The Sheffield University Theatre Company (SUTCo) have announced their semester two programme of shows.
Following two sessions of production proposals with four shows pitching for the three available slots, members of the SUTCo community voted for their favoured shows, selecting three to go forwards for the week three, five and eight show slots available next semester.
In a post on the group’s social media last night, SUTCo revealed their three productions, as well as next week’s audition and callback dates for the successful shows.
“Our shows are finalised and that means it’s time for auditions! Join us again at 38 Mappin Street next Monday and Tuesday to audition for our 3 shows”
Taking the first slot, to be shown in week three, is Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist.
A production with a history in SUTCo, this will be the group’s third attempt at platforming the play, with their last attempt in 2022 scuppered by a coronavirus outbreak among the company.
To be co-directed by Social Secretary Kirsty Lucas (Margaret Beaufort: Kingmaker, Why We Stay) and Ben Sanderson (Summoning Morphsuit Gary, The Shivers), produced by Katie Carthew (Summoning Morphsuit Gary, Shakespeare in the Park: A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Technical Manager Autumn Ten Dam (Summoning Morphsuit Gary, Margaret Beaufort: Kingmaker), the play follows a protester who is killed in police custody, and the following efforts to cover the affair up.
Being staged in the University of Sheffield Drama Studio, the play is expected to draw much attention from particularly SUTCo’s legacy members and long-time participants, with many hoping that third time will be the charm for the seemingly-cursed show.
The week five slot, also to be staged in the University of Sheffield Drama Studio, has been filled by The Effect, written by University of Sheffield alumna Lucy Prebble. The show will see the reuniting of the directorial team behind this semester’s The Importance of Being Earnest, which saw the highest ticket sales for a SUTCo production since 2017.
The production team for The Effect is near identical to that of The Importance of Being Earnest, with the exception of Grace Lowe (The Importance of Being Earnest, Shakespeare in the Park: As You Like It), taking the place of Welfare & Inclusions Officer Sophie Layton, who stepped back from this semester’s proposals.
With a reshuffle of roles since their first production team together, Emilia Lodge (The Importance of Being Earnest, Shakespeare in the Park: As You Like It) will be Director with SUTCo’s Treasurer Amaara Qureshi (The Importance of Being Earnest, Shakespeare in the Park: As You Like It) as Assistant Director, a reversal of their roles.
Joining Lodge, Qureshi and Lowe, the Production Manager, in completing the production team is Abby Broido (The Importance of Being Earnest, Medea) as Producer.
The play follows four people involved in a drug trial who deal with a variety of issues together, including mental health and communication, in the medical environment they find themselves.
Finally, the week eight show slot has been filled by Luke Hookham’s (The Importance of Being Earnest, The Shivers) play It Came From the Ice, the only student-written play in this semester’s regular production slots.
Telling the story of a team of Antarctic researchers trapped and being threatened by an unknown entity, the cosmic horror production features Projects & Workshops Officer Darcey Severne (Summoning Morphsuit Gary, The Shivers) assisting Hookham with directing, as well as co-producing, co-producer Heather Ellis (Summoning Morphsuit Gary, Why We Stay) and Production Manager Phil Saxby (Amélie, The Shivers).
The play, which will be shown at a currently undecided alternative venue, will mark Hookham’s first production team role since joining the theatre group, one of two new production team members this semester, the other being The Effect’s Grace Lowe.
These three productions join the previously-announced SUTCo Fringe production Peace Circle in the semester two programme, with only one more title, week eleven’s Shakespeare in the Park still to be determined by the theatre group.
Taking little time away following last week’s Margaret Beaufort: Kingmaker, the society also took the opportunity to announce audition and callback dates for the three newly-decided shows.
Taking place on Monday December 16th and Tuesday December 17th, with callbacks on December 19th, the announced productions will be set to have their casts established one week after the show’s announcements, a rapid turnaround for the performance group ahead of the winter break.
With four of five productions for the second semester of the academic year decided, all eyes are now on next week’s auditions, as well as on the Shakespeare in the Park production to see how SUTCo will be shaping up in 2025.
Less than one week until the productions officially begin their work and imminent auditions, potential auditionees now have the productions they can apply for, and preparations can now officially begin.
Auditions for SUTCo’s semester two productions will take place on December 16th & 17th, with callbacks on December 19th
