BILL ELMS ASSOCIATES| PRESS RELEASE
Thu 16 August 2012|For Immediate Release ______
EPSTEIN PLAY ANNOUNCED AS PART OF
HOMOTOPIA ARTS FESTIVAL
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The producers of the long-awaited new production ‘EPSTEIN - The Man Who Made The Beatles’, have announced that the play is now officially part of Liverpool’s established annual Homotopiainternationalarts festival, which runs throughout November in venues across the city.
Homotopia is an annual festival of local, national and international LGB&T (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) arts & culture and have co-commissioned the writing of the play and also forms part of Homotopia’s official 2012 programme. ‘EPSTEIN - The Man Who Made The Beatles’ is brought to you by Bill Elms & Jen Heyes Productions Ltd(Tales from Haunted Liverpool, Tales From Charles Dickens), written by Andrew Sherlock (Wall Talks and The Shankly Show) and created and directed by Jen Heyes (Blood Wedding, RLPO Spirit of Christmas and Wall Talks).
Gary Everett, Artistic Director of Homotopiasaid “Homotopia is thrilled to be involved with the forthcoming EPSTEIN production. Andrew Sherlock has written a very stylish piece and we are proud that it's one of the brand new commissions at this year’s Homotopia festival. Brian Epstein was a true genius who made a significant contribution to popular culture. The play is a timely reminder of this.”
‘EPSTEIN The Man Who Made The Beatles’ is the opening highlight of the newly refurbished 380 seat Epstein Theatre (formerly The Neptune) named after Brian and will raise the curtain from 15 Nov – 1 Dec 2012. The play is also part of the official programme of Liverpool’s 50th Anniversary of The Beatles.
Bill Elms, Co-Producer of Epstein said “Jen and I are grateful to Gary and the Homotopia team for co-commissioning the writing of the production, Gary has been enthusiastic and supported the creation of the project from the early idea stages many years ago, we are proud that the production is part of this ever-growing LGB&T arts festival.”
The two-hander multi-media play charts Brian Epstein’s adult life and illustrious career from his drama school days to managing the world’s biggest pop group. Brian’sshort life was crammed with success and controversy; an intelligent man whose presence, taste, vision and passion left a lifelong impact on the world.Born in Liverpool in 1934 to Jewish descent and openly homosexual, he spent his early adult life working for the family business NEMS(North End Music Stores), between being drafted into the Royal Army Service Corps and moving to London to joining RADA and living a more openly gay life, he returned to Liverpool to manage the new NEMS city centre music store making it one of the biggest in the North. Not long after was the historic lunchtime visit to the famous Cavern Club to hear four Liverpool lads perform and the rest was history.Brian died in 1967 of an accidental overdose at the age of 32.
Brian Epsteinwas best known as a music entrepreneur and legendary manager ofThe Beatles and was the person responsible for their rise to mega-stardom all over the world. He also managed other popular artists such as Gerry & The Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer, The Foremost, The Dakotas and Cilla Black.
EPSTEINThe Play is sponsored by Gregory Abrams Davidson LLP Solicitors (Matthew Street and Penny Lane).
The production partners: The Cavern, The Beatles Story, Hard Days Night Hotel, Magical Mystery Tour, FabCabs Beatles Tours, Annexe Inc andLiverpool Echo.
The official charity of production is C.A.L.M.
More information on Epstein the Play can be found at .
LISTING INFORMATION
EPSTEIN the Play
The Epstein Theatre
Hanover Street, Liverpool, L1 3DY
Thu 15 November – Sat 1 December 2012
Preview Performances: 15-17 November 2012
Thu and Sat Matinees: 2.30pm | Mon – Sat Evenings: 7.30pm
Ticket Prices: £10-£24 (Concessions Available)
How to Book:
Box Office: 0844 8000 410* or 0844 888 4411. Online at or or or in person at the TicketQuarter, Queens Square, Liverpool*
*Subject to booking fee.
