Target reached!
Any money we receive over the initial £2000 will go toward our marketing campaign an...
The Domestic Extremists
Isle of Dogs
Aim
The channel wants a sensational doc on volatile student activists. What they get is explosive. A play about education, dissent & the media
Aim of our campaign
We need to raise £2000 to unlock £10,000+ funding kindly and amazingly offered by the Arts Council to put on "The Domestic Extremists" at the Space Theatre from 10th-28th February 2015.
What is it about?
Why is student activism on the rise again? Why are students forced to take out loans out so huge they’ll never be able to pay them back? http://goo.gl/jb27zi Why does the mainstream British media divide politics between an approved Westminster gossip-fest, and various kinds of “swivel eyed lunatics”? What does it take to be labelled a domestic extremist by the police? These are just some of pertinent issues tackled in the play.
What we are asking for?
The fabulous offer from the Arts Council of England will allow everyone who works on The Domestic Extremists to be paid (modestly) for their work. We have already secured support in kind (totalling thousands of pounds) from various individuals, activist groups and unions, but one of the conditions from the Arts Council is that we also raise some actual cash.
So the £2,000 we're hoping to raise here will unlock our Arts Council grant and help toward the costs of putting on the show and our ambitious programme of after-show discusions and forums
Putting on a play involves many costs, including hiring the theatre, building a set, paying for posters to be designed and printed, marketing, and, of course, paying the actors and others responsible for giving the show life each night. The total cost of all that is around £18,000 and the money raised here will be a huge contribution and unlock that £10K from the arts counci.
About "The Domestic Extremists" & extra events
Young director Chloe wants to make a documentary about the marketisation of universities. Jaded channel commissioner Christopher seizes on it as the last chance to redeem his career. However, head of Factual and self-proclaimed “rebel” Toby demands something “watchable”, so Chloe’s idealistic film becomes a sensationalist look at “Molotov cocktail throwing anarchists”. But none are prepared for what they uncover about the police, protest and government surveillance. The unexpectedly explosive material forces each to make a stark choice between their consciences and careers in this dark expose of a media industry terrified of dissent.
We’ll also be inviting guests from a diverse range of backgrounds, from students to politicians and TV producers to take part in after-show debates that will allow audiences to explore the issues around students, activism, the media and policing that are raised in the show.
The Domestic Extremists is written by Dan Davies who has worked as in media as a journalist, TV producer and commissioner for nearly 20 years. Dan’s plays have been performed at the National Theatre Studio, The Old Red Lion, Tristan Bates Theatre, Theatre 503, on Resonance FM and on BBC Radio 4.
Director Ben Borowiecki founded FreshFest, the new writing festival at Warwick University, directed Brecht’s Dansen at the Edinburgh Fringe 2013 and assistant directed Hamlyn at The Space theatre in 2014. As an actor Ben starred in the Harry Potter films, Wonderous Oblivion, Casualty, Holby City and And Now Fourteen More with Inua Ellams at the National Theatre.
The Domestic Extremists is produced in association with The Production Exchange
Reviews for the rehearsed reading of “The Domestic Extremists”.
“Brilliant! We talked about it all the way home!” Lizzie Night, TV producer/director
“The dark examination of a media scandal that ‘Great Britain’ wasn’t” Maya Milatovic-Ovadia, theatre director.
“Lead Christopher is well-written, with the character's cynicism shining through. Chloe's naivety and confidence make for an intriguing counterpart … A layer of authenticity helps keep us fully engaged. The use of video is intelligent and evocative.” Views From the Gods
Reviews for “Is Anything Broken?” By Dan Davies
“Here is a play so of our time that it sparkles and zings… the most enjoyable and penetrating satire …Don’t miss it.” A World To Win
“A sharp and relevant script.” Everything Theatre
***** “A hilarious piece of satire.” Views From the Gods
This project successfully funded on 30th January 2015