WHAT'S ON
SIMON BRODKIN
COMEDY HEADLINE
After three hugely successful BBC series as Lee Nelson, multiple sell-out tours and various court appearances following world-famous stunts on Theresa May, Sepp Blatter, Donald Trump, Kanye West and Britain’s Got Talent, the award-winning, critically-acclaimed comedian unveils his funniest creation yet… himself! Simon Brodkin’s highly-anticipated debut stand-up show. 'Hilarious' (List). 'Genius' (Independent). ‘Get him out!' (Donald Trump)
STAGEYS IN THE STIXX
JESSAMY STODDART
Jessamy Stoddart is best know for playing Liberty Savage in Hollyoaks, and she was nominated for Best Comedy Performance at the British Soap Awards this year! She has also appeared in Les Miserables and Wicked in London's West End.
OLIVER SAVILE
Credits include: Fiyero in WICKED (Apollo Victoria Theatre), Cover Raoul in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Her Majesty's Theatre), Rum Tum Tugger in CATS, (UK Tour) ,Enjolras in LES MISERABLES (Queen's Theatre), Gideon in THE LAST SHIP (Last Ship Productions), Robert in COMPANY (Aberdeen Arts Centre), Sir Hugo in KNIGHTS OF THE ROSE, and Wayne in STATE FAIR (London Musical Theatre Orchestra)
EMMA KINGSTON
Emma recently played EVITA in the International Tour, and other credits include Rosalia in West Side Story BBC Proms, Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof (Chichester Festival Theatre), Vanessa in In The Heights (Kings Cross Theatre/Southwark Playhouse), 1st Cover Eponine in Les Miserables (Queen's Theatre) and Clara in The Light in the Piazza (Bernie Grant Arts Centre) as well as touring the UK in Priscilla Queen of the Desert and GREASE.
RYAN O'GORMAN
Theatre Credits include: Voice of Audrey 2 in Little Shop of Horrors (Storyhouse) John in Miss Saigon (UK & International tour); Tom Collins In Rent (London/UK tour, 20th Anniversary cast); Les Miserables (Queens, 30th Anniversary cast); Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace); Oliver! (UK & Ireland tour); The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre)
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SEXY LAMP
“And so I figured if McDonald’s can call itself a restaurant, I can call myself an actor.”
Ever since Katie was cast as the lead in her primary school Christmas show ‘Santa’s Snow Mobile’ she believed there was a place for her in show business. Since then named, speaking and fully clothed roles have been hard to come by…
Sexy Lamp brilliantly combines comedy, original songs and storytelling to shed a bright light on how ridiculous the industry can be and why Katie is refusing to stay in the dark any longer.
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“Throughly entertaining” Lyn Gardner
★★★★★ “Genius” VoiceMag UK
★★★★★ “Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant” Within Her Words
★★★★★ “Powerful, provocative and emotional” Last minute Tickets
★★★★★ “Sharp and fresh” Nothing in the Rule Book
★★★★★”Remarkable” Close-up Culture
★★★★★”A complete joy” View From The Cheap Seats
★★★★ “A delight to watch” Everything theatre
★★★★ “Go Immediately” LondonTheatre1
“She really is one to watch.” Ought to be Clowns
“Polished Storytelling” Broadway World
WINNER OF PLEASANCE PICK OF VAULT 2019 and SHOW OF THE WEEK at VAULT Festival 2019
THE ART OF CARING
The story of an audacious carer in a residential care home. With an Inspection looming, Gem is caught in the eye of the storm, battling against her mischievous clients, ridiculous management and mounds of paperwork. Absolute nightmare. Puppetry, stand-up comedy and music come together to create this bold and uncompromising new one-woman show - exploring loneliness, human connection and the art of caring.
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Nominated for New Writing South's Best New Play Award 2019.
★★★★ "Poignant, witty and compellingly performed... an affectionate and funny slice of character comedy." - Steve Bennet, Editor of Chortle Magazine.
"Laugh out loud... audience are in fits of easy laughter within minutes" - Voice Magazine
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Facebook - @LilBitOfTheatre
Instagram - @LittleBitofTheatre
Twitter - @LilBitOfTheatre
GREYHOUNDS
"The year is 1941 and rehearsals for Henry V are about to begin...
Greyhounds entwines Shakespeare's famous story of 'warlike Harry' with the everyday trials and tribulations of small village life during World War Two. Whilst the war rages above them, the residents of Shuttlefield village struggle to stage a production of Henry V to raise money for their local Spitfire fund. New writing combining a touch of comedy, a taste of Shakespeare and pure vintage flair!
