Author: FairyPoweredProductions

Frantic Assembly

Online Workshops for Schools and Continuing Professional Development Course for Teachers

In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, acclaimed theatre company Frantic Assembly has developed  online schools’ workshops as well as a new four-part online CPD course for teachers to assist them in delivering devising and physical theatre modules in a socially distanced setting

The Online Schools’ Workshops and Teachers’ CPD course will ensure that the company’s extensive education work in the classroom can continue to be taught within current safety guidelines

Online Teachers’ CDP course is available either as a series or as one-off’s streamed through VIMEO ON DEMAND

Available to rent now at http://www.vimeo.com/ondemand/teacherscpd

The company has developed online workshops in response to the fact that they are unable to deliver their workshops in person due to the restrictions in place as a result of Covid-19.

The new workshops delivered online by Frantic Assembly Practitioners are suitable for socially distanced learning in school or remote/home learning and are designed to explore the Frantic Method of devising and physicality within a socially distanced framework, allowing students to study and develop skills safely and with confidence. 

These sessions introduce the work of Frantic Assembly and explore non-contact movement and devising, including

A thorough warm up, preparing students mentally and physically

Developing physical skills that explore non-contact movement and ensemble work whilst socially distancing

Creative tasks that can be done independently and in small groups

A cool down, reflection and questions

Frantic Assembly’s Teachers’ CPD Course is an online, streamed home study course that will equip teachers embarking on delivering devising and physical modules in the next academic year. Developed and created by Artistic Director Scott Graham, Creative Associate Simon Pittman and Associate Director (Learn and Train) Sophie Shaw, the four-part course provides exercises and tasks exploring socially distanced teaching as well as tips and advice for working in a virtual classroom. 

Scott Graham said “The relationship between Frantic Assembly, Teachers and their students has always been vital. We have grown together and learnt from each other. At a time when those Teachers are under immense stress to inspire, instruct and nurture our students it is only right that we should focus our efforts on supporting them. We have always identified limitations as important elements of the creative process and we have worked hard to help Teachers find ways of exploring innovative theatre making within the new limitations they find themselves in. As ever, together we evolve and adapt and will find new ways to engage and inspire students and young theatre makers.”

Access is by a streamed rental via Vimeo On Demand. The films can be rented separately or as the full course, saving £25 (see below). Single workshops are available for 1 month streaming rental and the full four workshop package for 3 month streaming rental. Price includes a downloadable resource pack which accompanies each workshop. To rent please visit http://www.vimeo.com/ondemand/teacherscpd

Workshop 1 – Generating & Selecting Physicality 

·         Develop ways of approaching and generating physical material.

·         Edit, rework and explore ways to use the material through rehearsal and workshop exploration

Workshop 2 – Generating and Selecting Text

·         Develop written material using the building blocks and other key strategies from the Frantic Method

Workshop 3 – Articulating & Interpreting

·         Explore meaning, story and context in material

·         Encourage and develop analytical observation 

·         Hone selected material into potential performance through workshop

Workshop 4 – Ways of Staging

·         Approaches to presenting performance under socially distanced conditions

·         Approaches to staging

·         A guide to working creatively with cameras and recording for performance

Single Workshops (with resources) £50 incl VAT

Full Package (All four workshops with resources) £175 incl VAT

Theatr Iolo announces its first post-lockdown show created for babies to be performed live in September 2020

Theatr Iolo will present their first show since lockdown, a brand-new, socially distanced performance for babies in the garden of Cardiff’s multi-artform venue, Chapter.

Baby, Bird & Bee will mark the return of the award-winning children and young people’s theatre company since they were forced to postpone the productions they had planned for 2020 earlier in the year. The show will also be the first live performance to take place at Chapter since lockdown. 

