Dundee Rep Theatre are very pleased to announce that this year, we will be welcoming a Trainee Director, Emma Faulkner as part of the UK's longest running and most influential training scheme fo young directors, the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme, in association with the Young Vic.

'Dundee Rep is delighted to be hosting a trainee as part of this year's RTYDS. The scheme has provided opportunities for a fantastic range of directors over the years and Emma's year in Dundee working with our Ensemble will be no exception. These kind of opportunities are few and far between and we are pleased to be contributing to the development of the next generation of artistic directors.'

James Brining, Artistic Director/Chief Executive Dundee Rep Theatre

Young People from across Dundee, Angus, Perthshire and Fife have been getting creative and making new friends this week at Create in a Week, a unique opportunity to try something new thanks to Creative Identities, an eighteen month initiative funded by the Scottish Government using £1.2 million from the proceeds of crime.

Create in a Week is an ambitious collaboration between Dundee Rep Theatre and Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) which has seen over sixty five young people working with and shadowing professionals in both venues learning new skills in directing, filming, designing, dance and drama.

The young people have spent the week creating an original, devised piece of theatre around the themes of identity, suitcases and spies and will come together to perform on stage at Dundee Rep Theatre, Saturday 17 July.

Ashley Davidson, Creative Identities, Project Manager said ‘This week the young people have had valuable training within the arts, met new friends and had fun.    They now have the opportunity to showcase their talents on stage for their friends and family’.

Creative Identities - Through its partnership with Scottish Screen, Cashback for communities provides access to arts and culture for thousands of young people across Scotland. By giving young people the opportunity to take part in creative activities they can become happier and more confident, which is positively reflected in many local communities and bodes well for future life experiences. The scheme reinvests the money seized from serious and organised crime back into Scotland’s communities, making a real difference to lives of young people. The project is open to young people aged 10 – 19 across Scotland particularly looked after children and young carers.

Dundee Rep Theatre Cafe have once again picked up the award for Eating Place of the Year in Fine Dining/Restaurant in a glittering ceremony last night. This is the third year in a row that the award has been given to the restaurant so a very big congratulations to all staff involved.
 
For more information about the awards, please click here.

Dundee Rep Theatre picked up three awards at the 2010 Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) on Sunday 13 June, making Dundee Rep the most successful theatre in Scotland in the history of the CATS.  Now it its eighth year, the CATS have awarded Dundee Rep with 15 awards across the categories.  This year's achievements were:
 
Best Actor, Kevin Lennon for John Merrick in The Elephant Man
 
Best Director, Jemima Levick for The Elephant Man 
 
Best Design, Alex Lowde (set) and Colin Grenfell (lighting) for The Elephant Man.
 

 

Its not just Mrs Lovett’s meat pies on offer at Dundee Rep Theatre as we celebrate National Vegetarian week.

National Vegetarian Week (NVW) 24 – 29 May is the annual awareness-raising campaign promoting inspirational vegetarian food and the benefits of a meat-free lifestyle.

The deadly combination of Sweeney Todd’s murderous razor and Mrs. Lovett’s culinary skills are well documented in Dundee Rep Ensemble’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical Sweeney Todd and to redress the balance chef Shelley Ewan from the theatre’s restaurant decided to make her own meat free option. Dundee Rep Theatre’s award-winning restaurant is now open for business six evenings a week increasing its vegetarian menu to support NVW.

Chef Shelley Ewan said ‘We always cater for vegetarian here in the restaurant so we are delighted to support National Vegetarian Week. The original Scots pie is very traditional and I wanted to keep this element to the Vegetarian pie so decided to go for vegetarian haggis taties and neeps’.

Celebrated by the Vegetarian Society in 1992 National Vegetarian Week is now in its eighteenth year and is an established date in the food calendar. This is the fourth year that Cauldron Foods has joined the Week as headline sponsor. The Week gives schools, canteens, caterers, restaurants, libraries and individuals a reason to focus on increasing fruit and veg consumption, revamp their veggie options, launch new menus, look at the issues around food or simply try something different.

