JAMIE Jones-Buchanan, the Leeds Rhinos Rugby League legend, is starring with 35 Leeds actors and musicians in a new community play about the city's inspiring role in the Battle of the Somme.
Running until June 25, Red Ladder Theatre Company, Leeds Civic Arts Guild and Leeds Carriageworks Theatre present the world premiere of Leeds Lads, co-written by Anthony Clavane and Nick Stimson, directed by Rod Dixon and designed by Ali Allen.
Coinciding with the centenary anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, the play follows a young woman’s journey into Leeds’s secret past, transporting the audience from the turmoil and tensions of war to the multi-cultural city of today.
Leeds Lads depicts the people of Leeds, past and present: their fears, their love and their friendships, performed by the people of Leeds today and written by the writers behind Red Ladder's 2012 production of Clavane's Promised Land.
Emma Tugman and Jamie Jones-Buchanan in a scene from Leeds Lads. Picture: Malcolm Johnson
Selected through a vigorous open audition, the community cast has had the opportunity to learn about professional theatre under the direction of Red Ladder artistic director Rod Dixon, working in collaboration with musical director Sam Sommerfeld, a graduate of Leeds College of Music, and movement director Natasha Harrison, a graduate of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
Great Britain international Jamie Jones-Buchanan is making his stage debut. “Rehearsals for Leeds Lads were fantastic," he said before the show opened last Friday. "Each cast member moves through the rehearsal with a real focus. Like playing rugby, there’s a physical projection in acting and the communication is every bit as important as in a big game.
"Every member works hard as an individual for the purpose of serving the team as a whole. Rod [Dixon], like my coach Brian McDermott, has a huge amount of emotional awareness and knows how to produce an environment in which we can thrive as a group. I am fortunate to be working with an extremely talented and diverse group of men and women.”
Among the Leeds Pals who fought and died at the Battle of Somme were members of the Leeds Rugby League club and Buchanan, who is a trustee of the Leeds Rhinos Foundation, believes that the Leeds Lads project is a fitting tribute to the former players and fellow Leeds Pals.
Red Ladder are further building on their relationship with Leeds Rhinos, following on from their performance of Playing The Joker at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium in 2014.
Evening performances of Leeds Lads start at 7.30pm; Saturday matinee at 2pm. Box office: 0113 376 0318 or at carriageworkstheatre.org.uk
Jamie Jones-Buchanan had to forego the June 17 performance of Leeds Lads on account of "scheduling commitments". Those commitments would have been helping his other Leeds lads, Leeds Rhinos, beat Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 32-6 at the Belle Vue Stadium.
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