November 22nd –26th 2015, 8.30pm, Theatre N16
“There’s no such thing as countries….” George is in search of England, or to be more precise, what it means to be English. He was born English, his parents are English, but he’s not sure whether he is any more. So he’s back to find out. At least, that’s what he says. A play about nationality, immigration and love, and the next production by East London-based Fox Theatre Company.
Inspired by the great travel book of the same name, written by legendary writer, H V Morton, the play has been written by Essex journalist and author Neil D’Arcy-Jones. Neil says: “I’ve been thinking of a way of staging what is essentially the archetypal travel book for many years now, but I didn’t really get to grips with it until I went abroad myself. I was in Australia and New Zealand, and people kept asking me where I was from. After a while I thought ‘who cares where I’m from, what does it mean to be English anyway’ and that’s where the seeds of the play started.” Having written plays primarily for children before, this production not only marks Neil’s ‘grown-up’ debut, but also the first time any of his work has been performed in London.
Director Sarah Chapleo set up Fox Theatre last year and, while still studying for her final degree in English and Drama at Queen Mary University in London, put on her first professional production at the Courtyard Theatre in Hoxton, her own adaptation of Émile Zola’s Thérése Raquin.
Theatre N16 is a trailblazing company founded by young people, for young people. It is London’s newest fringe venue, and is dedicated to creating a creative hub where new and existing works can be explored and pushed into new realms. Theatre N16 is proud of their commitment to the welfare of creatives, operating without a hire fee for external companies. This promoting and nurturing of talent means that Theatre N16 is a bastion for development within the context of a society in which the arts are increasingly struggling to stay afloat.
In Search of England
Company Fox Theatre Company
Performance Dates November 22nd 2015 – November 26th 2015, 8.30pm
Running Time 80 mins
Venue Theatre N16, The Bedford Pub, 77 Bedford Hill, London SW12 9HD
Ticket Price £12 (£10 concessions)
Box Office Ticketsource (www.ticketsource.co.uk/theatren16)
Travel Balham station (2 min walk)
Streatham Hill station (20 min walk)