Independent Theatre Presents FAR FROM THE MADDENING CROWD, July 26-August 3

Thomas Hardy's much-loved classic, Far from the Madding Crowd, will be brought dramatically to life in this thrilling production by Independent Theatre (IT), by arrangement with the English Touring Theatre (ETT), at the Odeon Theatre, Norwood from 26 July to 3 August.

Rob Croser, IT's Artistic Director says, "I have always loved Hardy's writing but had never considered this for the stage. But then I read the adaption by Mark Healy, commissioned by the ETT; I simply fell in love with it and knew it would be perfect for the company. It is such a rich, theatrical journey, which fuses vivid story-telling, live folk-song and humour in a dynamic ensemble staging. So, when the ETT gave us the rights for the Australian premiere, I was over the moon."

IT has built a great reputation for bringing sweep and dramatic works of literature to the stage and so it will not be a surprise to many that they are taking on a novel such as Far from the Madding Crowd. But IT is also incredibly fortunate to have developed such a good relationship with ETT, through Jane Claire, its General Manager.

Claire and Croser first met in 2000, when IT produced the Australian Premiere of War and Peace, a brilliant adaptation for England's Shared Experience theatre company. Claire was then its head of production. Following that, in 2005, Claire was instrumental in IT obtaining the rights to the Shared Experience's A Passage to India.

Since taking up her post as General Manager of ETT, Claire has maintained a relationship with IT, through Croser, and she was delighted to facilitate the rights for this production for him. When she was in Adelaide for this year's Festival for the ETT/Brink co-production of Thursday, she took time to discuss the show with Croser, and much correspondence and discussions have been ongoing since.

ETT's adaptation of Far from the Madding Crowd has already toured throughout the UK, to great acclaim, and so Adelaide looks set to be in for a theatrical gem. The story follows a spirited and feisty young woman, Bathsheba Everdene, who inherits her father's farm and finds herself playing mistress in a man's world. She is pursued by three would-be lovers: the constant shepherd, Gabriel Oak; the obsessive landowner, William Boldwood and the reckless Sergeant Troy. But are any of them a match for the wilful Bathsheba?

Alicia Zorkovic leads the cast as Bathsheba, with Shedrick Yarkpai as Gabriel Oak, Charles Mayer as William Boldwood, Fahad Farooque as Sergeant Frank Troy and Anna Bampton as Fanny Robin. Alex Daly, Angus Henderson, David Roach, Katrina Bisanju, Madeleine Marin, Nick Wilson and William Jarman complete the full ensemble.

Given the strength of the cast and the pedigree of both theatre companies involved, this production of Far from the Madding Crowd looks set to be another outstanding IT offering and one that any Adelaide theatre lover would be foolish to miss.

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