Looking back at…Great Expectations

Adapted by Marcus J Bazley

Recorded August 2015
Original Broadcast December 2015, Wandsworth Radio (now known as Riverside Radio)

Some of our members saw Cyphers theatre company perform Marcus J Bazley’s adaptation of Great Expectations, and jumped at the opportunity to work with them to produce the show as a serialised audio drama. It was a huge undertaking, particularly for our talented sound technician and designer, Andrew Crane, who created all of the soundscapes and effects from scratch. The results speak for themselves, and this project was a fantastic jumping off point for the audio dramas we would go on to produce.

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CAST

Narrator – Jeremy Drakes
Magwitch/Pumblechook – Dylan Lincoln
Compeyson/Porter/Galley – Marcus J Bazley
Estella/Mrs Joe – Victoria Hamblen
Pip – Rupert Sadler
Joe/Wemmick/Drummle – Christopher Anderton
Sergeant/Jaggers – Alexander Pankhurst
Miss Havisham – Jessica Brien
Herbert Pocket – William Holyhead
Biddy – Rosie Marsh

CREATIVES

Sound Recordist/Designer/Engineer – Andrew Crane
Producer – Helen Johnson
Associate Producer – Iasha Chapman

More about Great Expectations

Listen to Great Expectations

Blackshaw Arts Hour – Episode 99

The fourth and final instalment of ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens, adapted by Marcus Bazley – our collaboration with Cyphers Theatre Company.  Full cast list plus lots of other backstage treats here.

Listen to the podcast below:

Blackshaw Arts Hour – Episode 98

The third instalment of ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens, adapted by Marcus Bazley – our collaboration with Cyphers Theatre Company.  Full cast list plus lots of other backstage treats here.

Listen to the podcast below:

Blackshaw Arts Hour – Episode 97

The second instalment of ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens, adapted by Marcus Bazley – our collaboration with Cyphers Theatre Company.  Full cast list plus lots of other backstage treats here.

Listen to the podcast below:

Blackshaw Arts Hour – Episode 96

The thrilling first instalment of ‘Great Expectations’, by Charles Dickens, adapted by Marcus Bazley – our collaboration with Cyphers Theatre Company.  Full cast list plus lots of other backstage treats here.

Listen to the podcast below:

The Blackshaw Arts Hour – Episode 34

This week on the show Iasha is joined by Matt who reviews Deadpool and we talk about a new twitter feed that popped up this week called @femscriptintros.

We listened to a live recording from a Blackshaw New Writing Night last year call ed Trick or Treat and also urged any of you with a half finished (or finished) play out there to submit it to our Showcase New Writing night coming up at the end of March. Get your submissions in here!

Helen brought us this weeks Arts Thing of the Week in the absence of Vikki. She spoke about the proposed ‘Garden Bridge’ and in turn the inconsistencies and bureaucracy surrounding funding for the arts across the country.

Finally, at the very end of the show was Great Expectations – Episode 4, make sure you tune into the next Blackshaw Arts Hour to hear Episode 5 on the 28th of Feb.

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The Blackshaw Arts Hour – Episode 31

This week on the show we are wrapping up 2015 and nearly a full year of The Blackshaw Arts Hour.

Matt and Vikki do a retro movie review of Watchmen and we flashback to some of the show’s best bits. Iasha plays her favourite movie review of the year, The Martian and Corey Hulls reviews a Pantomime he experienced last year as ’tis the season!

Vikki’s arts thing of the week is about The Illusionists and the time has finally come to play you the first episode of our radio adaptation of Great Expectations.

Blackshaw’s 2nd ever radio play, this time in conjunction with our friends at Cyphers, Great Expectations comes to you in 7 parts, continuing on the Blackshaw Arts Hour every fortnight.

Keep up to date with all of Cyphers upcoming shows here and subscribe to The Blackshaw Arts Hour on iTunes or listen below.

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Coming up in 2016

So, ‘What’s next for Blackshaw?’ I hear you cry!

It’s a box-fresh new year, and we’ve got lots to look forward to in 2016…

 

Great Expectations: a radio drama adaptation of Dickens’ classic

A fantastic collaboration with Cyphers theatre, the first episode of this epic adaptation will be aired tomorrow evening (Sunday 3rd Jan), 6-7pm on Wandsworth Radio for The Blackshaw Arts Hour.  Tune in live or listen again by subscribing to our podcast on iTunes (or stream online via podbean).

Read more about the project, its cast and creatives, here.

 

Industry performance of Blackshaw’s Showcase Award Winner 2014: Call it Even by Naila Vázquez Tantinyà

11th January 2016 – StageSpace, Pleasance, London, 7.30pm

“Dad, you couldn’t even get dying right…”

Jamie’s father has died. In Gran Canaria. And now he’s got to deal with it – all of it.

Call it Even follows the struggle of a young transgender man to reconcile with his Dad, after he’s gone. Feeling like a stranger in a land where he doesn’t even speak the language, Jamie has a lot of tidying up to do. Uncle Dave isn’t much help, but will he find an unexpected ally in Macarena, the new woman in his Dad’s life (death)?

