PRESS RELEASE
January 14 2013
COUNTDOWN TO CHESTER’S FIVE-YEARLY SPECTACLE BEGINS
Rehearsals commence this month for one of the UK’s largest community
productions – the Chester Mystery Plays.
The plays are presented once every five years and the next production
will take place from June 26-July 13 2013, at Chester Cathedral, the
spiritual home of the medieval Bible stories.
This is the first time that the plays have been presented in the nave of
the 16th century cathedral, the site of the Abbey of St Werburgh
(established 1092). Benedictine monks at the abbey first penned the 26
plays, which tell the story from the Creation to The Last Judgment, in the
14th century and they were performed by the city’s guildsmen on
pageant wagons in the streets until a ban in 1575. The 2013 production
will mark just over 60 years since the modern revival of the plays, which
were first performed in 1951 to celebrate the Festival of Britain.
Director Peter Leslie Wild has cast more than 100 actors in roles ranging
from God to Lucifer, Jesus to Herod and the serpent to the Antichrist
and the company will meet for the first time on Sunday, January 20.
The part of the adult Jesus will be played by woodcrafter Jonathan
Charles Sharps, of Guilden Sutton in Chester, whose initials are ironically
JC. The actors will be joined in the community production by a large
cast of singers, musicians and children.
Peter said: “I’m really excited by this cast and can’t wait to get started
on rehearsals. There is a good mix of new talent and old hands and with
Stephanie Dale’s new script, Matt Baker’s original music and Judith
Croft’s brilliant design we can all look forward to a really exciting show.”
The new script will contain 12 of the original plays which will be
performed on one night. Traditionally, the modern production has
spanned two nights with The Prophecy on one night and The Fulfilment
on the other.
Stephanie said: “The plays that are not represented in the script will be
included in some shape or form - maybe as a podcast or an art installation.
“I would describe the setting of my adaptation as being three in one –
incorporating the time of the plays, the time of their translation and
now. I have retained some of the original language for its beautiful
rhythm and poetry but I have removed many of the words which won’t
make sense to a modern audience.”
The production will contain original music composed by Matt Baker,
who composed the score for both the 2003 and 2008 productions,
performed outdoors on Chester Cathedral Green. He said: “With a
whole new script and artistic team I certainly cannot rest on my laurels.
There will be an entirely new score performed by a wealth of live
musicians who will also be acting on stage. I hope there will be singing
coming from all corners of the cathedral too.”
Ends
For further information, contact Jo Henwood 07810 756410
Notes to editors:
1. The 2013 production will be in the nave of Chester Cathedral from June 26 –
July 13. Tickets are available by telephone from 01244 500959 or from
www.chestermysteryplays.com.
Chester Mystery Plays Production team:
PETER LESLIE WILD, Director: Chester Mystery Plays director Peter Leslie Wild is an award-winning
freelance theatre director and radio drama producer. Since winning a BP Young Directors Award in
1989, Peter has worked extensively in theatre, radio and on site-specific projects. He set up and ran
the Community Programme for the Orange Tree Theatre in London (1991-95), where he also directed
acclaimed productions of The Return of the Prodigal, Someone Waiting, Romeo and Juliet, and a
children’s version of The Mysteries. From 1995 to 2011, he was senior producer for BBC Radio Drama
based in Birmingham, where he has worked with a vast range of writers including Steve Waters, David
Edgar, Stephen Poliakoff, Arnold Wesker, Louise Page, Glyn Hughes, Lucy Gough, Stephanie Dale,
Naylah Ahmed, Claire Bennett, Lou Ramsden, and Helen Cross.
His radio productions include the Classic Serial versions of Watership Down, As I Walked Out One
Midsummer Morning, The Turn of the Screw, Wuthering Heights and the recent Woman’s Hour
version of Wives and Daughters. He co-produced and directed the award-winning dramadocumentary strands Making Space, Beyond the Canvas, Out of the Mould and Victorian Marriage
Beds. Recent work includes five serials featuring Lindsey Davis’s Roman detective (Radio 4), Falco,
two PD James serials, Jenny Stephens’ sci-fi serials Jefferson 37, Project Raphael and Project
Archangel (Radio 4 Extra), Amadeus (starring F Murray Abraham) for Radio 2, The Contingency
Plan and Great Escape (Radio 3), and two series of the acclaimed Writing the Century, based on real
letters and diaries from the 20th Century. He twice won the prestigious Prix Marulic.
He has also produced and directed many episodes of Radio 4’s long-running serial The Archers, as
well as two series of Ambridge Extra for Radio 4 Extra in 2012. He wrote and directed a creative audio
tour of the birthplace of the Titanic’s designer as part of the centenary commemorations in Belfast.
He recently directed a community audio play, Sea Me by Stephanie Dale with Doorway Theatre
Company in Dorset, which will go online in the spring of 2013.
