Stafford Shakespeare Festival's Tempest performance gets seven award nominations
An outdoor production of Shakespeare's The Tempest has been nominated for seven awards.
The show, which is taking place at Stafford Castle as part of the town's Shakespeare festival, has been nominated for best regional stage production at the Break A Leg Awards 2017.
Six of the cast members have also been nominated for awards at the show, including Stephen Beckett (Prospero), James Lawrence (Sebastian), Richard Gibson (Gonzalo), and Zephryn Taitte (Caliban) for best actor on stage and Katrina Kleve (Francesca) and Grace Carter (Miranda) for best actress.
Derrick Gask, the producer of the production, said: "Everyone at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, as well as the cast and creative team behind this year’s production of The Tempest, are incredibly proud of our multiple award nominations.
"To be compared with the likes of The Royal Shakespeare Company is quite an achievement indeed. It is testament to all the hard work and dedication that has gone in to this show over the last few weeks and months.
"In particular, we would like to say a big thank you to our audiences who have supported the production so far, and encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it to do so before the curtain falls for the final time next Saturday 8th July.”
The show opened on June 22 and runs until July 8.
Tickets are still available for all of the performances but people interested are encouraged to act fast.
The popularity of the performances has attracted people from all over the world, including three nursing students from China.
The students travelled across the globe to take up residence at Royal Stoke Hospital in the north of the county, but immediately decided they wanted to experience the show.
After hearing of their interest, Mr Gask offered the trio complimentary tickets.
He said: "“It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to welcome our guests from the Far East to this year’s Stafford Festival Shakespeare.
"The festival’s reputation has grown significantly over the last few years but reaching an international audience is something really special."
Tickets for performances of The Tempest can be bought from the box office on 01785 619080 or by visiting www.staffordfestivalshakespeare.com
