Pygmalion - Meet the Director

Rehearsals for Pygmalion are going brilliantly, and it's only four weeks now until we're on stage. I've been having a chat with director Alan Wade...

So what's it all about then?

The play is the story of Eliza Doolittle's transformation from common flower girl to a lady, with the help of Henry Higgins, professor of phonetics. This is not Cinderella, and there are many pitfalls along the way. The play takes a wry look at the class system of the time and much of the humour stems from the clash when the two societies meet. Above all this is a very accessible and entertaining play. Just right to cure the post Christmas blues.

We all know the film with Audrey Hepburn… how's the play different?

My Fair Lady is of course a musical, whereas the only music involved in Pygmalion is for opening the scenes and is by Elgar. Although I think the musical is wonderful and it does adapt some of Shaw's lines for the libretto, I think the play allows the cast to explore the characters more deeply and enable the audience to think about the issues involved, while enjoying the comedy.

It was written over a hundred years ago… can people still relate to it?

Absolutely. At the heart of the play is the developing relationship between Eliza and Higgins. Are they pupil and teacher, good friends or a potential partnership. I think anyone can relate to that.

So how are rehearsals going?

Rehearsals are going very well. The cast have been brilliant. We have had an extremely tight rehearsal schedule and they have worked very hard to get the play to performance standard. They have really taken ownership of the characters they are playing. It's wonderful to see how the whole piece has developed.

And finally, why should people come and see it?

Pygmalion is a cracking good story, with brilliantly drawn characters, written with great humour by one of the foremost playwrights using the English language. Need I say more.

Pygmalion will be performed at the University Drama Studio in Sheffield 16th-19th January 2013. Tickets available here.

Who's who?

Only a few weeks now until our latest production of Pygmalion. Here's a who's who...

Johannah Cook plays Eliza

Henry Higgins, professor of phonetics 
John Ansari
Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl 
Johannah Cook
Colonel Pickering, of the Indian army 
Neil Sullivan
Mrs Higgins, Henry's mother 
Alison Munro
Alfred Doolittle, a dustman, Eliza's father 
Ken Rowe
Mrs Eynsford-Hill, worried about money 
Vicky Dawes
Clara Eynsford-Hill, worried about being left on the shelf 
Emma Wass
Freddie Eynsford-Hill, not bright enough to worry about anything
Michael Dempsey
Mrs Pearce, Professor Higgins's housekeeper
Emma Portus
Maud, Mrs Higgins's maid 
Joanne Gillan
Horace, a bystander 
Martin Nowacki
Wilfred, another bystander 
Dan Wild
Bert, a third bystander 
Steven Garner
Maisie, bystander number four 
Joanne Gillan

Company Bulletin Christmas 2012

Annual General Meeting and a new Constitution

The Company's AGM took place on Tuesday 27th November 2012. You can read the minutes of the meeting on our website.
We agreed that the proposed revised Company Constitution should be circulated to members for comment.  Read it here.
Please send any comments to Tony at tony@thecompanysheffield.co.uk by Friday 14th December 2012.   The Constitution will be ratified (or not) by an Extraordinary General Meeting in the New Year.
All documents are here.

A play for the summer

We're looking for a director (and a play) for our summer production in 2013 and we need to decide before Christmas. The performances will be in mid-June with an open air performance on the Dore Village Green in early July.
If you are a director with a play please contact John at john@thecompanysheffield.co.uk.

"Pygmalion"

Our New Year's production is fast approaching - we're on 16th-19th January 2013.  We'll need help with Front of House during the run. Without these volunteers the show can't go on!
If you can help out please fill in the form on our website or contact Production Manager Tony on tony@thecompanysheffield.co.uk. We're also looking for help at the get-in on Sunday 13th January.

Next production

Hi all,

Welcome to The Company's brand spanking new blog!

Our latest production, George Bernard Shaw's 'Pygmalion' is coming along nicely, but the thought of being in the theatre in just over 6 weeks is more than a little nerve-wracking.

We'll be posting more updates, photos and videos over the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.

Tickets are on sale now via the website at www.thecompanysheffield.co.uk, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Em

Welcome!

Welcome to The Company blog! Subscribe to find out all about our latest productions - photos, videos and of course how you can get your tickets. Looking forward to sharing more with our lovely audience!

We're an amateur theatre company based in the University Drama Studio on Glossop Road in Sheffield. We perform three high-quality plays a year - in January, June and October - and specialise in comedies, Shakespeares and dramas. We also perform our summer production at the Dore festival in July.

Last season we performed Terry Pratchett's Maskerade, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Ibsen's A Doll's House.

Our next production is...

George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion
Wednesday 16th January - Saturday 19th January 7.30pm
at the University Drama Studio

More information about the play and cast coming soon!