what's on guide burton taylor studio jan to apr 2013

01865 305305www.oxfordplayhouse.com 1

What’s On…Burton Taylor Studio at Oxford PlayhouseJanuary to April 2013IncludingUniversity of Oxford Hilary Term


Katy Snelling Programmer, Oxford Playhouse and Burton Taylor Studio

Welcome!

The University of Oxford Hilary Term gets the New Year off to a cracking start with a wealth of original work by students; ranging from intense drama to ad-lib comedy and culminating in the annual OUDS New Writing Festival. There are also new presentations of recent cutting-edge plays, as well as the sixties classic A Day in the Death of Joe Egg revived through the eyes of the 21st century generation.

As we head towards Easter we bring you the best of the small scale professional touring circuit, including Daniel Bye’s joyful examination of the true value of, well, everything in The Price of Everything and Francesca Millican-Slater’s delightful detective work into the life of a stranger in Me, Myself and Miss Gibbs.

We are also pleased to support England Street by up and coming playwright Kenneth Emson, which will premiere here in Oxford. This thrilling play is a stark look at what binds us together when multiculturalism breaks down and laws force people apart.

There’s also stand-up comedy, music and fun-filled shows for all the family so why not make a visit to the Burton Taylor Studio your resolution for 2013!

WELCOME TO THE BT STUDIO

Burton Taylor StudioGloucester Street, Oxford OX1 2BN

Ticket Office: 01865 305305www.oxfordplayhouse.com

Robert BristowBurton Taylor Studio Manager


WHAT’S INSIDE…

Theatre and events for all the family

Theatre and events made in Oxford

COMEDY, DANCE, DRAMA, MUSIC AND POETRY

FAMILYthe very best small-scale professional family theatre

STUDENTSa wide variety of productions presented by university of oxford students

01865 305305www.oxfordplayhouse.com

7.30pmWhipping It UpBy Steve Thompson

Black ties; cigar smoke; whisky in cut glass… Westminster runs the country, but the Whips run Westminster. Steve Thompson’s cutting satire slices through the political BS and puts the government’s Whips to the sword.

Tickets £6 discounts £5

7.30pm They Will Be RedBy Milja Fenger

Ash trees are dying across England. Determined to find an inventive method to save them, ecologist Anna lets her newfound obsession distract her from a deteriorating life at home. This playful new piece of theatre uses music and imagery to tell a tragic story happily.

Tickets £6 discounts £5 New Writing

9.30pmBluebeardBy Douglas Grant and Howard Coase

A moving portrait of a comic family beset by a common tragedy.

Whilst a mother’s broken mind drifts into delusion, her children face the harsh reality of her existence. A bittersweet story capturing the boundary between the imagination and reality.


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university of oxford student season: hilary term 2013

WEEK 2 Tuesday 22 to Saturday 26 January

WEEK 3 Tuesday 29 January to Saturday 2 February

7.30pmThe Last TutorialBy Robert Holtom

Step aside Inspector Morse, there’s a new detective in town, and her name is Esther Jones. Esther is convinced that her eccentric tutor didn’t kill himself, but was murdered, and she’s willing to ruffle a few feathers to prove it. Join Esther as she interrogates the stereotypes of Oxford, exercises some serious creative license, and uncovers a twist or two.


7.30pm The AlephBy Eli Keren

A team is thrown together to retrieve a mysterious object known as The Aleph from within enemy territory. Told that whoever controls The Aleph will surely win the war, they are warned never, under any circumstances, to open the case…


9.30pmMarx in SohoBy Howard Zinn

Join Karl Marx, as he returns to modern-day London to clear his name. Hear Marx discuss his ideas, Soviet communism, and the future of capitalism amidst the current economic crisis. Howard Zinn’s smart and funny one-man play is not to be missed!


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WEEK 5Tuesday 12 to Saturday 16 February

WEEK 4 Tuesday 5 to Saturday 9 February



9.30pmBunny By Jack Thorne Scorching heat. A fight. A car chase. A siege.

When her boyfriend is attacked on the street, feisty 18 year-old Katie is thrust on a white-knuckle ride through one extraordinary evening in Luton.

