ACT/REACT 1 : THE FOCUS GROUP
MONDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER, 8PM AT THEATRE503
TICKETS £5
BOX OFFICE: 020 7978 7040
Act/React is a series of four evenings of entertaining, daring and politically aware theatre that explores the relationship between the present and the past.
Upstart commissioned four directors to develop an original piece of theatre with the starting point being one or more historical events that happened on the date of the performance, for one-off performances on Monday nights at Theatre503.
The first Act/React event was on Monday 22nd September at 8pm. Tickets were £5.
Inspired by Britain’s first commercial TV broadcast, on 22nd September 1955, director Jemma Llewellyn (last seen at Upstart as the assistant director on Water Sculptures) created a devised work based on the explosion of consumer culture in Britain since the fifties. The Focus Group was an interactive satire of the marketing society that surrounds us.
The cast were Tim Bell, Clare Barrett, Linda Large, David Mildon, Jenny Simmonds, Kate Sullington, Paul Thomas and Hannah Thomson.
The assistant director was Kevin Moore and the stage manager was Rachael Newson.
Click here to visit the Act/React blog and find out about how this project developed.
Click here to visit the Theatre503 website.
Click here to view rehearsal photos on our Flickr page.
Company Biographies
Jemma Llewellyn (director) has recently graduated from Middlesex University, studying Theatre Arts. During the three years at University she has directed Pirandello’s Our Festival Lord Of The Ship and Enrico Four,The Sandbox, I Licked a Slag’s Deodorant. Assistant directing credits include Marat/Sade and Water Sculptures for Upstart Theatre in May 2008. Jemma also recently stage managed Weapons of Happiness for the Finborough Theatre.
Jemma has also been events organiser for two University Festivals: Scratch Festival and its follow up Itch Festival.
Clare Barrett (performer).Theatre includes The Legend of Lola Montez (NTC); The Taming of The Shrew (Wilton's Music Hall); A Doll's House (Horseshoe Theatre Co.); The Luck of War and Handmaidens of Death (Southwark Playhouse); Love of a Good Man (Union Theatre); Three Sisters (Greenwich Playhouse); The Pontefract Conspiracy (White Bear); Stormy Weather (The Common Players); The Cherry Orchard (Pentameters). Television and film includes In Search of Emily Bronte (Channel 5/Samphire Productions); Car Crash Terror (Belafonte Productions); Life Is A Circus (Extra Diggit); A Day (Tom Forbes Productions). Clare also works as a dancer.
Tim Bell (performer) trained at Webber Douglas. Tim has just finished playing Captain White in Smugglers (Shanty Theatre). Theatre credits include Joseph in Cuckoo Teapot (Eastern Angles), Dr. Livesey in Treasure Island (Quantum), Simon in Feelgood (The Rosemary Branch Theatre), Androcles in Androcles and the Lion, Gregory in Free as Air (both at Holt Summer Theatre). Tapioca in Cinderella, Maurice in Jack and the Beanstalk (both Broadway Theatre Barking), Anthony in Instant Theatre (Pavana Productions) and Buttons in Cinderella (Eye Theatre). TV credits include Thomas in She Stoops to Conquer (Sky Arts), the hairy Scary Dairy Fairy in BBC2’s The Mighty Truck of Stuff and Panorama (BBC1). Film credits include Nick in Blooded (Magma Pictures).
Linda Large (performer) worked as a physicist for over twenty years before her acting training at Drama Studio London in 2002. Since then she’s been cast in a variety of stage, film and TV roles. Stage credits include Black Milk (English Stage Company), The Pipe Manufacturer’s Blue Book (RiverRun Productions), The Sorceress (Magic Factory), Mad Girl (Magic Factory), The Father (Empty Space Productions), The Government Inspector (Union Theatre Company), The Seagull (Double Edge) and Everywoman (Otherwise Silent). Film work includes Peter, Two Tales of Tanguy, My Polianthes, A Gift, Tall Tales, Only Silence Knows, Edna and Doris: Killers, Mr. Jones. TV includes Der Himmel So Nah (UFA Fernsehproduktion), Lies and Secrets (Asahi TV). See Linda’s details at www.lindalarge.com.