-ENDS-
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NOTES TO EDITOR
For further information, review tickets, images and interview requests please contact: Bill Elms Associates Ltd-Bill Elms on 0151 245 0135 |
Press Performance: Monday 19 November @ 7.30pm
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
Produced by Bill ElmsJen Heyes Productions Limited
Written by Andrew Sherlock
Executive Producer: Jen Heyes
Designer: Amanda Stoodley
Marketing and PR:Bill Elms Associates Ltd
Cast to be announced shortly
Sponsored by Gregory Abrams Davidson LLP Solicitors
Writing co-commissioned by Homotopia
Production Partners: The Cavern, The Beatles Story, Hard Days Night Hotel, Magical Mystery Tour, FabCabs Beatles Tours, Annexe IncandLiverpool Echo.
Official Charity: C.A.L.M
More about Homotopia
Homotopia is a Liverpool based arts & social justice organisation making art, interventions and participation that inspires and unites communities. Every November it presents an annual festival of local, national and international LGB&T (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) arts & culture featuring an eclectic programme including theatrical world premieres, contemporary dance, visual art, debate, youth & community participation, heritage & film.Programming trailblazers and award winning social justice projects and education outreach workthroughout the year. One of the key cultural festivals in the region and a highlight of Liverpool’s European Capital Of Culture 2008 celebrations. Homotopia recently curateda year long'Tom Of Finland Retrospective' in Turku, Finland as part of their European Capital Of Culture 2011 which attracted 90,000 visitors and currentlypresenting the aforementioned Tom of Finland exhibition at Kulturhuset Stockholm. Currently also developing projects in Poland and Turkey. Homotopia has recently secured a large award from Heritage Lottery Fund to create a 2 year archive & exhibition project on the life of trans pioneer April Ashley who was born in Liverpool in 1935 and will open next autumn.
ANDREW SHERLOCK
Andrew began his professional career as an Associate at the Liverpool Everyman theatre and has since worked extensively as a Theatre Writer and Director nationally, internationally and in the West End. He has won a Vivian Ellis Prize for his musical theatre writing and has numerous credits as a theatre writer and director.
His writing credits also include Sleepover Planet a multi-media download musical for BBC Online, Them’s The Breaks, a drama which received a North West Vision award, Capture The Moment a youth comedy drama which received a BBC new writing award, The Representative, a feature drama commissioned by the NIFTC. His drama/documentaries Digging Of The Tunnel and Best Of Order for BBC Radio Merseyside were both nominated for Sony awards and his afternoon play Jimmy’s Letters was broadcast on Radio 4. He has won new media awards for his work on the Echoes Of Ireland and The World In One City interactive CD-ROMs both commissioned by Liverpool City Council as heritage study aids for schools. He created the multi-media Shankly Show, hit of Liverpool 08 and its transfers to The Royal Court Liverpool and The Liverpool Arena currently out on DVD. His ITV 1 feature TV drama The Girls Who Came To Stay won Alun Armstrong a Royal Television Society Best Actor Award and followed winning a Granada new writing initiative for a feature drama On The Out, which also went on to win the Royal Television Society Award for Best Programme in the North West. He is currently developing new plays for the theatre, including Epstein a bio-dram commissioned for autumn 2012 and Ballroom Boys, a new film feature, based on a true story, about a transvestite ballroom dancer who falls in love with skinhead gang leader in 70’s Liverpool.Andrew has been a regular Drama/Arts adviser to the city of Liverpool and its winning European Capital of Culture team. He is currently Consultant Dramatist, Professional Partnership Specialist and Senior Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University Drama and father to four Liverpool FC supporters.