An award-winning play by one of the writers of Channel 4’s Skins and Shameless.


7.30pm A Day in the Death of Joe EggBy Peter Nicholls

This award-winning play portrays a couple struggling to save their marriage whilst raising their only child, a girl suffering from cerebral palsy. To cope with this harsh reality they construct fantasies that are simultaneously hilarious and pathetically tragic.


9.30pmThe Oxford ImpsThe Play’s the Thing! – An Improvised Shakespeare

After years of sell-out shows in Oxford, Edinburgh and the USA, The Oxford Imps are back! All the world’s a stage, and anything could happen on this one as they create a hilarious new Shakespeare play every night.







WEEK 7 Tuesday 26 February to Saturday 2 March

The OUDS New Writing Festival showcases the best of student writing in Oxford. From 28 script submissions, award-winning playwright, Anya Reiss (Spur of the Moment)has selected the top four to be performed at the festival. Student directors and actors will take these brand new plays on their exhilarating first journey from page to stage.

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7.30pmNew Beginnings By Dominic O’Keefe

September. New term. ‘Boy’ is starting sixth form. Awkward and haunted by worries, can he overcome the fears that are holding him back?

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 9.30pmBad Faith By Matilda Curtis

Seven University students are on the brink. These may be the ‘best years of their lives’, but they must still grapple with everything from unrequited love to enlightenment.

Wednesday and Friday at 7.30pm, Saturday at 2.30pmRoost by Matthew Parvin

Back gardens fill with murmurs: the famed Danny Stanton returns. But between him and the exorcism of his childhood guilt sits a disillusioned rural socialite.

Wednesday and Friday at 9.30pm, Saturday at 4.30pmClosing Time by Sam Ward

Arthur works in an office. He answers the phone and makes coffee. But when a man arrives at closing time, the mask slips, and a dark, hidden past begins to emerge.

Tickets £6 discounts £5 (per performance)


7.30pmRevenge of The Oxford Revue

Join The Oxford Revue as they wreak vengeance for a host of imagined wrongs in this all-new show. An evening of laughter, music, and gratuitous smoke machine usage from the world-famous sketch comedy troupe that started the careers of Dudley Moore, Rowan Atkinson, Stewart Lee, and other luminaries of British comedy.

Witty, inventive, and extremely clever. HHHHH ThreeWeeks


9.30pmEightBy Ella Hickson

Eight compelling monologues delve into the apathy of a young generation which has lost the faculty of faith.

From Millie, the ‘ jolly-hockey-sticks’ prostitute to Danny, an ex-squaddie who makes friends in morgues, a different selection will be performed each night. Dark, comic and sometimes desperately sad.



WEEK 8 Tuesday 5 to Saturday 9 March

look out for

more student

theatre at

the bt from

april

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oxford playhouse at the burton taylor studio: march to april 2013

Monday 11 to Wednesday 13 March at 7.30pmUp in ArmsFear of MusicBy Barney Norris

Luke is the first in his family to go to university, and he’s determined to stop his irritating brother from following in their father’s footsteps by joining the Army. Alternating between 1985 and 1990, Fear of Music pieces together the prelude and aftermath of a tragedy that sees history repeating itself.

Written by Barney Norris and supported by Out of Joint (Our Country’s Good, Top Girls), Fear of Music sees two boys with starkly different futures discover how easy it is to get lost in a country that doesn’t look after its own.


Friday 15 and Saturday 16 March at 7.30pmDyad ProductionsFemale Gothic

In the darkness between life and death, a lone, haunted woman tells chilling tales of the macabre and terrifying.

The Victorian fascination with tales of mystery and the supernatural created an enduring legacy of Gothic fiction; but many thrilling and eerie stories from the great female writers of that era have gathered dust and been forgotten. Until now. Adapted and performed by Rebecca Vaughan, Female Gothic is directed by Olivier Award-winner Guy Masterson (Under Milk Wood and Shylock).

A performance that holds the audience in the palm of its hand... HHHH Scotsman


Monday 18 March at 7.30pmDaniel ByeThe Price of Everything

How much is beauty worth? What will people pay for an air guitar on eBay? Can I have a glass of milk?

