Blackshaw is a theatre production company, championing new writing and adaptations on stage and in audio.
DownStairs, The Pleasance Theatre
6.30pm, 24th October 2021
Listen to the live recording, now!
Compere: Ellie Pitkin
The Woman on the Ceiling by Julie Barnett
666 PROBLEMS by Sarah Tejal Hamilton
Feed the World, written by Rhiannon Owens, performed by Natalie Winter
Gone by Sasha Ravencroft
An Unusual Undertaking by Andrew James Brown
Mr Tumnus by Sam Greenwood
Readings from ‘Strewwelpeter’ by Heinrich Hoffmann, performed by Ellie Pitkin
Photos by Richard Stratton
Writers & Performers
The Woman on the Ceiling by Julie Barnett
Julie Barnett is a writer from Swansea. She has an obsession with drinking tea, eating cake and anything ghostly. She has successfully managed to freak herself out while writing this piece and will most definitely be sleeping with the light on and one eye open from now on.
666 PROBLEMS by Sarah Tejal Hamilton
Sarah Tejal Hamilton is a playwright and narrative artist. A former winner of the London Horror Festival playwriting competition, her poem tonight, 666 Problems is inspired by all the great gothic poets: Shelley, Keats, Rossetti, Donne, and Jay-Z.
Feed the World, written by Rhiannon Owens, performed by Natalie Winter
Rhiannon is a writer for stage and audio. This is her second foray into the horror genre having previously had a digital performance of her work as part of Uncanny Collective’s online horror festival. It’s not a genre that comes easily as she’s a bit of a wimp who finds everything a little bit terrifying. Her writing can also be seen as part of Jam Tart/Lemon Kurd a double bill of monologues showing at the Hope Theatre from 26th October.
The performer, Natalie Winter, is an actor, voice over artist, and director. She produces and directs the Ragged Scratch Podcast, a new writing podcast for short audio plays, and is a regular player on Blackshaw Theatre’s sister podcast, Merely Roleplayers.
Gone by Sasha Ravencroft
Sasha Ravencroft is going to be reading a piece of prose they wrote recently called ‘Gone’ which looks at how hard it can be to let go of something or someone and move on. Sasha’s company, Rude Raven Productions are at the London Horror Festival for the first time – their play ‘A Simple Tale of Love’ is performing here at The Pleasance Theatre on the 29th October.
An Unusual Undertaking by Andrew James Brown
Andrew James Brown is a poet, storyteller and National Treasure. His work has been seen in the flesh across the UK and in international waters, and can be seen in embalmed form in his criminally underated collection Entrees, get it now before Penguin Classics do.
Mr Tumnus by Sam Greenwood
Mr Tumnus is about a child I do not have, in a house I do not own. In this way I hope it will be very relatable to a London audience.
Crew & Creatives
Ellie Pitkin – Compere & Producer
Andrew Crane – Sound Design and Technician
Violaine Brunelin – Marketing Manager
Alexander Pankhurst – Press & Marketing
Special thanks to: Katy Danbury, Matt Boothman, Richard Stratton, Helen Stratton, Vikki Weston.
About Blackshaw
Founded in 2010, our productions include new works; Trouble at Sea: A Miss McSkimming Mystery by Richard Stratton (2021 – The Big Top, Wandsworth)l The Final Adventure of Frankie Fightwell by Chris Buxey (2018 – Putney Arts Theatre); Some Treachery: A Miss McSkimming Mystery by Richard Stratton (2017 – Putney Arts Theatre); Black Shuck by Duncan Hands (2016 – Old Red Lion Theatre), Staying Alive by Kat Roberts (2015 – Pleasance Theatre), Fetch by Duncan Gates (2014 – Selkirk Upstairs); Audience with the Ghost Finder by M. J. Starling (2013 – Selkirk Upstairs & Etcetera Theatre), and Character by Florence Vincent (2014 & 2015 – Selkirk Upstairs & Tristan Bates Theatre); as well as adaptations of Gormenghast: Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake (2012 – The Actors’ Church, Covent Garden) and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (2014 & 2015 – Selkirk Upstairs, Battersea Library & The British Home).
Our podcast, ‘The Blackshaw Arts Hour’ includes the latest arts news and reviews, as well as one-off radio dramas, serials, and live performances.
Sign up to our mailing list to be sure to hear all about shows, casting opportunities, events, and more.
Find out more on our website.
About Merely Roleplayers
In Blackshaw’s sister podcast, we improvise heists, spy missions, monster hunts and many more stories, with one thing in common: we’re always chasing maximum drama. Dice rolls add an element of chance, so no one knows which way the story will go – not even us! Visit our website to follow the show, and choose Act 1 of any production to jump in and join the fun.