Baby, Bird & Bee comes from renowned baby theatre makers, Sarah Argent and Kevin Lewis; the same creative team behind Baby Show, a highly acclaimed theatre show that was produced in association with Theatr Iolo. The production for young babies was performed in repertoire at the Unicorn Theatre in London for almost three years and played to thousands of babies. Argent, who directs the piece and Lewis, who performs, are known the world over for making theatre especially for babies. 

Created for babies aged 3-18 months, Baby, Bird & Bee will be a celebration of the outside world, taking place in Chapter’s beautiful garden. For many babies born before or during lockdown, this will not only be their first ever experience of live theatre, but also of sharing a space and interacting with other babies and families.

“At Theatr Iolo we believe children of all ages should have the opportunity to experience live performance. Lots of babies born during lockdown will have had limited opportunities to explore the world around them. Baby, Bird & Bee is a wonderful opportunity for parents and babies to enjoy a performance together, safely spend time with other families and to explore the world beyond their home and garden.”

“As well as being excited to be able to give families the opportunity to see their first theatre show together, we’re also hugely proud to be working with Chapter to present their very first public performance post-lockdown. As a member of the Chapter creative community, we are delighted to find a creative solution to present the first live theatre show at Chapter since March.”

Lee Lyford, Artistic Director, Theatr Iolo

Baby, Bird & Bee is an English language show and will consist of a 20-25 minute performance followed by 20 minutes of ‘Stay and Play’ time for the babies and their families. The performance will take place outside and will adhere to social distancing with adults and babies being allocated a seating pod upon arrival, with a maximum of two babies and two adults from the same or extended household for each pod.

Audiences are invited to sit with their baby whilst the new gardener playfully goes about his work, planting and watering in the beautiful Chapter garden. Together families will discover the sights and sounds of this wonderful outdoor space, as little ones delight in the wonders around them.

Each family will enjoy the performance from their very own space and at the end of the show there will be a chance for families to stay and play with some carefully chosen objects together.

Baby Bird & Bee will take place from 16 – 20 September 2020 at Chapter. All children attending must be strictly between the ages of 3-18 months. Tickets are on sale now and must be ordered in advance from www.chapter.org. An Adult and Baby ticket is £10 (£5 each), an additional adult is £5 each and an additional baby is £5 each. All members of the group, including babies, must have a ticket.

Baby, Bird & Bee has been made possible by the kind support of Chapter.

Wednesday 16 – Sunday 20 September 2020

Three performances a day – 10:00am, 12:00pm and 2:00pm

LAMBERT JACKSON PRODUCTIONS AND CRAZY COQS ANNOUNCE VIRTUAL PRODUCTION OF FIRST DATE WITH FULL CAST

Lambert Jackson Productions and Crazy Coqs present

FIRST DATE

Book by Austin Winsberg

Music and Lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner

Director and Videographer: Dean Johnson; Musical Supervisor: Adam Hoskins

Musical Director: Josh Winstone

Lambert Jackson Productions and Crazy Coqs today announce a virtual production of the Broadway musical First Date. Dean Johnson directs Samantha Barks (Casey), Oscar Conlon-Morrey (Man #2), Rufus Kampa (Young Aaron), Simon Lipkin (Aaron), Nicholas McLean (Man #1), and Danielle Steers (Woman #1).The production will be filmed at Crazy Coqs, then made available for streaming 22 – 24 October at 7.30pm.

Do opposites really attract? Cool chick Casey and tightly wound Aaron are hoping so. These two New York City singles have been set up by friends and family, but from the outset this first date seems to be doomed. The two have nothing in common… But with the help of a meddling but well-meaning waiter, and a host of other characters along the way, can this mismatched pair turn what could be a dating disaster into something special before the check arrives?

With a contemporary rock score, First Date gleefully pokes fun at the all too familiar dating mishaps we’ve all experienced and gives hope that there could be that one special person out there for all of us. 