These urgent questions and others are answered in The Price of Everything, a performance lecture about value.

Daniel Bye’s whistlestop tour of bizarre facts and impassioned arguments is a joy to watch. Comic and provocative, this show is a must if you’ve ever wondered about the difference between the price of an object and its value.

The future of British theatre. Times Tickets £10 discounts £8 And you get a free glass of milk




Friday 22 March at 7.30pmUnlimited Theatre and Bush TheatreMONEY the game show

What is money? What is it really worth? What happens if we stop believing in it?

Casino and Queenie used to be hedge fund managers. Before the financial crisis of 2008, that is. Now, in an inspired (or desperate) career move, they’ve turned to performance art to share their stories of how to make (and lose) billions from economic downturn.

Playing with £10,000 in real pound coins, you are invited to bet long, short and hedge, as you are guided through a series of high-stake games that demonstrate how the world’s economic system came to the precipice of total collapse.

Tickets £10 discounts £8 Ages 14+

Saturday 23 March at 11am, 2pm and 4pmGarlic TheatreMonster in My Piano

Q. What do you do when you hear a strange munching noise inside a piano? A. Call the Piano Doctor of course!

He might be able to help with his bag full of weird and wonderful tools. But when he looks inside, the musical notes are packing their bags and running away. What are they scared of and who is hammering at the keys?

Garlic Theatre (Fiddlesticks, Billy Goats Gruff) presents this offbeat jazzy tale with puppets, animation and a very highly strung monster!

Tickets £7.50 children £5.50 Running time 45 mins Ages 4+

Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 March at 7.30pmFrancesca Millican-Slater, in association with Pippa Frith, supported by mac BirminghamMe, Myself and Miss Gibbs

In 2003, Francesca bought a second hand postcard for 50p. Addressed to a Miss L Gibbs, the message on the back simply reads: ‘Be Careful Tomorrow. A.C.’

Part detective noir, part personal biography, Francesca investigates the message on the postcard and becomes obsessed by the life of the woman who received it. What happens when Francesca starts tracing a history that isn’t her own? And why did Miss Gibbs have to be careful tomorrow?




Saturday 30 March at 11am and 2pmLong Nose PuppetsArthur’s Dream BoatBased on the book by Polly DunbarMusic by Tom Gray of Gomez

One night, Arthur has an amazing dream about a beautiful pink and green boat with a stripy mast. He can’t wait to tell everyone about it but no one (not even his dog!) is interested. In fact, they don’t even notice that this very same boat is growing on his head, getting larger and larger by the minute!

After the sell-out success of Penguin, Long Nose Puppets returns with a magical playful children’s show with breathtaking puppets, so enchanting that everyone will want to sail away with Arthur in his dream boat.

Tickets £7.50 children £5.50 Ages 3+

Friday 5 April at 7.30pmMakin Projects Monkey Poet’s Murder Mystery

Returning to the BT, Monkey Poet brings two shows for the price of one...

Murder Mystery’s riotous opening act takes us on a journey through poetry, suspense and comedy as Monkey Poet shifts characters from Bukowski to Wilde to Shakespeare to Homer, trying to solve a murder whilst wooing Dorothy Parker...

In the second act Monkey Poet rips into a multitude of subjects including religion, democracy, homophobia and the day your dad took the stabilisers off the bike.

Mixes righteous frustration and educated reason in one hyperactive, occasionally sweary, often very funny bundle. Scotsman


Image: bloomingphotography.co.uk



Saturday 6 April at 11am and 2pmTallulah Swirls Theatre Company When Eggy Met Peggy

What happens when the lonely egg, sat on a wall, meets the sparkling pea from under that huge pile of matresses?

Join Eggy and Peggy The Pea, a rock-n-rolling raspberry, cha cha-ing carrots and a blue horse in this deliciously funny and original twist on The Princess And The Pea.

A feast of delightful puppetry, laughter and a stomping soundtrack to inspire adults and children alike.

