First of all a huge huge thank-you to all of you who came out on a cold December evening to support our first ever production - 'Princess Ivona'. The show was a fantastic success which enjoyed a sell-out run and received outstanding reviews. Here are a few of our favourites:

"A rare treat! A shining example of how a company can be born from nothing other then talent, hard work and a love of theatre. I left deeply moved and challenged, having donated £10 towards and very much looking forward to Sturdy Beggars' next production". Richard Cauldwin – Timeout.com

"Enormously promising… The next showings in their season of plays on the theme of 'The Outsider' are definitely going into the diary". Robert Rowe – whatsoninlondon.com

"I was ready for the usual curate's egg of fringe theatre: Good in parts but a big underlying groan. Thank you Sturdy Beggars for sparing me that and regaling me with one of the most satisfying evenings I have ever spent in a small theatre'. Chris Bearne – remotegoat.co.uk

So that's the retrospective over with - now on to...

Sturdy Beggars' second production of the season is Shakespeare's Othello. The production runs from 20th - 29th of March with performances starting at 7pm. It will be taking place in the Pacific Playhouse, Southwark - just a short walk from Southwark, Borough and London Bridge Tube Stations.

As always, friends and supporters of the STURDY BEGGARS are eligible for lots of great exclusives. You can donate for one ticket and get another one half price throughout the season (that's 2 tickets for £15) and can also take advantage of our Season Ticket Offer which allows you to come to the rest of our productions for a one-off payment of £25.

It is now possible to book and pay online so reserving your seats couldn't be easier! Just click on BOOKING from the menu on the right and follow the instructions. We really really hope to see you there for another evening of mind-expanding entertainment.

As you may have spotted, with one successful production behind us, Sturdy Beggars were able to use our brilliant reviews and the few pennies-in-the-bank that 'Princess Ivona' gave us to secure ourselves a brand-spanking new venue for our upcoming production of Othello.

The Pacific Playhouse (formerly the Southwark Playhouse for all you old-timers out there!) is a fantastic fringe theatre which offers us a capacity of 600 for the duration of the run, a wonderful space and a well-stoked bar (to ensure that the evenings trickle away just nicely). For more info on and a map to the venue just go to www.pacificplayhouse.com.

Sturdy Beggars are delighted to announce Brendan Jones, Michael Richens and Bob Dobson as the three latest recruits to our team. All three are brilliant actors who graduated from The Poor School in 2005 and 2006. You can see their debut Sturdy Beggars performances in Othello, starting on 20th March.

If you have been tucked up in the warm watching Saturday night TV of late then you may well have caught a glimpse of the new Saturday night improvisation comedy show Thank God Your Here on ITV starring none other than Sturdy Beggar's own Aimee Parkes as one of it's regulars. Massive congratulations go out to Aimes - let's hope it paves the way for even greater things in the future.

Many congratulations also to Victoria Strachan who has just ended a very successful run of Foundation Stone with Vital Stages Theatre Company, directed by Michael Woodwood which attracted fabulous reviews. Finally, all our love to John Trindle who is touring the length and breadth of Britain with the stunning production of Equus directed by Thea Sharrock. We miss you!

Thanks for reading - come check us out in Othello. And since we now have a bigger capacity - SPREAD THE WORD!

The Sturdy Beggars Team

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