Thomas Frere and Cal Stockbrige in Clap Trap Theatre’s Switcheroo
NORTH Yorkshire company Clap Trap Theatre will stage Tom Needham’s Switcheroo at York Theatre Royal Studio from May 22 to 24.
Billed as “unique and entertaining”, the play is based on the very simple premise that “it’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it”.
Penned by the BAFTA-nominated Needham, the story follows three siblings who, when it comes to scattering their mother’s ashes, are hit with a bombshell revelation that turns their world upside down.
The first act is a full-blown, larger than life comedy. After the interval, the actors swap characters to repeat it as a serious drama.
Directed by Riding Lights artistic director Paul Birch, the cast features Thomas Frere (Alex/Sam), whose credits include Candide(Liverpool Everyman) and Return To The Forbidden Planet (UK tour), Clap Trap co-founder Cal Stockbridge (Sam/Pat), who has starred in A Midsummer Night’s Dreamand Doubt andDominic Goodwin (Pat/Alex), seen previously in Two, The Long Mirror and Not About Heroes.
Dominic Goodwin, left, and Thomas Frere in Clap Trap Theatre’s production of Tom Needham’s Switcheroo
Clap Trap Theatre was founded in 2007 by Stockbridge and Gareth Jenkins to “bring intimate theatrical productions of both new and classical works to a wide variety of venues around Yorkshire and beyond”.
They rehearse at a small holding near Pickering, in Ryedale, in a converted barn shared with bats. “Over the past 18 years, we’ve performed in arts centres, major theatres, village halls, Methodist chapels, and Quaker meeting houses all over the UK,” says Cal.
“We’ve commissioned and performed seven new plays during this period and we’re delighted to be touring Tom Needham’s Switcheroo, opening at the York Theatre Royal Studio in May.”
Clap Trap Theatre in Switcheroo, York Theatre Royal Studio, May 22, 7.45pm; May 23, 7.45pm with post-show discussion; May 24, 2.30pm and 7.45pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.