To book a table please call 01382 206699

Photograph shows Viv Harrison from the Vegetarian Society alongside Restaurant Chef, Shelley Ewan

We are pleased to announce that Dundee Rep Theatre have been nominated for 6 Critcs' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS)  this year.  The CATS are organised annually and awarded by the theatre critics of Scotland to celebrate the best Scottish theatre achievements in the theatre year May–April.

The Dundee Rep Theatre nominations are:

Best Actor (Male) - Kevin Lennon as John Merrick in The Elephant Man

Best Ensemble - A Christmas Carol

Best Director - Jemima Levick, The Elephant Man

Best Design - Alex Lowde (Set) and Colin Grenfell (Lighting) The Elephant Man

Best Technical Presentations - A Christmas Carol

Best Production - A Christmas Carol

For further information, please visit the CATS website.

Dundee Rep Theatre are pleased to announce that we will now be open on all Monday Bank and Public Holidays.  You will now be able to book tickets at Box Office or use the Bar and Restaurant.  For more details of our opening hours, please click here.

Thank you to all of the schools and individuals who took part in this year's colouring and design competition which has taken place alongside the Dundee Rep Ensemble production of The Elves and the Shoemakers and Overgate shopping centre, Dundee.  All of the entries are on display at either the Rep and Overgate. 

The winners of the competitions are:

Overgate Colouring Competition:
Claudia Corona

Schools Design a Shoe Competition:
Brooke Ireland (SS Peter and Paul Primary School)
Chloe Semple (SS Peter and Paul Primary School)
Lucy Keogh (St Joseph's Primary School)

Congratulations to everyone involved!

This year, Dundee Rep Theatre has teamed up with Wave 102 for their A Christmas Carol Primary School competition.  This annual competition has schools from across Dundee send in their recorded Christmas Carols and songs.  This year the winning class will win a fantastic trophy, the chance to sing their song on stage at the Rep plus they willl come and see the show for free.

Wave 102 have now shortlisted the entries to the final five, you can vote for your favourite by visiting their website.

Thank you very much to Josh, aged 5 from Montrose who sent us some fantastic drawings after he came to see the Dundee Rep Ensemble production, A Christmas Carol.  His Grandad's letter explains how much he enjoyed the show.  To read the letter and look at the drawings, click here.

Journalist Edi Stark delved into the world of Dundee Rep Ensemble during technical rehearsals of The Elephant Man to find out more about the Ensemble and the creative team around them.  If you missed the programme, click here to listen again.

Thank you to everyone who entered The Courier ticket giveaway competition for A Christmas Carol, we are pleased to announce that the following entries have all received tickets to see the show, congratulations!

