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The
Theatre Royal Restoration Appeal |
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Musician Jack Liebeck, actress Amber Edlin, Dame
Judi Dench, A Sparkling Jewel -- The Bury St. Edmunds Free Press April 29, 2005 The boss of secret agent 007 and her mystical friend were working their magic on Sunday to help save a precious jewel in the heart of historical Bury St Edmunds. Sir Ian McKellen, known to millions as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Dame Judi Dench, the first female to play M in the James Bond saga, took to the stage of a packed Theatre Royal in aid of the restoration appeal. Tickets for the evening of prose, poetry and conversation with Sir Jeremy Isaacs sold out within 24 hours of going on sale. The money-spinning gala also featured legendary actors Prunella Scales and Timothy West. Mr West, a patron of the appeal appeared on stage despite having a broken leg. Unfortunately, Stephen Fry, who was due to take part, was unable to attend. The cost of the restoration project, spear-headed by Jeremy Isaacs, is £5.1 million. The Royal Million membership now stands at £200,000, there has also been a £2 million Lottery donation, £500,000 from the National Trust and £250,000 from St Edmundsbury Borough Council. So far £4.2 million has been raised. The theatre, one of the last remaining Georgian theatres in Britain, will close in September while the 18-month renovation is carried out. Dame Judi, who flew in especially from New York to take part in the show, said: "Jeremy asked me if I would be interested in this about a year ago. I'd never been to Bury St Edmunds before but knew about the theatre, of course. I think it's exquisite and must be preserved. "These were the only theatres you could go to when I was at drama school in 1957. To have a theatre like this in your town is an absolute blessing." She added: "Somebody said to me the other day 'you're a Hollywood star,' I said I'm not a Hollywood star, I'm an actor that works on stage. If I get to do a film I'm very lucky. But this is where I like to be, no question." Sir Ian said he thought he may have performed at the theatre some years before while touring. He added: "My second ever job was at Ipswich and I have relatives in East Anglia, so I don't feel too distant from Bury St Edmunds. When I was at the Prospect Theatre Company they used to come here the whole time, that was years ago. "But it is very impressive, not just the building and what's actually going on, but the things that are being produced here. It's a very important theatre nationally. "That's the point, all the theatres are connected. They have always been connected, because actors have always worked in all of them. But now administratively, and in every other ways, you feel they all belong together. If this theatre was run down in any way, the whole of the theatre world would lose out and so that is why I have come to support it." Both Dame Judi and Sir Ian paid tribute to Sir John Mills, who died on Saturday, aged 97. "I didn't work with John but I met him a number of times. He was infallibly courteous and a gentleman, said Sir Ian. When asked if they had any future ambitions, Dame Judi replied: "I'm just a bad chooser, so I wouldn't know. I have to wait until somebody asks me." Sir Ian said: "I'd like to be in a very large and hugely successful musical with an immense staircase that I could walk down wearing a frock and big hat with Dame Judi Dench." Sir Ian is achieving one ambition by making his Coronation Street debut next month when he plays flamboyant novelist Mel Hutchwright The show, helped raise £50,000 towards the appeal and featured excerpts from Shakespeare, JB Priestley and one act from The Importance of Being Ernest.
