About the company

Chapterhouse Theatre Company is a professional touring theatre company, bringing its wide range of experience to venues across Britain. The company prides itself on fully accessible, traditional, but innovative productions. We now enter our eleventh season of productions, with a selection of ever-popular Shakespearean plays, adaptations of fine, classic English novels and our beloved children's show, featuring Milky-White the cow touring country houses and gardens throughout Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland. More details about our current productions for Summer 2010 can be found on our home page.

From a first year of performances at some thirty venues, with Romeo and Juliet, the company has established itself as one of the most successful and acclaimed touring companies in the country. In previous years, the company has toured a variety of shows, including Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing, together with performances of classic works such as The Mystery Plays, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. What's more, in 2004, the company produced the first West End show ever to tour open-air, ART, directed by Nigel Havers.

2009 marked our tenth anniversary year, with ever-popular tours of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet. The new tradition of our children's show continued, with Louisa's adventures in fairytale storytelling taking on the tale of Cinderella. Our children's shows have proved incredibly popular, and children and adults alike seem to love the dressing up and sing-a-longs that go with the show. For children of all ages we also presented the sequel to our King Arthur tales with a new production of Merlin the Magician (no connection to the BBC series), a magical adventure full of sword and sorcery as Merlin guides the Knights of the Round Table on their quest for the Holy Grail. Scripted by award winning writer Laura Turner, this was a thrilling evening's entertainment. Laura also provided the adaptation for our most ambitious tenth anniversary project; a brand-new production of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Rich in romance, betrayal, loss and love in the English countryside, this proved the perfect summer evening's entertainment, and we will be returning to Austen this summer with our follow-up production of Pride and Prejudice.

Chapterhouse now perform at over 130 different locations around Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland for their garden theatre season, including many of the most beautiful settings for open-air theatre imaginable. Every venue has something different to offer, and in recent years, we have performed at Chirk Castle, Exbury Gardens, the Royal Estates of Sandringham, Balmoral and Windsor, and Castle Ward in Ireland.

Two tours of theatres in 2003 (A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet) and 2005 (Macbeth) were very successful and attracted audiences from both the regular theatre-going public and schools, many of which took part in workshops aimed at expanding pupils understanding of the plays through either text study or acting classes based on the play’s themes. We are now thrilled to be returning to theatres this autumn with our brand new adaptation of the chilling Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol.

So, what more is there left to say than what better way to spend a summer evening than picnicking with family and friends in the grounds of some of the most beautiful gardens in the UK and Ireland and joining Chapterhouse for an evening of

theatre under the stars

The Company

	Richard Main - Producer Richard started his involvement in theatre when he was very small. He was bitten by the theatrical bug at school and college and performed whenever possible rather than working on his studies. After college, he helped form 4,000,000 Telephones, an indie pop group who had a number of acclaimed releases in the 80s as well as European tours, work for various American radio stations and a recent revival that saw re-releases of early material. During the 80s, Richard was one of the most successful regional Events Promoters, working on everything from festivals to charity concerts, and he took this love and experience of event promotion into the development of Chapterhouse. Richard regularly composes for the company, having completed scores for Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Peter Pan to mention but a few. He is a singer and actor, with his own experience including Romeo and Juliet and 42nd Street. Work as a director has been for both Chapterhouse and other touring companies, as well as a number of voluntary youth projects. His hope is to continue to encourage new talent, produce new work and not retire until a ripe old age. Chapterhouse Theatre Company is one of the loves of his life and he hopes for many more years of touring for the company. His other passions are, at the moment, Doctor Who and politics, Newcastle Football Club and Dr Finlay's Casebook.

	Gill Brummitt - Events Co-Ordinator Gill joined Chapterhouse soon after its inception in January 2000 and thoroughly enjoyed being part of the team for the very first tour of 'Romeo and Juliet' that summer. Gill’s role as Events Co-Ordinator has developed along with the company over the last 10 years, but remains as rewarding as ever. Outside of work, Gill loves baking and cooking vegetarian dishes, and, having recently acquired a greenhouse, is now pursuing a new interest in gardening. Gill is looking forward to the next ten years of Chapterhouse shows!

	Samantha Ashby – Press and Publicity Officer Samantha began acting from a young age and has continued this passion to pursue a career in theatre. On leaving college with a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts and a HND in Theatre Studies, Samantha accepted a job at the Theatre Royal, Lincoln, as House Manager, until joining Chapterhouse in 2004. This is Samantha’s seventh season at Chapterhouse Theatre Company as Press and Publicity Officer. Outside of work, Samantha enjoys reading, walking and spending time with her family. Samantha is currently on maternity leave.

	John Maven - IT, Sales and Administration After seven years with the Company, John is a vital member of the office team. Trained in IT and Administration, he has gained a healthy contempt for computers, and has risen to the position of Senior Dogsbody. Hobbies include reading, music, football and the fine art of gooning around. He has also become a wikipedia junkie in his spare time.

	Tara Hynan - Press & Publicity Officer Tara has recently graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BA Honours Degree in English and Drama. During her degree Tara also took on the role of Press Officer for Minotaur Theatre Company and since graduating has volunteered for the Norwich Puppet Theatre to gain experience in Press and Marketing. Tara has worked for Chapterhouse Theatre Company for several years both in front and behind the scenes as a Front of House Assistant, an Actress and a Company Tour Manager. She is delighted to be taking on the Press and Publicity responsibilities this summer whilst Samantha is on Maternity Leave.

	Marianne Turton Having graduated from Lincoln University in September 2009 with a BA degree in Drama, Marianne is enjoying her time with Chapterhouse Theatre Company learning how a professional company works. In the future she hopes to relocate to London with the experience she has gained whilst working with Chapterhouse.

	Laura Turner - Resident Scriptwriter Since beginning her career as a playwright, Laura has scripted eight shows for Chapterhouse, and is currently adapting A Christmas Carol for the company’s forthcoming theatre tour. Laura holds a BA in English Literature with first class honours from the University of York and alongside her writing projects, she works as a freelance journalist for various publications. After lately completing a writers’ programme at Hull Truck Theatre, Laura’s work has recently been selected to be showcased at the Lincolnshire New Writing Festival and is currently busy co-organizing the first Lincoln Shakespeare Festival.

Should you experience any problems, or notice any errors, please contact theoffice@chapterhouse.org