David Mildon (performer) trained at LAMDA. Theatre Credits include Mark (Comp, Tristan Bates Theatre), Mugsy (Dealer’s Choice, Trafalgar Studios), Romeo (Romeo & Juliet, National tour of Italy), PB Shelley (Bloody Poetry, King’s Head), Votarius (Second Maiden’s Tragedy, Hackney Empire), Donors (The Sperm Monologues, BAC) and Laurence (Shining City, The Cockpit).
Film Credits include Tom in Once Removed, Charlie Rochester in Mais Qui a Tué Frank Sinatra and the Grandson in the BAFTA-winning short Happy Birthday Grandpa.
Kevin Moore (assistant director) has recently graduated from Middlesex University. During his studies he has directed Pinter’s The Lover, Cracks by Martin Sherman and a piece of new writing by David Tilley called The Doors, as well as acting in Pirandello’s Enrico Four and Marat/Sade by Peter Weiss.
Rachael Newson (Stage Manager) began her career as a Stage Manager at the age of 17 where she Assistant Stage Managed a newly written Musical Stardom. She was later involved in UK Tours including, Liz Carrs 'It hasn't happened yet', and many repertory theatre shows such as Howard Brenton's Greenland and Sarah Kane's Crave. She has recently graduated from Middlesex University and is currently Stage Managing a pantomime Cinderella and is in the process of starting two new theatre companies Co11 and LP Lives.
Jenny Simmonds (performer) has recently graduated from Middlesex University, where she received a BA Hons in Drama and Theatre Studies. During her studies theatre credits have included appearing as Sylv in East, the Slag in I Licked a Slags Deodorant, as well as roles in A Dream Play, The Golden Ass, and new play The Doors. Other Rep Theatre credits include Mama in Chicago, Angela in Blue Remembered Hills, Lear in King Lear, and Kate in new play The Trial.
Directing roles have included Brenton's Greenland and Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good.
Jenny also regularly appears in stand up comedy venues, and is currently working on her own Burlesque inspired solo performance piece tackling image perception which she hopes to present in the coming months.
Kate Sullington (performer) has been working professionally as an actor for 3 years, after receiving Ba Hons in Drama at Middlesex University, and has had further training at The Actors Studio and The Actors Centre
Theatre credits include Pinter's Betrayal and A Night Out, Mothers Day, Caburlesque, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Masterpiece and includes shows and parades at Disney Resort Paris.
Film and Television credits include Measure for Measure (feature), Useless, and presenting on The Chat Loft.
Kate is currently in rehearsal for the upcoming show The Master and Margarita, at The Space, where she is to play the female lead, Margarita.
Paul Thomas (performer) trained at Drama Studio London, graduating in 2004. He recently worked with the London Playwrights’ Collective at Theatre 503 on workshopped readings of several new plays.
Theatre credits include: Hamlet, Twelfth Night (Cambridge Shakespeare Festival), Reality Bites (Tour, Lost Property), Peter Pan (No. 1 Tour of Italy, Theatre Pourquoi Pas), A Puppet Line (BAC), Abolition? (ArtsXChange), Late Night Movie (Magic Eye Theatre), Twelfth Night (Theatre Royal Margate), Crocs In Frocks (ICA & Magic Eye Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Courtyard at Covent Garden), As You Like It (Courtyard Theatre), Doctor Faustus (Barons Court).
Feature Film credits include Badinage (Celestial Pictures), Take 3 Girls (Inspired Movies). Short films include La Folie (CCA), Work (Partizan), Wilde Life (Explode!), Smack (South Bank), A Weak Leaf (South Bank), Romeo & Juliet (Online Creative Communications).
Radio work includes A Friend In Me (Wireless Theatre Company), Abolition? (ArtsXChange).
More information about Paul may be found at paulthomas.net.
Hannah Thomson (performer) trained at ArtsEd London on the MA Acting course. Her credits range from classical theatre (The Changeling, The Government Inspector) to improvised plays (La Ronde Improvised, The Quest); new writing (Winter, Omission) to devised pieces (Inside, Fast & Dirty). She has performed at a number of highly regarded London theatres including BAC, The Tabard, Jackson's Lane and The Hackney Empire Studio as well as touring in the UK. She is a member of the London-based dramatic improvisation theatre company, Fluxx. Hannah has several short film credits and is about to make her feature film debut as Rachel in the supernatural thriller, Underwood, currently in preproduction and shooting on location in the Brecon Beacons in October.