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★★★★ ""You should think yourself accurs’d if you miss this clever and charming production." - Broadway Baby
★★★★ "Atmospheric and entertaining" - The List
★★★★ "Pretty much perfect" - Edinburgh Guide
★★★★ British Theatre Guide
★★★★ North West End
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On the back of a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last summer, Time & Again Theatre Company are now touring Greyhounds around the UK! As well as theatres, studios and village halls, they're really excited to perform the show at site specific locations relating to the history of the play, including in front of the world's oldest Supermarine Spitfire!"
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@timeandagaintc on Twitter and Instagram
www.facebook.com/timeandagaintc
www.timeandagaintheatre.com
PEA
Presented by puppetry & storytelling company Nod At The Fox. For adventurers 5+
Tiffany can't sleep. Join her quest to answer why…
Tiffany is twisting and turning and her mind won’t stop whirring, she just can’t fall asleep! As a fairy tale enthusiast she knows the only thing that would keep her awake is a PEA hidden underneath her bed.
Journey with us down through worlds of mattresses & dangers, helping the bed folk that Tiffany meets along her adventure. On top of that, she has a whole new family to meet! Tiffany’s quest is to find the PEA. But what’s really keeping her awake?
“As a parent, this is just the theatre that I would want to bring my children to see… Enchanting to behold” - Audience response at Saint Andrew’s Centre (PEA.)
★★★★ - Fly On The Wall Awards (Burning Tails)
“Touching, hilarious, silly. Incredible details, brilliant storytelling” - Audience response (Burning Tails)
SNICKERS
Snickers- An American Tragic Legend About One Dark Horse and his Australian Venture by Lara Buffard and Gur Piepskovitz
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In the current epidemic of crime shows one finds out that justice is slipping away.
Who is to blame?
Capitalism?
White men?
Unicorns?
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One horse may have the answer. Hear the story of Snickers, the horse of the Mars family. They named a chocolate-bar after him and now, objectified and forgotten Snickers’ spirit will come to set the record straight with his family and unravel a conspiracy plot which will shock you to the core.
In a ritual on stage, Lara and Gur will invoke the spirit of Snickers and by the end, they will find that this conspiracy is closer to home than they had expected!
The piece is dedicated to Gur’s dad. A white man with an uncanny love for Snickers.
Review by Max Wallenhorst:
Within a surprisingly theatrical form that is precise and a lot of fun, Buffard and Piepskovitz present an allegory that is messy in the best sense. the narrative raises different questions: How do the fantasies of product development exploit the names of creatures it, one way or the other, owns? What would a counter-fantasy of revenge actually look like?
It’s a tour de force, tying different anecdotes from the history of Snickers, the chocolate bar, to Snickers, the horse, to which Snickers, the chocolate bar, is, in fact, a tribute.
www.gurariepiepskovitz.com/snickers
www.larabuffard.com
www.gurariepiepskovitz.com
Photo credit- Dorothea Tuch
ZACH & THE MAGIC HAYSTACK
Zach has always loved mowing the grass. In exchange for the old cow, he receives some magic Sonsi-Mill-Yah grass seed from a mysterious stranger. This makes Zach’s mum so cross that she puts the grass in her pipe and smokes it! Hallucinogenic visuals ensue, taking Zach up to the top of his biggest, most shiny haystack ever, where the Giant, his Wife and his Robbers are keeping Princess Bluebell captive amidst a sea of stolen saddles. How will Zach, Princess Bluebell and her Revolutionary Hen escape?
A family-friendly, madcap, energetic tale with some particularly dodgy musical bits -and one lucky audience member might even get roped in to play a goose!
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OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Meet David: a gay, gluten intolerant Glaswegian and self proclaimed hopeless romantic. As an actor and writer, moving to London seemed like the sensible and obvious thing to do. So, he did! Arriving with a naive optimism in 2016, he hoped he would quickly realise his dreams and find true love, or at least a boyfriend. PLOT TWIST: it didn't turn out to be that easy. Who knew?
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In his first solo show, alongside performing a selection of his poetry, David tells hilarious tales of Terrible Tinder Dates, shares his struggles of being single, lost, creative and feeling stuck in the big city - all the while coping with volatile mental health.
Through sharing his poetry, struggles, stories and what he's learned along the way, David hopes to help people feel less alone in the world, embrace vulnerability and believe it's possible for things to get better.
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"David is bottled sunshine who can also speak to the darkness in us all with great delicacy and eloquence. A young Alan Cumming in DMs with the soul of Frank O'Hara." EJ (of pluck. productions)
"His one man Pandora's box of a piece of theatre was searing erudite, heart swelling and courageous." Pip (of pluck. productions)
"He is honest, witty, charming and inspirational" Emily Langham
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Insta - @adavetoremember
Twitter - @adave2remember
DOREEN DOILY
Doreen is an alternative, irreverent edutainer who makes learning fun again. After successful run at the EdFringe last year, Doreen is back and on a mission to teach the world all the things that she knows in 45 minutes... It's enough!
