Tag: 2023

Masterclasses & Workshops

In addition to stage shows, KDC Theatre also offers a programme of masterclasses and workshops. The programme evolves regularly so keep checking back on the schedule below, sign up for our Showdown newsletter, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter , or Instagram.

Programme for 2023 / 2024

Audition prep

Auditions do not have to be scary, anxiety-inducing events – no, really! With the right preparation it becomes a lot more fun and relaxing. Our Audition Prep workshop takes you through what you can expect during auditions, what the (casting) directors are expecting from you and what they will be looking for, and how to come prepared to make your experience not only more fun but (hopefully) also more successful!

We will explain how auditions work, we will let you experience some exercises and directions that are commonly used during auditions, and we will share many tips & tricks to be as prepared as you can and stand out from the rest. Join us for a confident boost for your next audition!

Spaces are limited so book now! Please book your slot HERE.

Date: Wednesday 13 December 2023

Time: 7-9.30pm

Location: Theatre Deli, Leadenhall
Tickets: £15 / £13.50 for KDC members

Previous workshops:

Acting for Beginners

Join our Artistic Director in exploring the fundamentals of acting: reading and understanding scripts, how to create your character, and what method of acting suits you best. We’ll explore these topics through exercises, example texts, and sharing experiences. This masterclass gives you the foundation to get up on stage and be the best Hamlet, Hamilton, or Hemione you can be!

This masterclass is targeted at beginners with no or little experience in acting, but is open to everyone. Please wear comfortable clothing you can move around in.

Date: 24 October 2023
Time: 7-9.30pm
Location: Cockpit Theatre
Tickets: £15 / £13.50 for KDC members

Stage combat

Have you ever wondered how actors fight on stage without hurting each other? This masterclass will reveal all the secrets! How to grab someone by the hair, punch a person in the face, fight another person hand-to-hand, and how to be on the receiving end of it convincingly. Performance Combat Instructor & Coordinator Katy Treble will walk you through stage combat step by step so you can put on an amazing stage fight in your next production.

This masterclass is open to everyone with an interest in stage combat; directors, actors, choreographers, writers, and everyone else. Please wear comfortable clothing you can move around in.

Date: Friday 03 November 2023
Time: 7-9.30pm
Location: Theatre Deli, Leadenhall
Tickets: £20 / £18 for KDC members

Hamlet: A Chamber Play

KDC Theatre presents William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in an adapted version.

“The play’s the thing!”

14 – 18 November 2023
at Barons Court Theatre

Tickets: £16.50 (KDC members £12)

BUY TICKETS

About

Shakespeare’s greatest work is presented in an intimate, stripped down production that ventures to answer the question, “Who’s there?”

Our version of Hamlet will show that everyone can play Hamlet. Or Ophelia. Or Horatio, Rosencrantz, or… You get the idea. We will be exploring who Hamlet and the other characters are when they are played by actors of all backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, and genders. We’ll keep all the famous speeches, do away with anything that isn’t interesting, and create our own version of this fantastic story.

Cast:
Elshadai Biru
Sean Calvey
El Chen
Janina Enrile
Jonathan Lazarovitch
Yen-yen Loke
Oral Norville
Josie Stephens
Tanvi Surana

Crew:
Director – Karack Osborn

Venue: Barons Court Theatre

Hans, the Witch and the Gobbin

KDC Theatre presents Alan Cullen’s “Hans, the Witch and the Gobbin”

21 – 25 November 2023
at Barons Court Theatre

Tickets: £16.50 (KDC members £12)

BUY TICKETS

download programme

About

Hans, the Witch and the Gobbin by Alan Cullen is a fun fairytale frolic through a fantasy forest. It has princesses, witches, forest queens, goblin-like creatures, fairy swineherds, and useless court physicians. Expect silly voices, big characters, and mistaken identities. Come and escape a cold autumn night for a few hours, and forget your troubles!

While the show is suitable for all ages, we judge it’s best enjoyed by an adult audience, glass of wine in hand.

