The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham and Barn Theatre, Cirencester have today announced two new comedies which will be co-produced by the prominent Gloucestershire based companies. The Importance of Being Earnest and The Hound of the Baskervilles will open at the venues prior to planned national tours of socially distanced theatres.
The upcoming collaborations were spearheaded by producer and Everyman Theatre, Chief Executive Mark Goucher and the Barn Theatre’s CEO & Artistic Director Iwan Lewis and have been made possible, in part, by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Arts Council England’s recent announcement that the two theatres will be receiving funding from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF).
“It’s a thrill for us to be able to work with Mark Goucher and the Everyman Theatre again and to bring two of our biggest hits at the Barn Theatre to a wider audience throughout Gloucestershire and the country. These are fantastic Built by Barn productions that deserve to be seen by as many people as possible.”
Iwan Lewis, Artistic Director at The Barn Theatre
Both theatres have been open since the easing of lockdown restrictions, with the Barn Theatre recently presenting Private Peaceful which is transferring to the West End after a stop at Bristol’s Old Vic. They are also opening Marry Me A Little this week, with more socially distanced theatre coming up later in the season, including a festive production of Peter Pan. Meanwhile, the Everyman Theatre has hosted The Times Cheltenham Literary Festival and has recently announced that panto will come to Cheltenham this Christmas in the form of Tweedy’s REDUCED Pantomime. After our trip to the Barn Theatre for their outdoor theatre festival BarnFest, we’re looking forward to another trip at Christmas time, when we’ll be fitting in Peter Pan at The Barn Theatre and Tweedy’s REDUCED Pantomine!
The Importance of Being Earnest and The Hound of the Baskervilles will launch a new season of work in 2021 designed to welcome audiences into the new year in a safe and socially distanced way.
“The energetic, two man staging” (The Stage) of Oscar Wilde’s comedy The Importance of Being Earnest will run at the Everyman Theatre from the 6th to the 16th January before embarking on a national tour.
Filled with rapid quick-changes, tap dancing, fabulous frocks and enough tea to sink a ship, The Importance of Being Earnest is a “laugh out loud riot” where anything that could go wrong, will go wrong!
“The Barn Theatre has a great track record and are renowned for the quality of the work they present. We’re very pleased to share this work and ensure that they can be enjoyed in our historic theatre.”
Mark Goucher, Chief Executive of the Everyman Theatre
The Hound of the Baskervilles will open at the Barn Theatre from the 13th January and run to 7th February before transferring to the Everyman Theatre from the 10th of February and run to the 27th before touring nationally.
Written by John Nicholson and Steven Canny (the hit comedy team Peepolykus) the production first premiered at the Barn Theatre in 2018. The “barking mad,” non-stop, laugh-a-minute farce finds Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s great detective thrust into hilarious adventures with a diabolical hound of supernatural origin.
Tickets for both productions are on sale now and available via the Everyman Theatre box office on 01242 512515 or everymantheatre.org.uk and the Barn Theatre box office on 01285 648255 or barntheatre.org.uk.