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
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!