Cast:
Hans – Theo Tompkins
Princess Alicia – Mhairi Boyle
Castor – James Cross
Senna – Dan Struthers
King Rufus – Peader Donnelly
Scratch – Georgina Whittaker
Daisy – Sarah Beebe
Crabtree – Alice McCartney
Sylvester – Simon Berry
Queen of the Forest – Sarah Jost
Gobbin – Hannah Brown

Crew:
Director – Gabriella Guymer-Davies
Assistant Director – Freddie Wride
Stage Manager – Flick Hemming

Poster by Jake Guymer-Davies

Venue: Barons Court Theatre

Autumn season 2023 auditions

Announcing auditions for actors for our autumn productions!

We have two shows in autumn 2023, and you can audition for both on the same day!

Hamlet: A Chamber Play
Written by William Shakespeare
Adapted and directed by Karack Osborn
Staged at Barons Court Theatre from 14 to 18 November 2023
Audition notice

Hans, The Witch and The Gobbin
Written by Alan Cullen
Directed by Gabriella Guymer-Davies
Staged at Barons Court Theatre from 21 to 25 November 2023
Audition notice

Auditions are free and open to all. Please pick one of the dates to attend and read the audition notices carefully to prepare.

Don’t forget to fill out the audition form before you audition!

Dates: Tues 12 or Wed 13 September 2023 (please choose one of these dates to attend)
Time: 6.45pm welcome and registration to ~10pm
Location: Theatre Deli Leadenhall, 107 Leadenhall Street, EC3A 4AF, London

Recalls by invitation are Sat 16 September, 12-4 at Theatre Deli Leadenhall.

If you’d like to hear the directors speak about their productions and ask them any questions, you can meet them at the KDC Autumn Season Launch on Monday 11 September, 7.30pm at the Theatre Deli Leadenhall bar. You can also talk to them about getting involved in other backstage ways.

We look forward to seeing you there!

A Package Deal

Join KDC Theatre in our 7th annual new writing anthology, and experience a collection of stories about a mysterious package sent by Charlie. Everything from poorly planned prison break outs and intergalactic missions, to ex-boyfriends and moments of intergenerational connection; come along to find out… what’s in the box?

Our summer show, “A Package Deal” presents 6 new short plays by 6 different writers, the 2023 winners in KDC Theatre’s annual new writing competition.

BUY TICKETS
27 June – 1 July 2023, 7:30pm
Hen & Chickens Theatre, 109 St Paul’s Road, London N1 2NA

CAST AND CREW

Cast

Sanhita Athalye
Vincent Bakare
Labrini Balomenou
Mhairi Boyle
Rachel Brown
Laurence Childs
Peadar Donnelly
Honor Leveson Gower
Kelsey McOwat
Esme Niblett
Nathan Paul-Collis
Gabriel Romero Day
Adam Stockley
Toni Tobi-Lawal

Writers: Chelyn Cousar, Beth Dickens Assaf, Pamela Kingsley, Maya Owen, Matthew Partridge, Chris Stooke.

Directors: Elshadai Biru, Anna Markland, Zora Owen, Linda Reddy, Ayan Said, Lauren Stevens, Lena Sami.

WRITING COMPETITION

The Full Stack project is KDC Theatre’s annual new writing competition and show. Each year we set a brand new brief, and invite writers to submit new short plays. The winning entries are honed into a one-of-a-kind intertwined production, with a group of actors, directors and writers collaborating to bring the theme to life.

The Bus returns

On Thursday 8th June, KDC Theatre’s production of the The Bus (Drayton Arms Theatre, 2023) returns for a one-night only performance in London before going on tour in Sofia, Bulgaria later this year. 

“Citizens! I ask you… Where are we going?”

When the timetable of our lives falls to pieces, how will we choose to conduct ourselves? On a frosty evening in late autumn, nine characters unsuspectingly board an ordinary bus that ought to take them to the city centre, as it always has. Their beloved Driver has something else in mind.

KDC Theatre presents The Bus, an absurdist comedy about resigning oneself to a higher power, from the mind of one of Bulgaria’s most celebrated playwrights: Stanislav Stratiev.

