************************* That wolf’s got a very bad temper hasn’t he? When he’s not blowing little pigs’ houses down, he’s frightening girls in woods, hiding their grannies and trying to turn them into snacks. Or is he? Nick Lane is adapter and director of this charming tale. His previous children’s productions for York Theatre Royal have included Snow White, Beauty & The Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This will be his second production in The Studio this season as he also directed York Theatre Royal’s critically acclaimed production of John Godber’s September in The Rain. Nick Lane said about the production, “The angle I’ve taken with Little Red Riding Hood is that I wanted to give the audiences more involvement with the production without turning the play into out-and-out pantomime (because, let's face it, York Theatre Royal has a pretty peerless panto tradition as it is). Luckily, the intimacy of the studio, coupled with an idea I toyed with a couple of years ago in Hull Truck's Twas The Night Before Christmas gave me the idea that I'm currently running with.The audience are the jury in the trial of the Big Bad Wolf! It's not a difficult concept to grasp, and I think (or at least I hope) that everyone who comes to see it will get a kick out of it. Act One will be Little Red Riding Hood's version of her own story, complete with storybook witnesses who have had run-ins with the wolf in the past (the three little pigs and so on). In Act Two, the wolf will put forward the case for the defence, retelling the story as he sees it. And naturally there will be two different endings, depending upon whether the audience cheer or boo loudest. In an attempt to give the play a little relevance for children, there will almost certainly be a message in there somewhere about not jumping to conclusions, giving people a fair chance and so on. But that's what it is, and all will be revealed in time for Easter 2006. “ Eamon Fleming, who makes a welcome return to the Theatre after performing in The Derby McQueen Affair, will play the role of the Big Bad Wolf. He will be joined onstage by Fiona Wass who appeared in last year’s children’s adaptation of Snow White, as well as appearing in the critically acclaimed York Theatre Royal production of September in the Rain. Graham Kirk designs the production, with lighting by Judith Cloke and music by Tristan Parkes. Tickets are priced at £5.00 with tickets for under 25s (including children) and students are only £3.50 and can be purchased at York Theatre Royal Box Office or by calling 01904 623568. Book early to avoid the nasty wolf. **************************