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2000–2010 – A decade of drama brought to Suffolk

The start of a new decade marks a special anniversary for Ashton Graham and the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds who are celebrating a partnership that spans 10 years of bringing drama to Suffolk. The relationship has been acknowledged with Ashton Graham being shortlisted for the District Arts & Business Cultural Branding Award and the Arts and Business Sustained Partnership Award.

In 1998 following the Theatre Royal’s very first in-house production, Othello, the partnership between the Theatre and Ashton Graham was instigated and nurtured by the then Ashton Graham partner, and Theatre Board Member, the late Robert Stark. 

Matthew Potter, partner and head of employment at Ashton Graham comments: “Robert was passionate about bringing theatre into the community and he understood that one of the best ways to allow people access to quality drama was to support local producers.  He did this personally as a board member and professionally by engaging Ashton Graham in the project and we have continued to support his vision over the past 10 years. We are now extremely proud that this relationship has been acknowledged with two nominations from Arts and Business for the A&B Sustainable Partnership Award and the A&B Cultural Branding award.”

Ashton Graham supported their first production in autumn 2000, a national tour of Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny Opera starting in Bury St Edmunds.

Colin Blumenau, Artistic Director at the Theatre Royal comments: “The production of the Threepenny Opera was a really important one for us as it marked the start of the Theatre Royal really making a name for itself as a producer and being able to provide the type of bigger budget productions that tour less frequently to middle scale Theatres.  Since then we have done everything from Shakespeare, to new writing, community tours in local villages, to tours across the country.  Our audiences have benefited enormously by having some really interesting work, and a big part of that is through the sustained partnership we have with Ashton Graham which started over 11 years ago.”

For the past four years Ashton Graham have been supporting the Theatre’s exploration into Georgian drama, with funding for the Theatre’s restoration campaign and for the three Restoring the Repertoire period productions:  Black Eyed Susan  (2007), Wives as they Were and Maids as the Are (2008), and He’s Much to Blame (2009).  This autumn Ashton Graham will be supporting an 11th production, to be announced later this spring.

“The Partnership with the Theatre has been extremely important for us as a firm,” comments Matthew Potter. “Not only has this enhanced our commitment to support local organisations bringing cultural events and productions to the community, but the Theatre Royal, due to our support and funding, have been able to deliver their programme to national audiences who may not necessarily have been able to experience Georgian Repertoire. They have also been able to deliver educational programmes and an engaging, entertaining programme for local people and tourists to enjoy. This plays a positive role in helping the local economy and boosting the region in which we all work and play.”

Ten years together 2000 -2010:

2000 - The Threepenny Opera (national tour)

2001 - The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (co-production with the Northcott Theatre Exeter)

2002 - The Misanthrope (national tour)

2003 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (national tour)

2004 - The Tempest (national tour)

2005 - Sherlock Holmes and the Athenaeum Ghoul (national tour)

2006 - Funding for the restoration campaign

2007 – Black Eyed Susan (Georgian revival)

2008 - Wives as they where, maids as they are (Georgian revival)

2009 – He’s Much to Blame (Georgian revival)     

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