Simon Callow Will Perform in CENTRE STAGE: RICHMOND MYTHS Free Arts Festival

Orange Tree Theatre has announced that Simon Callow will perform at Richmond's free multi-arts festival, Centre Stage: Richmond Myths later this month. Co-produced by OT and Hemingway Design, the festival returns to Richmond for its second year from 17 – 19 July transforming the town into a platform for creativity and contemporary culture. People in the local community aged 7 to 87 will be a part of bringing the festival to life across the weekend with performances, carnival processions and workshops for the whole community to enjoy.

Callow is set to play the Oracle in the festival's closing ceremony on Sunday 19 July at Richmond's Hill Rise. Written by Kwame Owusu and inspired by The Garden of Hesperides, the performance will be directed by OT's Deputy Artistic Director, Georgia Green. The closing ceremony and every Richmond Myths performance across the entire weekend will be completely free to attend.

The schedule for the weekend's events:

Friday 17 July – 6:30pm:

In an explosion of music, dance and spectacle, the twelve Olympian gods launch a weekend of celebration and creativity, where the ordinary is made extraordinary.

Saturday 18 July – all day:

The town centre becomes a stage, canvas and playground as George Street and Whittaker Square come alive with theatre, music, food, workshops and joyful public participation.

Sunday 19 July – all day:

The festival continues in hidden corners of Richmond — experience the neighbourhood like never before – before a truly epic closing ceremony on Hill Rise in the evening.

Across the event, Orange Tree Theatre is working with local community partners including Richmond Carers Centre, Otakar Kraus Music Trust, BridgeLink Community Centre, Ukrainian Social Club, Multicultural Richmond and Combination Dance. Working with a writer, each group will re-imagine a Greek Myth for contemporary audiences.

OT's Deputy Artistic Director, Georgia Green said today, “Richmond Myths is a celebration of the stories, people and imaginations that make this borough such an extraordinary place. Bringing together professional artists alongside community participants aged 7 to 87, we're weaving together local history, folklore and a healthy dose of imagination to create something entirely unique on an epic scale. We're also absolutely delighted to welcome Simon Callow to Sunday's performance as the Oracle - a wonderfully fitting role for one of our greatest storytellers. We can't wait for audiences to experience the energy, innovation and life force of our local community, and to discover all the extraordinary myths waiting to be found over the weekend".

More information on the festival can be found via https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/richmond-myths/