Category: News

Halloween Message from the Artistic Director

Hello KDC Theatre

Halloween is almost upon us. The season of dressing up in toilet roll and not opening the door to children comes round again, as it seems to do every year.

Last year we celebrated our first KDC Halloween with a production of a horror classic in the form of Dracula. We also reached out to our writers and set them a challenge: to devise/adapt/be inspired by a ghost story written by one of the greatest storytellers ever, Charles Dickens. The results were so fun to read, that we decided to take things a little further.

Taking eight of the scripts from last year, we have a fantastic season lined up. A special “event” called What The Dickens?

For two weeks we will be based at the Lion and Unicorn in Kentish Town, to bring you entertaining tales of spectral whimsy. The most exciting thing is that within this event there are TWO different shows to enjoy, playing on alternate nights.

Firstly, for the plays that have been adapted with that modern twist, we present “Twisted”, 5 short plays inspired by Dickens. From ghostly litigation, to creepy hoodies, to prams in graveyards, to meetings on trains to police interviews, these five rather different stories give a contemporary spin on the Victorian spook stories.

On our OTHER nights we have “The Bleakest House”,  in which a séance is disturbed by unknown elements. Three classic Charles Dickens stories, including the infamous Signal Man, invade this private parlour party to un-nerve these investigators of the otherworldly, all for your own entertainment.

And if that wasn’t exciting enough, we have a SPECIAL booking offer!

Our standard ticket price is in effect of £12 per show, but if you book for BOTH shows, it will just cost you £20! Book now!

“Twisted” – The Modern Plays

29th Oct, 31st Oct, 2nd Nov, 6th Nov, 8th Nov at 7.30pm

“The Bleakest House” – The Victorian Plays

30th Oct, 1st Nov, 5th Nov, 7th Nov, 9th Nov at 7.30pm

Newcomers Winter 2013

Each season we hold a Newcomers Meeting where the directors will tell you more about their plays and the audition process. It’s a great way to find out more about the season and of course you can quiz the directors and committee too.

Date: Thursday 12 September
Time: Join us from 7pm for a drink. The meeting will start at 7.30pm
Venue: The White Swan, 20 Farringdon Street, Farringdon, EC4A 4AB

KDC Committee 2013-2014

Thanks to all who attended the AGM on Thursday 27 June.  Welcome to the new committee:

Chair – Emma Knott
Artistic Director – Andy Marchant
Treasurer – Richard Williams
Secretary – Juliet Colbert
Tech Team – Dave Balfour and Fiona Thomas
Publicity – Carrie Johnson
Social Team – Kim Morrison and Trina Hasthorpe
New Writing Coordinator – Matthew Partridge
Webmaster – William Baltyn
Executive Officer and Deputy Chair – Steph Urquhart

Annual General Meeting 27 June 2013

We’ll be holding our AGM on Thursday 27 June, 7pm at The Hoop and Grapes. This is your chance to get involved in how KDC is run by making suggestions, quizzing the current committee or standing to be on the committee yourself. Anyone who’s been involved in a KDC production within the last three seasons, whether on-stage or off, has the right to vote on any motions tabled at the meeting, and on the election of committee representatives.

Being on the committee is great fun and less of a time commitment than some people imagine. We have 2 or 3 committee meetings each season which you’ll need to attend, plus you’ll need to help out at auditions and come along to see the shows. The committee is made up of the following roles, please note that if you’d like to stand for Chair, Artistic Director or Treasurer then you need to have been on the committee for at least one year.

Chair – steers the good ship KDC

Artistic Director – chooses the plays, theatres and directors for each season

Treasurer – handles all the money talk

Secretary – organises rehearsal/audition spaces and sends out the weekly Showdown

New Writing Co-ordinator – provides feedback on new plays and organises our round table readings

Technical Director – co-ordinates back stage requirements for all our shows

Social Secretary – chief party organiser and leader of merriment

Publicity – keeps the world up to speed with the world of KDC

Webmaster – administers the KDC website and all things technological

Executive Officer – generally helpful person who lends a hand wherever needed

KDC is what it is because of the people who give up a bit of their time to make it a success. If you’d like to find out more then we’d love to hear from you – just e-mail [email protected]

KDC RSC Open Stages take TWO

Very excitingly, The RSC are re-launching their open stages project this year, an opportunity for amateur theatre companies in the UK to work with the RSC.