Tickets are £12.50, and are available at https://www.fane.co.uk/our-shows/first-date-the-musical/about-the-show

Samantha Barks plays Casey. Her previous theatre credits include Chess (Umeda Arts Theater Main Hall / Tokyo International Forum Hall), Pretty Woman (Chicago and Broadway), The Last Five Years (St James Theatre), Amelie (Berkley Rep), City of Angels (Donmar Warehouse), Chicago (Hollywood Bowl), Oliver! (UK tour), Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre), and Cabaret (Birmingham Rep). She was one of the participants on the BBC series I’d Do Anything. For film, her credits include Chocolate Cake, For Love or Money, Bitter Harvest, The Revenger, Interlude in Prague, The Devil’s Harvest, The Christmas Candle and as Eponine in Les Misérables (recipient of Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer; and nomination for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture). She also reprised her performance as Eponine for Les Misérables in Concert: The 25^th Anniversary. Barks will play role of Elsa in the West End production of Frozen.

Oscar Conlon-Morrey plays Man #2. His previous theatre credits include Only Fools and Horses The Musical (Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Fall, The Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntington (Shakespeare’s Globe), Nativity! The Musical (Hammersmith Apollo, UK tour), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Kilworth House Theatre), and The Toxic Avenger (Arts Theatre).

Rufus Kampa plays Young Aaron. His previous theatre credits include The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ – The Musical (Ambassadors Theatre), and Goodnight Mister Tom (Southwark Playhouse).

Simon Lipkin plays Aaron. His previous theatre credits include Ghost Stories (Ambassadors Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith), All in a Row, As You Like It (Southwark Playhouse), Nativity! The Musical, Spamalot (Hammersmith Apollo/UK tour), The Wind in the Willows, Honeymoon in Vegas, I Can’t Sing (London Palladium), Whisper House (The Other Palace), Guys and Dolls (Phoenix Theatre), Miss Atomic Bomb (St James Theatre), The Lorax (The Old Vic), Avenue Q (Noël Coward Theatre), Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory), and Rock of Ages (Shaftesbury Theatre). For film, his credits include Nativity Rocks!, Show Dogs, Nativity III, and The Muppets – Again.

Nicholas McLean plays Man #1. His previous theatre credits include Wicked (Apollo Victoria), Cinderella (Mercury Theatre Colchester), Avenue Q (UK tour), The Pied Piper (Cornerstone Arts Centre), South Pacific (St James Concert Hall), and The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales Theatre).

Danielle Steers plays Woman #1. Her previous theatre credits Sweet Charity (Donmar Warehouse), Bat Out of Hell (Dominion Theatre, London Coliseum, UK tour), Beautiful (Aldwych Theatre), The Bodyguard (Dominion Theatre), We Will Rock You (international tour), Hairspray (Aberystwyth Arts Centre), and Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre).

Dean Johnson directs. His previous theatre credits include Godspell (St Paul’s Covent Garden, Cadogan Hall), Dogfight (Southwark Playhouse), Paperboy (Lyric Theatre Belfast), Spring Awakening, In The Heights (Stockwell Playhouse), and Into The Woods, Rent (Belvoir Studio Theatre).

The Troubadour Theatre – until 27 September 2020

Review by Heather Chalkley

3***

Sleepless is a gentle story that sticks to its original heart-warming narrative. Entwined in its romantic tale you are faced with the question, do you believe in fate or do you create your own destiny? Thanks to the young boy Jonah (Jobe Hart), fate is given a well-pitched strike to bring it all together.

The musical experience of the leading players shines through, with the liquid tones of both Jay McGuiness (Sam) and Kimberley Walsh (Annie) melding together in soft and comforting melodies. This was greatly helped by a well-executed score. The humour of the piece was brought to the fore by Cory English (Rob) with his grown-up kid remarks and Charlie Bull (Victoria) and her jump out of your skin laugh. They were a welcome addition to balance out the wishful thinking and mournful looks into the distance.

The supporting cast give the production energy and context, with everything seemingly perfectly placed. I was particularly impressed with the automation of staging, providing smooth transitions and atmosphere between scenes.

