Recent News
This is the new look news page for Gambolling Arena Theatre Company. For older news have a look through our archives.
01/02/12 by Suzy - HAPPY NEW YEAR!
First of all, apologies to all our loyal fans for the scandalous lack of updates on web site but we had a very good excuse. On September 9th 2011, GAMBOLLING ARENA became the resident Theatre Company at a brand new venue. So for the first time in 10 years we had a home, a beautiful little theatre and the opportunity to give other small scale theatre companies a place to perform. We staged 'I Wish You Love', 'Brel' and 'Vagina Monologues'. However, as Artistic Director I became too engrossed in the running of the venue and I lost focus on GAMBOLLING ARENA. And so we parted company so I could concentrate on GA - I wish everyone involved in the venue all the best and hope you go from strength to strength.
A new production of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood is our most recent production, and I was delighted to invite the wonderful Tom Burroughs to direct. It was incredibly well received, selling upwards of 70 seats and totally filling the venue! I am hopeful Tom and Gambolling Arena will collaborate on a number of projects in the future. So as you can tell, it has been a very busy time for us. The company also took part in the Liverpool Shakespeare Festival, Richard III was the chosen work and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and if i say so myself GA's Simon Pennicott gave a brilliant performance as the eponymous Dick 3.
In other news, we also staged our first 'Halloween' outdoor event over 4 days and it went down a storm, frightening little kids running around screaming and we got paid for it! I'm pleased to announce that we have been booked in for a longer run this year. Also, we are still working with Urban Strawberry Lunch and over Christmas of last year, we were given the privilege of staging Liverpool's first outdoor nativity, in the fantastic surroundings of Liverpool's St Luke's "bombed out" Church. Gambolling Arena's very own I Wish You Love has just returned home after a very successful tour at one of our favourite venues in Brighton Upstairs at 3 and 10. And finally, we have officially been booked to perform and stage a Roald Dahl weekend in May this year. Naturally, we can't say much more just yet, but further information will be forthcoming as soon as possible! Rest assured, we never rest on our laurels and much much more is coming soon, great times ahead for GAMBOLLING ARENA!
We will once again be holding auditions in the spring, so get in touch if you want to join forces with us. You can find all the details you need on our Contact Us page, or if you're a twitterer, feel free to send us a message @gambollingarena.
12/08/11 by Suzy - This has been a helluva busy summer for GAMBOLLING ARENA - and we couldn't be more grateful, particularly when the closure of so many small scale theatre companies is just around the corner. We got a great job working for Sefton MBC providing 3 actors per day to entertain in the regions' parks for a 5 week period, essentially the whole of the summer holidays. Over a cheeky bottle of wine, Babette and I wrote a truly amazing play for children (said with tongue firmly in cheek ). Polly the Pig and her Magical Voice hit the boards to national and international acclaim - we may take it to Edinburgh next year! Joking aside though, it's a fun piece and the kids absolutely love it. Alongside the daily parks work we've been really lucky to get a contract with New Pleasureland in Southport. Gambolling Arena are supplying actors to do "skin work" every weekend to promote the Park. Basically we get paid to wear fab costumes and sample all the rides free of charge - what a job!
Also, we have a new contract working in a beautiful Victorian shopping centre in Southport. Our job is to supply story tellers and unusual performers to engage with the public and encourage people to shop in that area for longer. Great news too, as they've just renewed our contract up until Xmas. I used to work with Giles Agis at international Brou ha ha, so naturally, I was delighted to be asked to put together a smaller more localised version for the north of sefton.
We also have pub theatre EXTRAVAGANZA in the planning stage which, sadly, we cannot talk about too much at the moment - watch this space... And if all that wasn't enough, our writer in residence Eddie Bixter is off to Scotland to write the final draft of our next (and dare we say bloody funny) play. Clare and I are writing the script for a nativity, as part of a joint project with Urban Strawberry Lunch to be performed at the bombed out church in the centre of Liverpool - St Lukes. We have 2 site specific Halloween gigs in the planning stage. Oh as well as a performances of FANTASTIC MR FOX over the August Bank Holiday weekend. GA will be auditioning for company members soon, but that's after we have achieved our goal of world domination...
20/06/11 by Clare - Gambolling Arena has a very exciting and busy summer ahead. 'I Wish You Love' opens the Shakespeare Studio in Southport, Merseyside in June. This is a new venue and hopes to re-vitalise innovative theatre in the area and compete with Liverpool and Manchester. Gambolling Arena Theatre Company has been chosen to deliver Children's Theatre throughout the summer across Merseyside. Affording us 6 days a week work, not to be sniffed at, in light of the catastrophic financial melee the arts has been plunged in to by the present government. Presently Merseyside writer and Poet Ed Bixter is collaborating with the company on a new piece of work..... Working Title 'The French Detectives' this is a comedy set in the alps during a snow storm - Great fun to work on even if only in the rehearsal room at the moment. We will keep a regular up date of all our projects! We're going places join us IF YOU DARE!
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