Tickets £7.50 children £5.50 Ages 4+

Image: justinstericker.com

Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 April at 7.30pmClare Summerskill presents Well That Explains It!

Let’s talk about sex! Sexual orientation, being single, being married, being gay, bi, lesbian, queer, straight and those who just see themselves as a little bit on the wonky side…

Join Clare Summerskill for everything you’ve ever wanted to know about all these matters but were too afraid to ask in case someone gave you a funny look. A fast-moving, song-singing, side-splitting evening of comedy and music.

One of the funniest women in the country. What’s On

Tickets £8 discounts £6 Ages 14+ contains some strong language

Thursday 11 April at 8pmFish Note presentsThe Honolulu Cowboys

Inspired by a vision of sitting on a beach and listening to the waves; surrounded by smiley ukulele players, Max Moonlight decided to form The Honolulu Cowboys.

With a line-up of ukeleles, guitars, banjoleles, kazoo, euphonium, pedal steel and vocals, The Honolulu Cowboys play traditional Hawaiian favourites mixed with jazz standards, pop hits and country classics. The band features members from the age of 8 to 65; all sharing the same hula passion.




Friday 12 April at 7.30pmNick Pynn and Kate Daisy Grant

Nick Pynn and Kate Daisy Grant bring their five-star, multi-award-winning music show to the BT studio for one night only. Featuring Nick ’s instrumental avant-folk masterpieces and Kate’s emotive, quirky pop songs played on an array of toy, folk and homemade instruments, the pair use live looping to create a two-person orchestra.

Nick has appeared on Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle and toured with Boothby Graffoe and Rich Hall.

Consistently the best thing I see at the Fringe. Stewart Lee


Saturday 13 April 11am and 2pmBird’s Nest TheatreBlown Away

The wind can whisk you up into the sky, the wind can take you on an adventure!

What if, one windy night a little girl arrives in your bedroom and tells you she’s the wind? Join us as a small boy finds himself swept up and whisked away on an unforgettable journey with the wind. Flying through the air with the world so small below them, they feel big, and when you’re big you can do anything at all!

A beautiful and engaging show containing live music, shadow puppetry and movement.

Tickets £7.50 children £5.50 Running time 40 mins, plus 20 mins stay and play Ages 3 to 5



Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 AprilEves 7.30pmSat mat 2.30pmPolly Ingham Productions, in association with Oxford Playhouse, supported by MCS Drama England StreetBy Kenneth Emson

Feel it as we join our hands and no one in the world can make us come apart.

Ali and Brennan are on the run. The country is England but not as we know it. In the wake of brutal riots, new laws divide the land. Finding safety in a lifeless factory, the brothers risk everything to celebrate the anniversary of Old England.

A celebration of humanity across borders, this thrilling modern drama is a stark warning for our future.

Written by Kenneth Emson, winner of the 2012 Adrienne Benham Award and shortlisted candidate for the prestigious Bruntwood Prize 2011.



The Burton Taylor Studio is managed by Oxford Playhouse on behalf of the University of Oxford

Oxford Playhouse gratefully acknowledges the support of its core funders:

Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2LW Registered Company No. 2397373 Registered Charity No: 900039 VAT No. 537166534

Call the Ticket Office on 01865 305305 or log on to www.oxfordplayhouse.com

Alternatively, tickets are available up to 30 minutes before the performance from Oxford Playhouse’s Ticket Office, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2LW. After that time any remaining tickets will be available from the Burton Taylor Studio Ticket Office situated on the first floor. Please note, all seating at the Burton Taylor Studio is unreserved.

Where listed, discounts are available for under 18s, over 60s, full time students, ES40s, BECTU and Equity members and patrons with disabilities.

The auditorium is situated on the second floor of the Burton Taylor Studio, accessed via two flights of stairs. We have a stair climber for wheelchair users. If you require this facility please book with the Ticket Office at least three days in advance.

If there is anything else you may need to make your visit to the studio easier, or you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

OPT in! An allocation of OPT in! tickets for 16 to 25 year olds are available for selected performances outside the student season. Please visit www.oxfordplayhouse.com/OPTin! or ask at the Ticket Office.


