RSC Dream delight for North-East amateurs

THE Castle Players from Barnard Castle and The People’s Theatre from Newcastle are the two North-East amateur theatre groups chosen to take part in the Royal Shakespeare Company's North-East leg of a national tour of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which takes place at Northern Stage next year.

A total of 14 amateur groups will play the Mechanicals nationally alongside a company of professional actors led by the RSC's deputy artistic director Erica Whyman, former boss of Newcastle's Northern Stage.

Her creative team has travelled 2,360 miles to audition 586 amateur theatre makers in 95 workshops. Each group represents a region or nation of the UK. The Castle Players cast is: Peter Cockerill (Bottom), Andrew Stainthorpe (Flute), Harry French (Quince), Ben Pearson (Snout), Graham Fewell (Snug), Ian Kirkbride (Starveling) and Jill Cole (amateur group director). The People’s Theatre members are: Pete McAndrew (Bottom), Reg White (Flute), Jo Kelly (Quince), Stuart Douglas (Snout), Gordon Russell (Snug), Mike Smith (Starveling), Chris Heckels (amateur group director) and Laura Halford-Macleod (amateur group assistant director)

The Northern Stage performance dates are Weds, March 16 to Sat, March 26. Tickets: northernstage.co.uk or 0191-230-5151

* The BBC will be capturing all of the action in The Best Bottoms In the Land (Title to be confirmed), which will follow the Royal Shakespeare Company’s journey and will air in spring next year on BBC1.

BBC2 will be screening the RSC's Shakespeare Gala, on Saturday, April 23 to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and programmes will be announced soon.