2008: A Summer of Festivals.
Always pleased to support theatre outside of London, and fancying something a little different, 2008 sees Judy showcasing some shorter length new plays at three different arts festivals.
Steyning.
The Place.
Steyning is a historic market town in West Sussex. It is situated within the
South Downs, and to the west of Brighton. It has a quiet rural setting, and the
town centre is largely unspoilt, featuring many historic timber framed buildings
of architectural interest.
The Festival.
The Steyning Festival is two weeks of music, visual arts, theatre and
literature, as well as workshops, a series of fine walks around the town and
local countryside, plus other special events. The 2008 festival took place
between May 24th and June 8th.
Judy's play was part of the successful "theatre trails" run by The Company,
a Sussex based theatre company founded in 2008 with the aim of taking quality
theatre to rural areas. Each trail features two or three plays performed at
different venues over the course of a day. Judy's work was the lunchtime play on
Theatre Trail 2, which took place on Sunday 8th June 2008. Convienently
set in a cafe, "Mary Leonti" was performed at the delightful Michael's Country
Kitchen, in Cobblestone Walk.
Mary Leonti
The Play.
Mary Leonti.
Plot Synopsis: Mary Leonti is having an identity crisis. Buying someone
else's name has unexpected consequences.
Original Production Details
Date: June 2008
Venue: Michael's Country Kitchen
Director: Stephen Israel
| Cast: | |
| Mary Leonti | Kirsty Harbron |
| Mia | Amy Gilbrooke |
| Woman | Elsbeth Benjafield |
A new production of this short play as part of Fright Night on November 1st-2nd 2013 at the Drayton Theatre, Kensington.
Directed by Liz Antonia Thomas
| Cast: | |
| Mary Leonti | Sarah Mueller |
| Mia | Lana McIver |
| Woman | Babs Savage |
Arundel.
The Place.
Arundel is a picturesque West Sussex market town situated below Arundel
castle (seat of the Duke of Norfolk). "Undone" was performed at The Swan Hotel,
on Arundel High Street.
The Festival.
Running as part of the larger Arundel Festival, the Arundel Festival Theatre
Trail presents eight short plays performed in different locations around the
town. The 2008 festival ran from Saturday August 23rd until Saturday 30th
August. Each play ran in the same time slot each day, so the audience could
watch all the plays in a single day or space them out throughout the week.
Undone.
The Play.
Undone.
Plot Synopsis: A button phobic seeks professional help - with
unexpected results.
Original Production Details
Date: August 2008
Venue: The Swan Hotel, Arundel
Director: Kirrie Wratten
| Cast: | |
| Celine | Lynda Newbury |
| Psychiatrist | Jean-Paul Pfluger |
| David | Tom Stojanovic |
There was a rehearsed reading of this play at Shoreham-by-Sea Community Centre as part of Shoreham Wordfest on Friday September 30th 2011.
| Cast: | |
| Celine | Imogen Muller Porter |
| Psychiatrist | Roger Deller |
| David | Jody Bull |
Undone also featured (with another of Judy's plays 82 to North Finchley) in a show entitled 'Postscript' at the Drayton Arms, South Kensington on 11th and 12th January 2013.
Undone
Directed by Sharon Burrell
| Cast: | |
| Celine | Helen Belbin |
| Psychiatrist | Paul Foulds |
| David | James Heatlie |
Cambridge.
The Place.
The city of Cambridge is most famous for its university, with most of it's
best known features and buildings associated with the historic colleges.
The Festival.
Hotbed is a vibrant and innovative theatre festival with one simple aim: to
celebrate the energy and excitement that comes from commissioning, producing and
witnessing new plays. The 2008 festival was the fourth Hotbed, and was presented
by Menagerie Theatre and The Junction. It ran from 3rd-12th July 2008.
Push the Button.
The Play.
Push the Button.
The writer says (Plot Synopsis): In a recent "shoot-em-up" computer
game, characters sing snatches of a song, look outwards from the screen and make
other very human gestures. I don't want to shoot these people, I want to meet
them and discover their stories. But of course these games only replicate
violence, something that seems pointless to many of us, often including those
engaged in the fighting. But this isn't a play about violence, real or virtual -
there's more to life than that!
Original Production Details
Date: July 2008
Venue: The Junction, Clifton Way, Cambridge.
Director: Holly Race
| Cast: | |
| Jake | Delroy Brown |
| Libby | Caroline Partridge |
This short play was also in Steyning Festival Theatre Trail 2, Sunday June 7th 2009.
Presented by The Company
Director - Matt Devitt
| Cast: | |
| Jake | Kieran Garland |
| Libby | Cal Jaggers |
Push the Button was also performed by Spilt Milk as part of their Summer at the Milk Club Show at Proud Cabaret in London. There were 3 performances on the last Wednesday of July, August and September 2010.
Synopsis: An unexpected loss of control changes everything. Can mortal enemies Libby and Jake give peace a chance?
Directed by Nicola Rockhill
Fight director Toby Spearpoint
For more details: www.spiltmilktheatre.com or www.proudcabaret.com
Judy's ten minute plays 'Push The Button' and '82 To North Finchley' also featured in The Platform, at The Bread And Roses, Clapham Manor Street, London 12-13 October 2012
Both plays were directed by Joanna Greaves.
'Push The Button'
| Cast: | |
| Jake | Joseph Adelakun |
| Libby | Hannah Duffy |
| Padre | Tom Bonnington |
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