Stage Beyond Letterkenny cast members rehearsing for their forthcoming show. Included are, Jason Thompson, Trevor McGrenra, Martin Towey, Ethan Loughrey, Nicole Breslin and Niamh Sheridan.
Stage Beyond, the Derry-based theatre company for adults with learning disabilities which has seven Donegal cast members, is to stage its most ambitious production to date at the Millennium Forum, Derry and the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.
Stage Beyond will premiere Rashomon, the classic Japanese Akutagawa story which was famously brought to life by Akira Kurosawa in 1956.
Described by Werner Herzog as “almost perfect”, Rashomon revolutionised cinema by presenting contradictory interpretations of the same event.
Sixty years later, Stage Beyond is proud to debut this timeless tale of mystery and murder in a spectacular all-inclusive theatre adaptation by IFTA award-winning writer Ronan Carr, with their outreach partners.
Showcasing their natural acting talent as well as elements of Taiko drumming and Kabuki dancing, Stage Beyond invites you to a traditional East Asian production that is a feast for the eyes and ears.
Stage Beyond has seven cast members from Donegal of which six are from Letterkenny – Trevor McGrenra, Niamh Sherridan, Ethan Loughrey, Martin Towey, Jason Thompson and Nicole Breslin – and Michael Gormley from Greencastle in Inishowen.
Director Kate Guelke explained: “Rashomon is unlike anything Stage Beyond has done. We are drawing on elements of Kabuki dancing and Taiko drumming to really bring this 13th Century, East Asian crime thriller to life.”
Artistic Director Dee Conaghan added: “Stage Beyond has a reputation for breaking barriers and challenging assumptions. Rashomon – the origin of the phrase ‘the Rashomon effect’ – is all about coming to terms with different perspectives. As a theatre company we are proud of pioneering this kind of work that makes people think.”
Rashomon opens in the Millennium Forum on Saturday, May 28th at 7.30pm and will tour to the Lyric Theatre in Belfast on Monday, June 6th, at 7.30pm. Tickets priced £7/£5 concessionary are available from the Millennium Forum Box Office, Tel: 02871 264455 or www.millenniumforum.co.uk. Admission to the Lyric Theatre production is by voluntary donation.
Stage Beyond, which is based in the Millennium Forum, was founded in 2002 and has 24 cast members who are all involved in this latest production. Stage Beyond is grateful to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Children In Need, the Foyle Foundation, the Acorn Foundation and the Millennium Forum for their generous support.