The live show includes 20 of the most popular lectures, including Riding, Gravity, French, How to Cope with a Hangover, Sex-Ed, Mamma-Mia, How to Run a Country and Swimming along with some completely new lessons.
Come and be amazed and educated. It's a no-brainer!
GYMIX
GYMIX - pronounced 'GIMMICKS' - takes conventional dance/fitness classes and immerses them in novelty themes. Expect outrageous characters and a good old boogie - we're here to sprinkle your event with some frivolous fun!
For Theatre in the Fields, GYMIX presents a tip top hip hop masterclass - hosted by The Friends of Fertfordshire (and neighbouring counties) County Council's Association of Librarians and Publicationary Enthusiasts!
Open to ALL: come along, get into the groove and end up performing with the stars on the main stage.
FALLING DOWNHILL
A working-class man goes about his day to day life as a factory worker in Sunderland. He’s hardly a moment to himself, amid the endless repetition. Living his life in a blur. It’s as though he’s falling downhill, toward death. Until the laughter comes.
DAY TO DAY I'M FIGHTING TO STAY ALIVE
“Day to day, in the deep end, It’s not like I’m waiting for it to happen…….”
The days and nights roll into one, each bringing with them their own demons and all intrusive thoughts. What is life like once you return from war and have left the armed forces behind??
Do you return to a world that is rose tinted and peaceful? What happens if the world and life you fought so hard to protect in fact becomes your very own daily battlefield?
Through movement and spoken words, Neoteric Dance Company has created a short dance film that shines a light on the struggles and difficulties face by those who have been to hell and back, and who are now lost in the darkness.
This raw and honest dance film shares what it is like for one veteran who is living day to day with a diagnoses of Combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
This dance film is inspired by an interview between 2 dancers and a veteran. Following this screening Neoteric Dance Company would like to invite the audience to leave a mark; a word, thought or drawing that signifies your responses to this film, which we hope will create a unique and powerful piece of art work.
JUST SAY IT
JUST SAY IT is our spoken word segment - we have some exciting poets confirmed already, but if you are itching to get your spoken word up on stage, send us an email at theatreinthefields@gmail.com to join the line-up!
THE GIRLS FROM OZ
The Girls From Oz are 3 sassy singing Sheila's from Australia (based in London). Full of sass and armed with killer harmonies, these ladies are a force to be reckoned with. They can sing, they can joke and they can sure put on one helluva an entertaining evening! With their unique 3-part harmony spin on songs by Aussie legends like Kylie, Men At Work, John Farnham & Vegemite, as well as some well known Vintage Classics from the 1920s through to the 1950s, all entertainment should be this fun!
Described as a “joyous collision between the Great Australian Pop songbook & vintage swing. Like if Glenn Miller went on a date with Kylie Minogue.” - Jordan Brown, music producer.
“It’s a clichéd saying these days, but this is a vocal harmony group that could read the phone book (do they still exist?) and make it sound beautiful. An uplifting night out.” - LondonTheatre1.com
“As feisty a female trio as you’ll see on stage” - MusicTheatreReview.com
THE STAGE IS YOURS
First up this year we have The Knitting Bee, by Invisible Women. In 2017 Maggie Driver and Stephanie Barrows formed a theatre company
named Invisible Women. This year we bring together five women who collectively wrote a verse piece called the Knitting Bee. Important issues of the day are explored through verse, music and movement.
JOHN SWEENEY
John Sweeney has played for silent film since 1990, starting at Riverside Studios in London and subsequently playing at many venues in Britain including the National Film Theatre, the Barbican Cinema, Broadway in Nottingham, the Imperial War Museum, and Watershed in Bristol. He has played for the British Silent Cinema Festival since its inception and has since 2000 been a regular pianist at the Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone, Italy.
He is a regular performer at the Slapstick Festival of silent comedy in Bristol, and has also played at other festivals in Austria, Germany, Italy and Slovenia. He has recorded DVDs for the BFI ('Wonderful London' parts of 'Pioneers and Primitives') and also Cineteca di Bologna ('Albert Capellani') and Edition Filmmuseum ('Crazy Cinématographe') as well as recording a soundtrack for Hitchcock's 'Downhill' for broadcast on Sky TV.
He has played the Hitchcock silents at the Shanghai International Film Festival, and in Istanbul, Hong Kong, Moscow, Taiwan and Kazakhstan . In December 2017 he performed at the Istanbul Silent Film Festival. In 2018 he composed and performed a score for the London Film Festival Archive Gala, The Great Victorian Picture Show which he subsequently performed at MOMA in New York.
MATHMAGICS
MATHMAGICS!
