2014
This year brought with it another set of wonderful pieces that we had great fun working on. We saw the return of Andrew Maddock with another poignant but funny piece in the form of The Olympilads. We also had a number of local writers submit, including Tim Caswell and Ben Haynes.
OLYMPILADS by Andy Maddock
Directed by Cally Lawrence
Cast: Simon – Chris Hodgson
Jack – Matt Ingarfield
Mary – Jo Phillimore
Simon’s brother Jack won’t stop talking about his training for the 2012 Olympic Games. His mum Mary won’t stop chewing her fingernails and checking up on what Simon is eating…. Simon just wants them to both stop being sick and get better. Olympilads is a story about a family plagued with mental health issues and addresses the stigma attached to anxiety and undiagnosed mental health conditions.
FAT CHANCE by Nick Huntington
Directed by Phil Mardin
Cast: Carol – Cally Lawrence
Britney – Jade Smart
Tyler – Matt Ingarfield
Oscar – Chris Hodgson
Helen – Natalie Castka
Maurice – James Simmonds
This is going to be the first fat person’s workout DVD – made for fat people, and get this – presented by fat people… there’s a market out there for it and you know it. It’s relevant, it’s contemporary, and it’s missing on those shelves. What do you think??
Philadelphia – Jonathan Bousted
Directed by Chris Hodgson
Cast: Josh – Matt Ingarfield
Carol – Amanda Price
Alex – Phil Mardlin
When alcoholic stroke victim, Carol, dies choking on her beef sandwich, Alex returns to the childhood, and brother, he chose to forget. Faced with grief and resentment, he’s left asking ‘What was he doing, wiping her arse?’ Can they, should they, will they forgive? Both brothers have some explaining to do.
Giving Up by Phil Mardlin
Directed by Cally Lawrence
Cast: Juliet – Harri Mardlin
Lewis – James Simmonds
Lewis and Juliet married in their early 20s. Now in their 40s, lying in bed one Sunday morning, they evaluate life, their kids and their marriage. A light-hearted look at marriage in modern life.
EXTRA TIME by Tim Caswell
Directed by Phil Mardlin
Cast: Tim/Hanratty – Chris Hodgson
Mum/Win – Harri Mardlin
Vicar – Cally Lawrence
Cyril – Matt Ingarfield
Sherard Defence – Phil Mardlin
Swanick QC – James Simmonds
Extra Time recalls the post-war “giant killing” days when Bedford’s famous Eagles football team sent shock waves around the world with their David v Goliath antics. It is about a class left behind by history, which now feels loss and grief for England’s past on an industrial scale. Here we glimpse its strength, emotional power, humour, warmth and solidarity again.
THE SANDMAN by Mike Carter and Adie Mueller
Directed by Mike Carter
Cast: Adie Mueller
How much of what we see is really what we think we see? When Nathaniel is visited by a mysterious, dread figure from his childhood, and falls in love with a woman who isn’t all she seems, his life begins to spiral out of control… A contemporary take on Hoffmann’s classic of the macabre, combining intimate storytelling with dynamic physical performance.
D by Ben Haynes
Directed by Phil Mardlin
Cast: Joey – Chris Hodgson
Lucy – Jade Smart
Mum – Amanda Price
Dad – James Simmonds
Josie – Natalie Castka
D is a tale of drugs, divorce, heartbreak and the realisation that there is more to life. It takes you into the psychotic breakdown of a young man’s mind, through the ‘high times’ and the ‘comedowns’, and adds a shot of the brokenness of family life. But there’s still – always – hope.
GENERATION by Paul Horsley
Directed by Cally Lawrence
Cast: Brian – James Simmonds
Mike – Phil Mardlin
Ryan – Chris Hodgson
Following an unprecedented tragedy at an English school, two teachers deal with the repercussions, as the press and the governors call for answers.