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Edinburgh, London & New Site Beckon Trestle

The acclaimed Trestle Theatre Company will present its major new work Blood & Roses at the Edinburgh Festival 2001, before transferring to London's Riverside Studios. The production will play in a haunted underground vault beneath Edinburgh's South Bridge from 4 August 2001, before the London run commences on 4 September.

Blood & Roses takes the audience back to the reign of Henry VII (Henry Tudor). The partially true story follows Lambert Simnel - once a pretend claimant to the throne now reduced to working in the royal court's crude kitchens. As the King's coronation feast approaches, a series of flashbacks are triggered which force Lambert to confront the simmering traumas of his childhood.

This drama will continue the Trestle Company's penchant for using theatre masks. Puppetry and live music have also been the troupe's stage hallmarks in recent years since its formation in 1981. Averaging around 300 performances a year, Trestle (whose patron is Sir Nigel Hawthorne) has collaborated with groups ranging from Ukraine's Kherson Theatre to The Britten Sinfonia. Previous offerings have included Beggars Belief, The Barretts of Wimpole Street and Bitter Fruit.

Following an award from the Arts Council Capital Lottery Fund, Trestle has also announced plans for a new St Albans arts base. Work has commenced on refurbishing a derelict chapel on the town's outskirts to create a permanent base and community resource centre. The site will house a studio theatre, workshops, rehearsal room and coffee bar. Community training on various aspects of theatre operations will also be available.

- by Gareth Thompson

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