Northamptonshire actress tours with new production of The School For Scandal

A new touring production of The School For Scandal comes to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 May, with a cast including Northampton actress Emily-Jane McNeil, alongside star of stage and screen, Joseph Marcell.

Marcell, who is probably best-known for his role as Geoffrey the Butler in the six seasons of the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, plays Sir Peter Teazle in this fresh take on Richard B. Sheridan’s classic comedy of manners. Local audiences may also remember Joseph from his roles in Royal & Derngate’s co-productions of King John and Alone in Berlin.

Emily-Jane McNeil, whose West End credits include The Mousetrap and Brexshit, plays the part of Lady Sneerwell. Emily grew up in the county, attending Wollaston Secondary School near Wellingborough and Southfield School for Girls in Kettering, before joining the sixth form at Northampton School for Boys, driven by her love of performing.

Looking back at her school days, Emily-Jane said: “By 14 I was sure I wanted to do acting professionally and had auditioned and got into the National Youth Theatre. I was also trying to throw myself into any local acting opportunities I could find - so when I heard that NSB had a brilliant theatre space and lots of extracurricular shows, I took the exams to get into the sixth form. I actually didn’t get in on the exams so my amazing parents decided to try and appeal to get me in based on my passion for theatre and NSB’s drama department. It worked! Mrs Lindsay Greenaway was an incredible teacher and so encouraging. She would always challenge me and gave me some wonderful roles whilst I was there - my favourite being Helena in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Matt Smith also came back to visit the school when he had landed ‘Doctor Who’ and I was so inspired knowing that he’d also done National Youth Theatre, was from Northampton and gone to NSB. It felt like a career in acting might actually be possible.”

Emily-Jane has fond memories of Royal & Derngate from her childhood, recalling visits to the venue: “My mum took my sister and me to watch the Chuckle Brothers at the Derngate when I was about 8. The memory is stuck clearly in my mind because my mum got a custard pie to the face! Then as a teenager I remember watching Frantic Assembly’s ‘Othello’ I was so inspired by the production, it confirmed for me that I wanted to be an actor. Getting to finally perform at Royal & Derngate is so exciting - it feels like a full circle moment!”

The School For Scandal also features Garmon Rhys (Gangs Of London (HBO/Sky Atlantic)) as ‘Charles Surface’, Ayesha Griffiths (Channel 4’s Get Millie Black) as ‘Maria’, Alex Phelps (As You Like It, Shakespeare’s Globe) as ‘Joseph Surface’, Lydea Perkins (Private Lives, The Mill At Sonning) as ‘Lady Teazle’, Tony Timberlake (Little Shop of Horrors Storyhouse Chester) as ‘Sir Oliver’, and Guy Dennys (Tilted Wig’s Around the World in 80 Days) as ‘Rowley’.

Speaking about the experience of rehearsing and touring with The School For Scandal, Emily-Jane added: “This team are the absolute best. Being on tour can bring its challenges but when you’re in company with such an amazing bunch of actors and creatives it makes it such a breeze. It’s been so great seeing the different audience reactions so far across the UK - you just never know where a certain audience might laugh which keeps you on your toes!”

Deliciously naughty and outrageously silly, this timeless comedy is a masterclass in social satire and the art of gossip. The School For Scandal is one of the greatest comedies ever written, featuring an unforgettable cast of larger-than-life characters, each armed with a lacerating wit. This lightning-paced evening of romance, revenge and rollicking fun that promises to leave audiences entertained, enamoured – and perhaps even a little scandalised.

Sir Peter Teazle believes his young wife is sleeping with someone else. She isn’t. But she’s starting to think if her husband believes it, she may as well give it a go. After all, if you’re going to cause a scandal, you might as well enjoy it…

The School For Scandal is directed by Seán Aydon who recently adapted and directed the national tours of The Picture of Dorian Gray and Frankenstein. He was also assistant director on the world premiere of Tom Fletcher’s The Christmasaurus at the Hammersmith Apollo. Seán is no stranger to the Northampton stage having appeared in the Made in Northampton production of Arthur Miller’s The Hook.

The production is designed by Linbury Prize winner Sarah Beaton whose recent credits include The Merchant Of Venice (Sam Wanamaker/The Globe), Nineteen Gardens (Hampstead Theatre) and Wild East (Young Vic). She previously worked with Tilted Wig as designer of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

There is sound design/composition from Ed Lewis whose recent work includes The Box Of Delights (RSC), Killer Joe (West End) and Henry V (Donmar); lighting design from Peter Small whose work includes Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder! (Bristol Old Vic), King Stakh’s Wild Hunt (Barbican) and The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas (Dailes Theatre, Riga); and movement direction from Stephen Moynihan whose credits include Ted Lasso, House Of The Dragon and Tilted Wig’s Frankenstein.

The School For Scandal is produced by Tilted Wig Productions and Malvern Theatres In Association With Theatre By The Lake. Tickets for Northampton performances can be booked by calling 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk.