St. Ives Youth Theatre - News Release
	Date:	25th February 2010
	Subject	Youth Theatre on the Attack
	Contacts	For press enquiries about St. Ives Youth Theatre, please contact Ian Lloyd on 07803 088185. More information about the St Ives Youth Theatre is available on www.siyt.co.uk

Members of the St. Ives Youth Theatre are gearing up for a double bill next week at the Black Theatre in St. Ives, when they stage an adaptation of William Golding’s classic story, ‘Lord of the Flies’ and an American piece of theatre based on true events in Thursford High School, Bang Bang You’re Dead.

‘Both plays explore violence among young people’ said Artistic Director, Jonathan Salt, who is directing Lord of the Flies.  ‘It is a subject that affects many people, whether in school, at home, or out on the street.  It is a play fundamentally about bullying, and we know that that exists at every level of society, even as we have seen recently at Government level.  Both plays give us the opportunity to explore the causes and effects of violence, and look at how we can actually improve the world we live in.’

Once again, SIYT are pushing the boundaries to help prepare for the production.  Bang Bang You’re Dead tells the story of Josh, a disaffected teenager, who shot dead his parents and 5 school colleagues.  In preparing to portray this troubled character, SIYT member Michael Hudson, is due to spend time locked up in a police cell, and the cast are spending time with the Armed Response Team in the Cambridgeshire Police Constabulary. The play is directed by up and coming local director, Tyler Mortimer. “The play premiered in the school where a mass shooting took place” said Mortimer, “with roles taken by people wounded and directly affected by this bloody act and this was only a few days before the infamous Colombine High School massacre”.  The cast of Lord of the Flies also spent a weekend at Buckden Towers having to be totally self-sufficient - including cooking and washing up! Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of children abandoned on a desert island with no adults and no rules.

Photographs of rehearsals and SIYT members can be made available for interview.

Performances will be 9 - 11th March 2010 at the Black Theatre in Burgess Hall, St. Ives. Tickets are available from Hephers Electrical, Crown Street, St. Ives.

More information about the production and St Ives Youth Theatre is available on www.siyt.co.uk 

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For press enquiries for St. Ives Youth Theatre, please contact Ian Lloyd on 07803-088185