|
The
finishing touches are being put to St Austell's new theatre ahead
of the official opening in January.
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| The
Keay logo |
The
Keay stands in the grounds of the new Cornwall College St Austell,
on the John Keay House complex.
Described
by its manager as 'a
a big green copper box' The Keay is a wonderfully intimate theatre,
with state of the art technical equipment, and the promise of plenty
of talent, both national and local, appearing on its stage in 2005.
For
Theatre Manager David Roden and his team, the opening of The Keay
will see the culmination of many months of hard work.
"I
think the most important thing is that the theatre becomes the hub
of the artistic and social life of St Austell," says David.
"The
only way a theatre can survive is if the local people value it,"
he continues.
David
bring to The Keay a rich background of acting, scriptwriting and
producing, as well as theatre management.
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| David
in Dr Who |
"My
first professional job was writing the 30th anniversary Dr Who story
for the BBC in 1993," remembers David.
"I
bombarded the producer of the series with lots of scripts and eventually
he gave in," he laughs.
David
also worked on Noel's House Party, Children In Need and acted in
The Bill and Eastenders.
"Soon
after I became the Associate Director of The Birmingham Hippodrome
Panto. I was brought in to work with Frank Bruno who was appearing
as The Ringmaster in Goldie Locks and The Three Bears."
"He
was having personal problems and difficulties with the press at
the time. I was brought in to help with his lines."
"I
put the script into boxing metaphors. I said that when he made his
first entrance on stage to imagine he was walking into the boxing
ring for the first time."
 |
| David
worked with Bruno |
Bruno
and David became good friends during the ten days of intensive training.
As a result the boxing champ kept David on for the duration of the
panto, paying him with his own money.
After
working at a couple of other theatres including The Elgiva in Chesham,
Buckinghamshire, David decided he was ready for a change of scene,
and applied for the job of Theatre Manager at The Keay Theatre.
"I'm
trying to bring to the theatre a lot of events that will appeal
to most people," says David. "Cornwall College really
want this to be a theatre which will be looked upon highly and one
that people will be proud of locally."
"For
the students I think The Keay offers a great quality facility. I
think it will give them a chance to discover what life is like in
a working theatre, both on the stage and behind the scenes."
|
The
Keay Theatre - What's On
|
January
2005
Fri 14th: Grand Opening (invitation only)
Sat 15th: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Thurs 27th: The Weir
Fri 28th: Swan Lake
Mon 31st: Comedy Club - Alan Carr
Click
here for all the information
about the above shows at The Keay |
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