Blog by Neville Street of Stella Six - Press & PR:
The lead roles are now cast for Shropshire Drama Company’s (SDC) next production – William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Directed by Joanna Purslow and Rosalind Garrard, the outdoor performance will take place on 14 -19 June at the Holy Trinity Church green in Much Wenlock as part of the town’s biennial arts festival.
The two actors to play Romeo and Juliet are Michael Tyler and Zoe Vernon. Michael is 17 years old and studying a national diploma in musical theatre at Shrewsbury College. Zoe is also 17 and her studies include A level drama, history and English literature at Wem Sixth Form College. Both have applied to drama colleges with the aim of starting in September 2010.
Chosen from 20 young people who attended an audition at Theatre Severn at the end of September, co-director Joanna Purslow, said: “The response we had and the level of commitment and talent shown by the young people attending the audition was very encouraging, as was the interest shown by the everyone attending the subsequent audition for the rest of the cast. Michael and Zoe have a great chemistry, which we hope to express in greater depth when they take on the roles of Romeo and Juliet. It is always an exciting period leading up to a major production, seeing how it takes shape and how the actors develop their roles, and this is no exception.”
Picture: Zoe Vernon (Juliet) and Michael Tyler (Romeo) at Cronkhill, the best known example of John Nash’s Italianate villa designs, taken by kind permission of the custodians, Mr and Mrs Rupert Acton, also of Acton Scott, Shropshire, and the National Trust.
About Shropshire Drama Company (SDC)
The late Bert Amies OBE, the county drama & arts adviser for Shropshire from 1958 to 1981, formed the Company, formerly Shropshire County Drama Group. SDC is a team of like-minded and highly talented actors and technicians whose aim is to bring challenging and innovative theatre to Shropshire and beyond. Membership of SDC is by invitation and members work together to achieve ever-higher quality in theatre.
In 2003, to considerable acclaim, the Company staged Henry IV (Part One) in Haughmond Abbey as part of the Battle of Shrewsbury 600th Anniversary Commemorative Festival, in 2004 The Lion In Winter at The Edge Theatre and King Lear at Much Wenlock Festival, Inherit the Wind at St Chad’s Church as part of Shrewsbury’s 2005 Darwin Festival, All’s Well That Ends Well at Much Wenlock Festival in 2006 and King Richard III in 2008. SDC’s 2009 productions include Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge and Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer.
For further information about Shropshire Drama Company or their Romeo & Juliet production, contact:
Joanna Purslow or Rosalind Garrard
Tel: 07717 712225 or 07831 271276
Email: media@shropshiredramacompany.co.uk
www.shropshiredramacompany.co.uk
