Tag: WAFF

Looking back at…Alice in Wonderland

On By elliepitkinIn 10th Anniversary, Alice, Alice 2015

adapted by Richard Stratton

3-18th May 2014, The Selkirk Upstairs
2-16th May 2015, Battersea Library
4-5th June 2015, The British Home

There have been many iterations of Alice in Wonderland, but I bet no others have involved a knitted tea pot. Brilliantly reimagined by Blackshaw stalwart Richard Stratton, it was performed three different times, on three different stages, with three different casts – all racing around, causing havoc and delight in equal measure. Every single show was sold out, every single time. What a rush. You didn’t have to be mad to be involved, but it certainly helped.

this ingeniously directed production by Ellie Pitkin showcases all the theatrical tricks one can imagine…this resourceful and clever production

Public Reviews

an imaginative production…highly entertaining and engaging…a fun afternoon adventure

Everything Theatre

tightly directed and precisely performed – and gloriously silly

Cumbria PR

2014 CAST

EMILY RAE – ALICE
NATALIE WINTER – MARCH HARE/DOOR 2
ANGELA FERNS – THE QUEEN OF HEARTS/SHOPKEEPER
DEAN BRAMMALL – MAD HATTER/DOOR 3 /FLOWERS
LIAM FLEMING – TWEEDLE DUM/SOLDIER 2/DOOR 4
ALEXANDER PANKHURST – TWEEDLE DEE/SOLDIER 1/DOOR 1
NATASHA GREEN – CHESHIRE CAT
CLARE HARLOW – WHITE RABBIT/CATERPILLAR

2014 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 – PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY
ZAK THOMAS – PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY
MICHELLE BRISTOW – COSTUME & SET DESIGN ASSISTANT
SHINO MINAGAWA – COSTUME ASSISTANT
KIRSTY YOUNG – COSTUME ASSISTANT
NARA JEONG – COSTUME ASSISTANT

2015 CAST

EMILY RAE / RACHAEL STRATTON – Alice
ALEXANDER PANKHURST – Tweedle Dee/Caterpillar/Soldier 1/Door 1
NATASHA GREEN – Cheshire Cat
ROSIE MARSH – March Hare/Door 2
RICHARD STRATTON – Tweedle Dum/Soldier 2/Door 4
STEVE WICKENDEN – Librarian/Queen of Hearts
ALEX KHANYAGHMA – White Rabbit/Door 3/Flowers

2015 CREATIVES

ELLIE PITKIN – Director and Producer
MARCUS BAZLEY – Assistant Director
TEGAN CUTTS – Stage Manager
ANDREW CRANE – Sound & Lighting Designer & Operator
ZAHRA MANSOURI – Set & Costume Designer
MICHELLE BRISTOW – Associate Set & Costume Designer
VIKKI WESTON – Front of House Manager
SIMON ANNAND – Production Photography
ELLA OKEORE – Costume & Set Assistant
INEZ COONEN – Costume & Set Assistant
MARIA NOONE – Costume & Set Assistant
DODONA WHITE – Costume & Set Assistant
KATHERINE BURKE – Costume & Set Assistant/ASM

More about Alice 2014
More about Alice 2015

Looking back at…Character

On By elliepitkinIn 10th Anniversary, Character, Character 2015Leave a comment

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

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

Black Shuck: Recording a radio drama

On By elliepitkinIn Arts Hour, Black ShuckLeave a comment

We decided to record our upcoming show, Black Shuck by Duncan Hands, as a radio drama.  Double the fun!  We hired the Insanity Radio studio at my alma mater, Royal Holloway University of London. You’ll be able to listen to the radio drama later this year, but no need to wait – come and see the show! Tickets available here.

Black Shuck WordPress image

 

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Rachel Nott, Andy Crane

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Rachel Nott, Alexander Pankhurst

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Wild Whitstable: Black Shuck Photo Shoot

On By elliepitkinIn Black ShuckLeave a comment

Here’s a little backstage glimpse of those who suffered for their art on the shore of the north Kent coast.

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Wild and windswept, the actors Alexander Pankhurst and Rachel Nott posed perfectly in character as Art and Martha. We only stopped briefly; to rescue Rachel’s scarf from a dog weeing on it, to shoo away other dogs checking out said wee and to give my arm a rest from my role as a human lighting stand.

Blackshuck2

Despite the 40mph winds and the various acts canine vandalism, Robin Savage executed a professional photo shoot with excellent results (keep your eyes peeled for the photos on our Twitter, Facebook etc very soon!).

If you’re a fan of schadenfreude, you’ll like this – in my attempt (two days prior to the shoot) to inflate a yellow buoy. My misadventure began when I came home from an evening work event, with the bright idea of inflating the buoy with my bicycle pump. With nothing to eat or drink since lunch, and the extreme effort I had to employ to even slightly inflate it, I promptly passed out, hitting my head on the coffee table on the way down. Not my finest moment, but I would like to think it displays some commitment and dedication to my work for Blackshaw.

 

By Nick Tatchell (Blackshaw’s Funding & Partnerships Manager)

Coming up in 2016

On By elliepitkinIn NewsLeave a comment

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.

 

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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.

Hell and Heaven

(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.

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