Last year KDC Theatre rocked up with The War Of The Waleses, our own piece of new writing written as a “contemporary history” in the style of Shakespeare. Not only did the show sell out at the Lion and Unicorn, it ALSO got put on at the Camden Fringe, was part of the Open Stages Regional Showcase, and was performed on the RSC’s open air stage in Stratford upon Avon! As well as that, Sarah, the director of last year’s show, is taking a production up to the Edinburgh festival this year! (be sure to catch it if you go)

The deadline for pitches is mid June, and this time round, spaces are a lot more limited, so our pitches have to be REALLY appealing.

If you have a concept or an idea you think we should pitch (something you might want to direct/devise/audition for), then please send us something by 10 June, and no later, so that we can have plenty of time to review all the ideas. It could be anything Shakespeare related, a production of a play, some new writing, or a piece inspired by Shakespeare.

Please email [email protected] if you have anything you want to suggest.

Summer Newcomers 7pm on 9 May

Join us at the Mowbray pub, 14-18 Holborn, London EC1N 2LE from 7pm on Thursday 9 May. New and old faces are welcome to attend, to find out more about KDC, the summer season and how you can be part of the action.

http://meltonmowbrayholborn.co.uk/

End of season message from our Chair

Happy days KDC members!

As if by magic, our Spring season ends, and like a pagan rite banishes the cold from these lands (for now). Perhaps we should do it earlier next year?

Once more a season from one of the hardest working theatre companies in London draws to a bittersweet end! Bitter for ending so soon. Sweet for being such a good splash of shows. And Summer is so close too!

It’s been a really exciting season. Zoe spearheaded our Spotlight Showcase initiative with the amazing drama, The Early Bird, Fiona and Kat continued our tradition of supporting new writing with The Player Played and Stag Nation, Trina and Kim took the reigns on the latest very cool and VERY spooky devised piece, Visited, and Chris stepped backstage to direct Richard III as only he could imagine it! And of course, how can we forget that we actually started the year with Sarah’s Cutting Edge: An interactive Fairy Tale. Blimey! It’s all go!

So, as my self-enforced tradition dictates, mine and the committees thanks go out into this blue skied ether to:

Zoe Thomas-Webb, Fiona Thomas, Kat Wootton, Trina Hasthorpe, Kim Morrison, Chris Warren, Sarah Provencal, Steph Urquhart, Helen Niland, Doug Baker, Edith Webb, Richard Williams, Juliet Colbert, Charlie Golding, Matthew Partridge, Amy Wallis, Fozia Khaliq, Prasan Modasia, Carrie Johnson, Louise Bastock, Carl Fletcher, Emma Cherry Rolf, Thom Petty, Kate Sketchley, Amy Wackett, Ulli Ackermann, Bradley Johnson, Lorenzo Mason, Yasir Senna, Ciera Rose Allen, Claire Hubbard, Valentina Petito, Jacqui Adams, Brittany Atkins, Aruna Buchanan, James Edenborough, Eddie Register, Ami Sawran, Violet Edelman, Maeve McClenaghan, Vanessa Okello, Anna Postle, Chris Stooke, Anna Tsekouras, Francis Whittaker, Thea Beyleveld, Ben Waring, Laura Hymers, Monica Ibe, Wayil Eisa, Judith Barbeler, Sarah Ratner, Lisa Bender, Nick Dastoor and “Disco” Chris Dascalopoulos

COMING UP NEXT ON KDC THEATRE!

SUMMER!

PICNICS!

THIRSTY THURSDAYS!

READING NIGHTS!

AGM!

And most importantly, our XX/XY season at the Barons Court! More details to come VERY soon!

Now you may have an ice cream.

Be seeing you!

Andy Marchant

KDC Chair

Directors needed – deadline extended!

As our Spring Season of five shows rounds off this week with Christopher Warren’s adaptation of Richard III, your committee find themselves looking to the future, and specifically to our Summer Season in the Barons Court Theatre!

Our summer season will run on the weeks beginning 15 and 22 July, and we are looking for pitches of a very specific nature.

xxxyThe XX/XY season

Each of our weeks will see a production with an exclusively male or female cast (but we will also consider “predominantly” male of female as an option)

What we want from our directing members are interesting and exciting pitches for shows with casts of AROUND 8 actors (and upwards).

So perhaps this is the time to dust off your copy of Glengarry Glen Ross, or Playhouse Creatures, or whatever you may have seen or read before that you love! Or go online and see what’s out there. Or tell us about your all female Julius Caesar, or your all male Top Girls (that one might not work).

BUT we need to hear from you and we need to hear from you soon.

We are able to extend (or XX/XYtend) our pitch process to Midnight on Sunday April 14th, so if you are interested, please email [email protected] and let us know your ideas and we will arrange to meet you to hear more!