To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, The Grand Theatre, Blackpool and The Royal Shakespeare Company are inviting every school in Lancashire to join #RSCDreamTeam 2016 and take part in a nationwide celebration of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The RSC Dream Team have created FREE resources including: 60 and 30 minute edits of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for use by secondary, primary and special schools, a specially-composed score suitable for all ages and abilities and other supporting resources including guidance on staging your own play.
Students may also get the chance to perform in Stratford-upon-Avon or work with an RSC actor.
Every Lancashire school can download the resources for FREE, before 31 October 2015 and show us how you would celebrate A Midsummer Night’s Dream in your school. Schools also have the chance to receive one of 400 commemorative hard copies of the Playmaking Pack.

Andrew Howard, Marketing Manager at Blackpool Grand Theatre said:

“The RSC have given every school in Lancashire and the UK an incredible free resource. This opportunity allows every school to take part in the 400^th Anniversary and join The Grand in celebration. The Grand is committed to engaging as many secondary, primary and special schools as possible with productions that visit and work with the theatre. I can’t wait to see what schools come up with.”

Resources can be downloaded by visiting The Grands website, www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation will visit 12 theatres in each region and nation of the UK between 17 February and 4 June 2016, and will involve 14 different amateur theatre companies. Blackpool’s Grand Theatre will be one of them, featuring local amateur theatre company Poulton Drama that will play the Mechanicals, and local school children will take part as Titania’s fairy train.

Erica Whyman, RSC Deputy Artistic Director, and director of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play For the Nation, as part of the RSC’s plans to mark the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016. The experience of casting our amateur actors all around the UK has been inspiring and humbling.  I have met so many wonderful people: talented, dedicated and brave.  The standard has been tremendous, and the wonderful diversity of men and women who will be taking on these major roles is very exciting, and perhaps most importantly, they have really made us laugh! In every single region the cast we have chosen has a distinctive voice and a strong sense of connection to the place where they will perform.  I think it will be a real treat for audiences everywhere to see Shakespeare’s most magical play with a properly local flavour.”

Six amateur actors from Poulton-le-Fylde have been cast in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s forthcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Part of the Amateur Theatre Group Poulton Drama, they will play the roles of the ‘Mechanicals’ when the production visits Blackpool’s Grand Theatre from Tuesday 5 to Saturday 9 April 2016.

Some of Shakespeare’s best loved characters, the ‘Mechanicals’ (including the iconic role of Bottom the Weaver) are an under-prepared, yet loveable bunch of craftsmen and women who put themselves forward to entertain royalty at the end of the play. In Blackpool the roles will be played by:

Anthony Henry (Bottom, the Weaver), Garry Houghton (Flute, the Bellows Mender), Catherine Lloyd (Quince, the Carpenter), Roger Lloyd-Jones (Starveling, the Tailor), Huw Rose (Snout, the Tinker) and Ian Rowe (Snug, the Joiner).

The group will perform alongside a cast of 18 professional actors, and a professional creative team, led by RSC Deputy Artistic Director, Erica Whyman. Initially the amateur actors will rehearse in Blackpool, with their own amateur director, Tony Stone, also of Poulton Drama. They will then rehearse with the RSC team from January 2016.

Tony has been with Poulton Drama for nine years but he has been acting for 20. Blackpool born, Tony now lives in Poulton-le-Fylde and has acted and directed an array of plays at the Grand Theatre.