JEN HEYES
Jen is founder and artistic director of Cut to the Chase Productions Most recently Jen collaborated with Young Tate as artistic director of Curiouser and Curiouser performed at Tate Liverpool (with creative input from Punchdrunk Enrichment) and co produced and directed I Love Vinegar Vera at Joshua Brooks, Manchester.As an artistic director Jen has worked regionally, nationally (touring and individual works) and internationally (Berlin, Porto, Lisbon, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong) working on small, medium and large scale productions. She specialises is multi media site specific theatre and always strives to use live music within her work. In the 2000 Liverpool Echo Arts and Entertainment awards her production of Therese Raquin won the Best Liverpool Production award and she was a finalist in the Best New Talent category as a director. She was the director in residence at the Unity Theatre in 2002. As a finalist in the 2006 Merseyside Women of the Year Awards she was highly commended for her work as a director. In 2007 she co - created Wall Talks with Andrew Sherlock, which earned a five star review in METRO, a large site specific multi media work commissioned by Liverpool Culture Company to mark the 800th birthday of the city and the abolition of the slave trade. Her production of Blood Wedding in 2008 at The Liverpool Playhouse earned a four star review in The Guardian, she commissioned world class Flamenco guitarist Juan Martin to write the music and play live in the production. From Feb to July 2010 she was the artistic director/ creative producer for the Four Corners of the City Exhibition at The Bluecoat Arts Centre - Four Corners is Culture Liverpool’s city wide major participatory arts project .Also in 2010 she worked closely with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in re- working their Spirit of Christmas Concerts with soprano/presenter Lesley Garrett, Dr Ian Tracey conducting, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The RLPO choir and the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir as well as a company of actors. In May 2011 her film These Streets won Best Overall Film Award in The Clapperboard Awards @ The Lowry, Salford Quay. She regularly commissions other artists to create new work for the company as well as bringing together production teams to work on theatre and film projects. As a freelance director Jen regularly works with North West Playwrights on script development, workshop days with up and coming writers. As a vocalist she has just appeared at the Tete a Tete Opera Festival, Riverside Studios, Hammersmith in Closing Schools for The Future directed by Nick Owen MD & composer Gary Carpenter (August 2011) . Jen is looking forward to a very successful and creative partnership as a joint director and founder of Bill Elms and Jen Heyes Productions Ltd.
AMANDA STOODLEY
Amanda trained at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and graduated with a first class honours degree in theatre and performance design, having previously studied and worked in illustration, graphic and interior design. Designs for theatre and exhibition include: Two (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester); Winterlong (Royal Exchange Studio & Soho Theatre); I Know Where The Dead Are Buried (24:7 Theatre Festival, Manchester); Dark Side Of The Building (Unity Theatre, Liverpool); Innovasion - Liverpool Biennial (Hope Street Ltd.); Four Corners (Bluecoat Arts Centre, Liverpool); Wish You Were Here (Liverpool Everyman); Making An Exhibition Of Ourselves (At Home) (Royal Exchange Studio). Co-design and assistant design work includes: Beautiful Thing, Doctor Faustus, 1984, Blithe Spirit, Pub and Three Sisters(Royal Exchange Theatre); Basket Case (Royal & Derngate Theatre); Lucia Di Lammermoor (Grand Opera Houston); Canary (Liverpool Playhouse); Faith Healer (The Sydney Festival); Top Of The World (Spike Theatre - on tour); Cat On a Hot Tin Roof (Novello Theatre); Momo (Stadttheater Bern). Amanda is currently designing Manchester Lines (Manchester Library Theatre), Truth About Youth Festival and Black Roses (Royal Exchange Theatre), Fireface – winner of the JMK Award (Young Vic Theatre) and Epstein (Epstein Theatre, Liverpool).
BILL ELMS
Co-producer of Epstein and Director of Bill Elms Associates Ltd Bill Elms has worked in the theatre industry locally and nationally for 25 years and left a 10 year position as ‘Head of Sales and Marketing’ at the Liverpool Empire Theatre in August 2008, to set up his own Marketing and PR Company based in Liverpool City Centre. Bill Elms Associates Ltd has grown from strength to strength into one of the region’s premier communications companies specialising in the Arts, that has been involved with and successfully managed the marketing and PR contracts of many high-profileevents including theatre, music, comedy children’s shows and many festivals. They have also acquired Marketing and PR contracts with a series of high profile venues such as The Lowry in Salford, Manchester Palace and Opera House,Scarborough Open Air Theatre (Europe’s largest open air theatre), St Helens Theatre Royal, Birmingham Alexandra Theatre and in Bill’s previous role of Head of Marketing at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. Finally they work on National UK Tours and a wide range of theatrical productions in many theatres across the Northwest including various Christmas pantomimes. Bill has also co-produced many productions over the last few years including Ghost Stories – A Night Opera and Frankenstein with composer Neil Campbell and Tales From Haunted Liverpool and Tales From Charles Dickens with director Jen Heyes. Bill is proud that Epstein will be the first key production for new company Bill Elms & Jen Heyes Productions Limited. More information on Bill can be found on