March 2016

21st March 2016

Animal Farm comes to Gosforth!

Written in 1943 Animal Farm is one of the most popular books of the 20th Century and this month the pupils from Gosforth Schools’ Trust got to experience it first hand as it was brought to life in front of their eyes as part of the collaboration project with locally renowned theatre company Northern Stage.

Sponsored by local accountancy firm Tait Walker, this special performance which takes place at Gosforth Central Middle School on Monday 21st March is a brand new production that has been created for a regional tour of schools. Performed by the NORTH Company, a cast of five early career actors, and directed by Northern Stage’s Associate Director Mark Calvert, the production promises to be an energetic and contemporary re-telling of this classic story for the pupils of Gosforth Central Middle School, Gosforth East Middle School and Gosforth Junior Academy.

Describing the project Head of Drama at GCMS and project leader Verne Wilson said “Animal Farm has become a regular part of the school curriculum for generations of young people. This brand new production will enable our year 8 pupils to see the book come to life.  Through the sponsorship of the project Tait Walker are helping us to enrich our curriculum and encourage our pupils to take a keen interest in drama.”

Claire Blake, marketing executive at Tait Walker who heads up the charity committee said: “As a company we have always been very engaged with local businesses and community projects.  We have a company culture which encourages networking, collaboration and support.”

The production will support the curriculum in many way, including history, politics, citizenship alongside the obvious subjects of drama and literature.

Commenting on this Susan Mulholland, Deputy Director of Participation “Here at Northern Stage we are very excited about taking Animal Farm on tour and especially into schools. It’s such an important story to tell and because theatre is live and immediate we hope that students who see it take away a greater understanding of the politics at its heart. We have a long-standing relationship with Gosforth Schools’ Trust and are delighted that they have booked the show, a real endorsement of both Northern Stage and the importance of the arts in the curriculum.”  

 

Northern Stage is the largest producing theatre company in the North East of England, and regarded as one of the top eleven producing theatres in the UK. The company has a reputation for bold, ambitious programming, relevant adaptations of modern classics and a commitment to support, encourage and showcase emerging artists of, and in, the north of England.  Each year the company tours a middle-scale production around the country, and host a venue at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

 

Tait Walker are an independent, award winning accountancy practice with 150 staff based in offices across the North East, including Newcastle, Teesside and Northumberland. Our specialist team provides large corporates, owner managed businesses and individuals with a complete set of accountancy and advisory services.