Theatre and Dance Previews

This summer sees the new St George's Square in Luton transformed for the town's first ever open air music and theatre festival.

For a full five weeks spanning July and August, the centre of the town will play host to a feast of live entertainment, featuring a cocktail of new and seasoned artists mixed together to create summer fun for all ages.

Viva Las Vegas

With a mix of free and ticketed events, highlights include a touch of “Squeeze” as Chris Difford performs with his new band, classics from the musicals, memories of Elvis, the Pasadena Roof orchestra, theatre shows such as Peter Pan and a chance to relive the fun of the 70s with Bee Gees and ABBA tributes. You will also be able to “Rock on Tommy” with jungle survivors Cannon and Ball!

There will also be celebrations of local talent including a day of new and unsigned live music, hosted by Gareth Lloyd - presenter of "The Box Office", a new programme on BBC Three Counties Radio for local entertainment and unsigned music.

This week, Andy Grays, the manager of the Arts Service for Luton Borough Council, told Katy Lewis what people could expect from the Festival.

How did all this come about?

Andy: Well, the St George's Square has undergone a huge re-development over the last year to 18 months. There was a group within the Council who were planning it and making sure it actually got finished and then a few people said what's happening afterwards, so the Council decided to put some money into the first year to say "OK let's put something together".

Then, through the normal way that things happen in the Council, through Committees and through meetings, somebody said you'd better speak to the arts people and that's how it's come about. We were given a budget and told to make it happen but we wanted to do something which really celebrated the opportunity of the Square itself, which would make use of the square as a landmark and also get as many people involved as possible. So we've kind of produced what I think is a very broad based summer festival.

Peter Pan

How would you describe the event?

Andy: You've got two things. You've got an open air theatre which will seat 600 people which will put on a number of ticketed events. People will come into an auditorium, albeit in the open air, and there will be an absolutely huge stage in front of them. They can buy tickets for a range of acts including Cannon and Ball, Chris Difford, and some family theatre shows such as Treasure Island and Peter Pan.

But at the same time we can change the format so that the seats come away and we'll have some music-based events and free concerts. There are two specific free concerts, one's called Live in Luton which is an activity to promote local music artists who have played at the Hat Factory over the last couple of years and the other one is a BBC Three Counties radio promotion which is celebrating some of the best local Indie-bands. These will allow people to come in, sit on the step seating or stand around and enjoy a real variety of live music.

We also have some free children's theatre where parents can come along on a Thursday morning in the summer holidays and see a range of children's theatre which lasts up to about an hour. For instance, there's The Jungle Book and a very popular character called Doctor Palfi who's been coming to the Library Theatre for the past 20 years or so, and we've got some magic as well, so you've got a real mixture of traditional theatre, concerts, and children's entertainment.

Thank You For The Music

So it's a mixture of all different genres for all different ages, some of it's ticketed, some of it's free - and that's what you wanted to achieve?

Andy: Yes - we wanted to put on some work that probably hadn't been seen in Luton because we don't have a middle scale theatre. We have smallish venues like the Library Theatre and the Hat Factory, and while we're really pleased with the programming we put on in those venues, we can't really put on Cannon and Ball or some of the bigger family shows like Treasure Island or Peter Pan or the Pasadena Roof Orchestra. That's a 10-12 piece orchestra and you couldn't fit it on one of our stages!

So it gives us the opportunity of going towards the middle scale venue and getting much bigger acts to come down to Luton and hopefully the weather will be fantastic and people will be able to relax in the sun and really enjoy a real mixture of entertainment.

Is there any provision for inclement weather?

Andy: The thing about open air theatre is that it will always go on because the actual stage is covered. The only thing that we would suggest to people who want to come and see theatre is that if the weather isn't great, they should dress appropriately. We will still go ahead with the thing because generally the weather will be warm. But we hope it's going to be nice!

Cannon and Ball

What does it mean for the people of Luton having a festival like this?

Andy: I think it's the first thing that they will have the chance to witness in the middle of Luton. We're good at doing big events in Luton like the Carnival and we do the Mela which is also happening in the Square this year. But this is a chance to do something on a bigger scale but over a longer period of time, over five weeks. This kind of activity is not happening anywhere else in the region - it's very wide ranging, it's not just music and not just theatre, it's a bit of everything and therefore I'm hoping that all parts of the community have the opportunity to feel that they are being catered for. I just think we're looking at offering something which we haven't done before right in the middle of the town centre.

So it really is a chance for the whole community to come out and enjoy?

Andy: I hope so. I hope that people will come and see the ticketed events and really enjoy the free events. Obviously the more people that come out, then there's a greater chance that those people who fund this event through the Council will want to do the same thing in future years. If people don't come out and support the Summer Festival then the Council will see it as a response to this kind of activity so we would obviously encourage people to really support this and support something which is good for Luton. Luton has had some bad press recently, people don't remember that Luton has some wonderful cultural opportunities. We don't shout out about it enough, yet here we are doing something, so we really want people to enjoy this.

So it's not necessarily a one-off?!

