Telford amateurs actors teaming up with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Amateur thespians will team up with the world famous Royal Shakespeare Company to put on performances of the bard's work in Telford for the next three years, it was revealed this afternoon.
Performances will be put on at Dawley Town Hall by members of the newly-formed Dawley Town Hall Players as part of the RSC's Open Stages Programme.
It comes after members of the Players applied to the RSC to take part in the programme and the group will now be mentored by the team from the RSC's HQ in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Training will start in the new year and the first performances – of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar – will be held in September or October 2014.
The news has been greeted with delight by enthusiasts who described the announcement as "wonderful".
Chris Owen, from Dawley Town Hall Players, who visited the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon last week to meet with directors of other groups taking part in the programme, said: "I was literally shaking when I received the letter to confirm our success. It was a wonderful moment and I am thrilled we have got this opportunity."
