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The Biscuit Tin Readings 2011
An Assortment of New Plays
An Assortment of New Plays
Our new series of rehearsed readings introduces a delectable assortment of fantastic new plays for your enjoyment. The Biscuit Tin Readings promises to be a great selection of talent, drama and entertainment, accompanied by tea and biscuits!
With plays by Mike Coleman, Jaki McCarrick, Roy Endean, William Patterson and James McAnespy, being performed in the Ulster Hall Group Space, with one reading a month from July to November.
We are very proud to be showcasing the work of such talented writers and performers for the second year running.
With plays by Mike Coleman, Jaki McCarrick, Roy Endean, William Patterson and James McAnespy, being performed in the Ulster Hall Group Space, with one reading a month from July to November.
We are very proud to be showcasing the work of such talented writers and performers for the second year running.
The Ulster Hall Group Space
All readings begin at 7pm (doors 6.45)
Running time: 1 hr (approx)
Admission free (donations welcome)
All readings begin at 7pm (doors 6.45)
Running time: 1 hr (approx)
Admission free (donations welcome)
20th July
ROBOTS IN DISGUISE
by Mike Coleman The government's Transformation Team have revolutionised the Welfare and Education sectors. Now they're turning their attention to the least evolved part of society: the family. Barry and Sheila have been chosen to lead a Beacon Family; they'll become the pinnacle of efficiency and grace - if they survive the process.
Writer: Mike Coleman Mike started writing part-time in 1983 and became one of the leading sketch contributors to BBC Radio while still working in sales and marketing. He gave up his proper job in 1986 after being offered a BBC Writers' Bursary and has contributed prolifically to radio, TV, theatre, video and live events ever since. www.mikecoleman.co.uk
Director: Gayle Dennison
Cast: James McAnespy Chubb
Ed Boyd Barry
Emma Little Sheila
Kim Moylan Cathy
Chris McCurry John
17th August
THE AMERICAN HOTEL
by Jaki McCarrick A single hotel room in a lonely town might hold the secret to time travel - tunnels that can lead people back to that mythical point in their lives where everything went wrong ... at least that’s what Joe and Malone have heard. But they’ve got a dead body to deal with before they can dig their way out of past follies. Jaki McCarrick’s play The American Hotel twists the idea of what’s before us and what’s behind us.
Writer: Jaki McCarrick Jaki McCarrick’s first play, The Mushroom Pickers, premiered at the Southwark Playhouse in London in 2006, and at the Gene Frankel Theatre in New York in 2009. Her next play, Leopoldville, won the 2010 Papatango New Writing Award and was staged last year at the Tristan Bates Theatre, London, to much critical acclaim. Her most recent play, Belfast Girls, received a Without Décor production in August 2011 at the King's Head Theatre in London. Jaki is also a widely published poet and short story writer. Her story, The Visit, won the 2010 Wasafiri Short Fiction Prize and is to appear in the forthcoming anthology of Best British Short Stories (published by Salt). She has just completed her first collection of short stories, Badlands.
http://www.jakiscloudnine.blogspot.com/
Director: Emily DeDakis
Cast: Chris McCurry Malone
Jason McLaughlin Joe
Chris Grant Chatenoud
20th September
THE PORTRAIT KEEPER
by Roy Endean Driven by mesmerising language, The Portrait Keeper examines an odd relationship between a wealthy art collector and the artist he has hired to paint his portrait. The painting of the portrait is at the foreground of a dance-like power struggle between the two men, one cantankerous servant, and the portraitist’s seductive wife.
Writer: Roy Endean Roy graduated from University College Cork in 2007. After which he worked odd jobs at home and taught English abroad before publishing his first short story in Brand magazine in 2009. For the past couple of years he has been focusing on his writing. This is the first public performance of his work.
