'High stakes but privilege' to host four UK tours

The Aylesbury Waterside is preparing to host the opening shows of four major UK tours in the coming months

The director of a theatre chosen to host the opening nights of four UK tours said that while the "stakes are high" it was a "great privilege".

The Aylesbury Waterside is preparing to open Ghost: The Musical this week, with Now That’s What I Call A Musical and Rambert’s Peaky Blinders following next month, and Calamity Jane starring Carrie Hope Fletcher in January.

Theatre director, Grant Brisland, said it was a "wide-reaching responsibility".

He added: "We create the environment for it all to come together seamlessly. It’s almost as if we’re not just supporting the production, we're also supporting all the venues on that tour."

Theatre director, Grant Brisland, said "tensions can be creatively quite high" in the run up to opening night

During the week, before the opening of a UK tour, all the elements of a production come together, often for the first time.

"As you can imagine, tensions can be creatively quite high," Mr Brisland said.

"Our role is to ensure that we are creating the environment in which all the creatives and the cast and the crew feel ready."

Mr Brisland said the Waterside was "really well suited" to technical weeks because it has a flexible auditorium where the stalls can become flat in line with the stage

Productions bring their own technicians, but are complemented by a "highly skilled, engaged" in-house technical team, which help to make the week a success.

Les Dennis, is pleased to be coming to Aylesbury

Actor, Les Dennis, who is playing two roles in Ghost: The Musical, has been in the business for more than 50 years, and has experienced many final rehearsal weeks.

"The only stressful part is being there from 10:00am to 10:00pm and it’s very stop start," he said, "but it takes all those days to get it right.

"Sometimes you don’t actually get a dress rehearsal until the afternoon of the show, but you just have to get on with it.

"I just love sitting in the theatre and watching. I’m so pleased we’re opening in Aylesbury – it’s nice to be able to throw a spotlight on a theatre [in this way]."

"Being in the auditorium on opening night and see it all come together makes it all worthwhile," Grant Brisland said

Mr Brisland added that the theatre, which opened in 2010, is "still relatively young", so another benefit is meeting producers that have not worked with them before.

"It gives us a chance to show what we can do," he said.

He also explained that marketing teams would visit to "get a flavour of the show" for promoting the tour at other venues.

"It’s high stakes all around because you can never launch a show twice," he said.

"Once the show has opened it becomes the brand for the whole tour and it’s a great privilege to be the venue that is trusted to create that.

"It’s good fun, there’s pressure but there’s no doubt that being in the auditorium on opening night and seeing all the smiles and the relief on a lot of people’s faces when they have seen that it’s all come together, makes it all worthwhile."

The Buckinghamshire theatre, which opened in 2010, is "still relatively young" and "still building audiences"