Sleepless is light-hearted family entertainment that will give you a smile. In the end, we find that Jonah may have tried to create a new future for him and his Dad, but it was actually fate that finally brought Sam and Annie together.

The fact that this is the first large scale indoor production since lockdown, gives it a wow factor beyond the production itself. Well done Troubadour and Encore for taking the plunge. A heart felt thank you from one and all.

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BARN THEATRE TO REOPEN FOR LIVE INDOOR PERFORMANCES WITH PRODUCTION OF MICHAEL MORPURGO’S MODERN CLASSIC PRIVATE PEACEFUL

THE BARN THEATRE WILL BEGIN INDOOR PERFORMANCES FROM 10 SEPTEMBER WITH BOXLESS THEATRE, BARN THEATRE AND TAKE TWO THEATRICALS’ PRODUCTION OF PRIVATE PEACEFUL

THE THEATRE HAVE ANNOUNCED NEW SAFETY PROCEDURES PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT AUUDIENCES HAVE THE SAFEST POSSIBLE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE

THE PRODUCTION TRANSFERS TO THE MAIN STAGE FOLLOWING ITS ACCLAIMED RUN AT THE THEATRE’S OUTDOOR THEATRE FESTIVAL, BARNFEST

The Barn Theatre has announced today that they will re-open for live indoor theatre performances on 10 September with the transfer of Private Peaceful.The production will run in the main auditorium following the production’s acclaimed sell out run at the theatre’s first outdoor theatre festival, BarnFest, in August.

The theatre has announced changes they have implemented to ensure audience safety throughout their experience. The theatre will run at a reduced capacity with Perspex screens being placed between groups with a new seating layout to ensure social distancing measures are adhered to. The theatre has also announced that they have a new and upgraded air filtration system which exceeds governing guidelines to ensure the experience is the safest the theatre can provide. The cast and creative team will also adhere to Government guidance on social distancing and temperature checks.

The safety measures that were successfully utilised during BarnFest – the theatre’s outdoor theatre festival – including temperature checks on arrival, mandatory masks for all patrons over 11 years old, staggered arrival times, sanitisation of public areas and hand sanitiser at entrance and exit points will continue for indoor theatrical performances.

Based on the modern classic by Michael Morpurgo (War Horse, The Butterfly Lion), Private Peaceful tells the story of Tommo Peaceful as he reflects upon the events that made him the person he is now, from first love to fighting on the battlefield alongside his brother. Set against the backdrop of World War One, the intimate production runs from 10 – 27 September, with press night on Tuesday 15 September.

Michael Morpurgo, the internationally best-selling author of Private Peaceful and long-time supporter of the Barn Theatre, visited the production during its run at the Barn Theatre’s outdoor theatre festival BarnFest for an exclusive post-show Q&A and gave his seal of approval saying, “It was extraordinary, very moving and utterly committed. It didn’t feel like a play at all. It felt like they were telling a story that they really cared about. Really great acting, top notch”.

Private Peaceful will be performed by Emily Costello and James Demaine, directed by Alexander Knott with Zöe Grain as associate director and movement director. The transfer production will feature sound design by Harry Smith (Henry V, Daddy Long Legs) and lighting design by Sam Rowcliffe-Tanner (Henry V, Just So).

Artistic Director Iwan Lewis said of re-opening, “It’s time to get theatre back indoors and safety is our number one priority! Our team have adapted incredibly to provide the safest possible theatrical experience over the Summer with our outdoor theatre festival BarnFest. Having seen the overwhelming responses from both audience members and critics on how safe and enjoyable their visits were, we are confident that we can replicate and further the same experience indoors. It is fundamental that we maintain this high standard when welcoming our audience members indoors for the first-time following lockdown. Temperature checks, Perspex screens between booking groups, a new seating layout, upgraded air filtration system, staggered arrival times, we are implementing every possible safety measure to ensure that our audiences are provided with the highest quality entertainment in the safest possible environment.”

