Rupert Baldwin, Jo Wickham and More Join All Star Productions' DAYS OF HOPE, Beg. Tonight

All Star Productions presents DAYS OF HOPE, with Music and Lyrics by Howard Goodall and Book by Renata Allen.

Rupert Baldwin - STANLEY
Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Credits include the UK premier of Javier Daulte's Besame Mucho translated by Simon Scardifield, (Charing Cross Theatre). Allen in Marc Warren's Hey Diddly Dee, (Sky Arts), The Uncle and The Fantasist in Tarquin Productions' The Blind/The Intruder at (Old Red Lion Theatre and Tabard Theatre). Luke in Miller Theatre Productions Second Class Parents (Etcetera Theatre), before playing Boy in What Larks production of Veronica's Room by Ira Levin which toured Provence, France.

Jo Wickham - MARIA
Training: East 15. She has since appeared as the Courtesan in The Comedy of Errors (The Principal Theatre Company) as well as various incarnations of The Just So Stories (Red Table Theatre Company). Short film roles include the Head-teacher in Hitler and Henry the VIII (Shoreline Pictures) and Young Mum in Sunny Boy (Screen East). Jo has also recently filmed a pilot of a new TV sketch show entitled Unleashed (Lumino Films).

Emanuel Alba - JOSE
Training: Arts Educational Schools London, after graduating he went straight into the recent production of RENT (The Tabard Theatre), where, as well as being in the Ensemble, he understudied and played the role of Angel on multiple occasions. Credits whilst training: Esteban in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Jerry Miller in Babes in Arms and Dan Schwartz in Spelling Bee. Theatre includes: Choir at The Laurence Olivier Awards 2011 (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and 2012 (Royal Opera House), Choir at the album launch of Richard Beadle - Songs (St. James' Theatre) and Ensemble in Comrade Rockstar (Workshop). Radio includes: BBC FridayNight is Music Night hosted by Michael Ball.

Annie Kirkman - SOFIA
Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Theatre includes Fay in A Body to Die(t) For (C Venues, Edinburgh Festival). She has also appeared as Mary Arnold in a workshop production of Shell Shock and as Alice in The Martyr (Soho Theatre). She has also appeared in short film Don't Let Go and in the radio play The Flood for Camden Roundhouse. Credits while training include Martha in Guys and Dolls, Lou in Girlfriends and Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady.

Alexander Barria - PABLO
Training: The Royal Academy of Music, where he completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Musical Theatre Studies and got straight in to Marvin Hamlisch's They're Playing our Song at the Brodway Theatre. Beforehand, Alexander trained at the Umea Musical Theatre Academy. Credits whilst training include: A Catered Affair (Tom), City of Angels (Buddy), Ragtime (Ensemble/Tateh) and The Inspector General (The Driver).

Lydia Marcazzo - TERESA
Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology. Theatre credits include: Mrs T/Bad Idea Bear and u/s Kate Monster and Lucy The Slut in Avenue Q (Theatre Royal, Windsor); Alexi Darling and u/s Muareen in RENT (Tabard Theatre); The Martyr (Soho Theatre). Credits whilst training include: Agatha & Hot Box Girl in Guys & Dolls; Reefer Madeness; May Tallentire in The Hired Man; Bella & Eve in The Abandoned; Liz in Chicago; Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare Selections; Ellen in The Factory Girls; Maria in The Sound of Music; Parade; Laurey in Oklahoma!. Concerts include: The West End Men (Vaudeville Theatre); David Phelps In Concert (O2); Peter Polycarpou - The Songs Of My Life (Garrick Theatre).

Christopher Dingli - CARLOS
Training: Webber Douglas. Theatre includes: I Was a Rat! (Birmingham Rep National Tour), Othello (National tour), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Tour), Emma Thompson presents Fair Trade (Tour & Edinburgh Festival), Miracle (Leicester Square Theatre), Terms of Endearment (National tour), Twelfth Night (Greenwich Playhouse), Cabaret (Marbella, Spain), Cabaret, Amadeus, Proof (National Theatre, Malta), The Rocky Horror Show (MFCC, Malta). TV includes: Sinbad (Sky1), Holmfirth Hollywood (BBC), Becky (TVM). Film includes: Hackney's Finest, The Hunt for Gollum, Agora, Helen of Troy, Morris: A Life with Bells On, Frites (short film). Other credits include the annual improvised comedy series Dingle Bells Malcolm Smells with his own company Theatre Gone Wrong (St James Cavalier Theatre, Malta). Christopher is a founder of contemporary circus company ?irkuMalta for which he wrote and directed Darirari, a Malta Arts Festival 2013 commission. This is his second musical for All Star Productions, having played Charles Guiteau in Assassins (Theatro Technis).

CREATIVE TEAM:

Director: Tim McArthur
Musical Director: Aaron Clingham
Casting Director: Benjamin Newsome
Designer: Ella Marie Fowler
Lighting Designer: John Brand
Produced by: Andrew Yon for All Star Productions Ltd

THE SHOW

DAYS OF HOPE is set in Spain in 1939, in the dying moments of the Spanish Civil War. The story begins with a family celebrating the marriage of the daughter, Sofia, to an English volunteer, but the wedding meal is tinged with anger at Franco and his fascists. They plan to escape that night to England with Sofia's groom, Stanley, but before the plan is executed, various visitors over the course of the evening bring different perspectives upon their condemnation of Franco, of Mussolini and Hitler for their intervention, and of Britain's non-intervention... The family ends up being torn apart, trying to decide whether to flee or stay and fight.

Howard was inspired to write Days of Hope by the political events occurring in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s, and was interested that the ideas of freedom and democracy would be seen differently through the eyes of a country which was just discovering their meaning. Relating this to his choice of the Spanish Civil War as a setting for his musical, he said, "I felt that the best way to look at freedom and democracy was to look at it when it was collapsing and failing.

All Star Productions are delighted to bring this piece back to London having produced in 2011 the first London Revival of Howard's musical GIRLFRIENDS and in 2012 a new revue of Howard's theatre songs: LOVE & WAR. Our 2013 season has included the critically acclaimed revival of ONE TOUCH OF VENUS, The UK Premiere of Yeston and Kopit's PHANTOM and most recently the first London production in nearly 30 years of Cy Coleman's LITTLE ME. This show reunites the team from last years 4 time Off West End Award Nominated production of SHE LOVES ME.

The production will run at the Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, 53 Hoe Street, London, E17 4SA. Closest Tube/National Rail: Walthamstow Central, Victoria Line. (5 mins walk). Dates: TODAY 8th - 18th October 2013. Press Night: Thursday 10th October 2013. Times: Tuesday - Saturday at 7.30pm; Saturday and Sundays at 3.00pm;. Price: £15.00/ £12.50 Concessions. Box Office: 0843 289 2144. For more information, visit www.allstarproductions.co.uk.

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