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Christmas show Cornish Roots Live Performance Pantomime Theatre Truro Uncategorised

Meet Gareth Cooper – Jack and the Beanstalk Audience Favourite

GARETH COOPER
HARRI CO’VERT
Polaroid Photo: Hugh Hastings Photography

Cornwall born and bred, Gareth Cooper plays the baddie’s sidekick, Harri Co’vert, in 2024’s Cornwall Playhouse Production of Jack And The Beanstalk at Hall for Cornwall.

Hailing from Truro and raised in Saltash (just the right side of the border), Gareth is an actor, musician, writer, comedian and voiceover artist, who has performed in theatre, film, TV, radio, commercials, animations, sketches and web-series.

This year he’s performed as Stanley Stubbers in One Man, Two Guvnors at the New Vic; played several characters in Julius Caesar at Southwark Playhouse; and continued touring his solo folk storytelling show, The Mermaid of Padstow round Cornwall (fitting in some paddleboarding when he gets the chance).

We asked Gareth a few questions about growing up in Cornwall, and how he fell in love with theatre…

Whereabouts in Cornwall are you from?

Born in Truro, raised in Landrake (little village by Saltash)

Tell us one of your favourite memories of theatre in Cornwall…

I saw Macbeth at the Minack Theatre when I was pretty young – it was grey and windy, and created such a vivid atmosphere for the scenes with the wyrd sisters, it has stuck with me to this day.

A man dressed as a goose, a woman with purple cape and red hair and a man dressed in a green waistcoat all dance with hands in the air

Colin Leggo, Susannah van den Berg and Gareth Cooper in Cornwall Playhouse Productions: Jack and the Beanstalk, photographed by HfC photographer in residence, Hugh Hastings

What inspired you to get into theatre?

I started performing in primary school (I played “Joe Cool” in the St Stephen’s Primary School panto, naturally!) and loved it from then. After that I acted in anything I could – competitions, school plays, drama groups, community panto. I did drama at GCSE & A-levels and then went straight off to drama school.

Have you performed in anything else professionally in Cornwall?

I’ve toured my one-man folk show, The Mermaid of Padstow, around rural venues in Cornwall with Carn to Cove, which was a wonderful experience.

What’s the best thing about being in Jack and the Beanstalk at Hall for Cornwall?

Wonderful venue, lovely cast, amazing audiences! And it’s fab to be home for Christmas, for once.


Gareth Cooper as Horace Muffin-Stuffler (Chipping Norton Theatre)

Gareth Cooper as Horace Muffin-Stuffler (Chipping Norton Theatre)

 

Categories
Christmas Cornish Roots Creative Heritage Events Uncategorised

Could you join us in our Hall of Dame? 

Could you join us in our Hall of Dame? 

Inspired by our dive into damehood, where Edward Rowe will feature this year as Dame Trott in our Pantomime, Jack and The Beanstalk, we’re on the hunt for more Cornish Dames! 

Are you a star in your local pantomime? Do you don a frock to tread the boards in this festive tradition? If you or someone you know takes on this fabulous role, we’d love to hear from you!

Our team are excited to celebrate dames from all corners of Kernow. Successful applicants will have photographs taken in all your finery, backstage at HFC, and take your place in our Hall of Dame!

Fill out our short form below, to tell us more about your Dame – let us know if you need to apply in an alternative format.

Whilst we know all Cornish dames are utterly fabulous, we may not be able to invite you all to take part – there simply wouldn’t be enough space backstage for all that sass! We will be in touch after the closing date to let you know more about what happens next!

We can’t wait to hear from you. Deadline – Sunday 27th October.

Complete the form

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Cornish Roots Redevelopment Project Theatre

FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL MADE US PROUD TO BE CORNISH

Time flies when you’re having fun, and we’ve been having plenty since our grand re-opening!

In October 2021, we flung open our doors to eager audiences as Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical made its world premiere on our stage, and marked the beginning of a new era for the Cornwall Playhouse.

As we look back on that time when the stage fell silent while we worked hard behind the scenes, it seems like only yesterday that our auditorium swapped out audiences for workmen, and the sound of music for the sound of drilling… but it was all worth it in the end!

And after that quiet time (that lasted a little longer than we’d hoped because of a worldwide pandemic), we welcomed you back into the Cornwall Playhouse to celebrate more than just our transformation, but the joy of being together again.

As audiences filed in with audible gasps and words of praise for the newly improved Hall for Cornwall, the evening continued to be filled with surprises, as Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical took to the stage – and the real Fisherman’s Friends joined them for the final song! This was a monumental moment for us all, as this was our first Cornwall Playhouse production, and a co-production with ROYO.

‘Every night the audience was packed and on their feet and singing, it was the most extraordinary experience, and this just brings it back.’

