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Press Release:
Spring 2012 At The Ark Theatre Borehamwood
What better way to beat those post-Christmas blues than a night at the theatre and this spring The Ark Theatre Borehamwood has catered for all tastes with an exhilarating programme of entertainment to delight audiences. A little music, a sprinkling of drama, two premieres, something for the kids and comedy are all in the mix.
First up on Saturday 4th February is the world premiere of The People's Theatre Companies production of the classic story There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Last at The Ark with How The Koala Learnt to Hug, this promises to be a similarly delightful tale for families to enjoy with their children.
A classic era for music is celebrated on Thursday 9th February in Rock Around The 60s featuring The Foundations and The New Honeycombs who will perform all their hits including Baby Now That I’ve Found You, Build Me Up Buttercup and Have I The Right? as well as other popular songs from the period.
Syd Lawrence Orchestra leader Chris Dean returns to The Ark with the first performance in England of his new show San Francisco: The Songs of Tony Bennett on Thursday 23rd February promising renditions of Fly Me to the Moon and I Lost My Heart in San Francisco amongst many others.
Scamp Theatre’s highly acclaimed adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful is at The Ark on Friday 2nd March. This powerful tale by the former Children’s Laureate recounts the life of a young First World Ward soldier awaiting a firing squad at dawn and was Blue Peter Book of The Year in 2005.
The Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers bring thundering Japanese drumming to Borehamwood on Monday 12th March in The Way of the Drum. Their dynamic and engaging show fuses primal rhythms and fantastic choreography and will appeal to all ages.
Following his Sony and Writers Guild Award winning Radio Four show Mark Steel’s In Town, the stand up comedian and Have I Got News For You regular hits the road promising to bring a little bit of Borehamwood to his act on Friday 16th March.
On Thursday 22nd March Buddy Holly and The Cricketers celebrate the great man’s 75th birthday with a brand new show featuring all Buddy’s hits plus those of other legends from the era including Elvis, Roy Orbison and Chuck Berry.
Thursday 12th April promises to be an interesting evening as Hardeep Sing Kholi visits Borehamwood with his new show Indian Takeaway in which he not only shares anecdotes and stories of his shared Scottish and Indian heritage but also orders a curry from a local takeaway before proceeding to to cook his own live on stage in the time it takes to arrive. The show culminates with some lucky audience members getting the chance to sample both.
Lilies on The Land celebrates the Land Girls of World War II through the personal journeys of four women who sign up to help the war effort. Touching, funny and revealing in equal measure this captivating portrait of the war’s unsung heroes plays at The Ark on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th May.
Following the huge success of Stick Man, Scamp return with another Julia Donaldson classic on Tuesday 15th March. Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales, with performances at 2.00pm and 6.30pm, is a brand new collection of the Children’s Laureate’s most popular titles brought to the stage for the first time. Expect to see Tiddler, The Smartest Giant in Town, A Squash and a Squeeze and Monkey Puzzle all brought to life with live music, puppets and plenty of joining in.
Legendary Squeeze guitarist, vocalist and double Ivor Novello award-winner Chris Difford will be in Borehamwood on Saturday 26th May with a show featuring songs old and new, from the early Squeeze hits including Up The Junction and Cool For Cats to his much admired solo work.
Fresh from Radio Four’s The Now Show and TV’s The One Show, stand up and musician Mitch Benn brings his unique blend of music and comedy to The Ark on Thursday 31st May. Together with his band The Distractions expect comic songs of the highest order in his new show Ode Warrior.
In addition to the visiting programme, The Ark will also be welcoming Theatre Club Kids back to its stage with Over The Rainbow on 27th and 28th January whilst Inspire! on 7th July features many local dance schools in a production coordinated by Pair Dance.
Finally on 8th March to celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Rotary Club of Elstree and Borehamwood, The Ark will be screening the classic film Casablanca, made in Elstree in 1942.
With the imminent launch of The Ark Theatre’s own Youth Theatre group the theatre programme is fuller than ever. Theatre Manager Tom Lagden commented:
‘We have a very busy spring ahead with more diversity than ever and more to come. On 14th February we are running a free workshop to launch our own Youth Theatre and reaffirm our commitment to providing a platform for young people to excel in the performing arts. With the spring season and this new group we continue to offer something for everyone whether they want to perform or simply relax and enjoy the show.’
Tickets for all these productions can be booked online or by contacting the Box Office on 0208 2387288 from Wednesday 5th January. For further details about The Ark Youth Theatre and to reserve a space for the workshop please call 0208 238 7265.