Director: Mary-Frances Doherty Mary-Frances graduated from the RSAMD in 2007. Since then she has devised and directed a number of theatre productions including ‘Our Family – Voice of the Victim’ with Woman’s Aid Young Voices (Ballymena), and ‘The Red Shoes’ with the Crescent Arts Centre (Belfast). Mary-Frances was also Assistant Director on Tinderbox Theatre Company’s hugely successful ‘RJ’s Leaving Day’, and The Lyric Drama Studio’s ‘The Lives of Spaces’.
www.maryfrancesdoherty.com
Cast: Matt Faris Barth
Jason McLaughlin Gabriel
Susan Davey Lydia
James McAnespy Chum
19th October
STUMPERGASSE 31
by William Patterson 1908. Gustl (a young musician) arrives in Vienna to live with his friend Adolf (a would-be art student). Gustl is looking forward to a simple sort of success - time at the conservatory, teaching music, settling down with a wife. But Adolf wants him to “think a little higher than that”. He predicts the artistic pair will flourish, building “cities of marble and gold” and restoring honour to the German nation ... if they can just win the lottery.
Writer: William Patterson William has had plays produced on the London Fringe and received rehearsed readings at the Monologues and Duologues festival in Cambridge. 'Stumpergasse 31' has had a Sunday Night production at the Arcola Theatre, London and he is pleased to be working again with Accidental Theatre to bring the play to a Belfast audience.
Director: Gayle Dennison
Cast: James McAnespy Adolf
Matt Faris Gustl
Ariel Killick Frau Zakreys
Susan Davey Liesl
16th November
SITTING UP FOR MICHAEL
by James McAnespy Michael’s children and grandchildren have gathered for his wake. James McAnespy’s inter-generational comedy-drama (fueled by half-eaten sandwiches, colourful friends and neighbours, and plenty of booze) shows that life keeps ticking on - funeral or no - and that there’s more than one way, place and time to sit up for the dead.
Writer: James McAnespy James McAnespy is an actor from Omagh, and Sitting Up for Michael is his first attempt at writing a full length play. In the past year, he was part of Accidental and Queen's Players' Fast & Loose shows, where short plays are written and performed to an audience within 24 hours. While at school, his short film Tea was picked up for presentation in the Imperial Beach Film Festival in San Diego California, and his poem Footsteps in the Hallway came highly commended in local poetry competitions.
Director: Helen Donnelly Helen trained on the London based StoneCrabs Young Director's Program after receiving a MA in Theatre Directing from Royal Holloway and a BA 1st Class Honours in Drama from Queen's University Belfast. Directing credits include Corrections (Intermission Theatre 10-10-10 Festival), Sticks and Stones (REDfest Old Red Lion), Katie Roche (New Diorama Theatre), Far Away (Albany Theatre), Christie In Love (RHUL studio), The Pillowman (QFT), and, as assistant director, Powers Flowers (RealDeal Theatre) and Wife to James Whelan (Charm Offensive Theatre Company).
Cast: Jason McLaughlin Brian
Charmaine McBride Frieda
Mary Lindsay Doris
David Bell Rory
Chris Grant Joe
Victoria Gleason Carla
Tom Dart Billy
ROBOTS IN DISGUISE
by Mike Coleman The government's Transformation Team have revolutionised the Welfare and Education sectors. Now they're turning their attention to the least evolved part of society: the family. Barry and Sheila have been chosen to lead a Beacon Family; they'll become the pinnacle of efficiency and grace - if they survive the process.
Writer: Mike Coleman Mike started writing part-time in 1983 and became one of the leading sketch contributors to BBC Radio while still working in sales and marketing. He gave up his proper job in 1986 after being offered a BBC Writers' Bursary and has contributed prolifically to radio, TV, theatre, video and live events ever since. www.mikecoleman.co.uk
Director: Gayle Dennison
Cast: James McAnespy Chubb
Ed Boyd Barry
Emma Little Sheila
Kim Moylan Cathy
Chris McCurry John
17th August
THE AMERICAN HOTEL
by Jaki McCarrick A single hotel room in a lonely town might hold the secret to time travel - tunnels that can lead people back to that mythical point in their lives where everything went wrong ... at least that’s what Joe and Malone have heard. But they’ve got a dead body to deal with before they can dig their way out of past follies. Jaki McCarrick’s play The American Hotel twists the idea of what’s before us and what’s behind us.
