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Welcome
by Nic Harvey, Director, The Television Workshop
I’m thrilled to welcome you to The Television Workshop for Play Season 2019. The season of stage productions presented by the 16-21 age group has been a highlight of the Workshop calendar for many years; an opportunity for the senior members to experience the huge learning curve of a production process, and to share their developing talent with a wide audience. There’s something for everyone this year, and I’m particularly pleased to welcome back Alison Rashley as she helms this year’s opener Posh by Laura Wade. Alison had a huge impact on me as an actor, teacher and director training at the Workshop, and it’s great to see her passing on that brilliance to the current crop of actors. It’s certain to be an explosive start to the season and set the bar high, as we invite you to roll with The Riot Club for the night of their lives… From a modern classic to a disturbing vision of the future, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is next on the slate, in a dynamic new adaptation by Dawn King. This will be the first time this version has been seen since its premiere and tour in 2015, so we’re excited to share it with you. Tim Evans is in the director’s chair, and some stunning design work by Workshop alumnus Gemma Casely-Kirk brings this striking tale to the stage. This year’s family show Wendy & Peter Pan by Ella Hickson reimagines J.M Barrie’s beloved story for a new generation, directed by former Workshop leader Ian Smith. Expect colourful characters and swashbuckling adventure in a visually striking production with a big heart. Closing the season is Middletown by Will Eno, a quirky little tour of an ‘average’ American town, which I’ve had the pleasure of directing.
The painful detail of real life is examined through an absurd comedy window in Eno’s award-winning play, transporting you from the kitchen sink to outer space and everything in between. I’d like to thank you for supporting local talent and local theatre by being here, and we hope you enjoy the show. I know I speak for the whole team when I say what a joy and privilege it is to be able to create work with such inspiring young people. Whatever career path they end up following, we always strive to make Workshop a positive, creative and supportive place where they can feel at home.
The Television Workshop, Richmond House, Canal St, Nottingham, NG1 7EG 0115 998 4828 - info@thetelevisionworkshop.co.uk - thetelevisionworkshop.co.uk This programme is brought to you by LeftLion Extended. designed by Natalie Owen edited by Jared Wilson
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Directors Notes
By Alison Rashley
After 11 years away from Workshop, busy running 8 groups of my own at Circle Up and being a Mum, I wasn’t at all sure it was a good idea to come back to direct a play, but somehow Nic convinced me to do it. I’m thrilled that he did.
Huge and special thanks go to Jorden, my assistant, who has not only been a fabulous support in the directing of the show but also a great translator between a middle aged woman and her very young and cool cast.
Coming back to Workshop will always be like coming home. The venue may have changed but the group are just the same. A group of hugely talented, hardworking and inspiring young people who are a pleasure to be around and a joy to direct. There’s also the same dedication and commitment of the people that help bring these shows to life, all willing to go above and beyond because they also believe in the magic of Workshop.
“Posh” is not a word often associated with Workshop, but the play is a brilliantly written insight into a world we knew so little about. The characters are both fascinating and flawed, and the story just leaves you with something to think about. It’s been a journey for all of us involved, and I hope you enjoy the final bit of it with us.
Cast and Crew Guy Ramy Ben-Fredj
Miles Bill Jones
Director Alison Rashley
James Alec Boaden
Dimitri Joe Kinch
Designer Hannah Jeffery
Toby Luca Sterling
Ed Ethan Lewis
Assistant Director Jorden Myrie
Chris Cainaan Skeels
Movement director Ian Stapleton
Rachel Mica Ricketts (Tue, Thu, Fri) Joelle Bromidge (Wed, Sat)
Set construction Jim Tomlinson
George Ali Khan
Alistair Jake Dunn Hugo Joe Greenwood (Tue, Thu, Fri) Jamie Slack (Wed, Sat) Harry Joel Fossard-Jones
Charlie Lucy Rosenberg (Tue, Thu, Fri) Elissa Reynolds (Wed, Sat)
Production assistant Ben Welch Special thanks Nick Rashley, Jayne Stubbs, Suzanne Stapleton, The Side House Coffee Shop, Claypole and The Jeffery Family.