Booking open for industry only.

 

New Writing Nights at The Horse & Stables, Lambeth

Weds 30th March – Shortlist for the Showcase Award 2016 (submission deadline: Fri 11th March)

May TBC (submission deadline: Fri 29th April)

Weds 27th July (submission deadline: Fri 8th July)

Weds 28th September (submission deadline: Fri 9th September)

Weds 30th November (submission deadline: Fri 11th November)

You can submit your writing, or get involved as an actor or director – see our website for details.

(Seeing) Black Shuck by D. J. Hands at WAFF 2016: Wandsworth Arts Festival & Fringe

A fantastic piece of new writing from emerging playwright, D. J. Hands, who is working with us to develop the piece. A tragi-comedy about two would-be smugglers, this play explores the treacherous relationship between Martha and Andy as they await a shipment from Holland on a beach in Norfolk. The possibility of a ghostly visit from ‘Black Shuck’ and the tense situation put additional stress on their already strained relationship.

6-22nd May 2015 (exact dates TBC), The Bedford, Balham

Gormenghast: Titus Groan at Battersea Library

3rd November – 4th December, Battersea Library, Clapham Junction

We’re thrilled to be staging a full run of our adaptation of Mervyn Peake’s cult classic.

With some cast from our original (2012) production, we will be opening auditions for some new faces (around June/July) and recruiting a top creative team so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming opportunities.

This production is contingent on funding – we’re beavering away already and will keep you updated on our progress.

 

Great Expectations – Getting to know Victoria Hamblen

Victoria began performing at the age of 3. As she grew up, Victoria tried a diverse range of dance styles from ballet to hip hop. She expanded on this, performing in many professional and semi-professional theatrical productions as a teenager. At university, Victoria participated in various productions at the Greenwood Theatre, such as Fame, and Hot Mikado ‘Pitti Sing’, then concluded her amateur run with touring productions of The Taming of the Shrew (2013), where she played the role of ‘Bianca’, and ‘Jacqueline’ in Moliere’s The Reluctant Doctor. Since then Victoria set up, and has been running Cyphers theatre company with Marcus J. Bazley, also performing in many Cyphers productions to date.

 

Quick Questions…

1. What’s your favourite scene or character from ‘Great Expectations’?

When Pip leaves Estella forever. It’s so poignant, and makes me cry every time!

2. What’s the last project you worked on?

The Cyphers Chekhov Double Bill (‘The Proposal’ and ‘The Boor’)

3. What’s the last book you read?

‘Villette’ by Charlotte Bronte

4. Not a lot of people know that I…

speak Mandarin.

5. What really grinds your gears?

When people talk when watching a film.

 
You can hear Victoria Hamblen playing Estella / Mrs Joe in our upcoming radio adaptation of Great Expectations – broadcasting on The Blackshaw Arts Hourfrom Sunday 3rd January 2016.

Subscribe on iTunes.

Available to download or stream here.

 

Great Expectations – Getting to know Alexander Pankhurst

Training: Royal Holloway University of London

Recent Credits include: ‘Jack’ in Staying Alive (Pleasance Theatre with Blackshaw), ‘Demetrius’ and ‘Bottom’ in A Midsummer Nights Dream, ‘Boy’ in Panther, ‘Gerry’ in Dearly Departed, ‘Mal’ in Captcha, ‘Arnold’ in I’ll take a Dozen Accountants…with Sprinkles, ‘Christopher Marlowe’ in Death of Marlowe, ‘Major Steve’ in Love in Freefall, ‘Ash’ in A Million Things, ‘Borachio’ in Much Ado About Nothing, ‘Mercutio’ in Romeo and Juliet, ‘Valentine’ in Two Gentlemen of Verona, ‘Thomas Carnacki’ in Audience with the Ghostfinder, ‘Tom’ in Rabbit, ‘Richard III’ in The Shakespeare Conspiracy, ‘Jamie’ in Airport and ‘Dr Alfred Prunesquallor’ in Gormenghast: Titus Groan.

Quick Questions…

1. What’s your favourite scene or character from ‘Great Expectations’?

It would have to be Will’s Miss Havisham. Delightfully deranged!

2. What’s the last project you worked on?

Blackshaw’s ‘Staying Alive’ at the Pleasance in November.

3. What’s the last book you read?

Malazan Book of the Fallen 05 – Midnight Tides – Steven Erikson, if you like fantasy you will love this series. I cannot recommend it enough.

4. Not a lot of people know that I…

once ate two foot long subs in one sitting.

5. What really grinds your gears?

Slow walkers and people who are rude. (But not those who are rude to slow walkers)

 

You can hear Alexander Pankhurst playing Sergeant / Jaggers in our upcoming radio adaptation of Great Expectations – broadcasting on The Blackshaw Arts Hour from Sunday 3rd January 2016.

Subscribe on iTunes.

Available to download or stream here.