Douglas Mayo

Douglas Mayo has had a life long love affair with musical theatre. He has authored several books on publicity and marketing for amateur theatre groups. He is in the process of developing a musical based on his original story concept.

Stephen Schwartz pays a visit to Working at Southwark Playhouse

News, Off West End
Stephen Schwartz visits the company of Working at Southwark Playhouse

On Monday night award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz (Pippin, Wicked, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame) paid a visit to Southwark Playhouse to see the production of his musical Working which is currently playing. The European premiere has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and includes songs by people such as Lin-Manuel Miranda and James Taylor.   The cast is led by Gillian Bevan, Dean Chisnall, Krysten Cummings, Siubhan Harrison, Peter Polycarpou and Liam Tamne and is directed by Luke Sheppard, with choreography by Fabian Aloise. Stephen said “I was delighted to see this extremely well-sung and well-staged production of Working. I’m looking forward to telling my co-authors what a great job has been done with our show”. Working concludes its run at Southwark Playhouse on 8 July 2017. Read our review for Working BOOK TICKETS FOR WORKING

FIRST LOOK: King Kong, The Vaults London

Features, Gallery, Off West End
King Kong by Daniel Clarkson

We are pleased to bring you these great production photos by Geraint Lewis of monstrous new comedy King Kong basedon the classic ape story from Daniel Clarkson, the Olivier Award-nominated co-creator of the smash hit Potted Potter. Ever since Fay Wray first charmed the great gorilla in the original 1933 film, King Kong has been a byword for epic cinema, challenging successive filmmakers to outdo the last with bigger and better special effects to impress and terrify audiences in equal measure. Now this new comic theatrical staging of the story takes a very different approach, as you’d expect from writer Daniel Clarkson (co-creator of worldwide hit Potted Potter) and director Owen Lewis, who between them have three Olivier Award nominations. With just 5 actors and no high-tech wizardry, Kong will come to new life up close for theatre audiences. Follow our intrepid cast as they journey to uncharted waters in … Read more

Emma Rice’s new company Wise Children backed by Arts Council

News
Emma Rice - Artistic Director Shakespeare's Globe

A new company created and led by Emma Rice, Wise Children has been awarded funding by the Arts Council South West from April 2018. Wise Children will concieve, create and present world-class, innovative ensemble theatre. Emma has worked for twenty years as an actor, director and Artistic Director at Kneehigh and steps down from her current position as Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe in April 2018. Her bold, imaginative productions and gift for storytelling have made her one of the most important and acclaimed directors working today. Wise Children will work in partnership with venues to create ensemble work to tour nationally and internationally. Through a series of residencies, the company will develop and diversify audiences. Key partnerships are secured and will be announced in due course. The company will also create a training and apprenticeship scheme. Emma Rice said: “I am delighted that the Arts Council South West have … Read more

Kathy Burke directs world premiere of The Retreat at Park Theatre

News, Off West End
Kathy Burke directs The Retreat at Park Theatre

Kathy Burke is to direct the World Premiere of Sam Bain’s new comedy drama The Retreat at Park Theatre from 2 November to 2 December 2017. Luke, a former high-flyer from the City, is sitting in a remote stone hut halfway up a mountain in the Scottish Highlands.  He is on a meditation retreat, searching for the inner peace that so far has eluded him. The trouble is, not only will his mind not settle, but an uninvited guest arrives – his obnoxious older brother, Tony. Is Tony everything that’s wrong with Luke’s old life, or is he the only one who can really see into his soul? And is Luke’s quest for spirituality a way of transforming himself, or is it just another form of addiction? The Retreat is a sharp new comedy drama about a world where we can never escape ourselves, or find ourselves either. Kathy Burke is a director, actor … Read more

#Instalove – The quest for love in game show format

Edinburgh Fringe
Writer performer Catherine Duquette will perform in #Instalove at the Edinburgh Fringe

Performed and written by Catherine Duquette, #Instalove is a joyful, electrifying, and at times stormy celebration of all the reasons we seek love – be they playful, pathetic, pragmatic or passionate. It also examines how identity is created through relationships transposing the search for love into a live game-like encounter; the audience votes to decide the outcome, so each performance is different. Duquette presents five different characters. Meet Clare (romantic), Kit (cynical), Cat (sensual), Kate (pragmatic), and Kris (dominant). They compete against each other for the audience’s affections – which will they want to date? In each series of dates, the audience eliminates their least favourite character. Gradually, Catherine’s characters are revealed to all be personas of the same woman. They share the same stories and previous relationships but emphasise different aspects of their lives and perceive their memories differently, taking distinct lessons from them. As the show progresses, the … Read more

What I Learned From Johnny Bevan returns to The Fringe

Edinburgh Fringe
Luke Wright in What I Learned From Johnny Bevan returns to Edinburgh Fringe

After taking the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe by storm, Luke Wright’s What I Learned From Johnny Bevan returns to The Fringe for one week only from 21 – 27 August 2017 at Underbelly, Belly Button (Venue 61) at 12 noon each day. Wright’s play is a compelling, politically charged story encompassing shattered friendships, class and social ceilings, and The Labour Party’s battle for its soul. At university the whip-smart, mercurial Johnny Bevan saves Nick, smashing his comfortable middle class bubble and firing him up about politics, music and literature. Twenty years later, as their youthful dreams disintegrate alongside the social justice they hoped for, can Nick, now a jaded music journalist, save Johnny from himself? A gripping modern fable, What I Learned From Johnny Bevan strikes at the heart of British politics. Questioning the rise of of David Cameron’s brand of Conservatism and New Labour, this gripping story reflects the disillusionment … Read more