In the theatre, Peter has made something of a specialism of working in unexpected venues. The
Worcester Pilgrim by Alex Jones was staged in Worcester Cathedral, and he is collaborating with
Birmingham Rep to direct Dealing with Dreams by Stephanie Dale in Walsall New Art Gallery. He has
recently collaborated with Singworks on Choral History and When the Stamp Made Its Mark, two
large scale projects involving 150 primary schoolchildren, a choir and a band, staged in Kidderminster
Town Hall. Most recently he directed The Wicked Lady for Birmingham University, and Philip
Goulding’s A Fine Bright Day Today for The New Vic Theatre in Newcastle Under Lyme (2012).
STEPHANIE DALE, Writer: Writer Stephanie Dale writes for stage, radio and large-scale theatre. Her
plays for the stage include: The Witches’ Promise (Birmingham REP at Weoley Castle 2012); an
adaptation of J.M. Falkner's Moonfleet, (BOVTS May 2013); A Time to Keep (Dorchester Community
Plays Association, 2007, co-written with David Edgar and published by Nick Hern Books).
Current commissions include: Mary MacArthur (Midlands Actors Theatre, 2013) Dealing with
Dreams, (Birmingham Repertory Theatre 2014); The Chester Mystery Plays (June 2013), Death on a
Yellow Page (Birmingham REP, co-written with David Edgar).
For radio she has written: Believe Me (2011); First Bite of the Air; What is Missing from your Life?
(The Men); The Wife; What is Missing from your life? (The Women) and Written in Mist (all for BBC
Radio 4).
She is a graduate of the MA in Playwriting at Birmingham University (1997) where she now teaches on
the MPhil in playwriting. She is also a visiting lecturer at Birmingham City University and
Loughborough University. At Loughborough she teaches applied drama and has facilitated over 50
pieces of large-scale theatre within various community settings.
MATT BAKER, Composer and music director: Composer and music director Matt Baker was
composer for the highly acclaimed Chester Mystery Plays 2008 which followed the success of his
music for the 2003 cycle. He is founder and artistic director of Chester’s professional company
Theatre in the Quarter. Compositions for this company include A Christmas Carol, The Chester
Giant’s Opera, Unsinkable, Star of Wonder, Forgotten Fortress, James, Jacobean Christmas, Home
for Christmas, Silent Night, Some Sunny Day, Sweet Sixteen, Twelve Days of Christmas and Garden
Lane – the Musical. Theatre in the Quarter also includes Jigsaw Children’s Music Theatre which is
now in its 21st successful year. Also in Chester, Matt is director of A Handbag of Harmonies who
were the most successful women's choir on in BBC1’s Last Choir Standing, runners up in the 2010
Manchester Choral Competition and overall winners in the 2011 Manchester Pride Parade. The choir
joined forces with Theatre in the Quarter in creating a choral tour de force of 700 voices, dancers,
musicians (and giants) in performances of Matt's anthems Across The World and Be The Best That
You Can Be for the arrival of the Olympic Flame in Chester in 2012.
Further afield, Matt has many composing and musical directing credits for theatres, theatre and
dance companies and museums across the UK. His other work as musical director with young people
has taken him as far as Melbourne, Yangon, Tanzania and Delhi. Matt has a reputation for inspiring
large numbers of people to sing together. He has had 20 doctors singing a Beach Boys medley, 60
women singing Kylie songs on an open top bus, 200 children singing a new opera in a Roman
amphitheatre, 800 people singing Radio Gaga in a town square, 3,000 people singing Spandau Ballet
in a stadium, and 20,000 people singing We Are The Champions to welcome the Olympic Flame to
Chester. Matt has several television and stage acting credits to his name.
JUDITH CROFT, Designer: Designer Judith Croft trained first in Fashion and Textiles, then Theatre
Design at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
She has worked extensively in the North West, becoming Head of Design for the Library Theatre
Company in 1991, where she continues to work on a regular basis. She has designed many of their
successful productions of plays by Neil Simon, including the Brighton Beach trilogy, The Odd
Couple (winner of Best Production, Manchester Evening News ) and Laughter on the 23rd Floor,
which she also designed for the West End run, starring Gene Wilder.
Judith has designed musicals, including Assassins, Company and Putting it Together with director
Roger Haines at the Library, and Leader of the Pack at the New Wolsey, Ipswich and Clwyd Theatr
Cymru. Opera includes Falstaff at the RNCM (winner of Best Production of an Opera, MEN).
Recent work with the Library includes: My Night with Reg, Translations, Waiting for
Godot and Someone to Watch Over Me (all winners of Best Production, MEN), Dancing at
Lughnasa, The Real Thing, Much Ado about Nothing, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Faith
Healer, Frozen, The Glee Club, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Importance of Being Earnest and, at the
Quays Theatre in the Lowry, Arcadia, A Doll’s House and Wind in the Willows.
Judith designed the set and costumes for the 2008 cycle of the Chester Mystery Plays. Other sitespecific work includes Alice in Wonderland at Heaton Park, Manchester, and Hard Times, presented
in 2011 as a promenade production by director Chris Honer, in a disused textile mill in Manchester.
She designs for the community based company Theatre in the Quarter in Chester; productions
include A Christmas Carol, Home for Christmas, James, and in spring 2012, Unsinkable.
