There’s a very unique world premiere at this year’s Den Festival in Tameside – written by some of its youngest residents, and performed by a professional cast!

The Royal Exchange Theatre have been collaborating with primary schools across Tameside – Bradley Green Primary Academy, Micklehurst All Saints Primary School, St. Paul’s CE Primary School and St. Peter’s Catholic Primary – to write four short plays with writers Lekhani Chirwa and Lauren-Nicole Mayes. 

 

The four plays are Beauty, Bloopers, and Rexie’s Big Break, The Frog Who Found His Funk, A Christmas Bond and A Boy’s Mysterious Power. Each play has been created from the themes of joy and surprise! With the aim of amplifying children’s voices in Tameside, the plays have been professionally produced and are directed by Tori Burgess. 

 

These brilliant productions will be brought to life by a very exciting cast, who play a whole host of characters from a dinosaur to a lollypop, a zombie to a chicken nugget and so much more! 

 

Isobel McArthur wrote and performed in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE* (*SORT OF), for which she won an Olivier Award, and has starred in productions such as WENDY & PETER PAN and ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND at Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre. 

 

Tameside-born Tom Varey has played William Shakespeare in the RSC’s production of HAMNET, which also went to the West End’s Garrick Theatre, and has also starred on screen in George Clooney’s THE BOYS IN THE BOAT. 

 

Kelise Gordon-Harrison has starred in a number of fantastic productions across the North, such as A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM at Shakespeare North & Northern Stage and VIGNETTES at Contact Theatre. 

 

Check out more about our cast below… 

 

ISOBEL MCARTHUR – Rexie the Dinosaur/James Pond/Twinkle Sparkle/Various 

Isobel is an Olivier award winning actor, director and playwright. She has also won the Evening Standard Award for Best Emerging Talent, The Scotman’s Fringe First and The List ‘Hot 100’ alongside nominations for The Molières, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, The Stage’s ‘Best West End Debut’ and both WhatsOnStage’s ‘Best Supporting Actor’ and ‘Best New Play.’ 

Theatre credits: 2:22 A GHOST STORY (Vienna’s English Theatre); PRIDE & PREJUDICE* (*SORT OF) (West End & Touring); AN OAK TREE, WENDY & PETER PAN, ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND (Lyceum Theatre); COCK, HOW TO SING IT, DAPHNE ORAM’S WONDERFUL WORLD OF SOUND (Tron Theatre); CYRANO DE BERGERAC (Citizens Theatre); THE MONARCH OF THE GLEN (Pitlochry Festival Theatre).
Other Playwrighting & Directing credits: THE FAIR MAID OF THE WEST (Royal Shakespeare Company); KIDNAPPED (National Theatre of Scotland); THE GRAND OLD OPERA HOUSE HOTEL (Traverse Theatre). 

 

TOM VAREY – Vanessa’s Apprentice/Fred the Frog/ QT the Rainbow Lollypop/Various 

Theatre credits: William Shakespeare in HAMNET (RSC/West End); A TASTE OF HONEY (Trafalgar Studios); DEATH WATCH (The Print Room); ONE ARM (Southwark Playhouse); A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Liverpool Everyman). Film credits: THE BOYS IN THE BOAT (MGM); POND LIFE (Open Palm Films). Television credits: FIFTEEN LOVE (Amazon); RIDLEY ROAD (BBC); DEATH IN PARADISE (BBC); NO OFFENCE (Channel 4); ACKLEY BRIDGE (BBC); GAME OF THRONES (HBO), DARK ANGEL (ITV); THE VILLAGE (BBC). 

 

Kelise Gordon-Harrison – Vanessa/Circus Ringmaster/Zob The Zombie/Various 

Theatre credits: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Shakespeare North & Northern Stage), PETER PAN (Hall for Cornwall); THE NOT SO BIG BAD WOLF (Wrongsemble Theatre); VIGNETTES (Contact Theatre, Manchester), and DANESHA (Box of Tricks). Television credits include: JUST ACT NORMAL (BBC/THE FORGE) and WACO: BRITISH STORIES (ITVX). Film credits include: GONE CLEAR.