Posh - In Production
photos: Curtis Powell
Directors Notes
The more we rehearse this, the more we inhabit this Brave New World, the more we notice things we share with its citizens. Starting out in October, we wondered how we could find the humanity in these seemingly emotionally sterile characters. We are gradually realising that they, like us, are just rather good at concealing their feelings if needs be. The process has thrown up lots of great questions for us to ponder. What would you give for a world with no hunger, no disease, no fear, no unfulfilled desires where no one
By Tim Evans
is unhappy everyone is safe? Would you sacrifice art? Poetry? Freedom? Family? Love? How far can pharmacological mental health treatment go ethically? Is our value system innate or socially constructed? What is religion? Is consumerism a religion? Is Shakespeare a religion? Should clothes be more expensive? Why don't they ever have mobile phones in future dystopias? Oh… and... What’s the opposite of umbrella? Please let us know if you come with any answers.
Cast and Crew John Amy Keen (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Louie Spooner (Weds, Fri, Sat mat)
Henry/ Nurse Sam Dewick
Lenina Laura Khoury (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Justine Moore (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
The Warden Cameron Jones (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Nigel Nyanhete (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Bernard Nye Bennett (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Erica Hardy-Fry (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Morgana Sade Benjamin (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Ella O’Brien (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Margaret Jessica Reilly (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Cameron Jones (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Polly Ella O’Brien (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Sade Benjamin (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Thomas Galsworthy Charles Evans
Linda Asha Lawson-Haynes (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Jessica Reilly (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Helmholtz Nigel Nyanhete (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Asha Lawson-Haynes (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Benito/ Dr Shaw Rhys Gillett
Michael Erica Hardy-Fry (Tue, Thurs, Sat eve) Nye Bennett (Wed, Fri, Sat mat) Alex Louie Spooner (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Amy Keen (Wed, Fri, Sat mat) Joanna Justine Moore (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Laura Khoury (Wed, Fri, Sat mat) Director Tim Evans Designer Gemma Casely-Kirk Lighting designer Phoebe Pritchard Production assistant Ben Welch Special thanks Jayne Stubbs and Nottingham Trent UniversityTheatre Design Department
Brave New World - In Production
photos: Curtis Powell, Charlie Mackenzie-Barrow
Directors Notes
By Ian Smith
“I am Wendy Darling. I am brave and strong and I’m going on an adventure – who’s with me?” Peter Pan wasn’t a story I knew well, but it seemed to have a particular resonance in a lot of children’s imaginations. The dreams of flying, fighting pirates, helping dying fairies and of the lure of a place where childhood is forever arrested; they’re all heady ingredients in this age-old tale. It was only as I worked on this version that I became aware of the peculiar sadness and darker undercurrents. I realised it was also a play about grief and coming to terms with it. Like all the best fairy tales, it would speak to our primal fears and hopes and encourage us think about death through child-friendly metaphor.
Cast and Crew
Our play begins in the safety of a Victorian children’s bedroom, in an age when child mortality was commonplace. It was also an age when gender expectations were rigidly encouraged. Men went to work and women were the homemakers. Boys would be boys, and girls… well, they were trainee homemakers and mothers. In Neverland, a place beyond time, the Lost Boys pine for the lost motherly love – through their patchy memories of a life once lived. In this version, Wendy’s journey from nursery to Neverland and back is one of self-revelation. She is the real hero of our story, strengthened by her escapades to break the mould forced onto her. We are excited to bring this show to Metronome, Nottingham’s newest performance space, as its first theatre production and be part of Confetti’s 25th anniversary year.
John Tom Unsworth
Curly Monet Dinnall-Coley
Director Ian Smith
Michael Isabel Milner
Nibs Ava Smith
Assistant Directors Jake Smith, Harpal Hayer
Tom Christopher Johnson
Martin, the cabin boy Maddie Hutchinson
Designer Steve Musson
Wendy Ruby Thompson (Tue, Fri, Sat mat) Ella Harding (Weds, Thurs, Sat eve)
Doc Swain Muyiwa Awosika
Props maker and set painter Josie Griffiths
First Mate Murt the Bat Charlie Mackenzie-Barrow
Stage Combat Ian Stapleton
Mr Darling Harvey Scrimshaw
Skylights Alex Watts
Mrs Darling Cara Dudgeon (Tue, Thu, Fri) Scarlett Hazeldine (Wed, Sat)
Knock-Bone Jones Everett Gaskin
Acrobatic work Duncan Cosgrove, Ria Ashworth (Circus Hub)
Peter Pan Laquarn Lewis Tink Rochelle Simpson Tootles Essien Benjamin-Stewart Slightly Triston Joynt
Captain Hook Harvey Scrimshaw Smee Ben Peebles Tiger Lily Cara Dudgeon (Tue, Thu, Fri) Scarlett Hazeldine (Wed, Sat) Shadows Jake Smith, Harpal Hayer Bradley Badder, Cainaan Skeels
Costume Nottingham Community Wardrobe Special thanks Jayne Stubbs, Craig Chettle, Brian Rankin, Andy Atkin, Rob Baldock, Brian Hurst, Jane Murray, Danielle Ness, Emily Dennison, Kristi Genovese, Oddsocks Theatre Company and the MackenzieBarrows for loan of props.
