Hot off the press

October 2011

Half term workshops show 6 – 16 year olds that The Bard knew how to have a laugh.

As all school children know, Shakespeare doesn’t have a funny bone in his body – Creation Theatre’s half term workshops beg to differ.

This October half term Oxfordshire’s young people will be able to experience ‘Shakespeare’s Funny Bits’ or ‘Put on a Play in a Week’ with Creation’s professional actors, as part of a packed programme of holiday fun.

Creation has been producing Shakespeare’s greatest texts in Oxford for 16 years, delighting audiences in venues from Mini Plant Oxford to Headington Hill Park. Creation’s education programme reaches 2,000 children every year through live performances, weekly Drama Clubs, Holiday Workshops and courses in schools.

The half term workshops aim to show kids, aged 6 -16, that Shakespeare can be fun, taking the classic characters and stories and bringing them to life through physical theatre, comedy, music and even stage combat. Creation breathes new life into dusty textbooks.

Daniel Gilbert, Creation Theatre Company’s Education Manager comments, “I’m not sure anyone would have found Fawlty Towers funny on paper, the magic of comedy is in voice, nuance, physicality and of course… timing. Children naturally identify with humour and often pick up jokes in Shakespeare that a group of adults would miss. You can never be sure what kids will produce at the end of a workshop!”

Creation half term workshops run for one day or a full week from 24 – 28 October, at venues across the city. For more information visit www.creationtheatre.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01865 766266.

August 2011

Many people may be aware of Creation Theatre Company’s summer show Antony & Cleopatra, which is currently being performed in the rooftop Amphitheatre at Saïd Business School until 3 September, but they might not know that the cast are hidden away in their own makeshift creative village.

Most of the cast have travelled to be in Oxford for the play and they have taken the nomadic spirit one step further by decorating their own temporary village of sheds which act as their dressing rooms behind the amphitheatre.

The huts are shared in pairs, which has inspired great competition for the “best” one. Whilst the actors playing Cleopatra and her attendant Charmain have opted for fairy lights, swathes of fabric and roses inside their hut, the men have opted for large collages of popular culture cuttings, poems and retro posters.

Marketing Manager Cheryl Pearce said today “The actors have really imbued the sheds with their personalities. They are having a wonderful time performing at Said Business School and it shows!”

If theatre-lovers would like to send the actors anything to display in their sheds, to make them feel at home or to raise a smile, Creation is offering two tickets to the person who sends the best item.

Post should be addressed to Creation Theatre Company, 3rd Floor Cherwell House, 1-5 London Place, Oxford OX4 1BD and the winner will be named by Thursday 25 August.

June 2011

On Thursday 18 August Creation Theatre Company will hold a benefit performance of Antony & Cleopatra at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford to support the Sobell House Hospice Charity. All net profits from the show will be donated to Sobell House, which provides care and support to thousands of residents and their families across Oxfordshire who are affected by terminal illness.

Creation Theatre Company, also a registered charity, presents lively and accessible open air Shakespeare productions and workshops in extraordinary Oxford locations. This summer its new production, Antony and Cleopatra, is being performed in the stunning rooftop Amphitheatre at the Saïd Business School until 3 September.

David Parrish, Creation’s Artistic and Executive Director, said today “We are delighted to be supporting this worthy Oxford charity. We are aiming for a sell-out on this day so that the donation can be the biggest possible. Anyone who wants to support Sobell House by watching our show should book for 18 August.”

The famous lovers will be played by two of Creation’s favourite actors – Tom Peters (who has played Macbeth, Robin Hood and Jesus in past Creation productions) and Lizzie Hopley who has both acted with the company (she was a spirited Beatrice in Creation’s 2004 and 2008 productions of Much Ado About Nothing) and has also written several Creation shows including The Snow Queen, The Oxford Passion & Hans Christian Andersen’s Magical Tales. Helen Tennison directs with designs by Neil Irish and Sarah Bacon.

June 2011

Today a company of eight actors started rehearsing Creation Theatre’s new production of Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra which will open at the Rooftop Amphitheatre at the Saïd Business School in Oxford 8 July – 3 Sept (press night 19 July). Tom Peters & Lizzie Hopley will be playing the title roles.