Private Peaceful is a co-production by BoxLess Theatre, Barn Theatre and Take Two Theatricals, with associate producer Thomas Hopkins.

WHY DON’T EVEN FOOLS AND HORSES WORK?!

Only Fools and Horses The Musical – Silent Stand
On Thursday 3 September at 11.00am, up to 30 members of the cast and crew of Only Fools and Horses The Musical will join together outside the Theatre Royal Haymarket to make a 15 minute socially-distanced silent stand.
This is to show solidarity with those in the UK theatre industry who have lost their jobs and received no government support, to highlight the lack of government guidance for the reopening of theatres, and to implore the Government to provide the industry with a date when theatres can reopen without social distancing.

Paul Whitehouse, co-writer and star of Only Fools and Horses The Musical, who will participate in the silent stand, said: “This stand is to highlight the plight of everyone who works in the theatre industry: the front of house staff, box office, bar staff, cleaners, ushers, maintenance workers as well as the stage crew and cast, producers, writers, set designers, directors, lighting and sound designers, art departments, production teams, make-up and wigs, costume, carpenters, marketing, musicians and musical directors.
Not to mention all the small businesses that survive and thrive as a result of theatre audiences…the restaurants, bars, coffee shops, cabbies and many others.

If it’s ok to go to the cinema, it must be ok to go to a show. If it’s ok to go to a crowded airport and sit on a plane for hours, it must be ok to go to a show. You can ventilate a theatre…you can’t open a window on a plane.

We need restrictions lifted, or a cohesive date to work towards, so we can plan how to reignite an entire industry.”

Derby Rises

Part of Derby CAN
(Creative Arts Network)

Sunday 27 September, 2020
Derby Theatre

Derby Theatre and partners celebrate easing out of quarantine and lockdown with community co-creation project
                                                                       

To celebrate the city’s emergence and easing out of lockdown and quarantine, Derby Theatre and partners of Derby CAN (Creative Arts Network) are thrilled to announce Derby Rises, a radical combination of newly commissioned artistic pieces of work, community-based workshops and an evening of celebration and entertainment at Derby Theatre on Sunday 27 September.

Derby Rises is a citywide version of The Bakery of Slow Ideas; a community art practice created by Leo Kay from London-based Unfinished Business. Together, Leo and Project Collaborator Anna Smith, make interactive and intimate performance, working with both artists and non-artists in the UK and throughout Europe. For Derby Rises, they are currently working with Derby Theatre, various community groups, artists, and partners from the region to creatively explore the themes of hope, identity and how we emerge as a city from lockdown through this concept.

The roots of The Bakery of Slow Ideas are based on a desire to nurture healing communication, to allow communities space to have a meaningful dialogue, to digest together and to allow for emergent ideas to arise from this interaction. Whether that community be within an arts context or within a culturally, socially or experience specific context, the aspirations stay the same. The fact that the communities that we are engaging with in this specific process are not often afforded space to be seen and heard within contemporary urban culture, makes their engagement all the more important.

Community Workshops

Since early July, Leo Kay, Derby CAN Partners, and the commissioned artists have collaborated with various community groups : the LGBTQ+ community; the New Arrivals, Asylum Seekers and Refugee community and a newly formed group who identify as Working Class.   

The workshops explore each community group’s response to the pandemic, their personal manifestos for the future, and their hopes for their city. The commissioned artists are attending each workshop to develop and create a short performance in response to each community’s contributions which will be performed at the Theatre on Sunday 27 September. 