Ms M Barr, Dundee
Mr D Bednarek, Rattray
Mr W Carson, Glenrothes
Mrs M Clark, St Andrews
Mrs M Crothers, Dundee
Mrs CA Douglas, Forfar
Mrs K Duff, Alyth
Mrs L Duncan, Blairgowrie
Ms D Govan, By Montrose
Mr CM Grant, Angus
Ms E Hackney, Dundee
Miss J Hunter, Edinburgh
Mrs F Hutchison, Dundee
Mr M Joyce, Dundee
Mrs J Lebeter, Newport-On-Tay
Ms M Leonard, Dundee
Mrs L Low, Dundee
Mrs A Malloch, Coupar Angus
Mrs M Mann, Dundee
Ms P Martin, Dundee
Miss A Maxwell, Perth
Mrs I McIntosh, Kirriemuir
Ms J McKendry, Arbroath
Mrs K Millar, Perth
Mrs E Miller, Ladybank
Ms D Murdoch, Anstruther
Mr G Nicol, Craichie
Mrs I Proctor, Dundee
Mrs J Reid, Carnoustie
Mrs V Robertson, Perth
Mr P Ross, Errol
Mrs L Scott, Tealing
Ms M Scott, St Andrews
Mrs J Simpson, St Andrews
Mr AG Smith, Angus
Mrs J Smith, Dundee
Mrs A Stewart, Forfar
Mr G Stratton, Perth
Mrs J Sword, Glenrothes
Mr B Holt, Dundee
Ms E Axell, Angus
Mrs S Sweeney, Angus
Mr Michael Smith, Dundee
Ms Louise Reid, Forfar
Mr L Cairney, Arbroath
Mr R Brunner, Perth
Mrs E Stone, Dundee
Mr G Bridgland, Dundee
Miss C Owen, Angus
Ms N Carr, Perth
Mr J Wood, Carnoustie
Mr B Hay, Perth
Mrs D Eton, Dundee
Ms T McMurray, Newport-on-Tay
Mrs M Stead, St Andrews
Miss K Chandler, Dundee
Mr A Quinn, Angus
Mr J Whitehouse, Glenrothes
Ms G Mann, Perth
Mr N Alexander, St Andrews
Miss P McCloud, Perth
Mr H Wallace, Broughty Ferry
Mrs J McIntosh, Dundee

The Theatre Committee of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has announced its fifth annual awards for the encouragement of new writing and Dundee Rep’s Associate Director Sarah Brigham is a winner.

Guild members nominate anyone in any capacity who had given them an exceptional experience in new writing during the previous year. After working with Sarah Brigham and Dundee Rep Youth Theatre earlier this year on their production Twice upon a Time, playwright Neil Duffield recommended her for this prestigious award.

Neil Duffield said ‘Sarah commissioned me to write a play, Twice upon a Time’, that could be performed by a large cast of 14-18 year olds. The unique feature was that Act 2 should have a completely different cast to Act 1. Sarah was terrific to work with, helpful, supportive, and full of ideas setting up a series of meetings between myself and the young people as part of the process which turned out to be enormously useful. I couldn't recommend her highly enough.’

Sarah Brigham said ‘It was a pleasure to work with Neil Duffield on this production, his generosity in the rehearsal room and sheer energy for the process was amazing.  He is a talented and esteemed playwright and we were very lucky to have him on board at the Rep for this process.  The end production was also a huge success and I'm delighted that the hard work in creating this very brilliant play has been recognised’

Hollywood superstar Keanu Reeves flew into Dundee on Friday 4 Sept  to meet the cast of Dundee Rep’s current production, The Cherry Orchard.  Reeves was in town to see the show and discuss the play with award-winning Dundee Rep Ensemble as research for a new film titled Henry’s Crime.

He spent 3 hours talking about the play and the rehearsal process with visiting Russian director Vladimir Bouchler and members of the Rep’s acting company.  Henry’s Crime features rehearsals for Chekhov’s classic drama and in the film Reeves takes on the central role of Lopahkin, played in the Ensemble’s version by experienced actor John Kazek.  

Keanu is set to produce and act in the new romantic comedy.  He will take the lead role of a big hearted Buffalo tollbooth attendant who is wrongly accused of robbing a bank. Directed by Malcolm Venville shooting is scheduled to start this November in New York.

Dundee Rep’s Artistic Director/Chief Executive James Brining said:

'We were surprised but delighted when Keanu and Malcolm got in touch about coming to see the show and talk about the process of putting it together.  I hope it’s useful for them and informs their own process of putting the movie together.'

The winners of Dundee Rep and Wave 102's A Christmas Carol competition were announced last Friday after the public voted for their favourite Primary School Christmas tune.  Lochee Primary School were the succesful winners and their hard work culminated in a performance of their song on Dundee Rep's stage just before A Christmas Carol last night.  John from Wave 102 introduced the winners and presented them with their trophy.  Well done to Lochee Primary School and all of the others who took part!