Looking back at…Character

Character by Florence Vincent

1-17th May 2014 at the Selkirk Upstairs
9-14th March 2015 at the Tristan Bates Theatre

Michelle is about to turn thirty and is not coping well. Desperate to do one good thing and finish her first novel before the big 3-0 arrives, she retreats to a countryside cottage with a typewriter, a lot of wine and her oldest friend Freya – who is harbouring problems of her own.

Character is the searingly funny and achingly dark story of two women trying to navigate their way through the modern world, and – in the process – keep their friendship afloat.

an odd-couple comedy…plenty of laughs

What’s Peen Seen

played with great energy and conviction…a fantastic chemistry on stage…laugh-out-loud funny…a stark reminder of what is so fun and exciting about fringe theatre

Remote Goat

a funny and moving story

Loose Lips

CAST
ANGELA FERNS – MICHELLE
CLARE HARLOW – FREYA

CREATIVES
ELLIE PITKIN – DIRECTOR & PRODUCER
OLIVER GORDON – ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
ZAHRA MANSOURI – COSTUME & SET DESIGNER
ANDREW CRANE – SOUND DESIGNER & TECH OPERATOR
CHLOE WALTON – ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
MATTHEW CONNELLY – ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
JONELL ROWE – ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
BRUCE ASHER – PUBLICITY DESIGN
VIKKI WESTON – PROJECT MANAGER/PUBLICITY
STANLEY WALTON – PUBLICITY & MARKETING
ROBERT HUGILL – PUBLICITY & MARKETING
BARNEY BARRON – PUBLICITY & MARKETING
NICK TATCHELL, ZAK THOMAS, RICHARD STRATTON – PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY

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There are a bundle of Character blog posts from the archive – dive in!

2014: photos and behind the scenes fun

2015: photos and behind the scenes fun

Looking back at…The Hunting of the Snark

1st September 2013
The Actors Church Covent Garden
Iris Theatre and the Space Between

Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem devised by four theatre companies and staged as a piece of promenade theatre in and around the Actors Church in Covent Garden. We delivered the Barrister’s Dream section in the main church and vestry, with humour, puppets and an emotional memorial service for a pig. Standard stuff.

CAST

Ellie Pitkin
Richard Stratton
Francis Woolf
Clare Harlow
Angela Shepherd

SOUND

Andrew Crane

DRAMATURG

George Islay Calderwood

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Looking back at…Audience with the Ghost Finder

Audience with the Ghost Finder by M. J. Starling

8-17th May 2013 at The Selkirk Upstairs
22-24th October 2013 at The Etcetera Theatre

1912. To lift a cruel curse, ab-natural investigator Carnacki must tread the border between enlightenment and madness.

Sherlock Holmes meets Ghostbusters in this original tale of William Hope Hodgson’s classic character, Carnacki the ghost finder.

It was first seen at one of our new writing nights, and full show was premiered as part of a Wandsworth Arts Fringe double bill alongside London Pride. A few months later we transferred to the Etcetera Theatre as part of the London Horror Festival. Audience with the Ghostfinder was our first leap into full length, brand new playwriting.  The original staging was in the round, and really showcased just how versatile we can be. I can still smell the garlic and chalk…

a rare chance to see some outstanding new writing…brilliantly written and superbly acted, with ingenious staging

Public Reviews

Ellie Pitkin matches her taut direction with strong casting…you can’t help but come away from the evening feeling that this is a company who really care

A Younger Theatre

Hats off to Ellie Pitkin for the slick direction of this piece…the mystery of the piece is great fun and the pace is pitched perfectly

Stage to Page

CAST
CERIDWEN SMITH Dodgson/Mrs Allenby/Florence Allenby
ALEXANDER PANKHURST Thomas Carnacki

CREATIVES
ELLIE PITKIN Director
TUTKU BARBAROS Assistant Director
LIZZIE COOPER Stage Manager & Lights Operator
DAVID TURNBULL Sound Designer
SHERRY COENEN Lighting Designer
ZAHRA MANSOURI Set & Costume Designer
MICHELLE BRISTOW Costume Assistant
PETRA HJORTSBERG Props Maker
MIRANDA MARVIN Assistant Stage Manager
ANDREW CRANE Sound Operator
BARNEY BARRON Publicity, PR and Marketing
HELEN JOHNSON Publicity, PR and Marketing
COLE CAMPBELL Publicity, PR and Marketing
NICK TATCHELL Assistant Events Manager
VIKKI WESTON Education Manager
RICHARD STRATTON IT and Website Manager
NIVINE KEATING (MORRIGHAN IMAGES) Rehearsal Photography

M. J. Starling has since published an e-book of the original story, and playscript. It includes a foreword from Blackshaw’s Ellie Pitkin. We also recorded an audio drama version.

Download the free e-book

Listen to the audio drama

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Looking back at…London Pride

London Pride by Katie McCullough

7-17th May 2013 The Selkirk Upstairs

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

Public Reviews

In Shelly’s rundown pub dreams are revived, hope falters and someone’s looking for a fight.

A new arrival sends ripples through Shelly’s humdrum life and riles Joe, a regular determined to defend his territory.