On Sunday 27 September, the overall project will culminate in a socially distanced cabaret-style performance and celebration at Derby Theatre, which will also be livestreamed.  The performance will bring together the content of the workshops, presented as artistic responses to each community group’s work. The artists who will perform on the evening, and those involved at the workshop stage, are: Jamie Thrasivoulou (an award-winning writer, poet, lyricist, and educator from Derby); Amy Pennington (an artist who makes work using humour to connect human experiences and socio-political issues); Symoné (a hula hoop artiste, dancer, roller-skater and Vaudeville Dynamo);  and Mr Supreme (a UK rap artist based in the East Midlands). On the evening, each artist will perform their short response piece and a performance poet will perform a new poem inspired by the words displayed and contributed via the Graffiti Wall. Sinfonia VIVA, a British, award-winning orchestra from Derby, will play a short set from a string quartet at the event and Derby Jazz, a long-established organisation who support and develop Jazz in the city, will also perform.

An invited audience on the night will include members of the community involved in the workshops, their friends, and families plus an allocation of tickets available to members of the public.  

To complement this, from Monday 21 until Saturday 26 September, a Graffiti Wall will be erected on Cathedral Green in the city, a creative space that will be accessible to the public to add their thoughts and dreams for their respective communities post-lockdown. Project partner, Baby People, a music and arts development organisation based in the city, the UK’s first dedicated Hip Hop school which uses art and culture to engage and support the needs of the most deprived in our communities, will engage with various groups to decorate the wall throughout the week, to enhance contributions from the public. As part of this, local graffiti artists will run drop-in workshops for the public as part of the Derby Festé art trail.

Derby Rises is part of Derby CAN (Creative Arts Network), a 3-year, multi-partner Arts Council England £1.5 million funded project to work, co-curate and co-create with different communities, to support and strengthen the performing arts sector in the local area. The project partners include: Baby People, China Plate, Crying Out Loud, Déda, Derby City Council, Derby County Community Trust, In Good Company, Maison Foo, Milk Presents, Not Too Tame, QUAD, University of Derby and Wild Rumpus. 

The Derby Rises celebration event will be on Sunday 27 September and will take place at Derby Theatre from 7.30pm.

DOUBLE THE FUN ON THE BANCROFT – RSC LAUNCHES NEW SOCIALLY-DISTANCED FAMILY TRAIL

New socially-distanced, self-guided family trail comes to The Bancroft Terrace from the creators of ‘Inside Out’ and ‘The Swirl’

Inspired by the themes, characters and plot of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

https://www.rsc.org.uk/events/family-activities

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has today announced details of an exciting new installation for families, arriving on The Bancroft Terrace from Wed 26 August.

Designed by Andrew Lock and Fiona Barlow – whose previous work for the RSC includes ‘The Swirl’ and ‘Inside Out’ – this fully immersive family trail has been specifically designed with social-distancing in mind and takes its inspiration from the plot, themes and characters of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, which was due to run in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre this Spring but was postponed in March due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19.

Featuring a series of interconnected floor-based vinyls, families are invited to join estranged twins Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus and their servants Dromio of Ephesus and Dromio of Syracuse on a perilous journey across the ocean in search of their long lost brothers.

Follow in the footsteps of Shakespeare’s hapless heroes as they brave storm, shipwreck, strange new worlds, high-seas and high-jinks to be re-united with their long-lost family once more with this fun and colourful journey through Shakespeare’s fairy-tale farce!

This new piece of work, sponsored by Darwin Escapes, builds upon the RSC’s Inside Out programme, a new area of free events and activities on the Bancroft Terrace which aims to bring the world of theatre from inside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to the outside.

Geraldine Collinge, Director of Events and Exhibitions at the Royal Shakespeare Company, said: “As families across the region return to Stratford-upon-Avon for their Summer Holidays, we wanted to create a piece of work which captured the spirit of our ‘Inside Out’ programme of free pop-up activities on the Bancroft Terrace, that didn’t rely on visitors having to touch or engage with a structure of any kind. Working with our brilliant Designers Andrew Lock and Fiona Barlow and Creative Consultant Hal Chambers, who is also Assistant Director of The Comedy of Errors, we have come up with a fun, floor-based alternative which can be enjoyed in a fully socially-distanced way. We hope this specially-adapted family trail will offer added reassurance to visitors whilst, at the same time, entertaining and inspiring young people through their discovery of Shakespeare’s characters and works!”

