Sasha Bates
Screwdriver performances
’Screwdriver’, the first ever production of The Bill Cashmore Award premieres at The Lyric Hammersmith on the 11th February and runs for 4 nights. Run in conjunction with the Lyric Hammersmith, The Bill Cashmore Award enables young and emerging artists to transform a fledgling idea from the page to the professional stage. Award founder, Sasha Bates, set up the Award after the tragic, sudden death of her husband, actor, playwright, director and entrepreneur, Bill Cashmore. Sasha wanted to keep Bill’s memory alive by honouring his love of theatre and offering something of his spirit of inclusion and opportunity to those who may otherwise struggle to get a foot on the theatrical ladder. The Award provides the winners with – over the course of one exciting year- the training, resources, mentorship and budget needed to help them write, develop and produce a show that they not only get to perform on the Lyric studio stage, but which headlines the annual Evolution Festival. And for this first exciting year – Screwdriver is the result! Playing from the 11th to the 14th February tickets are available now from from the Lyric box office at www.lyric.co.uk. The 13th is already sold out so be quick in getting tickets for the other nights before they also sell out!
The Bill Cashmore Award provides a unique opportunity to learn theatre from the inside out; to experience what it is to produce a play to a professional standard; to develop skills in a supportive and encouraging environment; and to have a springboard and a calling card to get started in this most challenging of industries. It is offered to a young person between the ages of 18 and 25, someone to whom such a launch pad might not otherwise be available; to help that person to find their voice and learn to express it through the medium of theatre; and to thereby create an outstanding piece of theatre. It aims to promote new writing and progressive ideas; reflect something of the inequality of the world around us; be experimental in concept and execution; foster new learning; promote integrated ways for collaborating; and most importantly provide a platform to those who deserve to be heard but are often overlooked.
Our first winners, Eve and Elin, were chosen because they embody the spirit of what we hope to achieve in setting up this Award. They are talented, funny and, most importantly for an Award commemorating Bill, they have a commitment to theatre and to storytelling which is matched with an ethos of hard work and dedication to the craft. They also share Bill’s openness to new learning, his curiosity about people and the world, and his compassion and generosity. Next year’s winner(s) will also be chosen with this ethos and those values in mind. The Lyric Hammersmith has a long history of supporting and developing young talent and, like Bill himself, they know that talent best prospers, not via an atmosphere of competition and conflict, but when feeling supported, encouraged and praised. With this Award they can continue to offer more young creatives a rigorous education in all aspects of theatre production from within a climate of compassion and care.
Please book a ticket, and/or make a donation, and please go online to read more about the Lyric’s work with young people, about Bill Cashmore, and about the Bill Cashmore Award, and please also follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook:
https://sashabates.co.uk/the-bill-cashmore-award/