Judith has designed the Rock and Roll Panto at Clwyd Theatr Cymru for the last 12 years, working
with director Pete Rowe. She is a regular exhibitor with the Society of British Theatre Designers and
currently is Chair of the Equity national Designers Committee.
NICK RICHINGS, Lighting Designer: Recent work includes: The Mystery Of Charles Dickens – The
Playhouse Theatre London, Ben Hur – The Watermill Theatre, Starlight Express – U.K. Tour, Simply
The Best – Hackney Empire & West End, A Round Heeled Woman – Riverside Studios and West End,
La Cage Aux Folles – U.S. Tour, The Marriage of Figaro – The Watermill Theatre, Hard Times – The
Library Theatre Manchester, Brother Loves Travelling Salvation Show – UK Tour, Spamalot - UK Tour,
Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals, The Tony Award- winning La Cage Aux Folles, West End &
Broadway, Laughter In The Rain – The Neil Sedaka Story, Spend, Spend, Spend – The Watermill
Theatre & UK Tour, Glengarry Glen Ross, Rock & Roll and Relatively Speaking – The Library Theatre
Manchester, Monkey - Journey to the West, The Royal Opera House and O2 Arena; The Rocky Horror
Show, The Playhouse Theatre and UK Tour; Whistle Down the Wind – The Palace Theatre; A Man For
All Seasons - Theatre Royal Haymarket; Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - The New
London Theatre; Beautiful & Damned – The Lyric Shaftesbury Avenue; Icons in London at The Venue;
Wait Until Dark, The Garrick Theatre; Sleuth, The Apollo Theatre; The Mystery of Charles Dickens –
The Albery Theatre; Fallen Angels, Jesus My Boy, The Apollo Theatre; Aspects of Love, What A
Show, South Pacific, The Prince of Wales Theatre; Fiddler on the Roof starring Topol, and Scrooge
starring Tommy Steele both at The London Palladium, Derren Brown – Something Wicked This Way
Comes (winner 2006 Olivier Award best entertainment) at The Cambridge Theatre.
International work includes: Farewell To My Concubine – Reignwood Theatre Beijing, China. The
Secret Life of Nora – Malaysian National Theatre, A Sigh of Love - Shanghai Ballet Company, The
Rocky Horror Show – Seoul, Mary Poppins – Copenhagen, Monkey: Journey to the West in America
and Paris, The Mystery of Charles Dickens Broadway, US tours of Scrooge and Whistle Down the
Wind. Grease, which toured extensively throughout Europe; High School Musical, The Producers,
Beauty and the Beast, Showboat, Copacabana, The Rocky Horror Show, and Chess in Copenhagen,
and Rent and Gaslight at the English Theatre, Frankfurt and I Do! I Do! for Vienna’s English Theatre,
Grease – Byblos Festival, Lebanon.
Opera credits include Falstaff, which was named Best Opera Production by the Manchester Evening
News; Menotti’s The Consul for Opera Holland Park in London; and Il Turco in Italia for Broomhill
Opera.
Awards: Nick was nominated for the 2010 Tony Awards for Best Lighting Design on La Cage Aux
Folles.
PETER HERBERT, Production manager: Following a 15 year career in various technical roles within the
theatre and theme park industries, Peter formed PH Production Services Ltd to concentrate on
staging large scale productions in unusual places. Peter's career started after a brief spell in the West
End whilst studying at Westminster College. He then went on to work with the Library Theatre
Company in Manchester for two years followed by six years at the Derngate Theatre, Northampton
before moving into the touring arena. Peter has toured as stage manager and production manager for
many companies mainly in Contemporary Dance.
For the past 10 years he has specialised in finding solutions to the problems of staging large scale
productions in stately homes, warehouses, shopping centres, castles, cathedrals and even along a
mile stretch of beach in Cornwall.
In his spare time as a trustee of a Christian charity, NXT Ministries, he helps to stage music events and
conferences to raise funds for many charities in his adopted city of Stoke on Trent and beyond. He is
also a member of the fund raising committee of Arch North Staffs which supports victims of domestic
abuse and those at risk of homelessness.
Having last worked with Peter Leslie Wild and Peter Nash on the successful production of the
Worcester Pilgrim staged within the magnificent Worcester Cathedral, Peter is excited to be working
with them again to realise this wonderful project with the team here at the Chester Mystery Plays.
PETER NASH, Sound designer: Graduating from Plymouth University in 1987 with a BSc in geography,
Peter has always had the desire for exploration, which he married to the world of sound design
through the music industry and the BBC. He became an assistant recording engineer in Brighton in
the late 1980s, before moving abroad working in Nicosia and Paris, returning to England to become
chief engineer at Revolver Music and subsequently freelance producer for Sony, EMI and Polygram.
He then based himself at BBC Birmingham working as a Studio Manager at Pebble Mill, where he built
up his extensive knowledge of creative sound editing, working on many award winning BBC
programmes. Peter’s knowledge and expertise earned him the role of Chief Specialist for Prism
Sound, taking him around the world to work with many international broadcasters.
Since 1997, Peter has been the managing director of Monty Funk Productions Ltd which, as well as
providing BBC radio production, specialises in sound design and audio production, audio consultancy,
and high-end podcasting.