Stax in final stages of rehearsals (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Stax in final stages of rehearsals

2:10pm Wednesday 1st April 2009

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FINAL rehearsals for the Seen & Heard production are taking this week – and writer and director Stephen Hall has faith that his young charges will deliver.

Anvil Arts’ Youth Performance Group Stax, which held open auditions for its first production earlier this year, is putting its first performances on at The Haymarket tonight and Thursday.

Stephen, who is programme leader for drama at The University of Winchester, said: “This is Anvil Arts’ way of addressing their youth remit, and I thought rather than do an existing show that I should devise and write something, and that it would be interesting to speak to the youths and tease out things that are going on in their own lives, so it gives them a sense of ownership of the piece.

“It’s been quite intensive but a lot of fun, and we’ve been lucky to have an excellent team.”

The young people involved are aged between 14 and 18 and feature in all aspects of the production, which is about teenage insecurities, pressures and aspirations.

Mr Hall added that the intention behind Stax is for the young participants to stay with the company and develop through its one or potentially two productions a year. Wednesday’s performance is for school groups, while Thursday night is a public performance.

Both evenings start at 7.30pm, and tickets, at £5, can be purchased from the Anvil Arts box office, on 01256 844244, or at anvilarts.org.uk.

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