“Intense and fascinating production” of controversial play ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore explores love and society

Ferocious, murderous and bloody. Love will not conquer all. Love will destroy all. Lazarus Theatre Company present ‘Tis A Pity She’s A Whore at Tristan Bates Theatre, Friday 26 and Saturday 27 August at 8pm.

Already attracting rave reviews there is a special offer on tickets for the remaining two shows. Quote the promo code “WHORE” to buy tickets for a bargain £10 each via camdenfringe.com.

London Theatre 1 gave this production ★★★★ and described it as “intense and fascinating”. Read the full review here.

John Ford’s masterpiece follows two young lovers, Annabella and Giovanni, caught in the grip of sexual adventure and discovery. But their love is damned and their sex is a sin; they are Brother and Sister. When the siblings’ love is discovered – their world is changed forever.

This startlingly, provocative play comes to the stage in an all-new, ravishingly decedent, ensemble production. ‘Tis Pity, marks their return to The Tristan Bates Theatre after their sell out productions of Tamburlaine in 2015 and Coriolanus / Troilus and Cressida in 2014.

‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore marks the seventh year Lazarus Theatre Company have taken part in Camden Fringe.

Artistic director Ricky Dukes said: “What better climax could there be to our year-long season of Rebellion and Revolution than John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity Shes a Whore. Startlingly taboo in its time as it is now, our celebration of all things rebellious and revolutionary comes to an end with this explosive play.

“We started with Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle which played to packed houses and received critical acclaim at The Brockley Jack, then continued our exploration with our divisive and controversial Bacchae at The Blue Elephant Theatre and now we complete with a return to the Tristan Bates and Camden Fringe. A year to be proud of, a year of true revolution and rebellion.”

Lazarus is an award-winning theatre company, re-imagining and revitalising classic text for a contemporary audience.

★★★★★ “An exciting and engrossing piece of theatre… The overall effect is amazing… An astounding mastery of the different theatrical elements… This piece is a dynamic experience, promising to entertain throughout” The Upcoming on The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

More information: www.camdenfringe.com

Cast:

Annabella – Lucy Walker-Evans
Giovanni – Prince Plockey
Bonaventura / Cardinal – Edward Boon
Soranzo – Alexander Shenton
Florio – Alexander Allin
Donado – RJ Seeley
Bergetto – Luke Dunford
Richardetto – Nick Biadon
Vasques – Stephen MacNeice
Hippolita – Sasha Wilson
Philotis – Valerie Isaiah
Putana – Steph Reynolds

Written by John Ford
Adapted and Directed by Ricky Dukes

Designed by Sorcha Corcoran
Lighting Design by Jai Morjaria
Sound Design by Neil McKeown
Songs by Eamonn O’Dwyer
Associate Director – Gavin Harrington-Odedra

Dramaturge – Sara Reimers
Assistant Director – Grace Joseph
Company Photographer – Adam Trigg

Production Graphic Designer – Will Beeston

 

Sandy and Danni are looking for fairytale romance through a string of disastrous dates with the audience

Character comedy improvisers Leanna & Angela present: Sandy and Danni Improv Show – two desperate and deluded (but very sweet) American girls looking for a fairytale romance tonight (Friday 26 August) at 7.30pm at Canal Cafe Theatre.

You might see them hanging around Buckingham Palace in the hope of meeting a prince… told you deluded! In an attempt to find their perfect partner, they go on countless dates based on suggestions by the audience.

Basically the audience fill out date cards and Sandy and Danni take it turns to go on these dates transforming into characters informed by the audiences choices. They use props like dream phones and other 90s memorabilia to get them out of tricky situations.

All this is sandwiched together with fun comparing by Leanna and Angela and special appearances from other characters from our web series.

***** “This show is topical and fun from start to finish! A clever satirical take on the world as we see it,” London Improv.

Tickets are available from www.camdenfringe.com.

Photographs by Elspeth Mary Moore

Altered Minds, Altered Realities based on real stories of people who live with mental illness

Augustus Stephens has a severe mental illness and yet is taking on his biggest challenge to-date by playing six different characters in six dark comedies collectively called Altered Minds, Altered Realities, tonight (Friday 26 August) and Saturday 27 August at 7.15pm at Camden People’s Theatre.

From Larry, a private eye with a mystery to solve, to Gus, who is in a life and death struggle with a kebab, he portrays the characters that are based on the lives of real people with a variety of mental illnesses.

Augustus says “I have spoken to people up and down the country to create these characters, all of whom live with mental illness. You might see these people around and never know how they struggle to do the ordinary things most people find easy, and how they carry on bravely and sometimes thrive despite it all. But they are fascinating to talk to and I hope I have done them justice with what I have written.”

“I have had my own problems,” he says, “and I know what it’s like to be scared, overwhelmed and frustrated with myself. I wanted to give a voice to these people who are normally unnoticed and don’t have the opportunities to tell their stories like I have had.”. He is also curious to know which of the six characters people like the most, “They each have their peculiarities but also their own charms.”.

Augustus was a computer programmer for many years, but his mind “went somewhere odd” so he gave that up to do something to make himself and other people happy. He writes and performs plays and comedy about those with extraordinary lives, including his own, dusting them with a hint of magic to entertain and amuse.