Visitors can continue to enjoy a daily takeaway service from the RSC’s Riverside Café and ‘Rocket’ Ice Cream which is open from 10am to 4pm daily.

Both will serve a wide range of drinks, ice cream, crisps and cakes. The Riverside Cafe will offer a full range of fair-trade tea and coffee. Alcohol will also be served from 12noon.

Customers are asked that they observe social distancing throughout their visit, using the markings on the pavement and payment is by contactless card only. The riverside furniture and the tables at the front of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre have been removed, for the safety of visitors.

Josie Lawrence is The Boss of It All in streamed Lars von Trier stage adaptation

New Perspectives update Danish office comedy for the ‘work from home’ era 

Josie Lawrence and six other actors will perform the show live from their homes 

Streamed by Soho Theatre for five performances from 18^th – 20^th September 

“Sharp and smart” «««« The Stage 

@NPtheatre | www.newperspectives.co.uk | @sohotheatre | sohotheatre.com 

The cult classic Lars von Trier film, The Boss of It All, has been adapted for a specially staged streamed version by theatre company New Perspectives, with Josie Lawrence playing the title character. The office comedy drama was originally presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013 to widespread critical acclaim before transferring to Soho Theatre.  In 2020 the office setting has now become a remote working set up, with the action taking place via a series of Zoom meetings. Josie will lead a cast of seven performing live from their homes, and will be joined each night by a different comedian guest cameo from around the globe.  

For years the boss of an IT company has tricked his staff into believing he is simply another co-worker. So when he needs a ‘real’ boss to help close the deal of a lifetime, he hires an actor to play the role. What could possibly go wrong? Marking one of Lars von Trier’s rare forays into comedy, this distinctive and eccentric exploration of office politics has been rewritten for the stage by Jack McNamara following its hit premiere seven years ago. The play has since been performed around the world 

Josie Lawrence stars as Kristina (gender flipped from the original Kristoffer in the film), the out-of-work actor hired to play the boss of the company. She is best known as a regular guest on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, as well as Manda Best in EastEnders and recent role of Agnes Nutter in Good Omens. The eight-strong cast also includes Ross Armstrong (Chernobyl, Mr Selfridge), award-winning UK-based Japanese comedian Yuriko Kotani and a special guest cameo from a different comedian for each performance. 

The Boss of It All is a New Perspectives and Soho Theatre co-production in association with Derby QUAD. 

Josie Lawrence said, “Really excited to be working with one of my favourite directors Jack McNamara again. Love this adaption and can’t wait to get started. It’s live theatre streamed from our homes to yours. Hope you can join us.” 

New Perspectives Artistic Director Jack McNamara said, “The Boss of it All is a comedy about dodgy leadership, work instability and the artifice of daily life. So it is little surprise that the play has gained an entirely fresh resonance in the time we find ourselves in today. Rewriting it for zoom brought out a clear political centre that was almost unnoticeable six years ago. It’s hard today not to recognise a story about finding ourselves in the hands of leaders whose conviction goes no deeper than the script they are holding.”  

New Perspectives is an East Midlands based company with over 40 years’ experience of touring high-quality productions to venues of all sizes across the UK, from mid-scale theatres to village halls.  With a strong rural core, they create productions to fit spaces of any size in order to bring new work that is unexpected and thought-provoking to a wide range of audiences. Since 2012, New Perspectives has been led by Artistic Director Jack McNamara whose productions include The Boss of It All by Lars von Trier (Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh and Soho Theatre), The Lovesong of Alfred J Hitchcock by David Rudkin (Brits off Broadway, New York and UK tour), Darkness, Darkness (Nottingham Playhouse co-production) and the Stage Award winning The Fishermen by Gbolohan Obisesan (Trafalgar Studios, Assembly George Square Studios and UK Tour). Their podcast series PlacePrints is currently available, and their postcard drama Love From Cleethorpes is available again from October. 

