PRESS CLIPPINGS

The Stage  - 21st November 2008

Question:
As an older performer, I'm finding it progressively more difficult to find work. Is there anything I can do to increase my chances?

Answer:
Interestingly, although this is a common question, it doesn't usually come from the oldest performers. Usually, the difficulty of getting castings as one gets older is a particular concern I hear expressed by performers who may just a couple of years ago have done very well in casting for lead roles. Actors who have entered the business later in life or those who have always struggled a little tend to be more philosophical. In both cases, knowing this is a hard business tends to motivate more creativity in finding ways to stand out.

On the other hand, performers who refuse to accept that their marketability for more youthful parts is diminishing may not get any results at all. So much for the bad news. Now the good news - although this is a difficult issue and one which will inevitably affect every performer, it is a far from hopeless situation, as this week's two contributors can confirm.

Ros Liddiard

Ros Liddiard first performed on stage when she was ten. She now has more than 50 years' theatre experience. Her credits include roles in Peak Practice, Big Meg Little Meg, touring shows such as Having a Ball and Three Sisters and fringe/provincial theatre - Blue Kettle, Hour of the Lynx, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan - as well as Shakespeare musicals, film and commercial work. Ros is the founder and artistic director of Prime Theatre, which exists to create work for older actors.

"The most valuable piece of advice I've had is "if you're not getting the work you want, create it for yourself". Easier said than done? Well, yes, but actors need to stay limbered up and, if not working, there is everything to gain by taking up the challenge.

"Ours is a very youth-orientated business. Also, there are fewer good, older, particularly female, roles to be won against a bank of excellent, well-established older actors.

"I'm often in conversation with talented actors about the frustration of not getting work, often because justifiably established actors win the plum parts, or because younger TV 'names' are inappropriately cast.

"This is a common problem for theatre actors - TV recognition is a big audience pull. Worse still is the perception that older actors can't stay the course of a rigorous theatrical run.

"Prime Theatre was born out of this. A small group of like-minded people - all in their sixties - formed the company with the aim of providing work for older actors in productions which would appeal to older audiences - never alienating younger regulars!

"Our first production, Old World by Arbuzov - a beautiful play about ageing - is a two-hander.

We budgeted for a small, financially manageable team. Our tour visited ten small capacity provincial venues and ran for a month in London.

"It is essential to identify theatres that regularly promote their programmes, otherwise it's unlikely that they'll promote you. Marketing is key to success - pay for advice.

"We had great reviews and did not make a loss. Prime Theatre honoured its commitments to the company and audiences - the theatres invited us back."

Hackney Gazette  - 5th November 2007

The Independent - Review - Old World - John Mayle

Time Out London  - 31st October 2007

The Stage  - 1st November 2007

The production amply captures the autumnal feel of Arbuzov's gentle love story, with rain falling and leaves shimmering in the garden. Andy Burden creates some beautiful sequences with closely observed direction, allowing the story to develop at its own pace and rhythm and keeping the dialogue alive with controlled and precise work from his actors.

As Rodion, Kevin Colson is gruff and guarded until Lidya helps him discover his youth through dancing the Charleston or eating out in fancy restaurants. Ros Liddiard gives Lidya a skittish coquettishness that shifts into something more melancholy and fragile later.

Arbuzov's play has no grand finale or tight plot. Instead, we follow the ebbs and flows of growing intimacy and emotional barriers being dismantled as the couple come to rely on one another more and more. The addition of Arvo Part's exquisite violin music between scenes helps make this a mature, reflective and ultimately moving production.

Production information
By:                                        Aleksei Arbuzov, translated by Ariadne Nicolaeff
Management:                       Prime Theatre
Director:                               Andy Burden
                                            The Courtyard, London October 23-November 18

The Stage                  Review by William McEvoy             Published Mon 29 October 2007

Hampshire Chronicle  - 11th October 2007

Hampshire Chronicle - Review - Old World - John Mayle

Bath Chronicle - Review - Old World - Emma Samways

The Times Online

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article2483998.ece

Winchester Society - October 2007

The Times - The Knowledge - 22nd September 2007

BBC Radio Bristol - 13th September 2007

The Stage - 20th September 2007

Article on launch of Prime Theatre - by Lalayn Baluch

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/18276/touring-company-launched-for-older-actors-to

 http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/17503/courtyard-theatre-moves-to-shoreditch

Hampshire Chronicle on-line video - 13th September 2007

Video of launch tea dance - interviews with Edward Woodward and Peter Liddiard

http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/video/index.var.7427.0.0.php

Hampshire Chronicle - 13th September 2007

Front page news story - launch of Prime Theatre by Edward Woodward and Michele Dotrice

Southern Daily Echo - 28th August 2007

News story about Prime Theatre's launch tea dance, featuring Edward Woodward and Michele Dotrice

Portsmouth Evening News - 28th August 2007

Vision News - 27th August 2007

On line interview with Ros and Peter Liddiard

Hampshire Chronicle- 23rd August 2007

Article in 7 days - launch of Prime Theatre

Hampshire Chronicle - 23rd August 2007

Front page photograph of Ros and Peter Liddiard, with article on Prime Theatre and their Nostalgia Entertainments 

Hampshire Chronicle -  2:51pm Friday 27th April 2007

A new Winchester based theatre company for older artists is celebrating large funding awards.

