Projects to date

2008
The London Odyssey (site specific piece)
Bellboy @ Hotel from Hell (Musical)
2007
Invitation to an Execution
Corporate Witches
2006
Reminisence
Terrific Electric
2005
Ida
The Broken Heel
Masterclasses
2004
Everything is illuminated
Jezebel
Late Night at the Punch and Judy
Gimme Lithium or Death
Masterclasses with Linda Kerr Scott Marcello Magni
2003
The Lemon Princess
The Secret Agent
Masterclass with Hideki Noda
2002
The London Project
Masterclasses with Henryk Baranowski
2001
The Idiot
The Present
   




The London Odyssey (site specific piece)


Kamaal Hussain, Lead Artist, planning further development and full production as part of 2012 celebrations.





Bellboy @ Hotel from Hell


Albie Gravener, Lead Artist. Musical.






Invitation to an Execution


Ian Harris, Lead Artist, (Old Vic New Voices interested in developing it further).








Corporate Witches


Lisa Forrel. Project currently on hold.







Reminiscence

4 WEEK DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP 2006
Directed by Michael Callahan
Creative team included: Litha Efthymiou (composer), Adna Sablyich (performer), Catherine Luton (performer), Ian Harris (performer).


Reminiscence has been awarded substantial funding by the Wellcome Trust for a full production in September 2008 at the Jackson's Lane Theatre in London.

Terrific Electric
4 WEEK DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP 2006
Directed by Vanessa Faye-Stanley and Sophie Hunter.
Creative team include: Megan Heffernan (performer), Antonia Windsor (performer), Daniella Canilde (performer), Seriol Davis (performer/writer), Albi Gravener (musician)

Terrific Electric won the Samuel Beckett Award and was produced at the Barbican as part of BITE 2007.





Ida

2 WEEKS DEVELOPMENT 2005
Director by: Lisa Forrel
Creative Team include:Naomi Sorkin, Denise Stevenson, Matthew Hart, Tony Guilfoyle, Paul Ibey and Rhydian Jones


Has since received an Arts Council grant for further development.


The Broken Heel

An Eastern Musical Extravaganza
2 WEEKS DEVELOPMENT 2005
Director Svelana Dimcovic
Creative Team include: Writer Steve Keyworth, Naomi Sorkin

Cast include: Tanya:Joanna Croll, Tasha:Lewis Barfoot, Sonia:Vanessa Ackerman, Ivan & Ferret:Adrian Hughes, Sanjay & Sergei:Dominic Geraghty, Older Tasha: Naomi Sorkin, Lena:Rachel Pickup; Roxy:Vanessa Ackerman, Older Ivan: Kelyn Jones, Older Tanya: Denise Stephenson, Dragan: Ben Caplan.



Masterclasses included

Writing with Devising Amy Russell
A Visual Approach Linda Kerr Scott
Butoh Paul Ibey
The Emotional Punch Joseph Alford
Improvising Stories Niall Ashdown



Everything Is Illuminated
Suzanna Rosenthal Productions
2 WEEK DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP 2004
Directed by Olivia Jacobs
Creative team included: Simon Block (writer) Jon Fiber (musical director) Isla Shaw (designer) James Whiteside (lighting designer)
Cast included: Danny Scheinmann, Lucien Mac Dougall, Ben Caplan, Benedicte Seirerup, Ashley Drees, Lois Naylor, Jon Fiber

The development workshop entailed two weeks of devising from the novel Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Saffran Foer.

After being involved in this period, Simon Block produced script to present in a rehearsed reading at The Soho Theatre, London.

'Our two exploratory weeks were essential for the development of this project. In translating a complex novel from page to stage, we had many questions that we could not possibly have answered without this playing time. The development period helped to clarify many of the creative team's thoughts and also inspired a great many new ideas. This means that we will go into the rehearsal period next year that much better informed! The two weeks were a necessary luxury that we are very grateful to the Playground and the Arts Council England for." Suzanna Rosenthal, Producer


A Sudden Silence ('Jezebel')
Written by Penny Black, (Literary Manager of The Gate Theatre, London)
Directed by Ellen Hughes

Cast includes:- Susan Porrett, Virginia Denham, Cate Hamer and Bettrys Jones

THE PLAY Who are you if you are no longer able to say who you are? Stroke is the third largest killer in the UK, but there are thousands more it does not kill but leaves paralysed or unable to speak (dysphasia). I really wanted to explore the effects of this sudden lack of communcation on three generations of a family and felt that theatre is the ideal medium to do it in.


"After a two day workshop in a small intimate space earlier in the year, it was glorious to turn up at The Playground and use that wonderful space to experiment and improvise. When you have so much room and no pressure to provide a performance, there is nowhere for the flaws to hide! Invaluable." Penny Black, playwright and Literary Manager of The Gate theatre, London.


Biannual Playwrights' Award 2003-4

Late Night at the Punch and Judy by Lindy Newns
PLAYWRIGHTS' AWARD WINNER'S DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP 2004

As the winner of The Playground Biannual Playwrights' Award 2003/4, this project was awarded a budget of £3000.00 to spend on development work. Following a development workshop directed by Charlotte Gwinner, Lindy rewrote the script which had a reading at Player Playwrights in London.
Cast included: Leah Muller, Marlene Sidaway, Tim Morrand, Robert Styles

A second development period is due to take place in December to move the script further along its journey.