Wendy and Peter Pan - In Production
photos: Curtis Powell
Directors Notes
by Nic Harvey
Fellow human beings, breathing people, breathers… welcome. The fire exit’s over there. I think you can also get out this way… After a lengthy search for the right play last Summer, I came across this mysterious, hilarious and touching script by Will Eno. With each read I fell more in love with the honesty, sensitivity and darkly comic style.
Cop: What are you doing here? Mechanic: I was just walking around. Later tonight, I thought I might... Cop: Forget about before and after. I mean now. This exchange at the start of the play hits on a theme running through the whole story. Everyone has beginnings and endings that are easy to define; it’s the stuff in the middle that so many struggle with. What should we
be doing? How do we make ourselves happy, in the present, without obsessing over what’s happened before, or what might happen in the future? The budding friendship between John and Mary takes centre stage and faces these questions head-on, but it’s the daily quirks of the rest of the townspeople that really breathe life and colour into the community. The rehearsals for Middletown have been some of the most uplifting, challenging and enjoyable I’ve had in all my years at Workshop. The characters and dialogue have given our actors so much to sink their teeth into, and I’m particularly proud of the achievements of those making their over-16 debut with this production. We’ve been itching to welcome you to our little town, and we hope a part of it stays with you for a long time to come.
Cast and Crew Public Speaker Alissia Di Cosmo (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Lydia Page (Wed, Fri, Sat mat) Cop Ciaran Stow (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Kieran Burton (Wed, Fri, Sat mat) Mechanic Noah Hopley-Jones (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Spike Fearn (Wed, Fri, Sat mat) Librarian Chloe Oxley (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Rebecca Johnson (Wed, Fri, Sat mat) Mrs Swanson Daisy Chell (Tue, Thurs, Sat eve) Mia Rhodes (Wed, Fri, Sat mat) John Dodge Jack Dewick
Tour Guide Mya Fox-Scott (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Safia Oakley-Green (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Doctor 2 Chantelle Nelson (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Lauren Stanley (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Female Tourist Lauren Stanley (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Chantelle Nelson (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Woman Safia Oakely-Green (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Mya Fox-Scott (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Male Tourist/Greg Louis Carter
Director Nic Harvey
Landscaper Rebecca Johnson (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Chloe Oxley (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Designer Mark James
Doctor 1 Lydia Page (Tue, Thu, Sat eve) Alissia Di Cosmo (Wed, Fri, Sat mat)
Assistant Director Charles Evans Special thanks Jayne Stubbs
Middletown - In Production
photos: Curtis Powell, Charlie Mackenzie-Barrow
Famous Ex-Workshoppers words: Cleo Asabre-holt
Vicky McClure Vicky has gone onto major success in television and film, winning a BAFTA in 2011. She made her screen debut as Ladine in Shane Meadows’ A Room For Romeo Brass (1999), before her careerdefining role as Lol in the This Is England series. Other credits include Line of Duty, Broadchurch, True Love and Svengali.
Joe Dempsie Joe has since been a prominent role as Gilby in the critically acclaimed and globally popular Game of Thrones. He found success following starring roles in award-winning teen comedydrama Skins (2007), and triple-BAFTA winner This is England ‘90 (2015). Joe has also featured in Doctor Who and Blitz.
Mista Jam Mista Jam is now broadcasting for the BBC on Radio1 and 1Xtra. He started out as an actor, making a name for himself for his role as Minty the chef in the ITV soap Crossroads. MistaJam has also been hosting his show on Pitbull’s Globalization Radio since 2015. In 2016, he was voted ARIAS Music Broadcaster of the Year. Samantha Morton Samantha’s major successes include The Walking Dead, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and Minority Report (2002), where she was cast alongside Tom Cruise. Samantha’s directorial debut The Unloved (2009), won a BAFTA for Best Single Drama, and she is described as one of the finest actors of her generation. Toby Kebbell Following his breakthrough performance in Dead Man’s Shoes (2004), Toby has since starred in RocknRolla (2008), War Horse (2011) Black Mirror and Fantastic Four (2015). His most critically acclaimed role as Joy Division manager Rob Gretton in Control (2007), won Toby Best Supporting Actor at the British Independent Film Awards, beating Cate Blanchett, Colin Firth and Control co-star Samantha Morton.
