Press release:

South London Youth Theatre and Melmoth present: Stay With Me, by Stuart Draper, directed by Stuart Draper & Maria Bates
at the Greenwich Playhouse, 26th July to 19th August, 7.45pm
Box office: 020 8858 9256 or boxoffice@galleontheatre.co.uk


NB. Hi-res images available on request

PRESS CONTACT: Ronae Jolliffe
 
In March 2006, the South London Youth Theatre performed Stay With Me, a new play written especially for them by Melmoth's artistic director. The play was an instant success - and has now been offered a four week professional transfer to the prestigious Greenwich Playhouse.

'It's a dream come true for the children, many of whom wish to pursue a professional career in acting. But in order for the production to go ahead we need to raise £4000,' explains Melmoth's artistic director, Stuart Draper. 'Costume hire, marketing, insurance costs all mount up. We've launched an online campaign to try and raise the funds. We're confident we can do it - it's a great show, and we have fantastic support.'

'Many of the children are under 16, and we have to arrange transport to and from the venue,' explains Youth Theatre Director, Ronae Jolliffe. 'That alone costs almost £2000.'

'Parents and friends of the theatre have been very generous, and we have raised two thirds of what we need. But we still need that magic £4000.'

The producers have set up a website at www.melmothproductions.com/stay/ that explains how individuals and companies can donate securely online. Through a partnership with justgiving.com, all donations eligible for tax relief qualify under the government's gift aid scheme - giving extra money back into the production.

About the plays

Stay With Me consists of two plays, the first set in a concentration camp in Germany and the second in a bombed-out cellar in the South of England, with the events taking place over the same three nights. As the stakes are raised, fifteen children, thousands of miles apart discover together first hand the true meaning of friendship, love, and death - and what it is to be truly human.

Stay With Me (This Is My Story)
23 January 1945. It's cold. Very cold. The children in 5B47D are starving. But they have each other. They have each other because they are Jewish. When Blieta, a young Sinti girl, is thrown into their dormitory, she sparks off rivalries that question the alliances made, and throws into doubt the survival of the children present.

Stay WIth Me (That Lovely Land)
23 January 1945. A stray bomb hits a school in the South of England trapping five children in its cellar. No one knows they're there and time is running out. Slipping in and out of the past, Daisy revisits the night she grew up. She's been doing it every night in her dreams for the past sixty years. But tonight is different. Because tonight Daisy is going home.

DIRECTOR (THIS IS MY STORY): MARIA BATES
DIRECTOR (THAT LOVELY LAND): STUART DRAPER
FIGHT DIRECTOR: ANTON KRAUSE
PRODUCER: RONAE JOLLIFFE
SET DESIGN: DAVE HOLLANDER
SOUND & LIGHTING DESIGN: BONAMEDIA LTD
STAGE MANAGER: DAVID CLEMENTS
COSTUME DESIGN: LISA THOMAS