East Riding Theatre launches its summer long festival of engagement, inspiration and celebration with a theatre double bill of Spoonface Steinberg & Perfidious Lion.
To help showcase the fantastic young talent in the area, East Riding Theatre will be hosting a wide variety of shows by young performers this summer including, theatre, comedy, spoken word, music and much more.
The Theatre’s Artistic Director Adrian Rawlins said of trying to encourage more young people to get involved with the arts;
“In an age where more and more people can be seen glued to the screen of their phone or tablet I think it’s crucial to help and encourage young talent to find their voice in the live arts.”
“Of course it’s wonderful to have involvement from all ages in the theatre, but it’s crucial that we encourage young performers, writers, directors, volunteers and audience into the theatre because they are the theatre’s lifeblood for the future.”
The first show to showcase such talent will be Spoonface Steinberg, Lee Hall’s (writer of Billy Elliot) extraordinary, award-winning play about faith, love and the meaning of life which was first broadcast on Radio 4 in 1997 to unprecedented acclaim.
A monologue by an autistic girl facing a terminal illness, it is at turns funny, intensely moving and profound.
Director of the play Adrian Rawlins said;
“Having directed 18 year old Evie Guttridge in her first professional play recently at ERT (The Night Season), I was blown away by her commitment and professionalism.”
“When we talked of doing a festival to engage and celebrate young local talent, Evie was an immediate choice to play Spoonface Steinberg, a one woman play that is at once inspiring, poignant and hilarious.”
“To hold an audience on your own for an hour is a huge challenge, but Spoonface is a beautiful play and Evie is a cracking young actor who definitely relishes a challenge. I think it’s going to be a very inspiring evening.”
Joining the Theatre double bill will be Perfidious Lion, a new solo show written and performed by Bettine Mackenzie and directed by Oliver Dawe. The full summer season of events is available to download by visiting ERT’s website.”
Spoonface Steinberg & Perfidious Lion Thursday 29th to Saturday 1st July.
Photo credit – Gavin Prest Photography
