Category: Autumn 2019

This week at the Barons Court Theatre, Tuesday-Saturday, Animal Farm.

Book your tickets now as we’re running out! Tickets can be reserved here: 020 8932 4747.
Please note this is a cash only box office.

All the details here

And we’re off! Massive congratulations for a stormin’ first night for the ‘Tis Pity bunch. Come see them this week before it’s too late!

Also, sneak preview of the Spring 2020 season in the programme, the only way to find out what they are this week is come see the show. Incentives!

Tickets here

Tickets available now!

Final preparations, last-minute murders, deadline-driven duels, and eleventh hour incest, all happening now to prepare for your entertainment/disgust next week! Tickets available to purchase right at this very moment, don’t delay book today!

Tis Pity She’s a Whore

We are delighted to announce our castings for our Autumn Season shows. We had a very popular audition, and it was a pleasure seeing so many talented enthusiastic people. This is the casts for our November shows, congratulations to all involved. We’ll be cheering you on from the audience. (Quietly. We won’t actually cheer. Until the end, or a specifically-authorised cheering-point. Directors, can we have one of those please?)

You can follow all the Autumn Season news here

‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore

Annabella – Julia Pagett
Bergetto – Stephen Lucas
Giovanni – Calvin Crawley
Grimaldi – Iacopo Pozzana
Lord Soranzo – Matt Tylianakis
Poggio – Charlotte Robbins
Putana – Kelly Nicholas
Signor Donado – Stephen Russell
Signora Florio – Danielle Capretti
Sister Bonaventura – Camilla Walters
Vasques – Annabel Thomson

Animal Farm

Old Major / Napoleon – David Pearson
Squealer / Moses / Frederick – Nick Fraser
Snowball / Benjamin – Rhydian Harris
Narrator / Jones – Rahul Singh
Clover / Various Animals – Ylenia Mezzetti
Boxer / Pilkington – Yannis Lionis
Mollie / Muriel – Portia Leslie

As the incoming Artistic Director of KDC, I wanted to write a little about my views. What I think we’re good at, why we’re here, what theatre is for me, and what I plan for us over the coming year. About the artistic direction I would like us to take.

Theatre is almost unique in the performance art forms in that it has the ability to personally connect the performers with the audience. This audience and actors exist in the same place, the actors affect the audience, and also the audience feedback to the actors, there is a closed loop that makes each performing instance unique, and personal. Only live music rivals theatre in its ability to connect bi-directionally… but we can tell more stories.

Currently in London we are in an era of theatrical renaissance. Blockbusters like Hamilton have re-introduced musicals to the popular mainstream culture. Fringe shows have a place each winter in the excellent VAULT Festival. We have world-exclusive improvisation extravaganzas. London itself is even building more theatres.

So, why KDC?

Amongst all of this we should question why KDC particularly is here. What are we good at, what are we weak in. Amongst all of this opportunity what actually is our place? What are our strengths?

• We’re agile – we’re a low-budget operation, so we don’t need to attract large audiences. We can take more risks.
• We’re open – as part of those risks, we don’t need to know you before you get involved. Looking back at our recent show, on average half of each cast are brand new to KDC.
• We’re varied – last year we did a devised horror, a translated Russian comedy (komedy!), a Terence Rattigan classic, and several pieces of new writing. We aren’t beholden to any genre.
• We are focussed on actors and directors

We have weaknesses too, that’s uncomfortable thing to admit but it would be disingenuous to pretend they don’t exist. We’re not awash with cash, we’re a fairly bare-bones operation. Often our shows aren’t technically stunning, or sometimes the sets are quite limited. These limitations aren’t without exceptions – the audience of last year’s Hush Now was experienced through headphones with live stage dialogue mixed with a sound effects and music, and Hand To God had a fully destructible set for nightly main-character breakdowns. But examining our weaknesses does as good a job as our strengths in showing who we are.

Which means… what?

KDC is a place to learn and experiment. I would like us to emphasise what a good time we have in making our productions, the key word is play, after-all. Shows that are fun to put together are fun to watch, it comes through. I also would like to focus on development of skills. With KDC you can try things that you can’t elsewhere, maybe because you are being assessed, or are under pressure to produce a high-selling low-risk show, or because there are other production distractions. We intend to provide a sandbox where enthusiastic amateurs and professionals can hone and develop their skills.

How we plan to do that… well that’s probably a post for another day 🙂

…Carl
Artistic Director – KDC