After a fabulous TIF 2018 David Hall is delighted to bring yet more “Mathmagics...!” to TIF 2019..! Roll up, roll up and discover some Amazing Maths, Mathmagical Stories, Tricks, Games and more..! Guaranteed to entertain the entire family..!
David has been performing his Mathmagics and Living History of Science Shows (in association with Johnny Ball Productions) - as Sir Isaac Newton, IK Brunel and Michael Faraday - for many years and to great acclaim at Festivals, in Schools and beyond across the UK.
He also co-created “The Great Georgian Science Show” and devised and performs “That rings a Bell - the Romantic Story of Alexander Graham Bell and the invention of the Telephone” (Yes! Romantic..!)
An actor with a science background, David loves inspiring and bringing amazing concepts to life.
Come along and be inspired…!
FROM STOCKTON TO SAIGON
From Stockton to Saigon is a one-man show, featuring Ryan O'Gorman. Ryan has performed in some of the west-end's best loved shows including Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and Rent. He recently finished the tour of Miss Saigon playing John, performing the famous number Bui Doi. This show tells of a proper 'borough lad from Stockton-on-Tees who managed to graft his way to becoming a west-end leading man!
ABIGAIL CARTER-SIMPSON
Abigail hails from the exotic realms of Essex and is based in London. And her stand up also includes some mediocre ukulele playing for musical support!
In 2017 she was nominated for the West End Wilma Rising Star Award whilst appearing in a sellout run of Newsrevue, Pleasance Beyond at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Since entering into the world of stand up she made it through to the semifinals of the Amused Moose National Comic Of The Year 2018 & 2019; the Quarterfinals of the Musical Comedy Awards 2019 and also competed in the Bath New Act Comedy Awards 2019 and So You Think You're Funny!
Abigail will appear in Blinded By The Light hitting cinemas in September (see if you can spot her!), and has just finished filming for Season 3 of Agatha Raisin for Sky starring Ashley Jenson & Matt Horne.
SHAKESPEARE WORKSHOP
'Shakespeare…? What’s it all about,Bill…?'
An amazing, interactive workshop for all.
Discover what the fuss is all about…! Unravel the rhythms, have fun with the sounds and unlock the amazing clues to be found in all of Shakespeare’s texts. No knowledge or experience are necessary whatsoever. Come prepared to have fun with full body and voice and to leave with amazing insights and a whole new approach to the bard..! Suitable for all - from seven to adult and beyond…!
As well as performing his hugely popular Mathmagics and Living History of Science shows across the country, David has a wide experience of Shakespeare too, which he’s performed both indoors and outdoors, with the English Shakespeare Company, the Original Shakespeare Company (using Cue Scripts from the First Folio), at Shakespeare’s Globe and at Rep Theatres around the country - and, alongside these performances, he designs and runs bespoke Shakespeare and Drama workshops for all ages, which he loves..!
"Thank you again for your hard work and all the passion and energy you shared with us.”
"Great fun!"
"So much dedication, energy, chutzpah and confidence. You gathered everyone into the palm of your hand and tutored, nurtured, tantalised, teased, supported and most crucially ignited within them - the Muse of Fire…! Long live words!"
“A pure clinic in Shakespearean acting."
KIDS!
Wondering what's on offer for your kids at Theatre in the Fields? Here is a selection of our most child-friendly shows!
THE SAX PISTOLS
THE SAX PISTOLS are a jazz group made up of Bathsheba Tingey (vocals), Rob Palmer-Fenny (bass), Sam Coade (keys) and Greg Norris (sax). Bathsheba and Rob have been playing together for years, as they are both Bishops Stortford locals, and parted ways when Rob went to Royal Northern Academy of Music and Bathsheba went to Edinburgh University, where she met jazz-enthusiasts Sam and Greg. They have played together as part of the Edinburgh Jazz Orchestra in venues such as McEwan Hall, The Jazz Bar and on tour in Lisbon. Expect sultry jazz standards and some funky improvisation, as they swing you into the night!
MY POETRY HAS NO HOME
What it is like to be homeless, expressed by my poetry. I lived out of the back of a van for nine years. Thankfully I am now back on my feet. Discovered poetry during that recovery, this show is to give that creativity a home in you the audience. Without you to hear my words, my art is as homeless as I was. So no polished acting, I will be reading from a script. Just aim to give you something to think about. No 4 or five star reviews yet as this is a world premiere!
THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SECOND GENERATION
This monologue is about the experience of a person of colour growing up in a pro dominantly white area and how that affects their sense of self worth. It is based on my experience growing up and how I found myself wanting to be white and hating my skin. This is not how I feel anymore and I hope that this sparks a conversation which I feel needs to be had especially as it’s a part of racial biases that isn’t really explored.
