel to be part of SFS again Georgina?

Georgina White: I'm very excited to be part of such a wonderful team.

SGT: What made you want to be involved again?

GW: Having done SFS before I know how brilliant the show is and that we are guaranteed a gorgeous summer come rain or shine! I love working with Peter Rowe (Director) and Greg Palmer (Musical Director) and the Gatehouse Team. Rosalind has always been a dream role for me.I also LOVE Stafford and feel at home here!

SGT: Have you performed at any other unusual venues? 

GW: Buckingham Palace.

SGT: Could you tell us a bit more about Rosalind?

GW: She makes the most of being banished to the forest by dressing up as a man, and she totally delights in it! Rosalind is so complex in her emotions and contains such an anarchic recklessness that there is drama where ever she goes. She is madly in love with Orlando and desicdes to teach him lessons in love and toy with him in her disguise.

Georgina, as Rosalind.

SGT: What do you think Rosalind adds to the play?

GW: She is a heroine of such intelligence, wit and practicality that you can't help but admire her. She's totally dramatic and crazy, but with a naughty side and a cheeky glint in her eye too. I think she portrays herself in such a way that everyone can identify with a certain part of her character.





SGT: Do you believe in love at first sight like the characters in As You Like It do?

GW: No! But I believe in lust at first sight, and this is certainly true for Rosalind and Orlando. This lust gradually progresses into a deep love.
 
SGT: What do you think the audience will enojy the most about this year's setting?

GW: The gorgeous 60s music, the humour, the drama, the cross-dressing and the sheer absurdity of the play! Everyone goes a little bit bonkers in the Forest of Arden...

Georgina is performing in As You Like It at Stafford Castle until July 12th.

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Meet The As You Like It Cast: Esther Biddle

Esther Biddle

Today's meet the cast interview is with Esther Biddle, who is playing Pheobe in As You Like It. Pheobe is pursued by Silvius, but Pheobe in turn only has eyes for Ganymede, blissfully unaware that Ganymede is actually Rosalind in disguise!

Esther first performed with SFS in 2011 so we caught up with her to see how she what she was looking forward to most this year.

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre: SFS is now one of the largest Shakespeare events in Europe, how do you feel about being part of it this year?

Esther Biddle: Great! It's one of the best open air events.

SGT: What made you want to perform with SFS again?

EB: It's always such fun and enjoyed so much by the public. I get to spend time with great mates and I just love it up here!

SGT: Have you performed at any other castles or any unusual venues?

EB: I've done a play at the top of the 'Gherkin' building in London!

Esther as Pheobe

SGT: You're playing Pheobe in As You Like It, what is she like?

EB: She's tricksy. And Welsh. And a bit like Bonnie Tyler. She's also massively ungenerous with Silvius (played by James Haggie)

SGT: What do you think Pheobe brings to the play? 

EB: Comedic joy and some light relief!
 
SGT: What do you think audiences will enjoy this year?

EB: The comedy of the mistaken identities and the music.

As You Like It opens this Sunday and runs until Saturday 12th July at Stafford Castle.

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Meet The As You Like It Cast: John Challis

John Challis

The legendary John Challis has returned to SFS to take on the role of Jacques, a truly melancholy character who delivers the famous "all the world's a stage" speech. 

There's certainly more to him than being Boycie from Only Fools and Horses - he's performed in many other iconic places including Broadway and Regent Park's Open Air Theatre. We spoke to John to find out more...

 Stafford Gatehouse Theatre: How are you feeling about being part of SFS again John?

John Challis: Terrified and excited at the same time!

SGT: What made you want to be involved with SFS again?

JC: I played Malvolio in Twelfth Night and found it a rewarding experience, it is out of my comfort zone and I think I have got away with it! Jacques is a role I have always wanted to attempt, and to be part of such a talented company is a real treat.

SGT: Tell us a little bit more about Jacques...

JC:  Jacques is a "melancholic" in Elizabethan terms, possibly a "neurotic" in today's terms. He sees himself as a satirist - "cleansing the foul infested world" with his wit.

SGT:  What do you think Jacques brings to the play?

JC: As a malcontent he brings a counter point to the romantic musical comedy of the story with his intellectualizing and sardonic observations.

SGT: Do you believe in love at first sight like Celia and Oliver?

JC: Certainly, but one hopes it will last!
 
SGT: And finally, what do you think the audience will enjoy most about this year's production and setting?

JC: It's got everything - wonderful original music, romance, comedy and at times a slightly dark side. Also it is set around the summer of love in the 60s so perhaps a fair amount of nostalgia!

You can see John Challis in As You Like It at Stafford Castle from Sunday 29th June until Saturday 12th July.

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John Challis as Jacques with Tom Radford as Orlando

 

 
 

Meet The As You Like It Cast: Shirley Darroch

Shirley Darroch

Today's meet the cast is with Shirley Darroch, who last year won Beat Supporting Actress at the Manchester Theatre Awards for her role as Mama Morton in Chicago. It's also her first time performing with SFS and she will be taking on the role of Audrey.

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre: How are you feeling about your first SFS performance?

Shirley Darroch: I'm so excited about doing open air Shakespeare! I can't wait to be in that wonderful setting. I love Shakespeare, I studied it at university before becoming an actor, so it's a double whammy!

SGT: Have you ever performed in the grounds of a castle or any other unusual setting before?

SD: I once did a site specific version of Howard Barker's "Seven Lears" in a club. The toilets flooded because the sewage system was blocked, urgh! I also got a kidney infection from having to eat apples from the ground in a playpark early in my career. I'm sure SFS will be a much better experience!

SGT: What is Audrey like as a character?

SD: She's a wee laugh! She's is a bawdy country wench looking for love. She is fascinated by Touchstone the fool (played by Eric Potts) and I think, sees him as a bit of a meal ticket. She is coquettush and histrionic!

SGT: What do you think audiences will enjoy this year in particular?

SD: The 60s "crowd-around-a-bonfire-and-sing" vibe and some great actors!

Shirley will be performing at Stafford Castle in As You Like It from Sunday 29th June to Saturday 12th July.

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Meet The As You Like It Cast: Tom Radford

Friday's meet the cast is with Tom Radford, who will be playing Orlando. Here's what he had to say ahead of his first Stafford Festival Shakespeare appearance...

Tom Radford

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre:  Hi Tom, how are you feeling about your first performance with SFS?

Tom Radford: Excited, ecstatic, elated and other words beginning with E!

SGT: So what made you want to get involved?

TR: It was a great chance to play a part I've wanted to play for a long time.

SGT:  Have you performed any open air Shakespeare before?

TR: Never in a castle but I have done an open air Shakespeare before and did a scene on a tree swing which was fun!

SGT: Could you tell us a little bit more about Orlando?

TR: He is the youngest son of the Duke who starts the play under the strict (and unfair) watch of his older brother Oliver. Orlando knows he is not the wittiest of people and relies on his instinct.

SGT: What do you think Orlando brings to the play?

TR: I think Orlando brings an outsider's point of view to the play. He starts off as an outsider in his own home, then becomes an outsider in the forest but this soon seems to become a much more suitable home for him.

SGT: What do you think the audience will enjoy most about this year's production and setting?

TR: The music, the silliness, the love and the picnics! 

You can see Tom perform in As You Like It at Stafford Castle from Sunday 29th June until Saturday 12th July.

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