On Saturday 30 May, Vienna Festival Ballet come to Birmingham to play the Old Rep as part of their 35th anniversary celebrations. In the second and final instalment, we speak to Emily-Joy Smith, principal dancer at the Vienna Festival Ballet. 

LMT: How does it feel to be part of the 35th anniversary performance?

EJS: It's a great privilege to be able to celebrate 35 years of Vienna Festival Ballet as one of the company's principal dancers. To be chosen to be Odette (the White Swan) from Swan Lake as well as the other roles I am performing in the Gala is a real honour. With 35 years behind them, I am following in the footsteps of some amazing dancers! VFB have given wonderful opportunities to so many aspiring dancers from all over the world. I feel extremely proud to be part of such a nurturing organisation.

LMT: How long have you been a part of Vienna Festival Ballet?

EJS: This is now my 3rd year with VFB which means I have been part of 6 tours and 7 ballets.

LMT: What have been some of your career highlights?

EJS: VFB have given me so many amazing opportunities over my time here. Off the top of my head I would have to say having a role choreographed on me was really special. In 2013 Vienna brought in choreographer Barry McGrath to stage a brand new version of Snow White; for this I was cast as the Evil Queen. It was the most fun I have had on stage, being able to develop the character and having the role set on me was such a privilege.... And being evil is always fun! My two favourite classics have to be The Sugarplum Fairy from The Nutcracker and The White Swan in Swan Lake, two roles that I never dreamed I would be able to do, but with the amazing guidance from our director and ballet mistress I have gained the confidence to go from a dancer to a ballerina.

LMT: Are you looking forward to performing in The Old Rep, which is such an intimate venue?

EJS: I am very excited to be performing at The Old Rep as it will be my first time dancing at the theatre. It is a new venue for us this tour, but from what we have seen it looks like a very nice theatre. I hope the audience enjoys our performance as much as we enjoy dancing it.

LMT: As a dancer, what challenges do you face performing on various sized stages?

EJS: Every stage is completely different to the one we were at the night before and with 78 different venues you face many challenges every performance. This is one reason why I really enjoy working for a touring company. Some days we have a stage that is huge so you have to really travel every step. Some days we can be in a tiny theatre which means you have to be really aware of who is around you otherwise you could easily kick someone. The main challenge for me is raked stages. This is when the stage is not flat but built on an angle so that the audience can see the whole stage. Although it is visually very effective from the audience’s point of view, for a dancer your whole technique and weight placement has to change so that you don't fall down the stage into the orchestra pit!

LMT: If you could use 3 words to describe this performance what would they be?

EJS: Energetic, because it's a full packed performance! The gala is the best of the best of VFB's repertoire so it's go, go, go, for us dancers. Diverse, because the gala includes 6 different ballets from VFBs repertoire. I have a great challenge of swapping from completely different characters throughout the performance and it means I can really get my teeth into my acting skills. Memorable, as there is something in this performance that will appeal to all. Whether it's a specific dancer, choreographer or costume, there is something that will stay in the audience’s mind long after our performance.

LMT: What would you say to the people of Birmingham who haven't yet booked a ticket?

EJS: What are you waiting for? The dancers and staff at Vienna Festival Ballet are so passionate about what we do. All we want is to entertain and inspire our audiences. With film and television making less and less people go to theatre we really try to bring the magic of stage back to all. If you've never seen ballet before, our gala is great as you get small snippets from ballets to see what takes your fancy. If you’re a ballet lover then you get the classics that everyone knows and loves (with a few new things as a surprise). Once you've been to see a performance of Vienna Festival Ballet you will be hooked! 

For more information and to book for the Vienna Festival Ballet 35th anniversary celebrations on Saturday 30 May, click here or call the Old Rep's box office on 0121 359 9444.

On Saturday 30 May, Vienna Festival Ballet come to Birmingham to play the Old Rep as part of their 35th anniversary celebrations. In the first of two instalments, we speak to Peter Mallek, company director of the Vienna Festival Ballet. 

LMT: It's a significant anniversary for Vienna Festival Ballet, tell us a bit more about the company...

PM: We started the company 35 years ago with just seven girls and three boys. Since then we have expanded quite considerably and have gained a large following of avid fans.

LMT: You endeavour to perform on smaller and more intricate stages - why is this so important?

PM: Bringing the delights of live ballet to audiences who would not normally be able to see it is a key ethos of the company – small and intricate stages tend to come as part and parcel of that!

LMT: What have been some key changes over the years - both with audiences, touring and with the company itself?

PM: Perhaps the most significant change over the years has been the location of our tours. When we started out we toured mainly on the European continent and now we have a very faithful audience in the UK that has kept us busy for many years. We do still venture further afield (we have also toured in Dubai and Kenya) but this tends to be on an exclusive date basis rather than an extended tour. 

LMT: What can audiences expect from this anniversary gala?

PM: Where do I start?! The Anniversary Gala is a very special occasion for us, and for audiences, as we have compiled a spectacular programme of excerpts from several of the most well-known ballets by composers like Tchaikovsky and Gershwin. We have striven to ensure that the best bits of each production is featured and this has ensured that the audience gets the most exciting evening possible. From the classical beauty of the Rose Adage from Sleeping Beauty, to the ground-breaking choreography and music of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, the Gala is a fantastic evening that celebrates the magic of dance.

LMT: If you could use 3 words to describe this performance what would they be?

PM: Glamorous. Exciting. Stunning.