Soho Theatre is London’s most vibrant producer for new theatre, comedy and cabaret. We pursue creative excellence, harnessing an artistic spirit that is based in our new writing roots, the radical ethos of the fringe and the traditions of punk culture and queer performance. We champion voices that challenge from outside of the mainstream, and sometimes from within it too. We value entertainment, accessibility and enjoy a good show. We are a registered charity and social enterprise and our audiences are diverse in age, background and outlook. 

Ordinarily our work plays to live audiences of 250,000 audiences a year in our Dean Street venue, at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond. Since our temporary closure due to Covid-19 we have re-launched our online platform Soho Theatre On Demand, which hosted the phenomenally successful live recording of Fleabag. We are also working towards the opening of an exciting second venue, a “local theatre with a national profile” in Walthamstow, currently slated to open in 2022. 

Soho Theatre’s board is chaired by Dame Heather Rabbatts DBE and the company is led by Executive Director Mark Godfrey and Creative Director David Luff.  

sohotheatre.com | sohotheatreondemand.com | @sohotheatre 

Company Inforrmation 

Director Jack McNamara                                  Design Consultant Lily Arnold 

Digital Consultancy TECH:SQUAD                  Digital Producer Darius Powell           

Technical Delivery Officer Adam Crowther       Stage Manager Oran O’Neill 

Cast 

Kristina Josie Lawrence            Ravn Ross Armstrong 

PA David Alade                         Gorm Angela Bain                                Lise Rachel Summers    

Mette Yuriko Kotani                   Spencer Jamie de Courcey                   The Voice Tone Haldrup Lorenzen 

Listings information  

18 – 20 September 

Friday 18 September at 8pm 

Saturday 19 September at 4pm and 8pm 

Sunday 20 September at 4pm and 8pm 

Tickets from £8 – £15 | sohotheatre.com 

A New Perspectives and Soho Theatre co-production in association with Derby QUAD. Presented by arrangement with Nordiska ApS, Copenhagen. New Perspectives is supported using public funding from Arts Council England, Lottery Funded. 

Golden Toad Theatre launch West End led music
video for Errol’s Garden

Following their recent collaboration with West End stars, Courtney Stapleton (Six) and Joe
Griffiths-Brown (Hamilton), Golden Toad Theatre are thrilled to reveal their finished music
video, starring green-fingered children from across the country. Encouraged to sing along and share photos and drawings of their garden creations, children have mucked in to bring the musical of Gillian Hibbs’ award-winning book, Errol’s Garden, to life during lockdown.

The garden-inspired summer project has seen children’s creativity bloom, with over 25 different types of plants and flowers flourishing at their fingertips, from apples to zinnias and runner beans. Alongside the musical project, animator Lee Cooper has created two brilliant activity videos inspired by Hibbs’ original book, showing children how to craft origami flowers, and decorate your own recycled pot.

Golden Toad’s Co-Directors, Caroline Wigmore and Jennifer Green, comment, We were
astounded by the joyful submissions we received from children across the country. It’s wonderful to see the results of so much passion for plants and fun with growing. Thank you to all our participants for your enthusiasm, singing, drawing and photo submissions. We hope that you enjoy being part of Errol’s music video with West End stars Joe Griffiths-Brown & Courtney Stapleton!

With the touring interactive musical adaptation of Errol’s Garden on hiatus until Spring/Summer 2021, Golden Toad Theatre are keen to still use Gillian Hibbs’ award-winning book to help children’s creativity blossom with exciting and educational content available online. Further tour information and dates will be announced in due course.

Golden Toad Theatre are thrilled to be supported by the Arts Council emergency funding for the continuation of their work.