Company sets up stage in village halls

Some rural communities have seen shops and pubs close down in recent years but one theatre company is touring village halls across the county, and taking Yorkshire playwright John Godber’s work to doorsteps.

In some cases venues are so small that audiences are limited to a capacity of eighty, although in most cases there is generally room for between 100 and 150. For Badapple Theatre Company’s latest production, currently on a tour of village halls, the set, which includes a seaside promenade and lighting, has been designed so it can be taken apart and fitted into a van at the end of the evening, ready for its next venue.

The company, based in Green Hammerton, York, is preparing to take its production of John Godber’s September In The Rain out on the road with a team of four.

It will feature actor Robert Angell, who has appeared in BBC’s Waterloo Road and actress Emma Tugman. The team also includes director Sue Rosser and a technical manager.

Kate Bramley, artistic director of Badapple said: “It makes theatre more accessible for people.

“In most villages people can literally walk to the village hall, they can have a drink, they can socialise as well with people who live locally and I think that is a big thing for people.”

Badapple has been running its Theatre on Your Doorstep programme for a number of years.

It has around 70 village halls that are willing to put on productions and be transformed into a theatre for the evening. The company also uses other venues including rooms in city halls and stately homes to stage productions in.

“We get a mix of people coming to our shows. Some people go to the theatre regularly but some never go at all,” Miss Bramley said.

She says it is also an experience for actors who get to take to the stage and are only about two or three feet away from their audience - something that it very different from other performances they do.

The tour began last week at Ripley Town Hall and will take in venues including Potto Village Hall, Northallerton, Leven Recreation Hall, Beverley, Weaverthorpe Village Hall, Malton and East Morton Village Institute, Keighley.

John Godber’s comedy offers a gentle portrayal of years of family holidays, which trace the history of a marriage. It follows miner, Jack and his wife Liz, for their annual holiday pilgrimage to Blackpool, from newly-weds to pensioners.

For more details about the tour and the theatre company visit the website www.badappletheatre.com.

To book tickets call the box office on 01423 339168.