They are two of Creation’s favourite actors – Tom has played Macbeth, Robin Hood and Jesus in past Creation productions and Lizzie has both acted with the company (she was a spirited Beatrice in their 2004 & 2008 productions of Much Ado About Nothing) and has also written several Creation shows including The Snow Queen, The Oxford Passion & Hans Christian Andersen’s Magical Tales. Helen Tennison directs with designs by Neil Irish.

Other members of the cast are: Dominic Brewer playing Caesar, James Brewer as Pompey & Agrippa, James Hayward as Lepidus, Lucy-Anne Holmes as Charmian, Richard Kidd as Enobarbus & Raewyn Lippert as Octavia & Iras.

The Amphitheatre at the Saïd Business School is a beautiful and atmospheric performance space well suited to showing both the colourful hedonistic passions of Egypt and the organised, clinical ambition of Rome in Antony & Cleopatra. The building was designed by the same team responsible for the new Royal Opera House in London and this will be the third time Creation have used this unique performance space where they have previously performed acclaimed productions of Twelfth Night and Romeo & Juliet.

April 2011

We have appointed a new pair of hands to take the reins from David Parrish when he leaves Creation!

We’re properly thrilled to announce that the very talented and generally marvellous James Erskine will be joining us in the role of Creative Producer and Chief Executive. James, who is 32, is currently a Producer at The Gate Theatre in Notting Hill, as well as running his own production company, Hush Productions. In fact you may already be familiar with his work, as he was the driving force behind Shakespeare’s Globe on Tour, which has toured open-air Shakespeare to venues across Europe (including Oxford) since 2007. Best of all, he is as passionate as we are about site-specific theatre – leading him to present productions in spaces as diverse as a Roman amphitheatre and the back seat of a moving car.

James said “I have long been an admirer of David’s work with Creation; delivering great work in such unexpected places. Creation is a theatrical force of nature and the environs of Oxford provide the ultimate stage. The possibilities are mouth-watering!”

Jeanne Wesson, Chair of Creation’s Board of Trustees, said “Although we are sad to be saying farewell to David Parrish after all these years, we are thrilled to be welcoming James Erskine. We believe he has the experience, passion and youthful energy to direct Creation Theatre Company at this time. We look forward to him producing theatre that will delight residents and tourist alike in the time honoured fashion of our lively site-specific tradition.”

James will be relocating to Oxford with his partner Jasmine Burnley, a Policy Advisor for Oxfam, and 6 week-old baby Albert.

In the meantime it’s business as usual – booking is now open for Tales from King James at the beautiful St Barnabas Church in Jericho, and Friends Booking for Antony & Cleopatra opens on Monday 9 May.

April 2011

Creation are happy to announce that Arthur McBain, 18 years, has won our Young Critic Competition for Doctor Faustus. We had loads of great entries and would also like to mention two other young reviewers to watch out for in the future: Ruolin Wang and Conor Mosedale.

Have a read of the review that we thought was just brilliant (watch out Lyn Gardner):

Faustus can go one of two ways, And this production most certainly anchored itself in the better of the two!

Lines were delivered in a precise and detailed way, with Gus Gallagher
(Faustus) and Gwynfor Jones (Mephistopheles) giving the charm and cunning the play deserves. I was very impressed by the imaginative use of physical work from the rest of the ensemble which definitely cast a mystical mood through the bookshop basement – this was especially present in the ‘seven deadly sins’ scene where the strong cast of five moulded the various characters with creativity and evil!

I was quite disappointed, however with the decision to modernise some of the language and translate Marlowe’s original Latin lines into English. Having said that, this decision did make the play more accessible and easy to follow.

The crooked stage and backdrop of book cases did give the play a tremendous sense of mood, along with very snappy lighting and sound effects, which, were not taken too far. For example, the final scene where Lucifer drags Faustus down to Hell could have been very easy to over dress, but instead Faustus was given a quick and simple demise, something which I believe just makes it even more poignant how wasted Faustus’ life had become.

“Ugly hell gape not! Come not, Lucifer”, I beg to differ, Lucifer come again – I’m booking more tickets!

Written by Arthur McBain

April 2011

This May Oxford’s Creation Theatre Company will be marking the 400th anniversary of the first publication of the King James Bible with a brand new piece, Tales from King James. Due to problems with the state of the roof in their original venue, New Road Baptist Church, this production will now be performed at St Barnabus Church in Jericho, Oxford 14 May – 11 June (Press night 17 May). Box Office 01865 766266 or online at www.creationtheatre.co.uk.

