Nothing to Declare supporting Reading Refugee Support Group

Starting Monday the 14th is Reading Refugee Week, and we're looking forward to Saturday's Cultural Night at South Street Arts Centre where we'll be performing our show. It's going to be a great night with a diverse mix of music and local talent, not to mention the gorgeous refreshments available! It's also free, so the more support the better!

Another Reading Refugee Support Group event we took part in was last weekend's mini world cup tornament at Prospect Park. Our Reading Youth Theatre team took it very seriously and even had a training session before hand, however unfortunately they were beaten by a couple of other teams. It was a great family day out - we had a lovely picnic on the grass (but had to be ready to support the disappointed players!)

It would be great to have some support at Saturday's Cultural Night. For more information call Reading Box Office on 0118 9606060

New poster design

We're in the process of tweaking and improving the show ready for the second run in July, and one big change we've made is the title. Instead of being our production title, Nothing To Declare is now our company name, and the show is called 'All The Queen's Children'.

We've also got an even better image for publicity. We organised a shoot with local photographer Wes Oakland and ended up with this fantastic photo (after a good few hours frollicking in the sun with hundreds of paper dollars!). We hope you all like it!

A Slice of Music / The Hattie Carrolls and Support

As part of our fundraising we have organised two great events on the weekend of the 8th/9th May.

On the Saturday night is The Hattie Carrolls and Support - a gig showcasing 5 awesome local bands, find out more about it on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=357731702530&ref=ts

On the following afternoon we have found a tasty selection of local musical talent to play in a classical concert, along with homemade cakes and fairtrade tea and coffee.

Everyone likes music, so one of the events must float your boat! (Even better - come to both!)

The money we raise will go towards funding our trip to Edinburgh. Tomorrow we are applying for another grant of money from the Youth Oppurtunities Fund to help us, but we need as much money as we can to make our trip as good as it can be!

We hope to see you there

Jonathan Wolfman, Script Executive for CBBC says....

"A terrific ensemble piece from a young cast playing diverse roles old and young. Dawn Harrison and Rosanna Jahangard's play about the exploition of young refugees and the pressures they face weaves multiple narratives, leavening its potentially sombre themes with satire and comedy in a funny thread portraying three young tourists abroad. It's no-budget youth theatre at its best: fast-moving, emotionally engaging and ultmately moving and powerful"

Production Photos

Reviews from first performances!

"An absolute triumph! A really powerful piece" (Jane Corry, Theatre Producer and Arts Centre Director)

"Bursting with energy and pace. Shines a light on the subject from every angle with wit and authenticity..." (Jonathan Evans, Writer BBC/CBBC)

"A stunning play- superbly directed and skilfully executed by such a young cast. Dealing with such deep and important issues, all of which are handled with real attention to detail, utmost respect, and at times hilarious comedy, is a challenging feat which RYT achieve so well.... Very impressve, very moving- unforgettable" (Sam Tombs, Drama Student)

"A fantastic piece of theatre" (Ben Sandiford, Actor)

"The best I have seen in a long time" (Audience Member)

"There was a really genuine, original and sophisticated feeling to the play that made it engaging, enjoyable and I would say really educational to watch" (Rebecca Hillman, Phd Theatre Student)

First Performances...

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we performed our first draft of "Nothing to Declare" at South Street, ready to improve it next term for Edinburgh. We were performing alongside the other half of Reading Youth Theatre, who had been working on a devised piece called "Passing Shots" which we enjoyed watching.
Having met up most Sundays during March on top of our Monday sessions, we certainly had a well rehearsed piece by the time it was opened to the public on Tuesday, and although it was great to finally get to show it, we are all quite glad of the Easter break!
Overall, the general feeling was that the first showings were a success judging by the feedback we have gathered from our audiences.
We will be spending this next term revising and editing the piece to perform first at South Street again in the summer, and then in Edinburgh in the holidays, so don't worry if you missed it this time!