CapaTaro’s debut Glaucoma combines politics, dance, drama, storytelling, music, mask and puppetry from around the world

CapaTaro’s debut performance Glaucoma, a thought-provoking, political and stylized piece, is at The Etcetera Theatre on Camden High Street, Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 August at 6.30pm.

“ The disease comes when the mind conforms.”

Set in a dystopia where citizens, entering adulthood, develop a condition of the eyes, which blinds them to the corruption and destruction of their world, Glaucoma tells the story of three young revolutionaries attempting to hold on to their sight, beliefs and humanity in a surreal minimalist prison.

The show is designed to bring light to social and environmental issues of today’s world and awaken the consciousness of its audiences. It is aimed at a younger generation, although the message is inclusive and universal.

The production is devised and written by CapaTaro, an award-winning company of female performer/musicians from East 15’s world performance course, who produce inter-cultural and original, visceral work to challenge passiveness and engineering change.

The production has been created using devising techniques with original writing and music. Drawing on the various world performance styles and techniques explored at East15, CapaTaro embellish their work with influence from forms such as Japanese Butoh, Kandol, Bharatanatyam, Balinese dance-drama, African storytelling and music, mask and puppetry.

For more details and tickets www.camdenfringe.com.

Naughty nuns want to revolutionise the church and smoking rights – until they find a sex tape

Take three smoking nuns who want to revolutionise the church, add incriminating videotapes, a fetish for crochet and a tale of blackmail and you have the recipe for Perform and Give’s debut production, Nuns.

Nuns, Friday 26 , Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 August at 2.30pm at the Etcetera Theatre, is a satirical comedy exploring the role of three nuns wanting to revolutionise the church. Initially fighting for smoking rights, their ambitions heighten when they acquire a saucy videotape.

With an all female cast, Robert Luxford’s play makes it’s UK premiere and asks some interesting questions about the role of women within the church.

Described on Twitter by ITV Responsibility as “exciting”, Perform and Give produces theatre to raise money for charity.

What makes us special is not just what they do, but how they do it. They don’t just strive to create unforgettable experiences for audiences – they remove the barriers that hinder participation and provide opportunity to those looking for a footpath in professional theatre production.

Perform and Give has assembled a talented team of volunteers, some with a plethora of experience in theatre production and some with no experience at all. Both combining to produce a high quality fringe production for a good cause.

For more details and tickets: www.camdenfringe.com.

Sample four new plays every hour in Suckerpunch at the Lion and Unicorn

New short plays, written by emerging writers, pack a punch despite their small size at Suckerpunch, tonight and Saturday 27 August at 6pm, at The Lion and Unicorn.

Each hour-long slot features four fifteen-minute plays that are thematically linked, although diverse in style. This is our way of showing the variety of writing produced by young and budding writers. The scripts chosen have been carefully selected to ensure that the diverse talent of today’s young playwrights is showcased.

Vibrant and restrained, the plays reflect the world as today’s young people experience it. Images and words will stick with the audience long after the houselights come up. New writing will be shown in an exciting and innovative way that may change perceptions of new writing.

This unique collection of plays will convey various different perspectives on current affairs of today. Providing the audience with four shows in one, this event will deliver bite-sized tastes of the exceptional talent of today with the intention of having the audience wanting to come back for more.

This small group of talented Kingston University actors are directed by Josh Whatsize, who has directed shows in the International Youth Arts Festival.

For more details and tickets www.camdenfringe.com.

Blink brings love from Leytonstone to Camden Fringe – don’t miss it

 

“This is a true story…our love story” Jonah tells us but the course of true love never did run smooth and anyway, is your “happy ending” mine too?

Blink by Phil Porter, tonight (Friday 26 August) at 9.15pm, tomorrow and Sunday  at 7.30pm, Upstairs at the Gatehouse, is an unconventional, quirky and voyeuristic, this funny, delicate love story, weaving themes of loneliness, bereavement and consensual stalking.

Sophie, vulnerable and raw from the loss of her father to pancreatic cancer, craves visibility whilst Jonah, sheltered and fresh from a religious commune, having lost his mother to the same disease, wants to find out what “life on the outside” is really about. They find each other in Leytonstone. Their ensuing relationship is dysfunctional, darkly funny and unexpected-in more ways than one!

Peppered Wit Productions impressed audiences with their 2013 production of The Collector by Mark Healy at Upstairs at the Gatehouse theatre and received a four-star review from Everything-Theatre, describing their intense psychological thriller as “chilling and thought-provoking….my favourite piece so far at this year’s Camden Fringe”.

With a creative and fluid approach to set, sound and lighting, the Peppered Wit team of Tara Lacey, Rob Hall, Jem Turner and Nick Wilson work collaboratively on all aspects of the staging. Creating a multi-functional set has been a challenge but one which the team has relished as they look forward to the show.

Peppered Wit have worked together on many productions for other companies, including Brassed Off for Banbury Cross Players in collaboration with Hook Norton Brass Band (where the quartet first met!), and taken fringe theatre to Edinburgh (2012) and Camden (2013).

For more details and tickets www.camdenfringe.com.