The good ship Titus is steaming into port ready for their premier next week. I’ve been assured that there will be plenty of blood, horror and death. Lovely.
Get your tickets now! 16-20 November, Barons Court Theatre
Titus Andronicus coming up
Author: James Taverner
Titus and Lemons casts
Ladeeez & gennelmen, please welcome our actors for the Autumn Season! Auditions were a riot and I would like to express how particularly high the quality was this season. Thanks to all that tried out, and congratulations to our new casts.
Titus Andronicus
Titus — Govind Hodgson
Tamora — Sarah Beebe
Lavinia — Grace Aldridge
Chiron — Ricky Hutchinson
Demetrius — Tyler Woods
Marcus — Nicolas R Obetsebi Lamptey
Bassianus — Andre Frey
Aaron — Kieron Mieres
Quintus — Gabriella Guymer-Davies
Marius — Josie Stephens
Lucius — Natalie Woodward
Saturninus — Stephen Reimer
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons
Aoife Spengeman
David Hepburn
Auditions + extracts
Monday 20th & Tuesday 21st September
Come to one evening only (you can audition for both shows on the same evening)
Lovely to meet so many new people at the season launch yesterday, very much looking forward to the auditions next week. Here’s all the info you need:
| Audition notice | Additional material |
| Titus Andronicus – Audition Notice | Titus audition extracts (Please note you do not need to learn these, they are just for reference if you would like to know what will be used in the initial audition) |
| Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons – Audition Notice | n/a |
Please note that due to unforseen circumstances, we are no longer able to audition The Bald Soprano this season.
Autumn auditions
Massive congratulations to the Pomona team for their run last week, and getting their corona-delayed production finally in front of live audiences. A big achievement all round.
But the wheel doesn’t stop turning here at KDC towers! It’s time to announce our autumn season shows, and your chance to get involved either by auditioning to act or backstage.
Autumn Season shows
First up, we have action-packed blood-soaked Shakespeare in Titus Andronicus. It’ll be a modern adaptation, exploring the dangers of revenge and how it can twist the intentions of everyone it touches.
Our second show will be Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons, about censorship and free speech in a world where people are limited to 140 words per day.
Auditions are free and open to all, and will be held 20 & 21 September in the evening. You only need to come to one audition and you can audition for both plays on the same evening.
Recalls take place on the evening of 23 September.
Auditions
Attend whichever date suits you best, and you can audition for all 3 plays on the same evening.
Monday 20 & Tuesday 21 September 2021
7pm-9:30pm (registration from 6:45pm)
Theatre Deli, Broadgate. 2 Finsbury Ave, London EC2M 2PF
| Titus Andronicus, by William Shakespeare Directed by Matt Aldridge and Jess Rogers Performance dates: 16-20 November 2021 Audition notice |
| Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons, by Sam Steiner Directed by Lloyd Smith and Sarah Berryman Performance dates: 23-27 November 2021 Audition notice |
Meet the directors
Hear the directors speak about their project, and answer your questions at the Season Launch. You can also talk to them about getting involved in other backstage ways.
Tuesday 14 September 2021, 7pm
Theatre Deli, Broadgate (in the ground floor bar). 2 Finsbury Ave, London EC2M 2PF
Edit: Please note that due to unforseen circumstances, we are no longer able to audition The Bald Soprano this season.
Notice of the AGM 2021
KDC Theatre’s Annual General Meeting (aka drinks!) is 7pm Monday 9 August at The Drayton Arms. Help us confirm numbers by rsvp-ing: https://tinyurl.com/2avn6akb
NOTICE IS GIVEN that an Annual General Meeting of KDC Theatre will be at 7pm on Monday 9 August 2021, at The Drayton Arms, 153 Old Brompton Road, London, Greater London, SW5 0LJ to transact the following business:
AGENDA
Click here to view the revised agenda, including the nominees.
- Reports and accounts
To receive and consider the draft and partial accounts for the year ending 31 July 2021 and the reports of the charity trustees.
- Member proposed resolutions
Details any proposed resolutions will be made available. Proposed resolutions should be sent to the Chair by 9am on Thursday 5 August 2021. If applicable, a revised agenda will be issued prior to the AGM.
NB. Proposed resolutions may be submitted by full members of KDC by clicking here. Find out who is a full KDC member here.
- Appointment of charity trustees
Nominations are required for the following officers: Chair, Artistic Director, Treasurer.
Nominations for all trustees, including non-officers, must be received by 12 noon on Saturday 7 August 2021.
NB Details of how to make a nomination are available from the KDC website (click here).
- Appointment of non-trustees to specified roles to assist in the running of the charity
Nominations of non-trustees to specified roles to assist in the running of the charity must be received by 12 noon on Saturday 7 August 2021.
NB Details of how to make a nomination are available from the KDC website (click here).
- Any other business
To deal with any matters raised at the meeting.
On behalf of the Board of charity trustees,
Sarah Dobson
Chair of Trustees
KDC Theatre
Help us confirm numbers
Planning on coming along? Let us know you’re coming so we can update the pub.
Want to join the committee?
If you want to be nominated for a committee position and you’ve been involved in KDC in the last year, your friendly KDC Chair can help you with that. Click here to drop her a line.
We’re loving Summer Season – and there’s more to come
After two fantastic productions, (in person!), we’re feeling pretty elated at this mid-point in KDC’s Summer Season.
After two fantastic productions, (in person!), and a bit of making up for lost time with after show drinks, we’re feeling pretty elated at this mid-point in KDC’s Summer Season.