TONIGHT! You can see Merely Roleplayers’ debut live show, Lights Out at 8.30pm at the Pleasance. Book tickets on the Pleasance website, or risk a purchase on the door.
No one knows what happened to the Blackout Four – only that none survived.
Merely Roleplayers hope to solve this mystery live.
Part seance, part campfire tale, part roleplaying game, Lights Out sees four brave players place themselves in the shoes of the Blackout Four, and fight against fate to seize a glimmer of hope – before all the lights go out.
Halloween Tales, 30th October – 1st November 2014, The Selkirk Upstairs
‘You think it’s all me and it’s not. It’s not always me.’
It starts as a normal night-shift – and then you start to see double…
Duncan Gates’ chilling short play, Fetch, alongside some spooky fireside stories, formed our first foray into scary short stories. Halloween Tales was almost certainly the spooky seed from which did grow the horror-bloom: Blackshaw’s Annual Scare Slam.
The Whistling Room by William Hope Hodgson, read by M. J. Starling
Wailing Well by M. R. James, read by Duncan Gates
Fetch by Duncan Gates
There’s a bunch of lovely photos, interviews, and behind the scenes joy available to browse.
CAST
ROSIE MARSH Ally (Fetch)
BRYONY TEBUTT Vic (Fetch)
ALEX YAGHMA Col (Fetch)
M. J. STARLING Storyteller
DUNCAN GATES Storyteller
CREATIVES
ELLIE PITKIN Director & Producer
MICHELLE BRISTOW Set & Costume Designer
ANDREW CRANE Sound Design/Tech Operation
The Scare Slam, annually, October 2014-present
From the mind of Blackshaw associate, Helen Stratton, the Scare Slams were born. Over the years (we’ve done 5) the Scare Slam has been performed at The Horse & Stables, The Old Red Lion, and The Pleasance Theatre, as part of the London Horror Festival.
The show has provided a platform for the telling of terrifying short stories and poems. All in the dead of night. To the gentle hiss of a geriatric smoke machine…
Scare Slam 2015
Scare Slam 2016
Scare Slam 2017
Scare Slam 2018
Scare Slam 2019
You can drip some fear into your ear, and listen to the audio of the Scare Slams, whenever you like.
Compere: Ellie Pitkin
The Sad Kid in the Corridor by Duncan Gates
Bed for Sale, Excellent Condition written by Nikky O’Hare, performed by Natalie Winter
The Bistro by Andrew James Brown
Her by George Morris
The Dog Who Saw Ghosts by Eleanor Verner
Twinkle Twinkle by Reece Connolly
The Summer of 66 by Mike Levanzin
Photos by Richard Stratton
Some performances from the live and spooktastic Scare Slam, as recorded at the Old Red Lion Theatre on Friday 12th October 2018, for the London Horror Festival.
Nightsweats, written and performed by Sasha Wilson
Lay Me Down by Morgan Noll, presented by Somna Theatre Company, performed by Robbie Heath
Warm and Chewy by Ollie George Clark, performed by Dene Horgan
Banshee Bungle by Vivian C Lermond, performed by Victoria Howell
Mrs Miller, written and performed by Reece Connolly
Photos by Richard Stratton – https://500px.com/richardstrat
I – The Intruders, written and performed by Jason D. Brawn
II – Warm and Chewy, written by Ollie George Clark, performed by Dene Horgan
III – The Beast, written and performed by Scott Younger
IV- Nightsweats, written and performed by Sasha Wilson
V – Lay Me Down, written by Morgan Noll, presented by Somna Theatre Company, performed by Robbie Heath
VI – An Evening, written by Patrick Chivers, performed by Peter Frost
VII – Banshee Bungle, written by Vivian C Lermond, performed by Victoria Howell
VIII – Mrs Miller, written and performed by Reece Connolly
VIIII – Ellie Pitkin, Compere
The spooktacular Scare Slam is upon us and we’ve got chills…the terrifying line up is as follows:
Mrs Miller by Reece Connolly
At school, I’m the only kid who’s afraid of Mrs Miller. And I think that’s because – in all honesty – I’m the only kid who can see her…’ A haunted classroom, a sadistic ghost, and one terrified school kid. This is the story of little Rory and his least favourite teacher. Told in rhyme.
My primary school was a Victorian-build that looked a lot like the Amityville house and backed out onto a derelict graveyard. I feel a lot of that probably made its way into this piece of scholastic terror. I’m a writer and performer originally from the North East, now based in East London. I’ve written and directed HUBERT IS VERY DEAD which is playing at the London Horror Festival on Oct 23rd + 24th, and my original play CHUTNEY [about a couple who decide to spice up their relationship by murdering their neighbours’ pets] is running at The Bunker Theatre throughout November.