OP’s Burton Taylor Studio programme is sponsored by HMG LAW

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Date Day Time Production Date Day Time Production

DIARYJanuary22 Tue 7.30pm Whipping It Up23 Wed 7.30pm Whipping It Up24 Thu 7.30pm Whipping It Up25 Fri 7.30pm Whipping It Up26 Sat 7.30pm Whipping It Up29 Tue 7.30pm They Will Be Red 9.30pm Bluebeard30 Wed 7.30pm They Will Be Red 9.30pm Bluebeard31 Thu 7.30pm They Will Be Red 9.30pm Bluebeard February1 Fri 7.30pm They Will Be Red 9.30pm Bluebeard2 Sat 7.30pm They Will Be Red 9.30pm Bluebeard5 Tue 7.30pm The Aleph 9.30pm Marx in Soho6 Wed 7.30pm The Aleph 9.30pm Marx in Soho7 Thu 7.30pm The Aleph 9.30pm Marx in Soho8 Fri 7.30pm The Aleph 9.30pm Marx in Soho9 Sat 7.30pm The Aleph 9.30pm Marx in Soho12 Tue 7.30pm The Last Tutorial 9.30pm Bunny13 Wed 7.30pm The Last Tutorial 9.30pm Bunny14 Thu 7.30pm The Last Tutorial 9.30pm Bunny15 Fri 7.30pm The Last Tutorial 9.30pm Bunny16 Sat 7.30pm The Last Tutorial 9.30pm Bunny19 Tue 7.30pm A Day in the Death of Joe Egg 9.30pm The Play’s the Thing!20 Wed 7.30pm A Day in the Death of Joe Egg 9.30pm The Play’s the Thing!21 Thu 7.30pm A Day in the Death of Joe Egg 9.30pm The Play’s the Thing!22 Fri 7.30pm A Day in the Death of Joe Egg 9.30pm The Play’s the Thing!23 Sat 7.30pm A Day in the Death of Joe Egg 9.30pm The Play’s the Thing!26 Tue 7.30pm New Beginnings 9.30pm Bad Faith27 Wed 7.30pm Roost 9.30pm Closing Time

February continued...28 Thu 7.30pm New Beginnings 9.30pm Bad Faith29 Fri 7.30pm Roost 9.30pm Closing Time30 Sat 2.30pm Roost 4.30pm Closing Time 7.30pm New Beginnings 9.30pm Bad Faith March5 Tue 7.30pm Revenge of The Oxford Revue 9.30pm Eight6 Wed 7.30pm Revenge of The Oxford Revue 9.30pm Eight7 Thu 7.30pm Revenge of The Oxford Revue 9.30pm Eight8 Fri 7.30pm Revenge of The Oxford Revue 9.30pm Eight9 Sat 7.30pm Revenge of The Oxford Revue 9.30pm Eight11 Mon 7.30pm Fear of Music12 Tue 7.30pm Fear of Music13 Wed 7.30pm Fear of Music15 Fri 7.30pm Female Gothic16 Sat 7.30pm Female Gothic18 Mon 7.30pm The Price of Everything22 Fri 7.30pm MONEY the game show23 Sat 11am Monster in My Piano 2pm Monster in My Piano 4pm Monster in My Piano25 Mon 7.30pm Me, Myself and Miss Gibbs26 Tue 7.30pm Me, Myself and Miss Gibbs30 Sat 11am Arthur’s Dream Boat 2pm Arthur’s Dream Boat April 5 Fri 7.30pm Monkey Poet6 Sat 11am When Eggy Met Peggy 2pm When Eggy Met Peggy9 Tue 7.30pm Well That Explains It!10 Wed 7.30pm Well That Explains It!11 Thu 8pm The Honolulu Cowboys12 Fri 7.30pm Nick Pynn and Kate Daisy Grant13 Sat 11am Blown Away 2pm Blown Away17 Wed 7.30pm England Street18 Thu 7.30pm England Street19 Fri 7.30pm England Street20 Sat 2.30pm England Street 7.30pm England Street

what's on guide burton taylor studio jan to apr 2013

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