Thanks to Betty B for bringing this article
and photo to my attention Stars sign on the line April 27, 2005 Glittering stars from the world of theatre put their signatures to the £5.1 million scheme to restore the Theatre Royal, in Bury St Edmunds. Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench joined colleagues Prunella Scales and Timothy West in an evening of conversation and readings with Sir Jeremy Isaacs which, along with a series of Three of the Best Evenings, raised £50,000. Sir Ian, who played Gandalf in the acclaimed Lord of the Rings, as well as playing a screen villain in the X Men films, has family connections with East Anglia. Joining him was Dame Judi, who played M in the recent Bond films, and who had flown in from New York to take part in the show. But it was their stage presence which leant gravitas to the evening. Speaking before the performance, Dame Judi stressed the importance of theatres such as the one in Bury St Edmunds. "These were the only theatres you could go to when I was at drama school in 1957. To have a theatre like this in your town is an absolute blessing," she said. Sir Ian paid tribute to the work being done at the theatre. "It's very impressive, not just the building and what is actually going on but the things that are being produced," he said. The Theatre Royal Restoration appeal has raised £200,000 with its Royal Million membership and has received donations from the Lottery, the National Trust and St Edmundsbury Borough Council. On Sunday, the actors performed excerpts from Henry IV, Hamlet and Macbeth and JB Preistley's When We Are Married with a cast of eight, including Theatre Royal director Colin Blumenau and Sir Jeremy performing the third act of The Importance of being Ernest. Mr West, a patron of the appeal, insisted on appearing on stage despite a broken leg. Mr Blumenau said afterwards: "We are enormously grateful to them for having given the Theatre Royal, in Bury St Edmunds, not only a glittering evening, which will stay in the memory for years to come, but also a real demonstration of the significance of this architectural and theatrical jewel." The plans will see the Grade I listed building restored to its original 1819 design along with improved foyer and catering facilities for customers. So far, £4.2 million has been raised with tickets for the gala evening selling out within 24 hours.
Acting legends boost theatre appeal April 25, 2005 21:07 FOUR of the greatest actors of their generation took to the stage last night in a special one-off performance in aid of an historic Suffolk theatre. Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Prunella Scales and Timothy West all donned the grease paint at a gala evening to raise funds for the restoration of Grade I-listed Theatre Royal, in Bury St Edmunds. All had taken time out from their busy schedules - Dame Judi came direct from New York and Timothy West made the trip despite having a broken leg - at the behest of Sir Jeremy Isaacs, who has spearheaded the campaign for the £5.1million needed to secure the theatre's future. Sir Ian and Dame Judi, who famously appeared together in an acclaimed production of Macbeth, took time out of rehearsal to speak to the EADT. Dame Judi, who won an Oscar in 1999 for her role in the film Shakespeare In Love, explained the importance of the project. She said: "Jeremy asked me to do this about a year ago, and although I've never been to Bury St Edmunds, I knew about this theatre, it's exquisite. "And it has to be preserved, these were the only theatres you could go to when I was at drama school, and I think you're extremely lucky to have a theatre like this in your town." She denied she was "a film star" and said that she was just an actress who was lucky to get film parts and her first love remained the stage. She added she hoped her film appearances would draw more people to the theatre. Sir Ian, whose own eclectic career includes appearing as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and a forthcoming part in Coronation Street, added: "I think I've been here before, I'm ashamed to say I can't remember. "I was doing a tour at one point and I'm sure this must have been one of the venues, but I have ties with Suffolk and I have family here so I feel quite at home, and my first ever job was in Ipswich. "Anyway, what's important is what's going on here, they not only have touring shows, which is great for the audience, but plays are being produced here, it all starts here and that's what's so important." Dame Judi said the relatively small theatre, whose 360 seats sold out within an hour of the box office opening, also had a special appeal in its size. She said: "It has an intimacy, you don't have to bellow to make yourself heard, it's not intimidating though. If you have ever played the state fair at Denver were they have the Chinese State Circus and so on, that's intimidating." Sir Ian added: "I was once in a place so big I issued the other actors with handkerchiefs so they could wave them and we would know when they were speaking." Both actors also paid tribute to the late Sir John Mills, whom they called a true English star, who was "infallibly courteous" and both recalled some of lesser know qualities, such as his ability as a dancer, and his "scurrilous" sense of humour. When asked if there were any ambitions the pair had yet to fulfil in their acting careers, Sir Ian answered: "I want to appear in a large and hugely successful musical with an immense staircase I can walk down, with Dame Judi Dench." The evening included the actors in conversation with Sir Jeremy Isaacs, along with performances and recitals from their favourite books and plays, including Macbeth, Hamlet, Henry IV part II, Jane Austen's Emma and JB Priestley's When We are Married. It was the last in a series of Sunday shows which have raised more than £50,000 for the project, for which £4.2 million of the total required has been raised.
Thanks to Anca for bringing this article to my attention
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