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A young actor from Lytham St. Annes will be making a welcome return to his home town in the open air production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew at Lytham Hall.

James Dangerfield will be part of a cast of five in Oliver Gray’s production for Illyria which will be at the Hall on Sunday July 5 at 6.00 pm, the second play in this summer’s outdoor season.

James, 28, was educated at King Edward and Queen Mary School, Lytham and Durham University before studying musical theatre at London’s Guildhall School of Acting.

James is delighted to be spending his fifth summer season with Illyria and is looking forward to a return visit to Lancashire and one of his favourite venues. .

“I’ve played a wonderful variety of roles in Lytham with Illyria, from Henry V to Frederick in the Pirates of Penzance. Shakespeare is always a major challenge and outdoor touring will be completely different my recent work as Dandini in the pantomime at The Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield. Performing in front of my own family and friends in the superb setting at Lytham Hall always makes it a very special evening for me,” he said.

Illyria will come to the Red Rose county as part of a tour of 49 open air performances at in 74 days which includes Scotland, Wales and Holland as well as English venues as diverse as Winchester Cathedral , Lincoln Castle and Knebworth House.

Julian Wilde, organiser of the outdoor theatre season, feels that many local theatre enthusiasts on the Fylde coast will be keen to see James again following his widely praised portrayals in the title role of Shakespeare’s Henry V and as Orlando and Audrey in As You Like It.

“James first established his reputation as a very versatile actor by some fine performances at KEQMS and the Lytham Academy of Theatre Arts and it is excellent to watch his professional career developing so well with Illyria.

The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare’s sharpest, if sometimes controversial, comedies, and it will be interesting to see how director Oliver Gray presents the play with the usual Illyria cast of only five actors. Doubling up will be the order of the day and I think we are in for a memorable evening.”

Tickets Adult £13 Senior/student £10 Schoolchild £6.50

On line bookings from Illyria’s own website www.illyria.uk.com

Local ticket outlets Lytham Hall phone 01

253 736652 : Plackitt and Booth, Booksellers, Lytham 796958 : Lowther Pavilion 794221 : Stringers Homelife 740700

Storytellers Inc., St. Annes 781690 : Bennetts Bakery, Ansdell 736318 : Silverdell Books Kirkham 01772 68344