Three teenage actresses from the north east have swapped their school summer holidays to tread the boards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Brooke Armstrong (13) from Medburn near Ponteland, Katie Carruthers (15) from Haydon Bridge and Ellie Clark (14) from Cramlington have roles in a play that is set to become a major movie.
The Life of Reilly is the story of a young autistic boy and his family’s experiences of coping with the highs and lows of the condition. The two-week run at the Fringe has received five-star reviews, packed houses and raised awareness of the condition to hundreds of Fringe goers. The Fringe appearances follows a number of successful runs in Newcastle and Northumberland.
To take part in the play, the girls had to give up most of their summer holidays to attend rehearsals and the twelve, once a day performance’s. Brooke, a pupil at Newcastle High School for Girls is no stranger to the stage. She has previously featured in a number of short films and theatre productions including a role in Belfast in the Bay City Rollers inspired musical Paperboy. An attendee of Supreme Performing Arts and Peanuts Talent, Brooke said: “I play Reilly’s sister and it’s been hard work but I’ve loved every minute of it. The Fringe is great, there are so many talented people and fantastic shows to see. It’s been great that so many people have come to see our play too.”
Katie Carruthers, a student at Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham has previously appeared in panto and has enjoyed the Fringe atmosphere. “It’s been great to be a part of the Fringe especially when we are getting such a serious message across to the public about autism. I’ve picked up so many skills at the DJW School of Acting and it’s been great putting them into practice in Edinburgh.”
North Gosforth Academy student Ellie is embracing her first serious acting role with the play. Ellie auditioned for The Life of Reilly not only because of her love for acting but also because of her personal link to autism within her family. Ellie said “Fringe is an amazing experience. I’m so glad for the opportunity to be part of the Life of Reilly cast and helping to spread such an important message about autism.”
Writer of the play and lead actress, Alison Stanley said:
“The girls have shown great commitment by giving up their summer holidays for the play. They are an integral part of the play and although they have been working hard, they seem to have really grasped the experience and got a lot out of it.”
The Life of Reilly team are now actively fundraising towards production costs to make the play into a feature length movie. Already, Newcastle businessman Rob Armstrong has donated extensively to the fund together with matched funding from other local businesses and people pledging to help.
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Photos show : Brooke white top, Katie with glasses and Ellie denim jacket
PR Keith@highlightspr.co.uk 07814 397951
Editors notes
Originally a blog set up by Cramlington mum Christine Stephenson, “The Life of Reilly” documented her frustrations at the way that people constantly judged her son Reilly and the family while out and about. She felt that a blog was an easy, cathartic way to educate people about Reilly and others just like him. It quickly gained a rapid following and now has almost a quarter of a million views all around the world. At the same time writer and actress Alison Stanley was working on a play on the same subject and they joined together to ensure they could make maximum impact.
The Life of Reilly CIC was set up by Christine, Alison and Kelly Best, the companies much needed counsellor, all mothers of very different autistic sons with very different experiences. The aim of the company is to raise awareness of autism and make people think about their attitudes towards it. To do this, they carry out training for parents and grandparents helping them to understand and develop strategies to help them deal with their situation. They also run courses for community groups and businesses and have a Theatre in Education workshop where schools are visited to educate children about their autistic peers.