Day of the Living

Day of the Living ran at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon until 23rd June 2018. More info here.

Ayotzinapa, Mexico, 2014. 43 students are forcefully disappeared. No one is brought to justice. An anarchic, musical tribute to life and the Mexican spirit with urgent, global issues at its heart.

#NosFaltan43 #HastaEncontrarlos #AyotzinapaSomosTodos

A small selection of reviews here

Photo credit: RSC Visual Communications

This devised piece had its first work-in-progress showing at the Platform Theatre, Drama Centre, in 2015, originally produced by Sarah Weatherall.

Rehearsal photos by Ellie Merridale @RSC

Creative Team

Set and Costume Designer: Charlie Cridlan

Writer: Juliet Gilkes Romero

Composer/Lyricist: Darren Clark

Sound Designer: Jon Lawrence

Lighting Designer: Matt Peel

Movement Director: Andrea Pelaez

Mask Director: Rachael Savage

Dramaturg: Nic Wass

Producer at the RSC: Claire Birch

Assistant Director: Nyasha Gudo

Cast

Anne-Marie Piazza, Tania Mathurin, Jimena Larraguivel, Jamie Cameron, Eilon Morris, Alvaro Flores

Production photos by Ellie Merridale @RSC

Posted in Past

Princess Charming

Princess Charming has just finished touring. See here for all info.

Princess Charming is a family cabaret about gender stereotypes and identity. It was first developed at Mini VAULT Festival in February 2016 and we now have a fantastic producer, Jessica Cheetham of Spun Glass Theatre. The show had its first full run in September 2017 and our recent six week tour was Arts Council funded.

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, text

All photos credited to Rosie Powell

2017 reviews here

Original dates

24-28 October Ovalhouse Theatre

4-5 November Marlborough Theatre, Brighton

Cast

Alexander Luttley

Charlotte Worthing

Creatives

Dramaturg/Writer – Stewart Melton

Set and Costume Designer – Kat Heath

Stage Manager / Lighting Designer – Simon Booth

Producer – Jessica Cheetham

Posted in Current

Hansel and Gretel and the Witch Baba Yaga

I was really pleased to return to Iris Theatre to direct a new version of Hansel and Gretel. It was outdoor, promenade and an entertaining mix of silly and sinister. With songs.

It ran from 3 Aug – 3 Sept 2017. Info here.

It was also shortlisted for an Off-West End Award for Best Show for Young People 7+.

And a small reviews roundup here

Cast

Rosie Abraham, Deshaye Gayle, Jennifer Clement, Nick Howard-Brown, Josie Brightwell and Will Kelly

Creatives

Set Designer – Amber Scarlett

Costume Designer – Sophie Donaldson

Lighting Designer – Rachel Sampley

Sound Designer – Filipe Gomes

Composer – Candida Caldicot

Writer – Daniel Winder

Producer – Tanja Pagnuco

Stage Manager – Becky Brown

Posted in Past

The Tempest

I directed The Tempest at Southwark Playhouse – all details here. It ran until 28th January 2017.

★★★★ The Stage Invigorating, rhythmic staging, setting a high standard for fringe Shakespeare productions

★★★★ Whatsonstage an enchanting and emotionally charged Tempest

★★★★ Time Out Sparky, streamlined take on Shakespeare’s final play

The Tempest

Creative Team

Set and Costume Designer – Ele Slade

Lighting Designer – Sarah Readman

Composers Candida Caldicot and Andy Meredith

Movement Director Chi-San Howard

Casting Director Georgia Fleury-Reynolds

Stage Manager Becky Brown

Producer David Workman for Southwark Playhouse

Cast

Pete Caulfield, Stanton Plummer-Cambridge, Sarah Malin, Gemma Lawrence, Ben Cawley and Andy Merdith (percussion)

Posted in Past

Comus

I was very pleased to be the Assistant Director to Lucy Bailey on Comus in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at the Globe. It ran from 26th October – 19th November. All details here.

2016/WonderNoir/Comus/1

Posted in Uncategorized

Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World by Louis de Bernières

Southwark Playhouse, Marlborough Theatre (Brighton), PAC (Cheltenham), Latitude Festival April – July 2011

BAC and Tara Arts March 2012

This was my first full length professional production and was produced by Paul Jellis for Bad Physics.

A live radio play based on Under Milk Wood, the audience could choose whether to be blindfolded and experience the show in a unique sensory way through live sound effects, smell and touch or sighted and watch the process of the eight actors* playing forty-nine characters and creating all the effects.

