playtime

June 16th, 2008 • penny dreadfuls, research

I’m going to be down in London next week to work (The Penny Dreadfuls‘ two Greenwich theatre gigs) and, more importantly, to play - at the Hide and Seek festival.

I’ll be playing Jane McGonigal’s Lost Sport of Olympia on Sunday afternoon, and hand-carrying a secret message to one of the participants (games within games for extra fun). Anyone around in the city want to join me?

reviews for aeneas faversham forever

March 17th, 2008 • comedy, penny dreadfuls

A quick round-up of the reviews for last week’s premiere of Aeneas Faversham Forever. First, the Edinburgh Evening News:

RETURNING to Edinburgh after a successful stint on Radio 7, The Penny Dreadfuls triumphantly premiered their new show to a sold-out, hysterical house. Now a trio, the team decided to revisit the site of their inception to reinvent themselves, abandoning the sketch-show format in favour of a full blown play. [...] While it might seem churlish to award only four stars to such a funny piece, there’s no question that it should walk effortlessly away with the full five when it returns for a full Fringe run.

Nice. I think the word is “gushing.” Read more »

Sketchatron: Resurrection

January 23rd, 2008 • comedy, penny dreadfuls

If you’re in London this weekend, I recommend Sketchatron - the comedy brainchild of Penny Dreadfuls co-producer Idil Sukan:

CRITICS CHOICE
- Time Out

Banging and enormous sketch comedy showcase to usher in 2008 feat lots of new material and extended sets from the most excellent sketch troupes Pappy’s Fun Club, Penny Dreadfuls, Idiots of Ants and the Sunday Defensive.

On the beautiful big main stage at the Pleasance Islington.

BOOK NOW!!!! Tickets £6.50/£5 conc, available via http://www.pleasance.co.uk
Or ring 020 7609 1800

Time Out says it’s the number one comedy thing to see this week, putting Chris Rock at number two. So, no pressure to be funny then. The semi-inevitable facebook group can be found here.

The Penny Dreadfuls present.. The Brothers Faversham

January 16th, 2008 • penny dreadfuls

Two bits of news. First, The Brothers Faversham - written and performed by The Penny Dreadfuls, for whom I’m a Fringe producer - is currently airing on BBC Radio 7. The first episode was broadcast on Friday night, but you can listen again all week.

I managed to get down to London for the recording of two episodes before Christmas, and it’s a relief to hear that the huge audience response is obvious in the broadcast. There are pictures from the recording on the facebook group - and yes, that’s photographs on the internet of the radio: welcome to the future. Read more »

October Update

October 8th, 2007 • penny dreadfuls

I’m down in London over the weekend of the 27th October for the first recording of the Penny Dreadfuls’ new BBC radio series. If you’re free on the Friday night - or the following Wednesday - free tickets for the recording are available here.

C.J. Jarvis and C. Cooke - Edinburgh artists now based in London - are in the final weeks of their show at the Madder 139 gallery. I’ve worked with them on various projects over the last few years and hope to collaborate again in the future: there’s a mix of high-level art theory and humour that really appeals.

I’m also in the process of putting together the first issue of a new quarterly online publication - (which, right now, mainly involves calling a large number of friends and contacts working in theatre and the arts to see if they have time to spare). I’ll post something more here when I have firmer details - and when I start the open submission process - but am aiming for a winter edition at the end of the year.

current projects

April 28th, 2007 • penny dreadfuls

So here’s a brief introduction to a few of the projects I’m currently working on in 2007.

The Penny Dreadfuls are a Victorian sketch comedy group who’ve been touring around the UK since the 2006 Fringe Festival where they appeared to rave reviews. They’ve also recently appeared as part of the BBC’s sketch show, Comedy Shuffle.

I joined the production team last July and have working as a producer and online manager for them since. I’d previously met the cast of the Dreadfuls through the Edinburgh comedy scene - and performed with them all at different times when a member of improvisational group, The Improverts during my student days.

Along with the rest of the production team - designer/producer Idil Sukan and technical director Neil Hobbs - we’re preparing for the 2007 Fringe, where we’ll be appearing in the Smirnoff Underbelly. You can follow the production diary over at the Dreadful’s main site here: www.pennydreadfuls.co.uk.

The Mantilla Foundation are an entirely different kind of project. The short version is that the Foundation is a non-profit, independent group that offers a unique service to frustrated artists.

The shorter version is this: they cremate unwanted art.

For the last six months they’ve been travelling across Europe and to the United States, appearing at art events such as the Arco, Madrid, the London Art Fair and the Armory Show, New York. You might also have seen their ads in the arts journal Frieze. I was approached to work for them as a fixer and designer in November of 2006 and I’ve been with them ever since.

For further details - and to download an application form - please visit their website here: www.mantillafoundation.com.