Propeller Theatre Company Announces Target Ovarian Cancer as Official Charity Partner for 2012/13 Tour

Members of the internationally-renowned, award-winning Propeller Theatre Company today announced Target Ovarian Cancer as the partner charity for their 2012/13 tour of Twelfth Night and The Taming of the Shrew.

Target Ovarian Cancer is the national ovarian cancer charity working to save lives and help women diagnosed live their lives to the full, wherever they are in the UK.

Propeller has performed in the intervals of their acclaimed Shakespeare productions since the company started 15 years ago. Instead of taking a well-earned rest, Propeller actors traditionally entertain audiences with a cappella singing, followed by a charity collection. This year they will be performing during the interval of performances of The Taming of the Shrew. Propeller has raised more than £100,000 so far for charities including Save the Children, The Epilepsy Society, Prostate Cancer Care and the Devon-based children's charity, Lifeworks.

Target Ovarian Cancer works to improve early diagnosis, research into finding new treatments and provide support for women. There is an urgent need to secure progress. In the UK, 7,000 women are diagnosed each year. 4,500 women lose their lives each year. The UK has amongst the lowest survival rates in Europe. There have been no new life-extending treatments in over 20 years. If we were able to achieve what has been achieved in breast cancer in the last twenty years, over 3,000 more women would survive each year.

Propeller is an all-male Shakespeare company which seeks to find a more engaging way of expressing Shakespeare and to more completely explore the relationship between text and performance. Mixing a rigorous approach to the text with a modern physical aesthetic, they have been influenced by mask work, animation and classic and modern film and music from all ages. Productions are directed by Edward Hall and designed by Michael Pavelka. Propeller has toured internationally to Australia, China, Spain, Mexico, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Cyprus, Ireland, Tokyo, Gdansk, Germany, Italy, Malta, Hong Kong and the U.S.A.