“The reception my cast get at the end of a show means we have connected with the audience.” – Derek Douglas, Director ELT
On a sunny spring evening the streets of Edinburgh are bustling with people heading home from work or heading out to city venues. In quiet Arthur Street, Leith; the dedicated cast and production team of Edinburgh’s Little Theatre Company are busy rehearsing for one of this year’s Fringe performances, the adult puppet musical ‘Avenue Q’. It looks set to be yet another ambitious summer programme for ELT, with no less than 10 Fringe productions to put on the stage.
Company Director, Derek Douglas is energetic in his enthusiasm as he organises and encourages the bustling rehearsals. He and his company have been producing shows and running drama classes in and around the capital for over 25 years. Guild Hall trained, Douglas is an encouraging mentor. Many cast members have been involved since the youngest age and continue to develop their performance skills under his watch. This is not simply a kids’ theatre school as the members of the company range in age from 4 year olds to OAPs.
Testimony to that is Zoe McRae, teacher with the company; as well as managing admin and marketing. She started out with the producing theatre company at the age of 4 and clearly relishes her role in now bringing forward a new generation of theatre talent.
Douglas never tires of the audiences’ reactions. They are still the biggest buzz for him “The reception my cast get at the end of a show means we have connected with the audience.”
Douglas is rightly immensely proud of ELT being a producing theatre company and is proud to showcase and develop homegrown Scottish talent. For him it is all about the future of theatre and the aspiring actors he works with, “what gives me a lot of enjoyment is seeing members of the company go on to work. At the moment we have past members working in New York, Dubai and in London. That’s my inspiration.”
His autobiographical play, ‘And They Played Shangalang’ made its first appearance at the Fringe back in 2011 and has received acclaimed reviews as a buoyant, emotive story. This story, although essentially his coming of age, is no ego trip. For Douglas once again it is the cast and audience connection that matters.
“It’s incredible to sit and watch an audience react to the show and own it. You can see them reliving their childhoods through your story.”
Find out more about ELT at www.edinburghlittletheatre.com
Avenue Q
Hill Street Theatre
(Fringe Venue 41)
2-25 August 2019
(Suitable for ages 16+)