Prime Theatre has been established to promote and encourage the talents of mature artists, and to tour projects that will be of interest to older sections of the community.

It has been awarded £10,000 by the National Lottery and £8,500 by The Arts Council England.

Prime Theatre will launch officially later this year and plans to tour its first production, Aleksei Arbuzov's Old World.

The company's patrons are celebrated film, television and stage actors Edward Woodward, Michele Dotrice and Roy Dotrice.

Artistic director Ros Liddiard said: "Prime Theatre has been an exciting company to help create; we are thrilled to have so many expressions of interest and support offered to us. We are particularly grateful to the Arts Council and the National Lottery for their generous awards. These two significant supporters of theatre enterprise have, by their grants demonstrated that the plans of this new company are valid and worthwhile. Prime Theatre hopes to encourage people in the prime of their lives to go out and enjoy theatre."

TheatreNet.com

http://www.theatrenet.com/archives/20070921.shtml

Prime Theatre is a new company formed by Ros and Peter Liddiard, with Edward Woodward and Michelle Dotrice as patrons, specifically to feature the talents of writers, performers and technicians who are over the age of 60. It will stage its first production, Aleksei Arbuzov's Old World, in which mature romance blossoms between a patient and doctor in a sanatorium, with Kevin Colson and Ros Liddiard, opening a national tour at the Rondo Theatre in Bath on 27th September. The show's London dates will be the opening performances at The Courtyard Theatre's new premises in Hoxton from 23rd October to 18th November.

There's More to Life - The Magazine of Age Concern - June 2007

The British Theatre Guide - "A Company in It's Prime" - 12th April 2007

www.britishtheatreguide.info/news/primetheatre

UK Theatre Network

http://www.uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=1905&CatID=5&ListUnder=0

Angel Radio, Havant, Hampshire

- interview with Ros and Peter Liddiard by Tony Smith - 23rd May 2007

Listings

Ents 24

http://www.ents24.com/web/event/1364781/Old_World.html

http://www.ents24.com/web/event/1358299/Old_World.html

Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead

http://nordenfarm.org/?tmpl=event&e_id=3285&t_id=0&_sopHoSessId=aR96V3JEk4

http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/events/e_detail.asp?ID=2257

http://events.watfordobserver.co.uk/disp.asp?i=19878

TheatreWorks

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2007/09/13/prime_feature.shtml

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=180730&command=displayContent&sourceNode=241453&contentPK=18449464&folderPk=113646&pNodeId=241454

http://www.bathfestivals.org.uk/index.php?a=0&p=0&m=0&t=4.3&d=1188601200&n=&v=0&l=0&q=1&b=&o=0&z= 

British Theatre Guide

http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/news/primetheatre.htm

Central Studio, Basingstoke

www.centralstudio.co.uk/Theatre.html

Quay Arts Centre, Newport, Isle of Wight

http://www.islandpulse.co.uk/b2/prime-theatre-present-an-old-world-on-the-isle-of-wight/

http://www.quayarts.org/whatson.asp?id=824

http://www.islandpulse.co.uk/b2/wight-words-festival-comedy-and-theatre/

http://ventnorblog.com/category/theatre/

The Chesil Theatre, Winchester

http://www.winchester.gov.uk/Events/Event.asp?id=SX9452-A7835893

http://www.chesiltheatre.org.uk/productions/2007/oldworld/index.html

http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/leisure/arts/display.var.1752297.0.this_touching_tale_of_hope_and_compassion.php

www.winchester.gov.uk/Documents/Event/Chesil%20Theatre%20October.pdf

The Courtyard Theatre, Pitfield Street, London N1

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/17503/courtyard-theatre-moves-to-shoreditch

http://www.seetickets.com/see/event_calendar.asp?e|artist=OLD%20WORLD&e|venaudit=The%20Courtyard%20Theatre%20-%20Main%  

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/whatson/theatre/london/old_world.html

 http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/cgi-bin/search.cgi?mytemplate=tp2&method=all&event1=WORLD&00theatre=Courtyard

 http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/18680/old-world

 http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/show-23374270-details/Old+World/showReview.do

http://www.remotegoat.co.uk/event_view.php?uid=14475&dd=28&mm=10&yyyy=2007

http://theater2.nytimes.com/gst/theater/tdetails.html?id=1154689439511

http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/events/515203/old_world.html

http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/whatson/otherclosing.htm

http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=206&action=details&show=L862543916

http://www.alive.co.uk/theatre/llon.htm

http://www.thecnj.co.uk/review/theatre-listings.html

http://www.uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=1905&CatID=5&ListUnder=0

http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/events/515208/old_world.html

http://www.theatremonkey.com/fringetheatrenotes.htm

http://www.theatrenet.com/archives/20070921.shtml

http://www.shoreditchaudiences.org.uk/index.php?id=2

http://www.alive.co.uk/london/theatre.htm