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Since December 2003 the Brockley Jack Theatre has been host to many events, including theatre,
comedy, music and film. Below are some of the performances that have taken place.
Can You See Me Yet?
by Timothy Findley
presented by Language Laid Bare Productions
This critically acclaimed production, written by one of Canada's best loved playwrights, shows a world about to go mad with war.
An asylum for the insane seems to offer sanctuary for its patients, but as Cassandra Wakelin stands in the heart of the asylum, confusing her fellow inmates with members of her own ill-fated family, we are forced to ask the question, 'Can anyone find sanctuary anywhere?'
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
adapted by Brute Farce
With large helpings of modern mayhem and a generous sprinkling of satire, eighteenth century England is ingeniously re-invented in a wickedly outrageous adaptation from one of England's most exciting young theatre companies. This show is a melting-pot of style which simmers and spits with biting wit and caustic humour. Following sell-out performances this show returns to the Jack in July.
Dinner
by Moira Buffini
Presented by The Actor Works Company & Southside Arts
Moira Buffini's Olivier nominated play is a skewed take on the classic drawing room mystery - full of sharp humour, surrealism and a deliciously terrifying finale.
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens
adapted for the stage by Hugh Leonard
For Christmas 2007 the Brockley Jack Theatre's in-house company presented a sell-out production of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. This classic tale, populated with some of literature's most memorable creations, was brought to life in Hugh Leonard's atmospheric adaptation.
The Beau Defeated
by Mary Pix
presented by The Actor Works
The The Actor Works' Second Year Students returned to The Brockley Jack with their engaging production of The Beau Defeated by Mary Pix. No one is what they seem in this restoration comedy of manners where all the action revolves around plots: people plotting for love, money, title or all three....
Hamlet
adapted by Richard Rogers
presented by El mono theatre
This one man show, abridging the classic text of Hamlet, explored human perceptions and the way events can be told from a single viewpoint. An engaging and troubled look at this traditional character and his creative mind.
Lilies
by Michel Marc Bouchard
English translation by Linda Gaboriau
Wild Oats Productions presented the UK Premiere and 20th anniversary production of Michel Marc Bouchard's Lilies or the Revival of a Romantic Drama.
Lilies is a passionate and intriguing piece that tells the engrossing and incredibly moving story of Simon Doucet, a prisoner for nearly thirty years. Bouchard is considered one of Canada's greatest living playwrights and Lilies is his best known work.
Julius Caesar
by William Shakespeare
adapted by John Godber
Kangaroo Court brought a fresh adaptation to Shakepeare's greatest political thriller, raising questions that are ever relevant to today's world. Does power corrupt? Does absolute power corrupt absolutely?
Relative Values
by Noel Coward
showdon'ttell theatre company brought their unique approach to the Jack Theatre with Noel Coward's classic comedy of manners Relative Values.
One of Coward's less-performed works, Relative Values sees the worlds of starry Hollywood and stiff-upper-lip Britania collide over the course of a weekend at Marshwood House, deep in the garden of England, with hilarious consequences.
Miss Julie
by August Strindberg
translated by Michael Meyer
Phrixus Theatre's new production of Strindberg's nineteenth century masterpiece was set in late 1930s Britain, a Britain on the verge of unprecedented social upheaval. Frank in its portrayal of sex, lust, class and gender conflict, Strindberg's work remains startlingly contemporary.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
by William Shakespeare
The Actor Works presented director Helen Alexander's quirky,
gender-busting production of Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor.
Richard Sandling in VHS: Death to DVD with
Russell Kane
Reviews from the Edinburgh Festival 2006
The funniest show I've seen so far this year...
broadwaybaby.com
This is a joyful, funny, clever show.
Kate Copstick The Scotsman 2006
Coriolanus
by William Shakespeare
adapted and directed by Mark Leipacher
An all male ensemble explored masculine identity in a violent and visceral new production of Shakespeare's political thriller.
Award winning production company Giudecca, supported by Old Vic New Voices, presented this distilled version of an often neglected tragedy with one of Shakespeare's most terrifying anti-heroes.
MCN TV!