Andy: I would hope that we could convince the people who hold the purse strings to do it again in the future!

What's On highlights

Weather Advice

In case of bad weather please check the status of forthcoming shows on 01582 547474 or 547473.

A decision will be made, where possible, two hours before the start of each performance on whether the show will proceed, be cancelled or be moved to an indoor venue.

July

Tuesday 17 July: 7.30pm
Luton Youth Concert Band
An evening of classical and popular music including Theme from Harry Potter, Beatles - Echoes of an Era and excerpts from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

Wednesday 18 July: 7.30pm
Luton Youth Orchestra & Luton Youth Chamber Choir
An evening of classical and popular music including highlights from the musical Wicked, movements from Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.5, Malcolm Arnold's Little Suite for Orchestra and Medley from Les Miserables.

Friday 20 July: 7.30pm
Luton Youth Jazz Orchestra
An evening of big band, jazz and swing, including Beyond the Sea, I'm in the Mood for Love and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

Saturday 21 July: 2.00pm – 5.00pm
Headstart presents .... Live in Luton in the Square
Showcasing the best in local talent as featured on the Live in Luton CD, including Nemo, RajD, CJ Music, George Anthony, The Suspects Laurence Robinson and Ryan Coggins.
FREE

Sunday 22 July: 6.30pm
Cannon and Ball
With support from singer Donna Canale
Tommy Cannon & Bobby Ball have for 40 years been one of Britain’s top comedy double acts. Their presentation style is the classic straight man / funny man
format, which is arguably their trademark. for the first time ever it will feature a Question and Answer element!

Friday 27 July: 7.30pm
Chris Difford Band
Support from Colin Shanley
Chris Difford (of Squeeze) will be playing with his new five-piece band to promote his new album 'Another Day Above Ground' to be released in the Autumn 2007. Chris will be playing material from both his solo albums as well as all the Squeeze hits – so get ready to sing “Cool for Cats” with one of the UK's greatest singer songwriters.

Saturday 28 July: 6.30pm
Sunday 29 July: 3.00pm & 6.30pm
Treasure Island
All aboard, shipmates, for the nautical adventure of a lifetime, as Jim Hawkins and crew set sail, in search of buried treasure. Chief Pirate Long John Silver himself will tread the boards, complete with one leg and parrot, leading a party of desperate mutineers as they attempt to foil our hero’s attempt to find Captain Flint’s long-buried hoard. A fantastic show for all the family.

August

Thursday 2 August: 11.00am – 12.00pm
The Jungle Book
Colourful adaptation of the Jungle Book. Follow the adventures of Mowgli and his animal friends. Meet Baloo the bear, Bagheera the panther and their enemy Shere Khan in this enthralling version of Kipling’s timeless tale.
FREE

Friday 3 August: 7.30pm
Viva Las Vegas Live
Experience Elvis’s greatest hits backed by an amazing band and costumes which dazzle as brightly as Vegas.

Saturday 4 August: 12.00pm – 8.00pm
BBC Three Counties Radio introducing...
Join BBC Three Counties Radio for a day of new and unsigned live music. 10 local bands will be playing live from midday till 8pm, hosted by the BBC's Gareth Lloyd - presenter of "The Box Office" which is a new programme on BBC Three Counties Radio for local entertainment and unsigned music.
FREE

Sunday 5th August: 12.00pm - 8.00pm
Luton Mela Festival
This years Luton Mela Festival will highlight the best in Asian performance and Visual Arts, St Georges Square will play host to a number of International, National and local South Asian Performers, showcasing Bhangra, Bollywood Bangla Qawwali as well as Asian Urban Performances.
FREE

Saturday 11 August: 6.30pm
Sunday 12 August: 3.00pm & 6.30pm
Chalkfoot Theatre Arts
Peter Pan
This exhilarating outdoor production is based on J M Barrie’s classic children’s story of the boy who refused to grow up.

Friday 17 August: 7.30pm
The Masters of the House Sing the Musicals
Don’t miss this musical feast featuring former stars from Les Miserables performing in concert, taking many of the best known songs from the world of musical theatre and blended them together with a collection of theatrical anecdotes.

Saturday 18 August: 7.00pm
The Pasadena Roof Orchestra – Here & Now
Experience an evening of rare musical entertainment, toe-tapping fun and syncopated sophistication with the ten multi-talented musicians and the two sensational singers of the Pasadena Roof Orchestra.

Sunday 19 August: 6.30pm
Thank You For The Music
It’s time to pull out your glitziest costume for the festival climax as Bee Gees and ABBA Magic comes to town. The show will celebrate all that is best about disco featuring hits like Stayin’ Alive, Night Fever and How Deep is Your Love from the Bee Gees along side ABBA classics such as Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Thank You For The Music.

Box Office: 01582 547474 or 01582 878100

Weather Advice

In case of bad weather please check the status of forthcoming shows on 01582 547474 or 547473.

A decision will be made, where possible, two hours before the start of each performance on whether the show will proceed, be cancelled or be moved to an indoor venue.