Contrary Life

Contrary Life is a website covering quirky events across the UK.

  • Home
  • About
  • Events by region
    • North East
    • North West
    • Yorkshire
    • East Midlands
    • West Midlands
    • East
    • London
    • South East
    • South West
    • Scotland
    • Northern Ireland
    • Wales
Home > FEATURED-STORIES > 400 year old plays performed on the burial site of the authors

400 year old plays performed on the burial site of the authors

By Caroline King - September 9, 2013Posted in : FEATURED-STORIES, Theatre

Owle Schreame theatre company When: 13th September – 13th December 2013

Where: Poets Church, St Giles-in-the-Fields, 60 St Giles High Street, London WC2H 8LG

£: Tickets cost £5 and £20

What is it?

The Owle Schreame theatre company will be performing three obscure Jacobean plays, two of which will be world premieres, at the burial site of the authors.

The plays will feature sex and swords, murder and torture, kidnap and summoning Satan.  The first of the plays is Bussy D’Ambois by George Chapman, published in 1607.  This will be only the second time in living memory that the play has been performed.

The second play is the previously unperformed, Unfortunate Mother by Thomas Nabbes, published in 1640.  Honoria and Mammon by James Shirley was published in 1659 and will be the third of the plays.  Honoria and Mammon has never been previously performed.

Staged at their final resting places, these classical productions are unique in having their playwrights present for the run.  The pieces are so obscure that the production scripts have had to be transcribed from the original texts.  Any profit made from the performances will to go towards a memorial to these forgotten writers.

The season is funded entirely by the company’s Artistic Director Brice Stratford, who is also producing, directing and performing in the shows. Previously he directed, produced and performed in the acclaimed 2011 production of Measure for Measure on the archeological remains of the Elizabethan Rose Theatre.

Emulating a classical model, tickets will be only £5 (with more expensive seating available onstage).  The company will pass the hat at the close of the play, gladly accepting any surplus donations.  The Owle Schreame aim to combine historical techniques with contemporary experimental practices, creating unique and strikingly effective classical productions in the process.

A single cast will perform all three plays on alternate nights, and if successful, this will be the first of a regular season of performance devoted to the revival and exploration of the most obscure and forgotten examples of Britain’s artistic and historic theatrical heritage. The aim is to revive history; to bring the dead to life.

More info: cannibalvalour.com

Related Posts

  • Mayhem and murder in The Mystery of Irma Vep
  • Choose your own ending with an interactive adaptation of An Enemy of the People
  • The audience becomes the author at the Old Joint Stock in Birmingham
  • 4 actors, 4 bicycles, 40 characters and a 926 mile adventure

Tagged With: Cannibal Valour, London, London events, London theatre, Owle Schreame theatre company

Comments

  1. By Jane Jevons on November 2, 2013

    I went to see Bussy D’Ambois at Hallowe’en and it was breath-taking! The space is fantastic and used imaginatively to great dramatic effect. The cast are talented and hugely energetic, and the direction is both intelligent and creative and the sheer pace and excitement of the production is totally enthralling. Swords fly by the audience, the devil rises and the vaulted ceiling is filled with music and beautiful singing. Mesmeric!

    I was so impressed, I caught ‘The Unfortunate Mother’. Wonderfully acted, heart-breaking at times, and another beautifully crafted production. I cannot wait for Honoria and Mammon to open!

    Don’t miss these- get down to St Giles in the Fields ASAP!

Curiosity of the Week

Woodhenge, Stonehenge’s lesser-known neighbour
Woodhenge - ©English Heritage, Historic England Photo Library

You have heard of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, but have you heard of its lesser known neighbour, Woodhenge? Find out more in our latest Curiosity of the Week…

Top Story

Fakes, forgeries and misinformation at Royal Society Late
Dragon Fish - The Royal Society Lates in March

Next month, the Royal Society’s Late event mixes tomfoolery with science as it tackles fake news and hoaxes…

What are you looking for today?

  • Alternative Sport
  • Art
  • Cabaret and Circus
  • Cinema
  • Classes, Workshops & Talks
  • Club Night
  • Comedy
  • Dance
  • Exhibitions and Installations
  • Fairs and Markets
  • Festival
  • Food & Drink
  • Heritage and History
  • Interview
  • Literature
  • Museum
  • Music
  • Nature and Outdoors
  • Review
  • Science and Technology
  • Theatre
  • Walks and Tours

Sign up to our Newsletter

Copyright © 2023 · Contrary Life