LMT: And finally, what would you say to the people of Birmingham who haven't yet booked a ticket?

PM: Why not?!

For more information and to book for the Vienna Festival Ballet 35th anniversary celebrations on Saturday 30 May, click here or call the Old Rep's box office on 0121 359 9444.

We caught up with Laurie Asher, Award Leader of FdA Performing Arts (Musical Theatre) at South Staffordshire College. He chats to us about his next directing project, Hot Mikado, and the importance of supporting young, up-and-coming talent.

So tell us a bit more about the story of the Hot Mikado...
Hot Mikado is a retelling of Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic operetta but with a jazz/swing/gospel twist. Rather than being sung through as per the original, this is very much a musical, but retains a lot of the silliness and satire of the original, so if you don’t like your musicals funny or camp, you wont like this one!

For those that don’t know the story of The Mikado (and therefore Hot Mikado), Nanki-Poo, the Mikado’s son masquerading as a Second Trumpet player, arrives in the town of Titipu looking for the beautiful Yum-Yum. After bribing various officials he learns that she is still going to be marrying a former tailor turned Lord High executioner, Ko-Ko. Meanwhile, the Mikado demands that Ko-Ko execute one person within the next month. Nanki-Poo agrees to be executed as long as he can spend a month as Yum-Yum’s husband. However, the plan goes awry when the Mikado makes a surprise visit to Titipu and brings with him Katisha, an older woman who is pursuing Nanki-Poo. Luckily, Nanki-Poo is not executed because he is the Mikado’s long lost son.

Hot Mikado enjoyed a West End run in the mid 1990’s and a recent revival tour directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood.

The cast is made up of students from Staffordshire University Foundation Degree Musical Theatre programme, how important is it for people to come and support their work?
I would say more so now than ever, at a time when arts funding is being cut both academically and non-academically, support for anything theatre orientated should be promoted and pushed. Funding cuts to Colleges and Universities are very much in the press at the moment and a lot of the Performing Arts income is supplied by the shows we do, with any profit put back into the resources and shows needed by our students…that's my academic head on!

Aside from that, it's fantastic to watch any Musical Theatre Degree cohort, simply to see up-and-coming talented students prior to them entering the profession, which at degree level, is exactly where they are at. I would also encourage amateur dramatic companies to come along and, to a certain extent, 'talent scout' for any young, trained Musical Theatre students that they may need for their next production; particularly the male contingent given the well-known shortage of young men in amdram! So at the same time, we are a local, untapped resource for that!

How are rehearsals going?
Rehearsals are going really well. As always, my students surprise me each day with what they bring to the table. We have also brought in a couple of graduating BTEC Musical Theatre students from the South Staffordshire College to add to the dancers within the ensemble and they have slotted into the degree cohort/cast seamlessly.

Whenever we rehearse a show like this, we have a 'timetable collapse,' which means that students purely work on rehearsals for the production, much like Drama School, so the process has been very intensive but a lot of fun!

Have you faced any challenges during rehearsals?
I would say so far *touch wood*, it's been fairly fluid. The cast have risen to the occasion, including those few who have come from the BTEC course. Rehearsing a full show over 4 weeks is always a challenge, but they have worked so hard to deliver the goods regardless, with huge amounts of energy.

Describe the show in just 3 words...
Jazzy, colourful…AND CAMP!

What would you say to someone who hasn't booked a ticket yet?
I would say get booking. This is a unique opportunity to see the talented students of one of only two Musical Theatre Degree courses in the West Midlands do their thing – and do it with swing and style! BOOK NOW (Or we will set Katisha on you!)

Hot Mikado plays at Lichfield Garrick from 27 to 30 May. For more information and to book tickets for this show click here or call Lichfield Garrick’s box office on 01543 412 121. 

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We caught up with Coventry Musical Theatre Society's director, Steve Boden, in advance of their production of Oliver! at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, which opens on Thursday 21 May. 

It's not long now until Oliver opens at the Belgrade - how are rehearsals going?
Rehearsals are going really well; it’s the biggest project we have ever undertaken and has a company of over 100 actors, musicians and technical crew.  We have had to move into bigger rehearsal rooms now to accommodate everyone.

How does Oliver! differ to your previous productions?
The biggest difference is that we have over eighty children involved this year.  Normally we have a company of forty adults so this is a really big change in terms of the company size. 

What have been the challenges that you have faced with the show?
The biggest challenge has been co-ordinating the rehearsal process.  We have two teams of children in the show, who alternate performances.  Consequently, we have to rehearse every sequence twice, to make sure both teams are thoroughly rehearsed into the show and understand what is required of them. It’s been hard work but massively rewarding.

What can the audience expect from the show?
Oliver! is a fabulous musical suitable for the whole family.  The audience will see a spectacular retelling of the Charles Dickens tale complete with comedy, drama, and fabulous songs played by a live twelve piece orchestra. They will also see a showcase of some of the best young talent from across the city and some amazing performances from city actors in the principal roles including Fagin, Nancy and Bill Sykes.

Describe the show in just 3 words...
Energetic, Vibrant and Heart-warming

What would you say to someone who hasn't booked a ticket yet? 
Book now and don’t miss this fantastic production of a legendary musical.

For more information and to book tickets click here or call the Belgrade Theatre box office on 024 7655 3055. 

You can find Coventry Musical Theatre Society on Twitter here.
You can find Coventry Musical Theatre Society on Facebook here.