Please note: This performance is in English only.

Thursday 8th June

Bulgarian Cultural Institute, 188 Queen’s Gate, London, SW7 5HL

Buy tickets

Cast:
David Lindley-Pilley – REASONABLE
Sophie Martin – ALDOMIROVTSI
Kim Taylor – GIRL IN LOVE
Jack Lupton – BOY IN LOVE
Jula Konieczny – UNREASONABLE
Rex Lee – VIRTUOSO
Julia Blyth – WOMAN
Nick Mouton – MAN
Gabrielle Woolgar – IRRESPONSIBLE

Trigger warnings: Physical violence

KDC’s 2023 Summer Season Launch

Want to learn about KDC Theatre and our upcoming Summer Season show, A Package Deal? Come along to KDC’s Season Launch at the Theatre Deli Leadenhall Bar at 7pm on Tuesday 2nd May 2023.

KDC SUMMER SEASON LAUNCH

Tuesday 2nd May 2023, 7pm
Theatre Deli Leadenhall bar
107 Leadenhall St, London EC3A 4AF

Hear the showrunner and directors talk about the production and answer your questions. You can also find out more about getting involved with KDC Theatre, including backstage roles.

No need to book a ticket or let us know in advance. Feel free to come along and meet the team!

Summer season 2023 auditions

Announcing auditions for our summer production!

Our 7th annual Full Stack show will be staged at Hen & Chickens Theatre from 27 June to 01 July 2023.

The winning plays of our writing competition will be staged by our directors, in an anthology show of short plays about a mysterious package sent by a character called Charlie. Each play will feature a story inspired by the package, Charlie’s letter, and the relationships that surround it, but we never get to meet Charlie themselves.

For more information, check out the audition notice here: A Package Deal

Auditions are free and open to all. Please pick one of the dates and read the audition notice to prepare.

Don’t forget to fill out the audition form before you audition!

Dates: 9 and 10 May 2023
Time: 19:00-21:30
Location: Theatre Deli, 107 Leadenhall Street, EC3A 4AF (near Bank or Liverpool St station)

Recalls by invitation on 13 May, 11:00-15:00, Theatre Deli.

We look forward to seeing you there!

When it Hits the Air: An Evening with KDC Theatre’s New Writers


The terror. The excitement! THE ANTICIPATION! These are the things going through a writer’s head when that thing they wrote is read out loud, in an actual theatre. Come and support the new cohort of KDC Theatre’s New Writing Group in their creative exploits with an evening of rehearsed readings that celebrate all manner of creations and experimentations. Be surprised and entertained by new plays written by the next generation of playwrights – and be the very first to hear them!

There’s no telling how this will turn out, because when it hits the air, it’s an entirely different story.

Run time

Appr. 70-80 minutes, no interval
Saturday 29 April, 7pm
Tickets £5

Ticket link: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/kdctheatre/896914

Age restrictions
14+

Cast list
Eloise McCreedy
Peadar Donnelly
Stephen Grist
Ahmet Cakir
Clive Moffatt
Simran Dhadda
Benjamin Gustilo
Stephen Reimer
Delaney Conway
Hülya Corty
Lorna Miri

Creatives list
Featuring the writings of Paul White, Anie Hu, Chris Stooke, Honor Leveson Gower, Elshadai Tesfaye, Arthur Pierce, Lauren Page, Natasha Porcella, Matthew Partridge, and Will Bird

Produced by Matthew Partridge and Stephen Reimer.

Directed by Arthur Pierce, Chris Stooke, Anie Hu, Matthew Partridge, and Elshadai Tesfaye

Special thanks to KDC Theatre’s New Writing Development Group co-convenor Rachael Carnes.

It’s show time …

KDC’s Spring Season shows kick off on 21 March with Slither at Barons Court Theatre, and The Bus from 28 March at Drayton Arms Theatre

Get tickets ⬇

Slither
21 – 25 March 2023
Barons Court Theatre

The Bus
28 March – 01 April 2023
Drayton Arms Theatre