Barnard Castle Watercolour Signed Print - Ken Burton
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Last Dance of a Dalesman / Song for a Dark Queen
Apr 3, 2009
Georgian Theatre Royal Richmond
Recently The Georgian Theatre Royal Youth Theatre displayed their talents through two productions Last Dance of a Dalesman and Song for a Dark Queen.
Last Dance of a Dalesman written by Nobby Dimon, well known for his work as artistic director of North Country Theatre, tells the story of the funeral of Dan Ottershaw, played by Ben Lacy, as his body is carried along the ancient ‘corpse way’ and the wake at Harker’s Hotel. During this we gain an insight into the lives of the people in the community. It is always a challenge for young people to create a play where a range of ages are being played, but I found their portrayal of the characters incredibly believable, and found myself captivated by their performances. It would be incredibly unfair to single out any particular performance as with a cast of around 30 young people, they worked as one to create a great evening’s entertainment.
The second production with a different group of young people from the Youth Theatre was Song for a Dark Queen, based on the novel by Rosemary Sutcliff which tells the story of Boudicca and the song they would sing if Boudicca wins her final battle.
This production is a massive challenge for any group to take on and it is great to see a youth theatre giving its members the opportunity to develop their skills in many ways. The first night nerves were unfortunately there when I saw the production and due to the illness of a member of cast the director, Chris Wellings, had stepped in at the last minute. The story in the first half is long and complex, though once the scene is set the second half speeds along. It is great to see young people developing their skills with such a challenge.
Youth Theatre, through the professional direction is certainly one of the theatrical highlights in our area.
A J Harrison