In true Creation style this colourful and quirky condensed version of the famous book will provide a theatrical race through the ‘best bits of the Bible’ that is accessible for both a sophisticated Bible-literate audience and for children and those who know little of the Bible and its timeless stories. Tales from King James will be highly visual and energetic, thought provoking and often very funny – it will tell these well known stories in a completely new way using both modern and Jacobean language. The play has been devised by Director, Helen Tennison with the two actors – Tom Peters and Raewyn Lippert, the Creative Producer is David Parrish.

The impact of the King James Bible, which was first published on 2 May 1611, is still being felt in the way we speak and write today. Director Helen Tennison says:
“The language of the King James Bible has had a profound impact on British culture. When approaching this project we wanted to explore how the vocabulary, phrases and stories of this Bible live with us today in all strands of society and a long way beyond the church. We decided to take two characters: a man and a woman who have been thrown into exile, on a journey through some of our favourite stories. Whilst the pressures of exile may lead the man and woman to despair, the messages they discover in the stories and phrases of the King James Bible lead them to courage, forgiveness, reconciliation, love and hope.”

Tom Peters is a Creation stalwart appearing in many of the company’s productions since 2003 including: Orsino in Twelfth Night, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, title roles in Macbeth and Robin Hood, Jesus in The Oxford Passion, and in 2008 in a one man show, Shakespeare’s Saint & Sinners. He has also performed for leading companies all over the UK – at The National Theatre, Old Vic, Salisbury Playhouse & Harrogate Theatre.

His wife, actress Raewyn Lippert, trained at the Oxford School of Drama and has performed extensively in both the UK and New Zealand. Her most recent theatre appearances have been in a season of shows at Hever Castle where amongst other roles she played Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, & Luciana in Comedy of Errors. In 2003 she was Miranda in Creation’s The Tempest.

Creation are delighted to be performing Tales from King James in a venue new to the company. St Barnabus, built in 1868/9, has a tower which is a landmark in that part of Oxford and this church has been written about by Hardy, Betjeman, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Trollope & Waugh plus it has featured in Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse!

For further info, interviews, images or review tickets please contact Cheryl Pearce 01865 761393 or Judith Cheston 01608 661198

April 2011

The run of Creation Theatre Company’s Doctor Faustus has proved so popular that the season has been extended at the atmospheric Norrington Room at Blackwell’s Bookshop on Broad Street, Oxford. Over 6800 people have booked to see the production so far.

To cope with demand, extra seats have already been fitted into the basement room which houses hundreds of shelves of books. Now, in an unprecedented move in Creation’s 16 year history, the run has been extended by a further week with a total of 1200 extra tickets released – but cannot be further extended, so the show must end on 2 April.

Kate Stilborn, Regional Manager for Blackwell’s in Oxford says, “we continue to be delighted with the popularity and success of Creation’s Doctor Faustus in our world famous Norrington Room. It has been a pleasure welcoming many new faces into our bookshop and sharing with our customers this unique theatrical experience.”

Doctor Faustus’ overwhelming desire for knowledge is a passion many Oxford residents may know themselves, but the power he expects it to bring him, leads him to conjure up the demon Mephistopheles and ultimately to sell his soul to the devil. Played amongst the bookshelves, this is one of Creation’s most intimate and unusual performance venues, providing a totally unique theatrical experience.

For further info, interviews, images or review tickets please contact Cheryl Pearce 01865 761393 or Judith Cheston 01608 661198

April 2011

Creation Theatre Company’s Doctor Faustus in the Norrington Room at Blackwell’s is proving to be such a hit that Creation and Blackwell’s have had to work together to increase the number of seats available.

In the first three weeks of the run that opened on the 4th February, every seat available has been sold and most days many people are disappointed that they cannot get the tickets that they want.

Nearly 6,000 people have booked tickets so far but, never wishing to turn away punters, the company approached Blackwell’s to agree a change in the layout, ordered more seats from the factory supplier and is now delighted to have squeezed in a further 35 seats (1,050 over the remaining performances).

