THE MILLER CENTRE YOUNG PLAYERS

The Miller Centre's own youth theatre group meets every Monday and is for young people aged 8 to 16. They work on all kinds of acting techniques using well-known plays and devised theatre. They perform at the Miller Centre, in other local theatres and festivals.

For information about joining please contact Vicky Bovingdon on 07723 014723 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

PREVIOUS PRODUCTIONS:

RomeoJ web3ROMEO AND JULIET

by William Shakespeare

21 & 22 July 2023

You’ll find yourself in the middle of a market brawl between two households, rivals in the cut-throat world of competing coffee shops! It’s fun and energetic with all the conflict and romance you’d expect to find in this play. 

Our protagonists find themselves in a tricky situation, so Romeo goes to seek some friendly advice from “Friars”, the local barbers. The play takes a deadly turn for our lovers when an extremely important letter goes missing (rumour has it that the nurse used it to throw away her chewing gum!), leaving our piano playing hero, Romeo, with no choice other than to visit the dodgy owner of “Superdrug” to help him. 


James Giant Peach poster RGBJAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH

by Roald Dahl, adapted by Richard George

15 & 16 July 2022

 

A magical peach! An imprisoned boy! Insect friends! An incredible journey! This amazing adventure of James Henry Trotter will fulfil the fantasy of anyone who has ever dreamed of escape. Roald Dahl's story comes hilariously to life in this delightful dramatisation that reveals the wickedness of some, the goodness of others, and the indecision encountered by many when they are faced with crises. You will see James (as he cleverly gets the Peach out of danger), the wise Old-Green-Grasshopper and the pessimistic Earthworm. You will also see James' mean Aunt Spiker and cruel Aunt Sponge come to a suitably sticky end. The action is tied together by the Narrator, a storyteller, motivator, MC and audience friend.


RobinHoodposterROBIN HOOD

Based on the book The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle. Adapted for the stage by Michael Marrone

30 & 31 July 2021

Heroic beginnings. Epic battles. Daring rescues. Bumbling henchmen. First love. This new telling of Nottingham’s most famous outlaw has it all! Forced into exile in Sherwood Forest, the young Robin of Locksley learns to become a leader of an outlaw band dedicated to resisting the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. It's all merry adventures and celebratory dances until the Sheriff strikes a devastating blow to the young rebels and forces Robin to make a difficult decision. Can he be the hero that Nottingham needs... even if it means losing his life?

TwelfthNight 001William Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT

Adapted by Vicky Bovingdon

19 & 20 July 2019

Yet again, the Young Players will perform our season finale. This year they will be tackling Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”, which promises to be lots of fun.

You will be transported to a beach resort called Illyria where you’ll find yourselves listening to Oasis, Take That and the Spice Girls! Yes, that’s right! The play is set in the 90’s on an under 18’s holiday island. Ah, bliss! Join us in Club Illyria where you’ll witness wild parties hosted by DJ Sir Toby Belch, sophisticated gatherings on Orsino’s yacht and a love triangle caused by shipwrecked Viola (who decides that dressing in her missing twin brother’s clothes and calling herself Cesario were good ideas!) Amidst this mayhem we find poor Olivia who falls in love with Cesario … or is it Viola?  This is a wonderful Shakespearean comedy that we know all the family will enjoy!

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COLLECTED GRIMM TALES

by Grimm Brothers, Tim Supple, Carol Ann Duffy

21 & 22 July 2018

The Grimm tales are an enchanting collection of stories well known to children and adults alike. This production revisits the most popular and famous collection of folktales in the world and brings them together into one exciting performance. The Young Players will perform Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Cap (Little Red Riding Hood), Ashputtel (Cinderella), The Golden Goose, Snow White and Rumpelstiltskin. Tim Supple's dramatisation enables us to retell the stories in a unique style. You'll feel like you've entered a construction site where the stories are told by young actors in hard hats & dungarees! "The stage is the setting, the atmosphere of the stories is the cement, and the audience's imagination provides the rest". It promises to be an unforgettable evening of magic and creativity from a very talented cast of young actors.

 

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Photos: Keith Orton

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THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

Adapted by Glyn Maxwell from the book by Kenneth Grahame

21 & 22 July 2017

“Oh it's not a day for cleaning! Perhaps it's a day for nothing I expected” So says little Moley as she ventures out into the Wide World for the first time, a realm of sunshine and darkness, comfort and threat. There she will meet the friendly Ratty, secretly dreaming of lives he could have led, the mystical Badger from the deep heart
of the Wild Wood, and of course the splendid and preposterous Toad of Toad Hall, who lives life to the full and leaves chaos in his wake. Meanwhile, somewhere in the shadows, a certain Weasel is hatching a plan that would ruin Moley's world forever ...

Glyn Maxwell's Wind in the Willows tells the beloved tale once more in all its wistful charm, set in a timeless England where a spirit of friendship, grace and compassion 'lets the best be done, and the worst undone.'

This modern retelling of Kenneth Grahame’s classic story, performed here by the talented Miller Centre Young Players, was premiered in July 2015 in the Open Air Theatre at Grosvenor Park, Chester. It is fast-moving, fun and full of all the characters you know and love.

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 Photos: Jan Kool

DraculaDRACULA

A thriller by Bram Stoker, adapted for the stage by David Calcutt.

22 & 23 July 2016

This is the story of the vampire who rises from the grave at night to feast on the blood of innocent young ladies. The original story, written by Bram Stoker in 1987, remains a favourite and has thrilled cinema audiences in numerous horror film versions.

Today's play, by David Calcutt, is adapted especially to be performed by young actors. It simplifies the story and changes the theme to suit the modern stage - for example, the evil Dracula is destroyed through the work of the two female characters, particularly Mina. But you will not be disappointed.

The action will still send a shiver down your spines as you watch these very talented young players bring the whole dreadful tale to life - and death

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Photos: Chris Myers

MidsummerNDream200A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

by William Shakespeare, adapted by Victoria Bovingdon

17 & 18 July 2015

A cast and crew of twenty-five young people will present a fresh version of Shakespeare’s popular A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The powerful story of four lovers who switch partners through the trickery of the mischievous Puck. As Lysander tells us: ‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’ The chaos erupts before our eyes, as human and magical worlds collide. We’ll see Hermia’s feud with with Helena over Lysander and Demetrius, the lovers tiff between Titania and Oberon (the fairy King and Queen) and a play-within-a-play introduced by a kindly group of fellows named ‘The Mechanicals’. 

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Photos: Tony Gingell

Alice poster200ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

by Lewis Carroll, adapted by Adrian Mitchell (commissioned and first produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company)

12 July 2014 

On a glorious summer's afternoon, young Alice happens upon a smartly dressed rabbit looking at his watch and muttering "I'm too late!" This being an unexpected occurence, she follows him down a nearby rabbit hole and falls into Wonderland. And thus begins the magical mystical story of a small girl in another world.

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Photos: Steve Bishop

LWW POSTER 200THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

A musical adaptation of C S Lewis' classic story.Dramatised by Adrian Mitchell. Music by Shaun Davey.

20 July 2013

A fresh and vibrant production of the classic CS Lewis novel featuring 25 young actors aged 8 to 17, all members of The Miller Centre Young Players.

Through a musical originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Narnia comes to life with all your favourite characters including Mr Tumnus, Aslan, Lucy and the children; of course, no story is compete without its villain – and Lewis' White Witch is definitely one of the most terrifying! 

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PETER PAN

The Miller Centre Young Players present their production of Peter Pan in a musical version of JM Barrie's classic story by David Barrett.

14 July 2012

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Photos: Avril Jones