– Robert Duncan who plays Jago reminisces of the first tour

After a sellout world tour, we welcomed the return of this feel-good, life affirming story to our stage again in April 2023, to the delight of Cornish folk everywhere!

Let’s take a look back on the day Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical came home to Cornwall, 18 months after its debut performance at the newly renovated Hall for Cornwall.

Tuesday 11th April…

The celebrations began in our local pub, The Old Ale House, where some of the cast met the Fisherman’s Friends band for a drink and a sing-along – much to the surprise of locals popping in for a pint!

BBC Spotlight joined in with the occasion and interviewed some of the cast while they were there, which you can watch below…

IFrame

Afterwards, the cast went back to their dressing rooms to prepare for opening night. And what a night it was!

As our audience welcomed the return home of this beautifully Cornish production, our auditorium was filled with laughter, tears, and cast-iron sense of community.

Whether you know the music, you’ve seen the films, or this is your first time ever hearing a shanty, you can’t help but be moved. There’s something magical about the way the songs have been passed down from generation to generation. The words transport you through time, like a lyrical history book, reminding you of the hardworking communites that form the backbone of Cornwall’s history – and continue to thrive today!

As the storyline explores the challenges of the modern world to fisherfolk and our small seaside villages, there is a constant reminder that we have something in Cornwall that nobody can take away. Our communities are more like families, and no matter how much time goes by, you’ll always find us, singing our stories, in a village by the sea.

‘When I’m not here, it’s Hereth, that longing for the place where you belong.’

– Susan Penhaligon who plays Maggie

With each song, the words had us floating across timezones and generations, like a lyrical history book, bearing witness to the hardworking communities that form the backbone of Cornwall. We could hear our ancestors singing their hearts out, out on the waves as they raised their nets, and deep underground, carving their tools into the earth, searching for copper and tin. These songs keep them alive, and remind us of where we came from.

And of course – there were a few Oggy Oggy Oggy’s!

The evening drew to a close when the Fisherman’s Friends band took to the stage in a special appearance. Their beautiful, sping-tingling rendition of Cornwall My Home made us proud to be Cornish 〓〓

‘One of the reasons I’m doing this is to play the Hall for Cornwall… I think they just get it, they get the jokes, they get the accents, they get the expressions…they just get it all.’

– Susan Penhaligon

Thank you to the cast and crew of Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical for another spectacular production, and to the real Fisherman’s Friends for inspiring so many with their story.

And above all, thank you to you, our devoted audiences, for reminding us time and time again of the joy of live performance.

Photos by Hugh Hastings Photography

Categories
Cornish Roots Events Live Performance Theatre What's Hot

Hall For Cornwall announces world premiere of Fisherman’s Friends The Musical

The first major show to take to the stage of our newly transformed theatre will be the world premiere of Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical.

The brand new production has been revealed as the debut show to tread the boards of our landmark theatre when it reopens later this year following a three-year, multi-million pound redevelopment.

Julien Boast, CEO and Creative Director at Hall for Cornwall said: “We think there’s no better way to raise the curtain on Hall for Cornwall following our major transformation.

“Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical is a feel-good story celebrating friendship, community and music, a perfect tonic to lift us from recent events which have impacted all our lives and a great celebration of people, passion and possibilities which are at the heart of our new theatre. The show will form the foundation of our inaugural launch season.”

The musical, which will premiere here in Cornwall later this year, charts the rise of Port Isaac’s famous sea shanty group and their major record deal signed in 2010.

Since then Fisherman’s Friends have performed for Her Majesty the Queen, played Glastonbury’s iconic Pyramid Stage and entertained hundreds of thousands of fans at home and abroad, winning numerous awards along the way.

The musical has been adapted from the 2019 hit film Fisherman’s Friends, which grossed $11.5m worldwide. It will feature many of the much-loved sea shanties made famous by the group, including including Keep Haulin’, Nelson’s Blood, No Hopers Jokers & Rogues, Sweet Maid Of Madeira and many more.

And the show has the blessing of the Fisherman’s Friends themselves with the group saying: “Blimey me, how did that happen! We are so proud that the musical based on our unexpected voyage will be launched down here in the heart of Cornwall.”

Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical will be the first co-production our new in-house producing company, Cornwall Playhouse Productions, produced in association with producers Royo.

The production will be directed by James Grieve (former Joint Artistic Director of Paines Plough and former Associate Director of the Bush Theatre) and written by Brad Birch (Tremor, Black Mountain, The Brink, Gardening for the Unfulfilled and Alienated, The Endless Ocean, Tender Bolus). It is designed by Lucy Osborne with musical supervision from David White.

To be the first to hear when tickets go on sale and announcement of the performance dates, join the mailing list.