An adapted farce set in 1964 New York featuring The Beatles, Russian spies and the FBI stuck in the mix-up of a lifetime – the premise behind Theatre Group’s ‘Let’s Get Lade’ certainly looks set to be a quick-paced, laugh-out-loud ride from start to finish. Before being given an exclusive peek into their four week rehearsal process, I sat down with the cast and crew to hear what they had to say about their original stage adaptation of Thomas Amo’s novel of the same name, as well as their thoughts about Theatre Group in general…
What would you say is the driving force of Theatre Group, what are your aims as a society?
Jocelyn Cheeks, Producer: We make an effort to put out five plays a term that are all of a high quality, but are all quite diverse. The diversity of the plays’ genres open them up to a wider range of people who perhaps haven’t been involved with theatre before, so don’t be scared!
Beca Roberts, Producer: We’re also not just looking for Third Years – we want a good mix of First, Second and Third Years to participate.
Are there a variety of ways to get involved with Theatre Group?
Jocelyn Cheeks: This is the fourth show I’ve been a part of but I haven’t acted in any of them, so we’re not simply looking for actors. As well as acting, there are lots of opportunities to produce, direct or write.
Beca Roberts: We have a shadowing scheme in place, which allows you to shadow a producer, writer or director to learn how the job works, without the commitment of actually being responsible for an entire play! If you get in touch with our President, Lucy Troy, she will help you become a part of the scheme.
What prompted you to adapt this book for the stage?
Luke Haywood, Director: I adapted it practically by accident. I’ve always loved farces and I was browsing the Kindle Store when I came across the short story ‘Let’s Get Lade’. I thought it had potential to work perfectly as a play, so almost as an exercise of boredom I started adapting it, and it came together really well. It’s all set in one room, so it’s translated well to allow the action to happen right in front of you. I actually messaged the author on Facebook, and he was so pleased that someone would take the time to adapt it, that he gave it to us for free!
What kind of action, themes and characters can the audience expect?
Flora Tiley, ‘Wilmer’: Expect physical comedy as well as things getting entertainingly lost in translation. Every character is so rich in themselves; they are all completely different, but completely ridiculous, extremes and caricatures!
Beca Roberts: There are quite a few hard-hitting plays produced by Theatre Group, but this is the production that showcases everyone’s comedic side and shows us in a different light.
How do you think they will go away feeling after watching the play?
Jocelyn Cheeks: The whole play is based on a series of misunderstandings, layers and layers of confusion and misinterpretation – complete with Russian and Scouse accents! Expect a quick-paced and fun journey from start to finish. We want the audience to be tired from laughing because there’s so much energy throughout the play.
Simply watching some of the cast and crew’s rehearsal certainly delivered on their promise of numerous chuckles and I cannot wait to see their finished product this week. Head down to the Banham if you want a live night of laughs, hilarity and ridiculousness!
Theatre Group’s ‘Let’s Get Lade’ runs from 11th-13th November at The Banham (a Stage@Leeds venue).
Tickets are £6.50 for students and are available at www.Leedstickets.com, Stage@Leeds Box Office and the Union.
Image Sources
1. http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/i/MSNBC/Components/Video/__NEW/tdy_beatles_140127.jpg
2. http://stage.leeds.ac.uk/whatson/lets-get-lade/
3.https://www.facebook.com/luutheatregroup/photos/gm.1486578124952988/820886027932361/?type=1&theater