*2011 Cast: Georgina Landau, Avita Jay, Danielle Nott, Mark Conway, James French, Christopher Hammond, Jade Willis, Panny Skrivanos. Stage Manager: Ali Graham

2012 Cast: Georgina Landau, Avita Jay, Danielle Nott, Mark Conway, James French, Christopher Hammond, David Rubin, Cameron Harris. Stage Manager: Katy Munroe Farlie

Click for REVIEWS of the show

Posted in Past

Leon and the Place Between

I own the stage rights to this book and alongside producer Helen Milne am currently looking for a venue. Any thoughts do get in touch: amy@amydraper.co.uk

January 2012

This was a second, Arts Council funded workshop on a children’s book adaptation held at the Unicorn Theatre and produced by The Building Site Theatre Company. I worked with six actors* and writer Dawn King to explore different ways to tell the story. We held an industry showing at the Unicorn to generate interest in the eventual show.

Leon and the Place Between from Building Site Theatre on Vimeo.

Since then progress was halted by the fact that Disney bought the rights and then subsequently revoked the rights… The good news is that I have now purchased them. The creative team has also grown to include designer Charlie Cridlan.

It’s an ongoing quest. Watch this space!

*Mariam Haque, Rew Lowe, Phil Yarrow, Bryony Hannah, Hasan Dixon, Samantha Sutherland

Posted in Future

Angel Cake

Camden People’s Theatre 28^th November – 15^th December 2012

This show started its life as a ten minute scratch at BAC in October 2011 and I then directed a forty minute version at Camden People’s Theatre’s Sprint Festival in March. I was subsequently invited back by Artistic Director Brian Logan to expand the idea into a full length show with a complete design.

We initially explored possibilities for the show to have future life:

Click for REVIEWS of the show

Successful Wefund pitch video here

Images by Ben Broomfield

Producer: Kelly Golding

Performer: Rhyannon Styles

Designer: Ele Slade

Lighting Designer: Christopher Nairne

Stage Manager: Ali Graham

Co-creator of original concept: Vivienne Rowdon

Posted in Past

These Trees are Made of Blood

These Trees are Made of Blood finished its revival run at the Arcola Theatre in July 2017. Reviews and production shots here. We are hoping to give it future life, following very positive reviews and audience feedback.

The 2017 cast was: Rob Castell, Ros Ford, Ellen O’Grady, Alex Luttley, Neil Kelso, Eilon Morris, Anne-Marie Piazza, Josh Sneesby, Charlotte Worthing

photo by Helen Murray

http://www.thesetrees.co.uk

@TheseTreesShow

#thesetrees

Photo by Helen Murray

And for our next act …

The Magical Military Junta

will make 30,000 people disappear before your very eyes.

These Trees are Made of Blood is a brand new piece of political theatre set in a timeless Buenos Aires cabaret club before, during and after Argentina’s Dirty War. Blending original live music and exciting cabaret acts, it tells the story of one mother’s search for her Disappeared daughter and promises to be an unique and memorable live experience.

So come on in. The club’s open all hours and history can always be rewritten after one too many.

***

Photo by Helen Murray

The show originally ran at Southwark Playhouse from 18th March – 11th April 2015.

For reviews of the original show go to the Reviews page of this website.

All 2015 production shots credited to Darren Bell.

The cast was:

Val Jones, Greg Barnett, Charlotte Worthing, Rachel Dawson, Neil Kelso, Eilon Morris, Josh Sneesby, Alexander Luttley and Anne-Marie Piazza

Creative Team

Producer: Jim Zalles for Theatre Bench

Writer: Paul Jenkins

Composer/lyricist: Darren Clark

Designer: Georgia Lowe

Sound Designer: David Gregory

Lighting Designer: Sherry Coenen

Video Designer: Wayne Eagles

Assistant Director: George Livingston

Production Manager: Ed Borgnis

Stage Manager: Katy Munroe-Farlie

***

Scratch weeks at BAC February and August 2012
Finalist for Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award 2013 – week at Shoreditch Town Hall October 2012

I spent two months in Argentina researching the project in summer 2013. See below for promo video:

Workshop performers: Angie Fullman, Hannah Morgan, Hasan Dixon, Hatty Jones, Charlotte Worthing, Hayley Carmichael, Eva Magyar, David Rubin, Stuart Goodwin, Dickie Beau, Craig Reid, Claire Crook, Rhyannon Styles, Tom Byam-Shaw, Harry Melling, Guillaume Pige.

Here is a video that the Arts Council filmed of me as a Grant for the Arts recipient in February 2012:

Posted in Current