Theatre

An open-air theatre is to open among purple fields of lavender in Surrey this summer.

Mayfield Lavender Farm will host the 250-seat Lavender Theatre at its site in Epsom, as part of a £2m investment project which also includes a coffee bar and glasshouse restaurant.

The new venue is being privately funded and managed by Lavender Productions Ltd. It plans to produce shows throughout the summer, starting with musical Annie Get Your Gun from 17 July.

Lavender Theatre has been co-founded by Director Joe McNeice and Mayfield owner Brendan Maye.

McNeice said the venue will offer “more than just a visit to a theatre”.

“Audiences will be able dine in our glasshouse restaurant underneath Mediterranean citrus trees or grab a picnic to enjoy among the blossoming rows of lavender as the sun begins to set, before taking their seats in our covered auditorium to watch a show under the stars.

“We think it’s going to be a truly special experience.”

A theatre has been forced to issue an appeal for audiences to behave after drunken and anti-social behaviour during performances.

Glasgow’s King’s Theatre posted the plea on its Facebook page during the recent run of the musical The Bodyguard.

The production is based on the 1992 film featuring Whitney Houston which spawned the singer’s number one hit, I Will Always Love You.

Reports of audience members talking loudly during performances and trying to ‘outsing’ the cast prompted the Facebook message.

The post said: “We're really excited about welcoming you to The Bodyguard, where we want everyone to enjoy the show.

"With that in mind, we politely ask that you show consideration to your fellow audience members, who have come to enjoy performances on stage.

"We all have a part to play in making sure the theatre is a fantastic experience for everyone and you can help by ensuring the professionals on stage are the only people entertaining us with their performances, and by being kind to our dedicated staff who are here to make sure everybody is safe.

"Anti-social behaviour towards our staff or other customers will not be tolerated.”

The theatre’s message was shared twice and attracted over 1000 comments, many expressing their annoyance at the behaviour of audience members.

One said: “Stay at home with your Buckie Bottle and listen to Whitney if you can't behave and just enjoy it like normal people."

Bectu has published new pay guidance for professionals working on UK touring theatre productions.

The union guidance outlines new recommended rates agreed in consultation with its theatre touring branch. It follows the launch of Bectu's Guide to good practices on touring productions, published last October.

The rates apply to professionals working in all posts and grades – excluding those recognised by Equity or the Musicians’ Union – covering roles in lighting, sound, wardrobe, wigs, props, puppetry, chaperones, automaton and stage. 

Many of the union’s members have their minimum rates determined by Bectu’s agreements with the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, but staff on touring productions have increasingly been employed on buyout contracts, which don’t offer additional payments for overtime and Sunday shifts.

In the absence of agreed minimum rates with UK Theatre or other employers, the new guidance is designed to provide confidence and clarity to Bectu members negotiating rates for touring productions.

Employers do not have to pay the recommended rates, but Bectu is encouraging members to use them as a basis for negotiation.

“It’s no secret that low pay is one of the core issues driving the chronic skills shortage in the UK theatre sector. We cannot expect people to remain for ‘the love of the job’ when there are better pay and conditions elsewhere,” said Helen Ryan, Assistant National Secretary of Bectu.

“Our members working in touring theatre are highly skilled professionals and it is right that they are compensated fairly for their time and talents.”

The new rates do not apply to work done in the Commercial West End theatre sector, where Equity is currently supporting performers and stage managers demanding a 17% pay rise.

The National Youth Theatre (NYT) is to hold free auditions in five cities and online next month February.

The auditions will take place in Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, London and Manchester. Online auditions are via the National Youth Theatre Hub.

Successful applicants will be invited to take part in summer intake courses, which for the first time will also take place in cities around the country. 

Applications must be aged between 14 and 25 on the date the course starts. They will be asked to prepare a two-minute speech which could be from a published play, monologue book or film script.

The company will also offer be offering "backstage interviews" for young people interested in areas such as lighting, sound, stage management and costume.

NYT patron and alumnus Matt Smith said: "It's a great company and if you work hard, apply yourself and bring the right spirit, it's a place where you can really learn and develop, and a company that will nurture you."