Tyne for city actress to shine with stage debut
KATIE GETS BIG BREAK THIS WEEK
AN ACTRESS from Leicester whose career stalled with the Covid closure of theatres, has been given her big break in her first professional show.
Newcastle’s Tyne Theatre and Opera House, in collaboration with professional performers from London’s West End, are giving Katie Ramshaw the opportunity to perform.
In February, the theatre launched Waiting in the Wings, a live streamed show, which saw six West End stars perform on stage at the Tyne Theatre.
Due to the success of the inaugural show, a second performance is scheduled for Friday and this time two newcomers, one of them Katie, have been given the opportunity to perform in their first professional show since graduating from their musical theatre course.
Katie said: “Graduating in 2020 has had its struggles, so I’m absolutely thrilled to be given this opportunity to be back on stage and sing with West End Stars in Waiting in the Wings.”
It has been a year since the pandemic brought the closure of all theatres across the country, leaving hundreds of men and women coming to the end of their theatre training in despair, wondering what the future would hold in their dream career.
The producers of the Waiting in the Wings, including former resident director of The Phantom of the Opera, Mark Hedges, felt this could be a great opportunity for those who have missed out on having their debuts since graduating.
Mark said: “The cast of our first Waiting in the Wings show were so overwhelmed at being back performing again we felt this would be an amazing opportunity to share with some newcomers who haven’t been able to experience that first performance buzz.”
In early March, a Search for a Star
was launched across social media and the creative team were inundated with self-tapes from hopeful graduates hoping to get their big break. Following days of reviewing all the entries, the producers announced Katie and Ainsley Fannen, from Sunderland, as the successful graduates, who will tread the boards in April, alongside a cast of West End professionals.
Both Katie and Ainsley were preparing for their final showcase, where they would have been given the opportunity to perform for prospective agents, when the pandemic closed their schools, and they had no choice but to leave London and return to their hometowns.
The next Waiting in the Wings will take place on Friday, April 9 at 7.30pm and tickets are £20 per household plus £3 booking fee. To book visit:
I’m absolutely thrilled to be given this opportunity to be back on stage and sing
Katie Ramshaw, from Leicester