The Superhero: A Play for Young People
Brighton
Aim
Students of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama are producing Sophie Swithinbank's imaginative new play 'The Superhero'.
My name is Sophie Swithinbank. I am a Masters students of Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. I am soon to graduate and my company and I are beginning to produce original works of theatre.
Our aim is to write fun theatre which is appealing for both young people and adults. We want to educate through comedy, entertaining and inspiring audiences of all ages and backgrounds, in order to make theatre a more culturally diverse artistic medium.
The first piece my company and I will be producing is The Superhero, a play for young people and fun adults. It is being produced by Starboard Festival in Brighton on 5th July 2016. Tickets are on sale here:
http://www.starboardfestival.com/#!line-up/cjg9
The Superhero is a dark comedy. Its themes include climate change, puberty and identity. It is set in the fictitious future. The Gulf Stream has shifted and the majority of the planet is blanketed in ice. As a result, a group of humans have evolved into superheroes. The story follows Kate, a strange, bookish girl who is a Superhero but does not know it yet. Defrosted mammoths roam the streets, while pesky penguins meddle with recycling systems. This show is likely to be the most entertaining 70 minutes of your life.
The festival are unable to provide us with any funding, so we are appealing to you, the kind and generous public. Any donations given will be spent on props, costume, and travel, and would be greatly appreciated.
Will will be documenting our rehearsal process and posting photos here and on all other social media platforms.
But for the time being, here we are in all our glory:
The Writer:
Sophie Swithinbank, Playwright, 23 years old.
Sophie was born and raised in West London, but her writing career began in Los Angeles, where she undertook a course in short story writing. Her first published work was in ONCA a magazine concerning the arts and the environment. Her story followed a salmon who witnesses a woman drowning.
However, Sophie's main interest and life long love has always been theatre. This led her to re-write my short stories as play scripts. And this was what really clicked.
She is now a student of MA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and is writing scripts as often as possible. She is really enjoying the course so far, especially having the chance to hear other people’s work. Recently, Sophie has written for and produced a night of short plays in London called 8Squared, where her play SLEEPOVER was staged. THE SUPERHERO is Sophie's first full-length play.
The Director:
Phoebe Hit, Theatre Devisor, 23 years old.
Phoebe Hitt studied English and Drama at Oxford Brookes University before beginning her MA course in Advanced Theatre Practice at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She directed her first play at Oxford Brookes (Twelfth Night) and followed this up with a production of Alice in Wonderland that was featured at Alice Day in Oxford in 2014. Since then her focus has been new writing, directing short pieces for Playground, SLAM. and the Brockley Jack. She is currently working on a devised comedy performance for her final project and is excited to be involved in another student’s final project and take the show to such an amazing new festival.
The Costume and Prop Designer:
Lotte Brockbank, Artist, 23 years old
Artist and Prop-maker Lotte Brockbank studied Art and Literature at the University of Sussex before spending a year at The Royal Drawing School in London. Having worked for commercial and television art departments, she is currently set-building for Gifford's Circus which will tour over the summer. Lotte's passion for craft and story-telling feeds into each new project as well as her own art practice, which she continues to develop both within and alongside the energy of collaborative work.
The (Super) Cast:
Lauren Orreck as Kate
Lauren studied Drama at the University of Bristol before going on to do an MA in Acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Since graduating last year she has returned to RCSSD to direct some new writing and has stage managed a circus tour in Holland. Acting, however, is still her main focus, she recently co- wrote and performed in a short piece at Theatre 503, as well as acting at the Pleasance Theatre with the Director's Cut.
Ben Lacey as Milan Kane
Ben Lacey has a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts from Goldsmith's University. He has been acting for thirteen years, with the Georgian Youth Theatre and the North Country Theatre. More recently he has acted in, directed and written a number of university projects, including taking a show to the Edinburgh fringe. He is currently studying writing at Central School of Speech and Drama. Ben has also been working as a supporting artist in both television, film and advertisement.
Mark Starling as Jack and Ping (a penguin)
Mark trained as an actor with the National Youth Theatre and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, on their Junior Drama Course. Whilst represented by Robert Kelly Associates, he acted in a number of plays and short films. This included collaborative performance with U4ria Theatre Company, work as an extra for Warner Bros., and acting work for students of Met Film School on their project ‘Pains of Youth’ in 2012. Having completed his undergraduate degree at the University of York, Mark is currently studying an MFA in Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He is best known for his unsuccessful audition to play the part of King Joffrey in Game of Thrones.
Kevin O'Malley as Henry Junior (a mammoth) and Rudolf (a bully)
Kevin O’Malley is an actor and Writer from Limerick City in Ireland. Before coming to England, he studied Performance Acting at the DIT Rathmines Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin, and was lucky enough to work as an actor, producer, and technician in the Dublin theatre scene. He was a founding member of Underdog Theatre Company with Cian O’Ceallachain. Previous theatre credits include Q/Tanner in The Hunt for Red Willie with Exit Excitedly Theatre Company, Fergus in Things that Divide Us by Squeaky Wheel Theatre Company, and various roles in Coppers Uncovered by COD Productions.
Joe James as Frederick (a mammoth) and Ivan (a bully)
Joe first started performing with his local youth theatre at the age of 14, acting in both musicals and classical plays. Following his A-levels, Joe worked as a youth theatre leader at the Chichester Festival Theatre before studying for a degree in drama and theatre studies at Aberystwyth University. Whilst at university he took part in many amateur and professional productions, as well as directing, stage managing and writing several shows. Joe is now studying for a masters in writing for stage and broadcast media at Central. It’s been his life long dream to play a mammoth, and now his dream has finally come true. #whaticeage?
The Theatre:
Brighton Open Air theatre
Brighton Open Air Theatre is an amphitheatre formed of eight artificially turfed terraces leading down to a sunken thrust stage. A bespoke acoustic wall retains sound, improving the experience for audience member and prevents noise pollution. The capacity is 425.
B•O•A•T operates from May to September each year and provides a space for local artists, schools etc. alongside national touring productions. The programme is primarily made up of theatre but B•O•A•T also plays host to music, comedy, screenings and spoken word events.
B•O•A•T is a democratic space with no artistic director and no artistic policy. Uniquely, construction costs were met by fundraising events and private donations. Companies of all scales and experience are welcome. The venue will be self-sufficient. Income from box office splits will help meet on-going costs.
Audiences are encouraged to cycle or walk to the venue. Performances finish no later than 10:00PM in line with event licensing in other public spaces in the city.
REHEARSAL PHOTOS COMING SOON
This project successfully funded on 30th June 2016