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Dateline: 13th November, 2005

The Royal Shakespeare Company is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its mobile theatre tour with a new adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer’s most famous work - The Canterbury Tales.

Between February and June 2006 - after opening in the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2005 - the production will visit eleven leisure centres and schools in Ellesmere Port; Dumfries; Telford; Littleport; Doncaster; Sunderland; Barrhead; Melton Mowbray; Canterbury; Portsmouth and St Austell. The tour also includes dates at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC in the USA.

With a company of twenty actors, the RSC will travel between each UK venue in five 45 foot articulated lorries, carrying everything needed to transform a bare hall into a fully operational, professional theatre. After arriving in each venue on a Monday with over 50 tonnes of equipment (including the seating, costumes and set, as well as the tea-urn and washing machines), it takes the RSC crew and local volunteers less than 24 hours to erect the Company’s unique mobile auditorium ready for the first performance on the Tuesday night.

This year’s mobile theatre tour will include a number of innovations. For the first time ever twenty tickets will be available to 16-25 year olds for each performance at only £5 per ticket. This offer will be limited to two tickets per person, and proof of identity will be required. And, again for the first time, all eleven venues will offer audio-described and captioned performances for people with visual and hearing impairments.

This will be the first time the RSC has presented Chaucer and the first ever major production featuring all 23 tales. The Canterbury Tales is directed in two parts by RSC Associate Director Gregory Doran, and Rebecca Gatward and Jonathan Munby.

Gregory Doran says, “We’re setting the Tales in the medieval world, taking inspiration from the Ellesmere Chaucer illuminated manuscripts. These were produced shortly after Chaucer’s death, and feature twenty-three beautiful portraits of the 23 pilgrims who tell the Tales. The costumes will look very much like these portraits - jewel-like in colour with bright blues, reds and greens.”

Tour Dates

Ellesmere Port, Epic Leisure Centre
14-18 February 2006
Box Office: 0870 950 9292
On sale from: TBC

Dumfries, The Ice Bowl
21-25 February 2006
Box Office: 01387 251300
On sale from 21 November 2005

Telford, Adams’ Grammar School
28 February-4 March 2006
Box Office: 01952 619020
On sale from 1 December 2005

Littleport, Littleport Sport and Leisure Centre
7-11 March 2006
Box Office: 01353 616991 or www.adec.org.uk
On sale from 21 November 2005

Doncaster, The Dome
14-18 March 2006
Box Office: 01302 370999
On sale from 1 December 2005

Sunderland, The Seaburn Centre
21-25 March 2006
Box Office: 0191 514 1235
On sale from 6 February 2006

Barrhead, Barrhead Sports Centre
28 March-1 April 2006
Box Office: 0141 577 4970
On sale from 9 January 2006

Washington DC, USA, The Kennedy Centre
15 April-6 May 2006

Melton Mowbray, King Edward VII Community Sports Centre
16-20 May 2006
Box Office: 01664 851019
On sale from 1 February 2006

Canterbury, Kingsmead Leisure Centre
23-27 May 2006
Box Office: 01227 787787 or www.marlowetheatre.com
On sale from 5 December 2005

Portsmouth, Mountbatten Leisure Centre
30 May-3 June 2006
Box Office: 023 92 690011
On sale from: TBC

St Austell, Polkyth Leisure Centre
6-10 June 2006
Box Office: 01872 262466
On sale from January 2006

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©Peter Lathan 2005