NEWS
11.10.2024
Strange Meetings - bookings now being taken!
Bookings are now being taken for Strange Meetings: the Words of Wilfred Owen.
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With many WI groups, schools, Age UK day centres, and U3A groups booked in for 2025, there are still slots available for the presentation across the Powys / West Midlands area.
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About the presentation:
Poet, WW1 soldier, shell-shock victim … But who truly was Wilfred Owen? Strange Meetings explores the hero’s life from young adulthood onwards, uncovering how the man became the poet, and then how the poet became the soldier. Drawing directly from his personal writings – both his poetry and his letters – this is the story of Wilfred Owen told in his own words.
Shaun says: Strange Meetings is 45-50 minute presentation which can be followed by a Q&A about the show, the writing process, Wilfred Owen, or even myself, should it be needed/appropriate.
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I bring all of my own equipment, props and full costume, along with speakers and an extension lead (both PAT tested), and ask only a modest fee and reasonable fuel expenses.
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So if you’re involved with a WI group, school, day centre, or U3A group, feel free to get in touch today, as Wilfred Owen’s story is one I’m passionate about, and I’d love to be able to share his experiences and words with you and your group!
26.09.2024
Strange Meetings - on home ground
Today Shaun presented Strange Meetings: the Words of Wilfred Owen to Oswestry U3A.
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One of several presentations of the theatrical biographical piece this month, this performance was especially poignant (for both Shaun and the audience), as it took place in Oswestry's Memorial Hall, just up the road from Plas Wilmot, the house in which Wilfred Owen was born.
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"It was a great opportunity to bring the story of Wilfred Owen 'home'," Shaun said, "and there was a moment delivering the final lines when I glanced through the window and thought: Wilfred Owen walked these streets, might even have stepped inside this very building."
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Played to a packed-out hall of very welcoming and attentive U3A members, this performance marks the start of a busy twelve months for Strange Meetings, which is scheduled to be presented to schools and community groups across the area.
12.08.2024
The Hatter's Requiem - fresh from the Fringe!
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Photo: Christine Corfield
After nine incredible performances, the HATTER'S team have returned home tired but jubilant, having wowed audiences, garnered praise and having thoroughly enjoyed themselves too!
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The Edinburgh Fringe is a colossal undertaking, but the team managed well, juggling flyering and PR work alongside performing, while also seeing many other shows and generally enjoying the crazy experience!
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It was so much fun, but a lot of hard work too, and so a well-deserved rest is most definitely on the cards for the next few weeks.
Until preparation for the next show begins ...
04.04.2024
Tickets now on sale for The Hatter's Requiem
As of this morning, tickets are now on sale for THE HATTER'S REQUIEM at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024!
We will be performing at a super city centre location at 17:25 each day between 2nd-10th August, so if you fancy a trip to the biggest and most vibrant arts festival in the world, we'll see you there!
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If you're not heading to Scotland for the Fringe but know someone who is, then please do tell them about our show - every ticket sold is a boost to our efforts, and is a chance for us to share our stories with someone new. You/they won't be disappointed!
To book your tickets today, click the button below for the cheapest booking fees:
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Photo: Gareth Thomas
27.03.2024
Happy World Theatre Day!
To celebrate World Theatre Day, we thought we'd do a tally of the number of productions that the cast and crew have been involved with in the past ten years. The results are as follows:
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Anna - 14
Christie - 32
Francesca - 25
Liza - 33
Shaun - 39
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So that's a total of 143 productions that we've done between us in the past ten years. Staggering, huh?! Here's to another ten years of frantically wonderful theatrical experience!
World Theatre Day!
25.03.2024
Off to the Edinburgh Fringe, baby!
That's right, The Hatter's Requiem has now been officially registered to be part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024! It takes a lot of work (and even more paperwork) to take a show on the road, and the Fringe Box Office are very particular about what they want, and how they want it formatting. Which all makes sense, when you consider the scale of the whole festival. But it does making signing up to perform a bit of a palaver (palaver? Good word!). Still, all of the information has been submitted, and our publicity copy, images and show details confirmed and approved, so that means that we're all good to go (minus a few bits of additional paperwork, such as PRS licensing, Public Liability Insurance etc.). That's right, in just a matter of weeks our entry for The Hatter's Requiem will be in the Fringe brochure and tickets sales will go live. Exciting times!
12.03.2024
Rehearsals for The Hatter's Requiem begin ...
After our first casual read-through last week, rehearsals have now begun in earnest! This is always the most fun part of the process for me, the moments when you see the words leap from the page, gain new life and launch themselves into being in novel - and often unexpectedly brilliant - directions. And our first Hatter's rehearsal was no exception!
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We're so lucky to have such a talented bunch of creatives onboard, and everyone brought their A-game from day one. Characters are already starting to emerge through intonation and physicality, and we're rapidly developing the style of the piece, coming to grips with some of the more 'physical theatre' elements of the show. This is something of a learning curve, as it's not a theatrical form any of us have done lots of before, but in pooling our wealth of stage experience and experimenting (and having a good giggle in the process), we're unlocking some new capabilities and enjoying the learning process too. Which at the end of the day is the aim of the game, right?
