A former Ross music teacher, Jane Whittle is thrilled that members of her orchestra will be playing a major role in a new production at The Courtyard.

Jane, who lived in Ross until about 2000, set up SCOR, an orchestra for all ages based at Weston under Penyard church. It became so successful that it was taken over by the County. Jane gave piano lessons and also played at the Royal Hotel and the Chase, as well as taking part in a ROADS production of The Boyfriend at the Phoenix Theatre.

She then moved to Leicester before returning to the area.

She has since set up the Film Orchestra, which is unique in the UK as it is the only orchestra to concentrate solely on film music. Again, Jane welcomes musicians of all ages and abilities, senior players mentor the younger members. There are no auditions but there are rough grading areas and musicians can come together to play without the stress of a regular commitment. Many of her former pupils and orchestra members have made contact through the Film Orchestra’s website or Facebook page which she is very pleased about.

Jane told the Ross Gazette that when they played their first concert at Worcestershire there were musicians from the age of four to 87 and the audience was also made up of a large age range. She said for many it was their first experience of an orchestra concert, but the concerts are great fun; they have already planned an appearance by Jedi Knights for their next concert at Kidderminster Town Hall.

At the production of Anne Boleyn at The Courtyard, Hereford, later this month, members of the Film Orchestra will be playing, and conducting them will be Jack Campey, from Ross-on-Wye.

In this version of the story of Henry’s new wife, and her influence in making the country Protestant, the couple’s courting is ‘juiced’ up by an orange-throwing game.

The cast’s request to a greengrocer based in Hereford’s Buttermarket met with a generous offer of sponsorship from the owner Roger Huffer. Oranges, a rarity in Tudor England, will be present in plenty when the play gets under way from Wednesday, August 30th to Saturday, September 2nd.

First performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, this is a vigorous and rumbustious version of an episode which saw Henry VIII’s famous split from the Catholic Church, allowing him to divorce his first wife, Katherine. Surprisingly, as the play shows, the Protestant initiative was Anne’s, not the King’s.

The characters, ?played by ?a strong professional cast,? ???are ?familiar through TV’s? recent? Wolf Hall?. The production’s rich costumes are from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Ludlow-based Here to There has established a reputation for lively and original modern productions, and makes its first-ever appearance at The Courtyard. Contact the Courtyard Theatre Box Office on 01432 340555 for tickets or more information.