An Evening by Patrick Chivers
Performed by Peter Frost
A man pays a visit a friend, absent on the night of their bi-weekly textiles class. The savage plot he uncovers is both haunting and tragic.
This story is a Poe-lite fable written by Patrick Chivers – soon to be seen presiding over ‘Midnight Horror’ on 26 & 27th October (the only midnight production and cheapest ticket of the festival!!) He writes: ‘For those with a taste for pre-textual explanations, I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong wordsmith. Like the shocked face of an unidentified corpse, this dumb tale must be left to speak for itself.’
Banshee Bungle by Vivian C Lermond
Performed by Victoria Howell
On the Eve of All Hallows, 2 Celtic Creatures on their way to “a job” miss the opportunity and one lucky man is spared to live another day.
BANSHEE BUNGLE is a monologue in the style of the old storytelling tradition. Vivian is an award-winning playwright whose one-acts and monologues have entertained audiences in the US, Mexico and the UK.
The Intruders by Jason D. Brawn
A couple get a rude awakening during their sleep, in a cottage in the middle of the nowhere. What if witch-hunting still existed today in rustic England?
Jason D. Brawn is a rabid fan of the horror genre, and a writer of dark fiction, which includes a plethora of published short stories and prose poetry, as well as a few produced radio plays and comic book scripts. His short screenplay Portrait was made as a successful short film, and he holds a BA in Film and Media from Birkbeck, University of London.
The Beast by Scott Younger
An 18th century merchant tells of his enslavement in Africa, and the terrifying cargo he escaped with.
This piece is taken from a longer play about The Beast of Gevaudan, a true story of a wolf-like creature that terrorised France in the 18th century.
Lay Me Down by Morgan Noll, presented by Somna Theatre Company
Performed by Robbie Heath
“Lay Me Down” is a short horror tale in the form of a spoken monologue, relying on the imaginative power of children to generate a grim story of religious fear and parental anxieties. “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” meets “The Babadook” .
New kids on the block, Somna Theatre Company, have produced Lay Me Down as a thematic appetiser for their debut show as a company, Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? A one man show focused on parental fears, alienation and child paranoia. If you like what you hear tonight, then be sure to attend their London Horror Festival premiere October 15th at 9:30pm at the Old Red Lion Theatre.
Warm and Chewy by Ollie George Clark
Performed by Dene Horgan
Warm and Chewy is the story of Gerty, the parasite of a small community and how, when the rain stops and food becomes scares, the community turn to feed on him and discover just how warm and chewy he is.
This is the story of Gerty, the over grown globby parasite of a small town, becoming the Warm and Chewy centre of the community. Written by BAFTA Rocliffe Writer Ollie George Clark, his writing credits include Coconuts at the Lyric Hammersmith Evolution Festival, Those we Exile at the Almeida and in the beginning… at the Bloomsbury Festival.
Nightsweats by Sasha Wilson
It is about a woman who finds herself alone and awake in the middle of the night in the Prairie during the period of Westward expansion. It’s about hallucination and a haunting and a man that comes running from the woods toward her house.
Sasha Wilson has been described as a “trifle morbid.” She is the author of Bury The Hatchet a true crime podcast meets live bluegrass musical about the infamous American axe-murderess Lizzie Borden. She likes history and things that go bump in the night. This evening is no exception. This evening, ladies and gentlemen, she presents “Night Sweats” a tale of terror and loneliness in the Wild West.
This episodes includes…
Listen to the podcast here:
Relevant Links
Ant Man & The Wasp – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5095030/?ref_=nv_sr_1
The Spy Who Dumped Me – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6663582/?ref_=nv_sr_1
The Scare Slam Tickets – http://bit.ly/ScareSlam2018
The Scare Slam, apply to take part – http://blackshawonline.com/whats-on/
Non Zero One: Put Her Forward – http://putherforward.com/ and http://www.nonzeroone.com/projects/put-her-forward/
Victoria Sadler: 2018 Theatre in Review: Challenges for Female Playwrights Continues – http://www.victoriasadler.com/2018-theatre-in-review-challenges-for-female-playwrights-continues/
Ellie & Matt are on their holidays, so here’s a quick fix of the Blackshaw Arts Hour to keep you going –
Black Shuck Episode 3 – we’ve heard the tale of legendary Black Shuck, and poor old lopsided Rob’s Dad – we basically had the bejesus scared out of us – so, what was that terrifying noise?!
Talking of terrifying, we can now reveal that Blackshaw’s Scare Slam will be back at the London Horror Festival in October! Details here.
Listen to the podcast here:
Blackshaw Theatre 