David Parrish, Artistic and Executive Director of Creation said:

“It is just wonderful that the show is proving to be so popular, the capacity is quite small as it is a bookshop. We never like to turn people away so it has been *really frustrating that we have had to. So I am delighted that we have managed to fit in some extra places”.

The performances have received excellent press and audience feedback including one audience member who said:

“I have seen Faust and Doctor Faustus at least a dozen times and this is certainly the best version I have ever seen. I am now coming back for my third visit with a new set of guests!”

Others have commented on the remarkable experience and excitement of seeing an old friend, Blackwell’s Bookshop transformed into a theatre space.

Doctor Faustus continues at Blackwell’s Bookshop until 26 March 2011
Box Office 01865 766266 or online at www.creationtheatre.co.uk

Doctor Faustus is an ideal play to set within a room housing hundreds of shelves of the world’s books as it is Doctor Faustus’ overwhelming desire for knowledge, and the power he expects it to bring him, that leads him to conjure up the demon Mephistopheles and ultimately to sell his soul to the devil. The audience is in galleries on all four sides of the acting area, amongst the three miles of bookshelves housed in the Norrington Room. It is a totally unique theatrical experience.

For further info, interviews, images or review tickets please contact Cheryl Pearce 01865 761393 or Judith Cheston 01608 661198

Image: Judie Waldmann

April 2011

Zoe Seaton, who has directed many a production for Creation, including the landmark A Midsummer Night’s Dream productions of 2002 and 2005, is bringing a show to the West End. Check it out!

February 2011

Join Creation Theatre Company to say Happy Birthday to the world’s best selling book.

This May sees Oxford’s Creation Theatre Company marking the 400th anniversary of the first publication of the King James Bible with Tales from King James at New Road Baptist Church, Bonn Square, Oxford 13 May – 11 June (Press night 17 May). Box office 01865 766266 or online at www.creationtheatre.co.uk.

In true Creation style this colourful and quirky condensed version of the famous book will provide a theatrical race through the ‘best bits of the Bible’ that is accessible for both a sophisticated Bible-literate audience and for children and those who know little of the Bible and its timeless stories. Tales from King James will be highly visual and energetic, thought provoking and often very funny – it will tell these well known stories in a completely new way using both modern and Jacobean language. Helen Tennison will direct a company of two actors – Tom Peters and Raewynn Lippert. Public booking for the show opens next month.

The impact of the King James Bible, which was first published on 2 May 1611, is still being felt in the way we speak and write, says Stephen Tomkins in the current issue of BBC History magazine:

“No other book, or indeed any piece of culture, seems to have influenced the English language as much as the King James Bible. Its turns of phrase have permeated the everyday language of English speakers, whether or not they’ve ever opened a copy. The Sun says Aston Villa “refused to give up the ghost”. Wendy Richard calls her EastEnders character Pauline Fowler “the salt of the earth”. Daily Mirror fashion pages call Tilda Swinton “a law unto herself”. Though each of those phrases was begotten of the loins of the English Bible, it’s safe to say that none of those speakers was deliberately quoting the Bible to people they expected to be familiar with its contents. The linguist David Crystal has counted 257 phrases from the King James Bible still in contemporary English idiom.”

For further info, interviews, alternative images or review tickets please contact Cheryl Pearce 01865 761393 or Judith Cheston 01608 661198

January 2011

We are pleased to announce that Zoe Seaton, who has directed many a production for Creation, including the landmark A Midsummer Night’s Dream productions of 2002 and 2005, is bringing a show to the West End.

As the Artistic Director of Big Telly Theatre Company, Zoe is touring Spike Milligan’s Puckoon throughout Ireland – and the tour even includes a West End debut at the Leicester Square Theatre, London. The company is not affiliated to Creation but the whole team here wish her all the best! If you would like to see the show you can catch it in London between Tuesday 8th – Sunday 27th March. For ticket booking call the Leicester Square Theatre Box Office on 0844 873 3433 or visit www.leicestersquaretheatre.com

Become a fan of Big Telly on facebook at Big Telly – or for more info and Ireland tour dates please visit the Big Telly website at www.big-telly.com

January 2011

Marlowe’s most famous play to be performed amongst more than 200,000 books in iconic Oxford shop

Next month Creation Theatre Company will be performing a new production of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus in the huge Norrington Room at Blackwell’s Bookshop on Broad Street, Oxford – the first time Blackwell’s has hosted theatre inside its world-famous bookshop.

