En Garde! Sheringham summer season is ready for action

Get ready to buckle up your swashes – Sheringham’s summer season drama cast are in town, and preparing to unsheathe an opening show of madcap musketeering.

Rehearsals began today (Monday July 22) for the first of four plays, three comedies and a spooky thriller, featuring in more than 30 shows between July 30 and August 31.

Actors tried out costumes and props before starting intensive days working with Nick Earnshaw the director of the Three Musketeers – a high energy parody of the classic swordsmen adventure which sees the trio revisit their youth, swapping swords for baguettes and horses for children’s scooters.

Nick said: “It’s a family-friendly fun, panto-esque take on a classic adventure, which sees our five actors playing 30 different roles, with sword fights, flying ducks, funny accents, stick-on moustaches and lots of audience interaction.”

They have just a week to get the show ready for opening night on Tuesday July 30, with the four musketeers Lewes Roberts (D’Artagnan), Kyle Fraser (Athos), Rachel Nottingham (Porthos and Milady de Winter) and Ryan Starling (Aramis) joined by Oliver Westlake as a stage manager.

Very few venues now run seasons of “rep” theatre, where stars like Julie Walters and Alison Steadman cut their theatrical teeth.

Nick said: “It remains a great training ground for actors to sharpen their skills by playing a variety of characters and formats.

“It improves their versatility and resilience and should be mandatory for all up-and-coming actors.”

Theatre director Debbie Thompson, herself rep veteran, said: “Most of actors this season are playing two or three roles, which is an opportunity to stretch and hone their skills, plus we know audiences like seeing them play different parts.”

The Three Musketeers runs from July 30 to August 7. The rest of the season is:

· Turn of the Screw, a chilling ghost story involving orphaned children set in a 19th century country house (August 9-14)

· It’s Her Turn Now farce, an adaptation of a Ray Cooney farce which centres of a woman MP’s affair with a special advisor from the opposition party (August 16-24)

· Relatively Speaking, Alan Ayckbourn’s classic 1960s comedy featuring two suburban couples embroiled in romantic dalliances (August 27-31).

Get tickets and more information here or the box office on 01263 822347.