Back in 2013 we staged London Pride as part of a double bill at the Wandsworth Arts Fringe, with Audience with the Ghostfinder. Katie McCullough’s honest take on little England through the eyes of a pub landlord was filled with humour and pathos, all of which was expertly delivered by the cast.  

…a rare chance to see some outstanding new writing…both plays on the double bill are brilliantly written and superbly acted, with ingenious staging.

Public Reviews

CAST

MARTIN BEHRMAN Joe

FIONA SKINNER Shelly 

TOM SLATTER Pavel 

Ellie Pitkin matches her taut direction with strong casting throughout the evening…you can’t help but come away from the evening feeling that this is a company who really care

Public Reviews

CREATIVES

ELLIE PITKIN Director

TUTKU BARBAROS Assistant Director

LIZZIE COOPER Stage Manager & Lights Operator

DAVID TURNBULL Sound Designer

SHERRY COENEN Lighting Designer

ZAHRA MANSOURI Set & Costume Designer

MICHELLE BRISTOW Costume Assistant

PETRA HJORTSBERG Props Maker

MIRANDA MARVIN Assistant Stage Manager

ANDREW CRANE Sound Operator

BARNEY BARRON Publicity, PR and Marketing

HELEN JOHNSON Publicity, PR and Marketing

COLE CAMPBELL Publicity, PR and Marketing

NICK TATCHELL Assistant Events Manager

VIKKI WESTON Education Manager

RICHARD STRATTON IT and Website Manager

NIVINE KEATING (MORRIGHAN IMAGES) Rehearsal Photography

Looking back at…Gormenghast: Titus Groan

11th-14th April 2012
The Actors’ Church, Covent Garden

Gormenghast: Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake
Adapted by Vikki Weston, Prudence Chamberlain, Poppy Corbett, Max Olesker, and Richard Stratton, for Blackshaw Theatre Company

Our first production. They say go big or go home, and with this as our debut show we went really, really big. It was a massive undertaking. Developing the script from Mervyn Peake’s original book, working with a cast of twenty, and creating an elaborate set that worked around the venue’s existing features. It was a great challenge, we had an enormous amount of fun and made some great friends in the process, many of whom we went on to work with again.

“Director Ellie Pitkin has undoubtedly achieved a feat of excellence in her homage to Peake’s novel. This was a brave and wonderful new world” – London Festival Fringe

CAST

Barquentine – John Rayment
Lady Cora – Angela Ferns
Lady Clarice – Clare Harlow
Lady Fuchsia Groan – Ceridwen Smith
Flay – Lee Ravitz
Countess Gertrude Groan – Terry Diab
Dr. Alfred Prunesquallor – Alexander Pankhurst
Irma Prunesquallor – Lucy McCabe
Rottcodd – Peter Picton
Lord Sepulchrave Groan – John Harwood
Nannie Slagg – Sarah Shelton
Sourdust – William Seaward
Steerpike – Francis Woolf
Swelter – Liam Fleming
Titus Groan – Esme Tennant
Pellet/Spurter/Soldier – Luke Manning
Book Bearer/Wrattler – Paul G Raymond
Soldier/Springer – Paddy Freeland
Ritual Servant/Twins’ Maid/Chipper – Miranda Marvin
Ritual Servant/Kitchen Boy – Greg Harradine

“Highly recommended…to be seen by all Mervyn Peake Fans.” – Sebastian Peake

CREATIVES

Writers – Prudence Chamberlain, Poppy Corbett, Max Olesker, Richard Stratton
Script Editor – Vikki Weston
Director/Producer – Ellie Pitkin
Set & Costume Design – Zahra Mansouri
Composer – Greg Harradine
Sound Design – David Turnbull
Lighting Designer – Josh Yard
Stage Manager – Lizzie Cooper
Publicity Manager – George Islay Calderwood
Publicity Asst. – Bruce Asher
Asst. Director – James Barry
Marketing Manager – Matt Boothman
Education Coordinator – Charlie Limm
Filmmaker– James Burt
Costume Assistant – Flettie Bertram
Costume Assistant – Andrea Pierides
Lighting Asst. – Tom Woods
Sound Asst. – Andrew Crane
Make-up & Hair – Laura Jones
Photography – Nivine Keating (Morrighan Images)

Production Assistants:
Nick Tatchell
Sophie Talbot
Laura Nixon
Miranda Blazeby
Cole Campbell
Rosie Fullwood
Chloe Courtney
Tom Walters
Helen Johnson
Chris Starkey

Brilliant and resourceful

Remote Goat

Photos by Morrigan Images (Nivine Keating).

Looking back at…10 years of Blackshaw

2020, whilst mostly a year of doom and disaster, is also the year that marks 10 years of Blackshaw Theatre Company. Founded in May 2010, in a run-down terraced house in Tooting, Blackshaw was initially set up as a reaction to the dire financial times, the near-overnight disappearance of Arts Funding, and a desire to make great theatre. Over the years, we championed new writing, took on some bold adaptations, and created some top notch audio drama.

To see out the year, we’ll be posting a short retrospective of all our productions.

Join us, feel the wind in your hair, and the fizz of excitement, as we speed through a decade of wonderful memories…

PS: we’re not going anywhere – more to come next year. We’ve still got it.