Writer: Jaki McCarrick Jaki McCarrick’s first play, The Mushroom Pickers, premiered at the Southwark Playhouse in London in 2006, and at the Gene Frankel Theatre in New York in 2009. Her next play, Leopoldville, won the 2010 Papatango New Writing Award and was staged last year at the Tristan Bates Theatre, London, to much critical acclaim. Her most recent play, Belfast Girls, received a Without Décor production in August 2011 at the King's Head Theatre in London. Jaki is also a widely published poet and short story writer. Her story, The Visit, won the 2010 Wasafiri Short Fiction Prize and is to appear in the forthcoming anthology of Best British Short Stories (published by Salt). She has just completed her first collection of short stories, Badlands.
http://www.jakiscloudnine.blogspot.com/
Director: Emily DeDakis
Cast: Chris McCurry Malone
Jason McLaughlin Joe
Chris Grant Chatenoud
20th September
THE PORTRAIT KEEPER
by Roy Endean Driven by mesmerising language, The Portrait Keeper examines an odd relationship between a wealthy art collector and the artist he has hired to paint his portrait. The painting of the portrait is at the foreground of a dance-like power struggle between the two men, one cantankerous servant, and the portraitist’s seductive wife.
Writer: Roy Endean Roy graduated from University College Cork in 2007. After which he worked odd jobs at home and taught English abroad before publishing his first short story in Brand magazine in 2009. For the past couple of years he has been focusing on his writing. This is the first public performance of his work.
Director: Mary-Frances Doherty Mary-Frances graduated from the RSAMD in 2007. Since then she has devised and directed a number of theatre productions including ‘Our Family – Voice of the Victim’ with Woman’s Aid Young Voices (Ballymena), and ‘The Red Shoes’ with the Crescent Arts Centre (Belfast). Mary-Frances was also Assistant Director on Tinderbox Theatre Company’s hugely successful ‘RJ’s Leaving Day’, and The Lyric Drama Studio’s ‘The Lives of Spaces’.
www.maryfrancesdoherty.com
Cast: Matt Faris Barth
Jason McLaughlin Gabriel
Susan Davey Lydia
James McAnespy Chum
19th October
STUMPERGASSE 31
by William Patterson 1908. Gustl (a young musician) arrives in Vienna to live with his friend Adolf (a would-be art student). Gustl is looking forward to a simple sort of success - time at the conservatory, teaching music, settling down with a wife. But Adolf wants him to “think a little higher than that”. He predicts the artistic pair will flourish, building “cities of marble and gold” and restoring honour to the German nation ... if they can just win the lottery.
Writer: William Patterson William has had plays produced on the London Fringe and received rehearsed readings at the Monologues and Duologues festival in Cambridge. 'Stumpergasse 31' has had a Sunday Night production at the Arcola Theatre, London and he is pleased to be working again with Accidental Theatre to bring the play to a Belfast audience.
Director: Gayle Dennison
Cast: James McAnespy Adolf
Matt Faris Gustl
Ariel Killick Frau Zakreys
Susan Davey Liesl
16th November
SITTING UP FOR MICHAEL
by James McAnespy Michael’s children and grandchildren have gathered for his wake. James McAnespy’s inter-generational comedy-drama (fueled by half-eaten sandwiches, colourful friends and neighbours, and plenty of booze) shows that life keeps ticking on - funeral or no - and that there’s more than one way, place and time to sit up for the dead.
Writer: James McAnespy James McAnespy is an actor from Omagh, and Sitting Up for Michael is his first attempt at writing a full length play. In the past year, he was part of Accidental and Queen's Players' Fast & Loose shows, where short plays are written and performed to an audience within 24 hours. While at school, his short film Tea was picked up for presentation in the Imperial Beach Film Festival in San Diego California, and his poem Footsteps in the Hallway came highly commended in local poetry competitions.
Director: Helen Donnelly Helen trained on the London based StoneCrabs Young Director's Program after receiving a MA in Theatre Directing from Royal Holloway and a BA 1st Class Honours in Drama from Queen's University Belfast. Directing credits include Corrections (Intermission Theatre 10-10-10 Festival), Sticks and Stones (REDfest Old Red Lion), Katie Roche (New Diorama Theatre), Far Away (Albany Theatre), Christie In Love (RHUL studio), The Pillowman (QFT), and, as assistant director, Powers Flowers (RealDeal Theatre) and Wife to James Whelan (Charm Offensive Theatre Company).
Cast: Jason McLaughlin Brian
Charmaine McBride Frieda
Mary Lindsay Doris
David Bell Rory
Chris Grant Joe
Victoria Gleason Carla
Tom Dart Billy