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!
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!
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
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
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
See our chair & artistic director talk about us, and hear this season’s directors talk about their new shows in these videos from our season launch party this week.
Sarah & Carl talk about KDC, and then Nick talks about ‘Tis Pity (skip to 16:35 for him!)
Saskia talks all things Animal Farm!
Come meet the directors and the whole team, it’s our Autumn Season Launch this Thursday at the Hoop & Grapes pub in Farringdon! Join us from 7pm and grab yourself a beer, you can hear all about our little merry band and both directors for the season will be talking about their new shows. You can quiz them about the upcoming auditions, what they wanna see, and find out how you can get involved. All welcome, map below. We’ll be on the first floor!
‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore
by John Ford
Directed by Nick Mouton
Animal Farm
adapted by Nelson Bond from the book by George Orwell
Directed by Saskia van ‘t Hoff
7pm, Thursday 12th September at the Hoop & Grapes pub in Farringdon Street
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.
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 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.
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
Disappointed with the summer ending early? Ready to throw off the shackles of the break and get right back into it? How about with another rip-roaring season of amazing theatre? I can hear your cheers!
Come join us for the Season Launch Party, from 7pm, 12th September at the Hoop & Grapes pub in Farringdon Street. Meet the directors, hear about the shows, generally get to know us we’re a friendly bunch!
‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore
by John Ford
Directed by Nick Mouton
Animal Farm
adapted by Nelson Bond from the book by George Orwell
Directed by Saskia van ‘t Hoff
All the important dates for the season
Auditions are 16/17/18 September, are free, open to all and you don’t need to register.
If you want to brush up on your skills beforehand then come to our Audition Techniques Workshop – register here.
Congratulations to the new committee, confirmed at the AGM this week:
Sarah Dobson — Chair
Carl Fletcher — Artistic Director
Sarah Beebe — Treasurer
Stephen Reimer — Producer
Aneirin Evans — Publicity
Will Baltyn — Executive Officer
Vicky Olusanya — Executive Officer
Anna Markland — Executive Officer
Huge gratitude to our outgoing committee members, Steph Urquhart (Artistic Director), Dave Balfour (tech), Helen Jackson & Grace Le Bachelet. They have put in a colossal amount of work — running KDC is a labour of love and we rely on people to care and give their time. So, massive thanks to them, particularly to Steph and Dave who have served the group for many years.
If you want to get involved in running a theatre group you can join the committee at any point in the year! Find out more here.
Get to know our talented team of directors, who are building an exciting showcase of new writing…
Anna Markland
The first show Anna directed, the comedic Maybe Radio, was just featured as part of KDC’s Spring season.
Anna’s background is in improvised comedy and she will be using improv techniques and a very collaborative approach as part of rehearsals.
Lloyd Smith
This is Lloyd’s first time working with KDC. Previous directing credits include new writing for Wandsworth Arts Festival and The 39 Steps for New Stagers. Recently he produced After The Dance and acted in Earthquakes In London for Sedos.
Saskia van ‘t Hoff
Saskia is a director and stage manager, and has worked with theatre companies in the Netherlands, London, and Sydney.
She was a long-standing member of a theatre company in the Netherlands, writing, producing, and performing plays, before moving to London in 2014. In 2016 Saskia directed her first full-length play for KDC Theatre; THERE HAS POSSIBLY BEEN AN INCIDENT.
She is stage manager and associate artist for Director’s Cut Theatre Company, directing and stage managing at Leicester Square Theatre, The Pleasance Theatre, The Southwark Playhouse, and St James Theatre.
Lucy Spreckley
Lucy has been getting itchy feet for a while now to have a crack at directing and to be doing her directorial debut with KDC is just the icing on the cake. At the start of April Lucy had finished a run of the devised show ‘Hush Now’ with KDC and is exciting to be involved in another season!
Aneirin George
Aneirin has been working on this theatre lark for many years now and is excited (and grateful) to be taking part in a second KDC Full Stack extravaganza. This year as well as directing/hopefully arranging for comedy to occur on stage. He is taking a new step and learning how to make “that social media thing” say what he wants it to.
Vicky Olusanya
Vicky has been part of the KDC community for several years, producing our Full Stack show for the second time with Carried Away. She has recently directed for the Arcola Queer Collective and looks forward to creating more new writing projects in the near future.
Claire Pattie
