The Stage is Set.....

Just one more chance to see The Tempest at the Apollo this evening, so make the most of it!

The first puzzle facing the audience entering the auditorium for this show is the stage setting: anyone familiar with The Tempest knows it starts on board a ship and the main action takes place on a desert island – so why is the stage set to resemble the back courtyard of The Ship Inn?

That - and other questions - is resolved by the actors, but many people have commented on the amazing sets The Apollo comes up with for its shows: recent directors have required the interior of a whole flat, another flat upstairs and exterior; a study whose furnishings change and which becomes gradually smaller; a London exterior street scene to be swapped for a Victorian sitting room and a lounge with a view of a haunted castle, doors my hat move by themselves and a flying bat!!

It's down to our fantastic team of set designers and builders to do the impossible, and each time, whatever the apparently bizarre requests, they manage to come up with exactly the right set.

Alongside these wonderful people we have teams of costume designers, props people and sound and lighting engineers whose work often goes unnoticed by audiences, but who are also vital in creating the the atmosphere of the piece.

So next time you’re in the theatre, spare a thought for these backstage talents, and if you fancy getting involved, please do – we always welcome new members both on and backstage, so if you have artistic talents, practical abilities or are just happy to wield a paintbrush or hammer, please contact Dan Burns via our Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/groups/apollotheatre/ or on 07401 306577, or just turn up to any workshop evening - they're held Monday and Tuesday evenings at The Apollo.