ROUNDERS, the Stephen Joseph Theatre’s youth theatre group, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Scarborough by assembling past and present members to perform the premiere of All Delighted People tomorrow and Saturday.
Written by Scarborough playwright and University of York alumnus Christopher York, the play is set in a derelict fairground, a place of cider, chips and gravy, where the world can be put to rights and young minds united.
"I've been lucky enough to work with director Cheryl Govan and the Rounders in developing this play," says York. "We spent evenings discussing what it means to grow up in Scarborough. There is so much love there, but I identified with the recurring notion of wanting to break free from the castle walls, to escape, if only for a moment.
"Scarborough is beautiful, it is home, but being a young person, with no money, in the middle of November, in a tourist destination is difficult. You get itchy feet and you just want to fly away and dance."
Govan adds: "We are really excited to be celebrating 40 years of Rounders. All Delighted People is a great way to mark the youth theatre’s commitment to new writing and nurturing locally grown talent. It’s exciting, bold and entertaining and reflects our current cohort of young people’s thoughts on what it’s like to be a teenager in our town."
The SJT youth theatre has played a vital role in nurturing and developing creative talent in Scarborough. "Rounders alumni include Joanne Froggatt, from Downton Abbey, Billy Howle, from On Chesil Beach, and Samuel Barnett, from Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. Who knows what stars of the future you may see?" says Govan.
"I identified with the recurring notion of wanting to break free from the castle walls, to escape, if only for a moment," says Scarborough writer Christopher York
Performed by children from the 12 to 14 groups, 15-plus group and ex-Rounders members, All Delighted People will be the first of two Christopher York plays at the SJT this summer.
The second, Build A Rocket, with its story of teenage pregnancy, will be previewed in Scarborough on July 24 and 25 before heading to the Pleasance Courtyard as the SJT's first ever production at the Edinburgh Fringe from August 1 to 27. Shows will be at 4.30pm each day, including Sundays, and ten more performances of this one-woman show starring Serena Manteghi will follow in Scarborough from August 31 to September 8.
Born and brought up in Scarborough, York attended Gladstone Road Junior School, Graham School and Scarborough Sixth Form College before studying at the University of York's theatre, film and television department and training at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.
His short plays Jimbob, Seven People, A Million Little Hands and Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl have been performed at The Arcola, Southwark Playhouse and the Arts Theatre, London, and his play 212 is in development after featuring at both The Bunker Theatre and Theatre Deli, London, in 2017.
All Delighted People can be seen in the Round at the SJT at 7.30pm tomorrow and 2.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday. Tickets for this play and Build A Rocket are on sale on 01723 370541 or at sjt.uk.com.
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