Oldham amateurs take on a play within a play and turn Shakespeare on its head
Reporter: Stuart Littleford
Lyceum Theatre Oldham is re-creating Macbeth, through the medium of the women of Farndale.
The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society are a fictitious group of unpredictable amateurs created by playwrights David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jnr. They have re-imagined a number of classic plays within plays, each with hilarious comic effect. Their version of Macbeth is no exception. 
The performance includes witches on crutches, a stand-in cross-dressing Lady Macbeth and a set that just won’t keep still. With a downtrodden Director and the chance to go through to the next stage of a competition, the frenetic, earnest performers put their all into Shakespeare.
Directed by Lyceum Theatre Oldham regular, Phil McCarthy, this is a great way to end the season. If you’ve always thought Shakespeare was boring, this will certainly change your mind!
Director Phil McCarthy is aware of treating this comic farce with the respect it deserves as amateurs taking on the role of amateurs needs a careful hand.
He said: “This is where the respect comes in as farce is one of the hardest things to do. One of Lyceum Theatre Oldham’s long-time directors once told me farce has to have pace because if it’s done slowly the audience will realise the plot is nonsense and become bored. That’s the hardest part so that the ineptitude/clumsiness appears natural.”
The success of Lyceum Theatre Oldham continues this season, with many shows selling out, often before the production even opens. The basement theatre in the centre of Oldham is currently planning a refurbishment of Front of House areas, following the auditorium refurbishment in summer 2015.
The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s Production Of ‘Macbeth’ by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jnr runs from Friday 2 – Saturday 10 June at 7.30pm, (no performance Sunday 4 June) and all tickets are £8.00.
Book online lyceumtheatre.org.uk/
Box Office: 0161 627 1032
Box office at the venue is open for phone and face to face bookings on 2 June 7pm-9pm and half an hour before each performance.
Lyceum Theatre Oldham, 95 Union Street, Oldham. OL1 1QG.
Web: lyceumtheatre.org.uk
Facebook: Lyceum Theatre Oldham
Twitter: @LyceumTheatreOL
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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