We couldn't resist popping down to see what the brilliant young performers at the Torch Youth Theatre have been up to lately! They're deep in rehearsals for what promises to be a cracking show - The Bangers & Chips Explosion. If the energy we witnessed during rehearsals is anything to go by, audiences are in for a real treat when this explosive summer production hits the Torch Theatre stage from Monday 21 July to Wednesday 23 July.

Of course, we had to get the inside scoop from the cast on how rehearsals have been going. Spoiler alert: they're having an absolute blast!

Dream Roles and Character Wishes

We asked the young people: "If you could play any other character in this play, who would it be and why?" The responses were wonderfully revealing! A few of our cast members expressed interest in playing The Crooks (a rather mischievous choice that tells us something about what they get up to when not in rehearsals)! One performer was drawn to Miss Mac, the delightfully incompetent headteacher, while another was eager to take on the role of the villainous Mrs Gunge, confessing with glee: "I would love to play the horrible Mrs Gunge so I can say 'I hate children!'"

Meet the Characters

The cast brought their characters to life with infectious enthusiasm. Tomos, who plays Wes, describes his character as "definitely the type of character who would be nominated for class clown, and he's probably quite greedy when it comes to chips too!" Freya takes on the role of Jim, explaining that "My character's personality is really quite funny. I'm part of Billy's gang." Leading the charge is Oliver as Billy Baxter, the driving force behind the story: "Billy is one of the main characters and he's leading the great chip protest because there are no chips! He's incredibly loud and very cheeky, his friends listen to him."

Favourite Moments

When we asked about their favourite moments in the play, Freya, Libby and Tomos all agreed that their favourite moment in the show is the titular. Meanwhile, we were all laughing when someone revealed their favourite scene "When the Headteacher starts spinning around like a ballerina!".

The Show in Three Words

In a tough penultimate question cast members had to describe the production in just three words, and their responses perfectly capture the spirit of the show. Oliver summed it up as “Chips, Bangers, Explosion” while Tomos opted for “Delicious, Hilarious, Disgusting”. Iona described it as "Idiotic, funny and mysterious," and Marnie chose "Chaos, chips and funny." Libby went with "Chips, dramatic and abominable," Nell selected "Mayhem, strange, resolution," and Freya declared it "Fun, crazy and chaos." The recurring themes of chips, chaos, and comedy clearly run throughout this wonderfully mad production.

Behind the scenes with Director Tim Howe

Saving the toughest question to last we asked the cast to describe rehearsals with Director, Tim Howe (our Senior Manager for Youth and Community). They thought long and hard before telling us that things were “wonderfully chaotic”, “tremendously fun”, and “brilliantly crazy”. As cast member Libby wisely observed: “We all make mistakes but look back at it and laugh”, from that, we can see the real meaning of it all – having a fantastic time with your friends in the most outrageous way possible.” 
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The Bangers & Chips Explosion promises to be a wonderfully chaotic, chip-fuelled adventure that showcases the incredible energy and talent of our Youth Theatre Company. Don't miss this explosive production at the Torch Theatre from July 21st-23rd!