Town centre to get Shakespeare with strings attached
James bringing puppet premiere to his home town
THERE is a dream date – or three – to put in your diary if you live in the Dudley area. One of Shakespeare’s most popular works is to be performed right in the town centre.
A unique pop-up production of A Misdummer Night’s Dream will be held under the glass roof of the Churchill Shopping Centre at the end of April/beginning of May, with a cast of giant puppets.
The Bard’s ever-popular summer comedy is being brought to life in a way never seen before by theatre group System of Strings, who have chosen Dudley to premiere the show.
Dates
Performances will take place on the evening of Saturday 30th April at 7pm, Sunday 1st May at 5pm, and Monday 2nd May at 7pm.
The project is supported by Gather Dudley, the coffee shop and restaurant, which will be offering its services as a theatre bar for all three performances.
James Blake-butler, who is both Puppetry Director and cast member for System of Strings, learned his trade in Manchester but is a Dudley man himself. He told the Bugle:
“This is a pop-up theatre event, so bring your camp chair, grab a drink from Gather’s theatre bar, and settle in for a night of hysterical pandemonium.
“One summer’s night, four loved-up teenagers run away into the woods, unaware that they are venturing into a realm of magic.
“A merry band of workmates decide to put on a play for their boss, only for mayhem to strike their rehearsals.
“And towering above it all, the King and Queen of the Fairies have had a tiff … Nobody is safe from the chaos they will cause.
“Bursting into Churchill Shopping Centre with giant puppets, ludicrous characters and pop anthems, System of Strings’ new production promises to be riotous entertainment for all.”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be directed by Jack Davies.
Puppets are designed by Daniel Cook, and the cast is James Blake-butler, Antonia Parker Smith and Meabh Quinn. System of Strings has the goal, James explained, of creating “irreverent, dynamic theatre with puppetry at its core, embracing in the challenge of building and destroying impossible worlds on stage. “Our roots are in the Black Country, and we are committed to bringing exciting creative opportunities to the area. Our work with communities provides ways of engaging with making, storytelling, and performing with all types of puppetry, championing the voice of participants to tell their stories.”
Local
The project has also been supported by Creative Black Country, who help to bring local people into the production. James told us;
“With Creative Black Country, we are working with community volunteers as Production Assistants, who will work alongside our creative team, giving them the chance to be a part of a professional theatre production, to learn all about puppet building, set design, and stage management, and to build set pieces and puppets for the final production.
“This will be an amazing opportunity to work with professionals from across the theatre industry and have a real impact on bringing theatre to Dudley town centre.
“This project is only possible through the generous support of Gather Dudley, Creative Black Country, and the Churchill Shopping Centre.
As well as being one of Dudley’s most popular places to eat and drink, Gather is a social enterprise which aims to bring people together and offer music, performances, craft classes and more.
Bring your camp chair and settle in for a night of hysterical pandemonium James Blake-butler