Theatre team to go the distance (From York Press)

Theatre team to go the distance

7:50am Saturday 15th September 2012 in News

TWO senior members of staff at York Theatre Royal are set to experience the loneliness of the long distance runner for themselves tomorrow when they take part in the Great North Run.

So it is just as well they have had someone on hand to give them a few training tips – the star of their latest production... The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner.

Elliot Barnes-Worell has been running up to 50km a week in rehearsals for the show, which will see him running and acting at the same time for large sections of the action.

The theatre’s head of communications, Abbigail Wright, who is taking part in the run along with chief executive Liz Wilson, said her training had been going pretty well in June and July, but she had fitted in fewer runs during the very busy August when the Mystery Plays were being staged.

She said: “Having Elliot here in York has inspired us to pick up the pace and I did a 10K with him last week.

“It’s amazing that he can run and act at the same time. Speaking while running for me is certainly not an option.”

While Liz is fundraising for Fair Trade, Abbi is running the half marathon for Children’s Cancer Charity CLIC Sargent. To donate to CLIC Sargent, go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ CatherineHarper_AbbiWright

The play is a new production of Alan Sillitoe’s classic short story, now set in Britain’s Olympic year, 2012 and it follows one runner, Colin, a defiant young rebel who finds himself in a young offenders’ institution after being convicted of robbery.

It is part of a government initiative to get offenders into sport – and in his case running – following the success of the Olympics.

Meanwhile, the manager of The Priory pub in Micklegate is also taking part in tomorrow’s Great North Run to raise money for cancer research.

Lee Daggett, 34, who hails from the north-east and has been training every night, said he had got more than £700 in sponsorship.