Doctor Faustus runs at Blackwell’s Bookshop from 4 Feb – 26 March 2011
Box Office 01865 766266 or online at www.creationtheatre.co.uk
Doctor Faustus is an ideal play to set within a room housing hundreds of shelves of the world’s books as it is Doctor Faustus’ overwhelming desire for knowledge, and the power he expects it to bring him, that leads him to conjure up the demon Mephistophiles and ultimately to sell his soul to the devil. Director Charlotte Conquest and her Designer, Amy Yardley, will be creating on the basement floor of the bookshop a stage resembling a twisted grid, inspired by some of the occult drawings of the Elizabethan period and using reclaimed floor boards. This will be surrounded by an audience of approx 170 sitting in galleries on all four sides of the acting area in amongst the three miles of bookshelves housed in the Norrington Room. It will create one of Creation’s most intimate and unusual performance venues in their 15 year history providing a totally unique theatrical experience.

Experienced Oxford based actor Gus Gallagher will play the title role with Gwynfor Jones from Banbury as Mephistophilis and an ensemble of Damian Davis, Richard Kidd and Alex Scott Fairley playing all the rest of the roles between them. Aidan Treays is Movement Director, Ashley Bale the Lighting Designer, Phillip D’Orleans the Fight Director, Matt Eaton the Sound Designer and Darren Long the Illusionist.

Blackwell’s Bookshop in Oxford is a historic bookshop which has been providing a unique service to academics and book lovers since 1879. Today, it offers five floors of books, from the Second hand Department on the top floor all the way to the breathtaking Norrington Room, the vast academic basement built beneath the Trinity College quad, attracting academics and tourists alike. Blackwell’s is the leading academic bookseller in the UK with over 40 outlets across England, Scotland and Wales. It has built an international reputation for bookselling excellence with links to academic institutions and libraries around the globe.

For further info, interviews, images or review tickets please contact Cheryl Pearce 01865 761393 or Judith Cheston 01608 661198.

Image: Judie Waldmann

December 2010

David Parrish to leave Creation Theatre Company, the company he founded 16 years ago.

The Chairperson and Trustees of Creation Theatre Company have announced today that the Founder, Artistic and Executive Director of Creation, David Parrish, will be leaving the Company next year and they are starting the process of finding an inspirational replacement to lead Creation forward through the next decade.
David started the Company in 1994 presenting their first play in Oxford in 1996. Since then they have played to 350,000 attendees, held workshops for over 15,000 children and become an icon of the arts in Oxford. All this has, incredibly, been achieved without any core government subsidy, a fact David finds most satisfying as he leaves Creation to move with his family to live in Norway. Under David’s guidance the company has, rather than rely on subsidy, been hugely proactive in going out to the community both to the company’s large group of Friends and to businesses and raising the money needed to survive through the box office and from sponsorship from businesses large and small.

The company has always looked to bring exciting site specific productions to unusual venues around Oxford. Alongside their current venue, an antique Mirror Tent (Spiegeltent) at the MINI Plant Oxford, previous locations for their shows have included the Amphitheatre at the Saïd Business School, a ruined Abbey, an island in the River Cherwell, Magdalen College School, Northwall, St Michael of the Northgate, Holy Trinity Headington Quay, Headington Hill Park, Oxford Castle and Oxford Castle Unlocked. At these & other venues Creation has over the past 14 years raised significant amounts of money for charities such as Oxfam, Helen & Douglas House, and more recently for Oxford smaller charities in need via the Oxfordshire Council for Voluntary Action (OCVA).

Jeanne Wesson, Chairperson of Creation, said today, “Despite receiving no core arts funding David has achieved the most amazing things with Creation. They have had to battle dreadful floods in 2007 and awful unsummery weather in 2008 yet despite all this, plus an economic recession, Creation have had a very successful last 18 months and we all face the future with great confidence and anticipation of an exciting future for the Company. We will advertise the post in January but to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities without serious disruption to our artistic programme, David will stay very involved with the company for the next 12 months – there will be no sudden changes at Creation. – The shows will go on!.”

For further information please call 01865 761393 or email press@creationtheatre.co.uk