West Suffolk College is bringing live theatre back to the stage with new production of Emma at Ickworth Park.
Ickworth Park near Bury St Edmunds will be the stunning backdrop for a brand new production of Emma by Jane Austen (adapted by Michael Bloom).
The four night run is taking place between the 19 to 22 May 2021 and will star students from Conservatoire East, a place where people can gain performing arts training at West Suffolk College.
The story of Emma is set in Regency England and focusses on the romantic shenanigans of a group of friends, incorporating mishaps, misunderstanding and marriage.
Cast members, Nell Hammond and Harry Ferguson, think audiences won’t be disappointed.
18 year old Nell will be playing Emma. The Wetherden resident, said, “It’s a really interesting play and it will be great escapism for people to transport themselves back to Regency England for a day, thanks to the immersive show and amazing backdrop of the main house at Ickworth Park.”
Harry will be playing George Knightley. The 19 year old from Newmarket can’t wait to get back on stage. He said, “Being on the stage makes me come alive and all of the cast can’t wait for the show to start. A lot of people have been waiting a long time for live theatre to return and I’m getting an adrenaline rush just thinking about the opening night.”
Erica Dupuy is the co-director of the show. She said, “This will be the first time that students will have been able to perform in over a year and I can’t put into words how exciting it will be for them to get those reactions from the audience and hear the applause.
“I believe we have created an innovative production that is quite traditional yet it has a few modern spins. It’s a lovely story and it’s going to look beautiful thanks to our amazing location. The audience will be sat outside as the sun comes down watching live theatre created by the acting talent of the future. This has been a long time coming and we can’t wait for people to see it.”
Poppy Stevens is the other co-director and Helena Rudd is the choreographer.
Tickets are £13.00 and picnics produced by Edmunds and students on the West Suffolk Culinary Arts School courses are available to purchase in advance – for more information you can visit conservatoireeast.wsc.ac.uk/whats-on.
Next up for Conservatoire East and West Suffolk College is a production of We Will Rock You that will be taking place at the college between 26 to 29 May.