First Night Riders to Launch from National Theatre, London On June 18, London's National Theatre will see a group of bikers, hailing from all sectors of the entertainment technology industry, set off on an eight-day motorbike tour of historical UK theatres. Their mission: To raise as much money as they can for industry charity The Theatrical Guild (TTG). At 10am, having fuelled up with a hearty, al fresco, complementary breakfast, the checkered flag will be lowered and they will be on their way. However, they will not be alone. A group of police motorbike outriders will accompany them, out of London to the A11. Stars of the stage and screen, including the West End actress Liz Robertson, James Fleet, and a host of others, will be waving them off. Rob Barnard, head of technical resources at The National Theatre says, "I am delighted to be involved with such a fabulous event. I will be doing the ride for the second year running. Last year was great fun, and we raised an impressive £12,000 for a very worthy charity. This year I hope we will do the same and visit some exciting venues and places along the way." "It's important that we value the help charities like The Theatrical Guild provide," continues organizer David Edelstein. "TTG is the only charity in the UK available to anyone who works, or has worked in theatre -- backstage or front of house. The TTG is there for anyone from this industry and who is facing financial difficulty or who wants to retrain to develop their careers. Today, TTG's work is more vital than ever. With the current extreme rise in university fees, increasing numbers of people will be turning to other qualifications to realize their dreams. TTG helps people in this situation, which is why its such a worthy cause for the First Night Riders." One of the many examples of people who have had their life turned around thanks to The Theatrical Guild is Jessica Brettle. Brettle worked in wardrobe for 20 years, where she developed a desire to become a designer herself; with TTG's help, she retrained and subsequently became an award-winning theatre designer. She says, "Without TTGs support, this would not have been possible for me. I will be forever grateful to them and value their help for making this happen". Phyllida Law, president of the Theatrical Guild, says, "We love the First Night idlers and their passion for raising money for our charity. It's vital that people from our profession make sure that those colleagues who may become vulnerable can be protected and supported." First Night Riders is already supported by a number of industry associations and companies including ABTT, Blitz, Triple E Ltd, Set Up, MRL, The Fifth Estate Ltd, Flints Theatrical Chandlers, The Mackintosh Foundation, Total Solutions Group, AVW Controls LTD, BJ Design, PLASA 2011, ARUP, Metool Reels, Oval Motorcycle Centre, Charcoalblue, The National Theatre, The Glengower Hotel, Rose Brand, and J&C Joel Limited - however, this is not an exclusive club and there's always room for more. Taking to the road this year are: Rob Barnard, David Edelstein, Brenda Edelstein, Charles Haines, Chris Higgs, Simon Nicholls, Al Parkinson, Michael Powell, Simon Harper, Steve Pennington, Derek Smith, Jack Tilbury, and, in the chase car, Robert Hamilton and Wes Jenkins. All riders work within the entertainment industry, except Michael Powell who is a neurosurgeon. You can sponsor any one of the participants by following the links on the FNRs website. To pledge your support and sponsor The First Night Riders or to keep track of their progress, visit the URL listed below. This year's route: The ride dates are the 18th to the 25th of June 2011 and on the evening of Friday the 17th there will be an evening event that will include the riders' briefing.
The ride will depart on the morning of Saturday the 18th of June from the National Theatre in London. Day 1 - Depart National Theatre, London travel to Theatre Royal, Bury St. Edmunds then to Theatre Royal, Norwich Day 2 - Visit Norwich - Castle Acre, Metool then travel to Nottingham and then Liverpool Day 3 - Visit the Gaiety Theatre/Villa Marina, Isle of Man Day 4 - Ride around the TT Circuit, then visit the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ, Isle of Man then travel to Liverpool Day 5 - Visit Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool then travel to Clwyd Theatr Cymru - Aberystwyth Day 6 - Visit The Ceredigion Coliseum Museum, Aberystwyth followed by a scenic ride to Cardiff Day 7 - Tour Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, travel to The Mechanics Institute tour, Swindon then on to see Macbeth" at the RSC, Stratford upon Avon Day 8 - Stratford-upon-Avon then onto Alexandra Palace, London. Tour Alexandra Palace Theatre and the BBC studio 
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