Get a load of Monkey at Playbox this weekend!
Choreographed drama Monkey, based on the Chinese folk story, opens tonight (Friday) at the Dream Factory, Warwick - with two more chances to see it on Saturday.
Youth drama group Playbox Theatre are off to the United States later this month when they headline the Santa Monica Festival of Theatre with three plays.
The exciting tour sees the company of 26 young people and five staff and technicians take up residence at Santa Monica Playhouse from 27th October until 2nd November with three productions presented by the ensemble of young performers from across Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
Monkey – Journey To The West is a flagship Playbox Theatre production inspired by the ancient and very popular tale of Monkey and his followers Pigsy, Tripitaka and Sandy on the odyssey to enlightenment. Using a range of movement styles, text and acrobats Monkey was created by Emily Quash for Playbox Theatre in 2008, to explore a fusion of world theatre techniques to re-ignite a classical myth. Popular as a TV series in the 1970s, Monkey fills the stage with colour, dazzle and hilarity.
The company will also bring their new production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Based on the show that opened in Warwick in Spring 2018 — which Herald arts loved, we said in our review at the time: “I’ve seen Dream a ton of times and I can’t think I’ve ever seen it better. What a wonderful evening of mirth and magic. We exit smiling, transported, still spellbound.”
A new cast rework the show for Santa Monica audiences bringing the magic of midsummer night to the bay side of the Pacific Ocean – a little touch of Warwickshire in Los Angeles!
Also making the tour is Playbox Theatre’s Mustardseed’s Magical Mayhem, it’s a unique production aimed at young children that blends storytelling and immersive theatre. Inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s characters, the show has been seen in Warwick, Stratford and San Francisco winning the hearts of children and their families as they join to make a very special celebration.
The Playbox Theatre company of 26 are drawn from across the region including Warwick, Solihull, Birmingham, Kenilworth, Leamington Spa, Stratford and Chipping Campden. Rehearsals have been underway in Warwick since August and local audiences have an opportunity to see Monkey and Dream at The Dream Factory, Warwick before they head to LA.
When and where: Monkey – Journey To The West is on at the Dream Factory, Warwick, this Friday (5th October) at 7.30pm, and Saturday (6th October) at 3pm and 7pm. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is on Saturday, 13th October, at 3pm and 7pm. Tickets are available to buy online at www.playboxtheatre.com or call 01926 419555.