Congrats to the cast, crew and writers of Obsession and When it Hits the Air: An Evening with KDC Theatre’s New Writers, and to our queens of new writing this year: Saskia van ‘t Hoff & Rachel Carnes.
There’s more to come of course – we’re busily sticking the Annual General Meeting on Mon 9 August 7pm in the diary, booking our tickets for Pomona on Tue 31 Aug – Fri 3 Sept, all while confirming the Autumn Season productions and audition dates for September.
Want to get more involved? Watch this space for audition dates and details of how you can join the KDC committee at our AGM on 9 Aug (taking place in a pub, of course).
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Will you be the next KDC Treasurer?
To put yourself forward for the role, submit an application.
Do you want to gain experience of charity accounting or understand the nuts and bolts of running a small theatre company? Do you have a passion for theatre or financial management, and the time to support the ongoing running of KDC Theatre?
- View the Treasurer role description.
- Submit an application form. (New applications round opens 2 Aug)
KDC is a performing arts charity that has existed for the last 90 years, and (as far as we know) is the only central London amateur theatre group focused on plays. We have built up a great reputation for taking chances and putting on interesting classic, contemporary, new writing and devised plays. Thousands of actors / directors / technicians have honed their craft in some fantastic performances over the years, as well as having a great time in the process, and long may that continue. For KDC to produce our work, we need dedicated people behind the scenes, running the company through its organising committee.
This year, we are looking to fill a single crucial role in June 2021: the role of KDC Treasurer. We will be taking on new recruits for other committee positions at the AGM in August. If you are interested in one of these roles, find out more here.
This is a key position for KDC. The Treasurer manages our financial processes, writes the budget, and proposes financial policy and strategy to the Trustees. Alongside the Chair, Artistic Director and Producer, the Treasurer is essential to the effective running of the organisation
In the past, this role has been filled by KDC members with accounting and finance experience in their day jobs, or by highly numerate, organisational wizards who know their way around a spreadsheet and are looking to “beef up” their financial expertise with experience gained through this volunteering role.
The new Treasurer will join the committee for a handover period of a few weeks working alongside the outgoing Treasurer, Sarah Beebe.
If you would like to put yourself forward for the role, submit an application here.
View the Treasurer Role Description.
PLEASE NOTE – if you submitted an early application (before 24 June), you will need to send your contact details separately. If this applies to you, submit your contact information here.
Direct with KDC
Apply to direct with KDC – pitches open now
With the pandemic now in retreat (sssh, grant me my optimism!) we are now looking to the future, and getting back to physically theatres. We’re looking for pitches for our next couple of seasons, so if you want to direct, read on!
In November we have one week at Lion & Unicorn Theatre in Kentish Town, and one week in Barons Court Theatre. In March next year we will have another 2 weeks in theatres, TBD. We want shows that will fit into one of these small pub theatre venues for a one-week performance, preceded by about 8 weeks of rehearsal, rehearsing around 8-hours-per-week.
What we’re looking for
Fringey or contemporary or classical plays, or devised projects, that can be auditioned in September and presented in November (or auditioned January and presented in March, during Spring Season). Our spec is deliberately open, as we try to keep a varied season, we would aim to do something known (a Shakespeare or classical or contemporary play) and something unknown (new writing or devised or obscure) each season. Please feel free to pitch multiple projects, it allows us more freedom to balance the season and makes more likely we can choose you. We would like to keep a fresh take on anything we do, so if you do pitch something that is very well known (eg Romeo & Juliet) then I would be particularly interested in what will make your production unique.
What we need from you
- A motivated, creative, ambitious director
- A interesting play or project that will be fun & fulfilling for cast & audience
- A production team. I wouldn’t recommend pitching as a lone director – it can get quite lonely at the top. You should bring with you someone that can fill the role of Assistant Director, or Co-Director, or Producer, or Dramaturg, etc. or have a plan to fill a role like that before audition, so that you don’t have to carry the show on your own.
- A frugal and inventive use of budget (we are a charity!)
What we provide
- Audition & rehearsal space (about 8 hours of rehearsal per week for about 8 weeks)
- A week theatre hire to perform
- Marketing on our email list, website, socials, etc. for audition and then later audience.
- £400 show budget for props, costume, logistics etc.
- Rights to show if needed (copyrighted plays need rights, and these are not always available. Another reason why it is a good idea to pitch multiple shows)
- A technician to run the show
- Advice & support from KDC creative team
You don’t need experience per se, but if you have never directed before then you should try to bring some experience on your production team. KDC can & will support you, but we have limited capacity.
If this all sounds like something you’re up for, head on over to our pitch form and send us your ideas!
What happens next
Pitches are open until 30 June 2021 and we will get in touch for director interviews shortly after. (Where possible, we interview everybody who applies.)
That’s a wrap
And we didn’t even get to use our emergency screen!
Congratulations to all involved in Zoomed Out, it was a roaring success!
Onwards! Next up: auditions for Obsession, 12-14 April
Tickets on sale for our spring show, Zoomed Out
Fully live streamed on 31 March, 1 & 2 April at 7:30pm
Get your tickets for the livestream!
In this last year we’ve all had to change how we work and socialise. From unexpectedly chaotic parish council meetings, to cat lawyers, and finding out what your boss’s bedroom looks like, there have been some rather… unusual aspects to the “new normal”.
As we start to tentatively envision a physical world again, KDC reimagines some of its previous productions through the constant (sometimes unwelcome but always useful) online lens…
Including pieces from:
– Tis Pity She’s a Whore and Carried Away (2019)
– Future Imperfect (2018)
– What Keeps Me Awake (2017)
– Romeo & Juliet (2015)
And a special newly produced segment from A Midsummer Night’s Dream!