Michael Socha Michael is known for his roles as Lewis in the UK sci-fi TV series The Aliens, Tom in BBC’s Being Human and as Daniel in Kenneth Glenaan's BAFTA-winning film Summer (2008), where he appeared alongside Robert Carlyle. Michael’s breakthrough came after he was cast as Harvey in Shane Meadows' This Is England 86, '88, and '90.
Jack O’Connell Jack debuted as Pukey in This is England (2006) and then started making a name for himself for his role as Cook in Skins. He has since found great success in TV and Film, including a leading role in Angelina Jolie’s major Hollywood picture Unbroken (2014). Jack won a series of accolades for this performance including the BAFTA for Best Rising Star. He was also cast in the hit blockbuster 300: Rise of an Empire (2014). Aisling Loftus Aisling made her mainstream debut when she appeared in the ITV series Peak Practice. She is best known for her portrayal of Agnes Towler on ITV’s Mr Selfridge and as Sonya Rostova on the BBC period drama series War & Peace. In 2009, she featured in the critically acclaimed short film Jade (2009). She was also cast in ITV’s comedy drama The Fattest Man in Britain (2009) alongside Timothy Spall and Bobby Ball.
Anjli Mohindra Anjli is best known for her portrayal of Nadia in the BBC hit television series The Bodyguard. She is currently a regular in Dark Heart, the British television crime drama series. She gained attention after her role as Rani, a regular character in the Doctor Who franchise The Sarah Jane Adventures, which aired on on CBBC over a five-year period.
Chris Gascoyne Chris is best known for his staple character Peter Barlow, in ITV’s Coronation Street. One of his earliest roles was as Judd in Murphy’s Mob, the Central TV’s children’s program. Chris has also appeared in BBC’s police drama series Between the Lines, and as David Jennings in the Canadian drama Murdoch Mysteries.
Current Workshoppers Some of our current crop coming to a screen near you
Ali Khan Following a lead role in indie feature A Grown Woman, Ali got the chance to work with director Michael Bay on his latest film Six Underground, appearing alongside Ryan Reynolds and filming in Dubai. Bella Ramsey Set to return as Lyanna Mormont in the final season of Game Of Thrones and nominated for a Children's BAFTA for playing Mildred Hubble in The Worst Witch. Bella also voiced the title character in the award-winning Netflix animation Hilda, starred alongside Samantha Morton in Two For Joy and recently finished filming Resistance alongside Jesse Eisenberg. Daniel Frogson A busy couple of years has seen ‘Froggy’ provide comic relief in The Devil Outside and earn a Children's BAFTA nomination for Joe All Alone. Next up he's battling demons as Tony Costa in a major new adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Erin Kellyman After a scene-stealing performance in Han Solo: A Star Wars Story, Erin has recently been winning praise as Eponine in the BBC TV adaptation of Les Miserables. Harry Gilby After a couple of years touring film festivals with the starring role in Just Charlie, Harry can soon be seen in cinemas playing the young J.R.R Tolkien in the biopic Tolkien, also starring Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins.
Jessie-Mae Alonzo Jessie-Mae makes her big-screen debut with a major role in the forthcoming Little Joe, filmed in Austria and starring Ben Whishaw and Emily Beacham. Rosie Bentham Rosie continues to receive great praise for her portrayal of Gabby Thomas in ITV’s Emmerdale. Sennia Nanua Following her breakthrough success in The Girl With All The Gifts (which won her Best Newcomer at the Empire awards), Sennia has enjoyed roles in Casualty and feature film The Fight alongside Anita Dobson and Russell Brand. Shaneigha Greyson Shaneigha has a leading role in Girl Untitled (working title), a feature to be released next year from the production team behind Suffragette and Stan & Ollie. Simran Rakhar Simian makes her TV debut as a series regular in CBBC's latest hit Almost Never, following a new band trying to break into the pop industry. Zak Rothera-Oxley An under-11 member making waves in the industry, Zak can soon be seen playing Young Doctor Manhattan in HBO's TV version of superhero franchise The Watchmen, alongside Regina King and Jeremy Irons.
Other recent Workshop actors credits include: Wild Bill, Doctors, No Offence, Casualty, So Awkward, The Last Tree, Torvill & Dean, Jamie Johnson, Childnet, County Lines, Obey, The Dumping Ground, Little Prankers and numerous BFI Academy Shorts and NTU short films.
Parcelhub’s workforce votes for a new charity and community initiative to support every year. On behalf of The Television Workshop, we would like to thank them for their continued support. parcelhub.co.uk