Gimme Lithium or Death, by Sean Burn
Directed by Alan Marni
SHORTLISTED PLAYWRIGHT'S 3 DAY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP, 2004

The piece culminated in a staged reading to an invited audience. Since then, Sean has reworked the script and produced a new version.
Cast included: Laura Eades, Amani Johara and Michelle Bourne


"having a script 'playgrounded' was a really superlative experience for me: gimme lithium or death was taken to the next level by all the hardwork put in during those days of rehearsal/reading. I cant thank you enough for that." Sean Burn


Masterclasses with Marcello Magni 2004, 2003

"One of the most generous and intuitive teachers I have had the pleasure to work with. His eagle eye let's you away with nothing, his discipline pushes you further and the fun and pleasure he has for his work and students, brings you back year after year".
Clare McKenna, actress.

 

The Lemon Pincess - a co production with The Caird Company.
From an original idea by and directed by Ruth Carney
4 WEEK DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP 2003
Written by Rachael Mcgill

First inspired by conversations between Ruth Carney and Stephen Forber, whose daughter died of nvCJD in 2001 at the age of 21. From an article in The Guardian Ruth started a six month research project into this story of human tragedy. This resulted in two weeks work with the Oxford School of Drama which was then presented at The National Theatre. From this The Caird Company became involved and so did Rachael McGill and The Playground. This continued work resulted in a staged reading at the West Yorkshire Playhouseas part of the BBC Northern Exposures Season and a presentation at The Old Vic, as part of Old Vic New Voices.
Cast included: Nia Gwynne, Joanna Marks, Simon Muller and Richard Stacey


"Without The Playgrounds involvement in this three year labour of love we would not be going ahead as a full production at The West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2005" Ruth Carney

WEST YORKSHIRE PLAYHOUSE - The Lemon Princess, 4 February 2005 to 5 March 2005, Courtyard Theatre

"Mad cow disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. I mean who thinks these names up? I prefer Mad Cow, at least you can still say it when you're pissed. Me daughter says you can get it from mechanically recovered meat products. I asked if that meant the RAC scraping up roadkill and selling it on." Despite their bickering stage double act on the Leeds pub circuit, Mike and his seventeen year old daughter Becky are TIGHT. She pretends not to laugh at his jokes, he pretends not to encourage her singing career, they nick each other's fags and moan about their non-existent love lives. Then Becky's behaviour starts to become very unusual. By Rachael McGill
Cast includes: Elaine Glover, Nigel Hastings and Lesley Vickerage

The Secret Agent
3 WEEK DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP 2003
Directed by William Galinsky

A devised piece of theatre originally based on and around the footnotes of Joseph Conrads 'The Secret Agent'

Cast included: Geoffry Beevers, Caitriona Mclaughin, John Joyce, Annie Tobyn, You-ri Yamanaka, John Albasiny, Laurence Harvey and Tylan Halici.

Masterclass with Hideki Noda 2003


"He encouraged us to give ourselves a good creative shaking. All this stuff just bubbled up from hidden places, it was very inspiring".
Peter Keswick


The London Project
1 WEEK DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP 2002
Directed by Di Trevis

A music theatre piece based on excerpts from Mayhews book 'London Labour and London Poor'

Creative team and cast included:

Designer: Pamela Howard
Music: Dominic Muldowney
Dramaturg: Colin Chambers

Aimee Cowen, Samantha Robinson, Branwell Donaghey, John Rogan, Karl Johnson, Lucy Stevens, Sara Kestelman, David Sturzaker, Warren Mitchell



Masterclasses with Henryk Baranowski 2001, 2002


"I really enjoyed working with Henryk & would sell my mother to do so again".
Caitriona McGlaughlin, director and actress

   

The Idiot
DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP AND PRODUCTION 2000-2001
Directed by Henryk Baranowski

A new adaptation by Henryk Baranowski and Jane Corbett of Dostoyevsky's The Idiot. Developed over a five week period with 8 actors and cellist Kathryn Locke, culminating in performance to an invited audience at The Playground. The production then went on a four week run at The Riverside Studios. Subsequently, the production was invited to the International Theatre Festival in Beijing China.

Set against the crumbling world of Russia's old aristocracy, two men become rivals for a notorious woman.


"The tale contrasts spiritual and carnal love, compassion and greed. Baranowski's flexible wooden set is used to striking effect. The production's visual style is impressive". The Stage

"It could be that it takes a director from Eastern Europe to bring to life the dark passions and strange dichotomies that characterise the Russian peoples. Certainly, Polish director Henryk Baranowski's production of The Idiot is one of the best stage adaptations of its kind that I have ever seen". Disability Times

Cast included (Riverside production): David Gwillim, Bernice Stegers, Sarah O'Keefe, Amanda Beckman, Kathryn Lock, Rhydian Jones, Alan Marni, Naomi Sorkin, and Philip Rham

The Present
FILM: FOUR WEEKS' DEVELOPMENT, TWO WEEKS' SHOOT 2001
Written and Directed by Nick Ward

An experimental film based on Nick Ward's original stage play 'The Present'

Cast included: Katrin Cartlidge, Susan Vidler, Roland Manookian, Chris Simon and Marcello Magni