The Cambridge University European Theatre Group is a self-sufficient, entirely student-run theatrical company, which tours a Shakespeare play around Europe for two and a half weeks every December (and has been doing so for over 50 years now!). It is an ambitious coach-bound operation; a company of 25 or so tour with professional lighting and sound equipment, costumes and an experimental set, enabling us to put on a show absolutely anywhere.
Each year we typically visit twelve venues - ranging from professional theatres, to schools and universities, and even to churches and converted bread-ovens - and travel through five or six countries. In the past, we have performed in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, The Czech Republic, Italy and Hungary, before returning for a homerun in Cambridge the following January.
A typical day on tour doesn't exist! Every single performance is like an opening night as we usually only perform at any given venue for a day, meaning we constantly have to adapt the show, both technically and artistically, to best suit the space we are performing in. However as a rough idea, we leave the previous venue very early in the morning, arriving at the new venue around lunchtime. The entire company then unloads the coach and starts the "get-in", setting up the lighting, sound and set. Whilst the techies finish this, the cast prepare the show for this new stage. Sometimes we then put on a late matinee (and if not, we explore the town), before settling down to dinner followed by the evening show. Once the curtain comes down we rapidly "get-out", reload the coach, and by midnight, head off to stay with a host family!
Over time, ETG has developed a reputation at home and abroad for producing exciting, innovative, experimental and professional interpretations of classic texts, attracting the most ambitious actors, technicians and creative forces from within the university. We provide successive generations of company members and audiences with challenging experiences completely unimaginable elsewhere in British (let alone student) theatre. Have a look at The ETG Experience to get a better idea of what it means to be involved with such a unique and exciting group!
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