By Press Release
Island-based professional theatre company, Theatre Reviva, has cast two local A-level students, Tom Howarth (IW College) and Fred Valvona (Christ the King College), in their first paid theatre jobs as British infantry soldiers in Journey’s End by R C Sherriff.
Theatre Reviva’s first season on the Island opens with a full-length production of this gripping WWI play. Journey’s End tells the story of a group of soldiers anxiously awaiting a German attack and is full of beautifully-observed humanity and understated heroism. The play is a corkscrew of tension, emotion and drama – with laughs, banter and poignancy along the way.
In writing it, R C Sherriff drew on his personal experiences in the trenches whilst a captain in the East Surrey Regiment.
It was first performed in 1928 with Lawrence Olivier in the lead role – to be played by Graham Pountney in this production. Ebb Phillips, from Ventnor, also joins the production as the German prisoner. Ebb trained at Guildford School of Acting and has performed in many amateur productions with the Island Savoyards.
The Apollo Theatre is hosting the play in its 50th anniversary year, in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday, and welcomes back director and actor, Graham Pountney, who first stood on the Apollo stage in 1970, to rehearse his audition speeches for entry into drama school.
Tom, Fred and Ebb can be seen every night and in the matinees, at the Apollo Theatre in Newport’s Pyle Street from November 1 to 5. You can book tickets on 210010 or apollo-theatre.org.uk.