A tortoise called Button will join members of Richmond Amateur Dramatic Society (RADS) on stage later this month.
will be joined by an unlikely cast member in their upcoming show, Arcadia by Tom Stoppard this November.
Button, named racing driver Jenson Button, will play two roles in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia.
Set in Sidley Park, a stately home in Derbyshire, the play moves between two time periods — 1809 and the present day.
Button will be playing the role of Plautus in the 1809 scenes, and Lightning in the modern-day.
Director Kath Torbet is confident in her hard-shelled star!
“As part of his role he gets to eat a fair bit of lettuce on stage and we think this will keep him occupied for much of the performance.
“We also have members of our stage crew on specific ‘Button’ duty, should he decide to go for a bit of an explore in the wrong direction!”
“We were very lucky that a member of our society had a tortoise and was happy for him to appear on stage, although the production could work with a fake tortoise, there is nothing like the magic of having a real one, and the actors are really looking forward to working with him.”
Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia will be performed at the Georgian Theatre Royal on November 11 to 13.
Tickets are available from the Georgian Theatre Box office 01748 825252 or on their website www.georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk
RADS club nights are held on the second Monday of every month at their clubrooms on Castle Hill, with prospective members always welcome.
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Is it really necessary to use a live animal in a drama production? This is 2021 and we should have moved on from the use of animals for entertainment.