Fourth Wall Productions
Told through video and theatre MCN TV! was the spoof sketch show of a cable television station, battling poor ratings, shoddy programming and inept management in a desperate bid to survive.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
adapted by Simon Williams
from the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
For Christmas 2006 the Brockley Jack Theatre presented a sell-out production of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's spine-tingling classic - The Hound of the Baskervilles.
This well-loved tale was brought shivering to life in Simon Williams’ atmospheric and theatrical adaptation.
La
Ronde
by Arthur Schnitzler
The Ant Theatre company returned
to the Jack with a modern interpretation of Schnitzler's turn of the century drama La
Ronde.
Adapted and directed by Simon Beyer, this contemporary revival
examined
the nature of relationships in today's society.
King
Lear
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Jenn Lunn
Set amidst the gangster
underworld of 1950's London, Culturcated Theatre Company's sell-out production presented
a brutal new realisation of Shakespeare's King Lear.
Teechers
by John Godber
Presented by Brute Farce Theatre Company
Directed by Rob Crouch
Teechers is an hilarious
portrayal of life at Whitewall Comprehensive School, as seen through the eyes of three
sixteen-year olds. A
raw and hilarious look at the best – and worst – days of your life. all.
Twisted
– the Annie Ross Story
Written by
Brian McGeachen
Directed by Joseph C Walsh
Twisted tells the intriguing and inspiring story
of jazz legend and survivor Annie Ross.
Interweaving stories of her triumphs and tragedies with her greatest songs, Twisted
was a unique and powerful theatrical event.
Starring Betsy Pennington.
SNAP
by Paul O'Connor
Presented by Stellar Theatre Company
Stellar Theatre Company presented a sell-out production with their hilarious take on a
day in the life of a South London family.
Summer
Comedy
In July 2006, we hosted a short season of Summer Comedy featuring internationally renowned
as well as new and aspiring comedy performers. Performers included Elvenbitches, Shazia
Mirza, Jane Galloway, Godliman&Lane and Rosie Wilby.
Jane Galloway in Potatoes

Stone
Crabs New Directors Festival
Stonecrabs presented
3 evenings of rehearsed readings by 7 new directors.
Learning
to Laugh -
a comedy course for women.
With funding
from Awards for All, the Jack Theatre ran Learning to Laugh - a
comedy course for women who wanted to have a go at being funny.
From stand-up to sketch show, from telling jokes to just clowning around, participants
found their comedy feet with the help of professional comediennes. If you interested in
attending further comedy courses at the Jack, please e-mail
admin@brockleyjack.co.uk
The
Brockley Max Festival 2006
The Brockley Max Festival is now in its fourth year, with more of the great talent that
Brockley has to offer. The
Brockley Jack was the venue for dance, film and Jane Galloway's blend
of history, horticulture and haute cuisine:
Potatoes.
Can't Pay? Won't Pay! by Dario Fo
Translated by
Lino Pertile, adapted by Bill Colvill & Robert Walker
Presented by the Brockley Jack Theatre
Dario Fo's farce of non payment and accidental homicide
crashed into the Brockley Jack in May.
This classic seventies
farce with a dose of workers-versus-the-bosses will have you in stitches. The Newshopper.
Read full review
Spikefest
2006
In April 2006 the Jack Theatre hosted Spikefest - Lewisham's comedy festival -
for the third year running.
We were pleased to welcome
both internationally renowned and local comediennes to the festival, which played to full
houses.
Performers included Shazia Mirza, Martin Soan, Marc Lucero, Peter Searles and Elvenbitch.
Metamorphosis
by Steven Berkhoff
Twelve Three and a Half
Twelve
Three and A Half returned to the Jack in April to present Metamorphosis
- Steven Berkoff's adaptation of Franz Kafka's classic story of alienation and transformation,
dependency and upheaval.
Ghosts
in the Attic
by Andrew Edwards
The Ant Theatre Company
The
Ant Theare Compan's second production
at that Jack was an atmospheric piece of new writing, where the past visits the present.
The attic at 53 Crescent Road wasn't just a place that stored possessions; it was a place
that stored memories. Sometimes family histories are buried in the past or kept in
boxes of things long-forgotten. When three women's lives are brought together by
fate, the journey of discovery into their pasts reveals more than they expected as they
uncover the truth that rests in the attic.
Shakers
by
John Godber and
Jane Thornton
Brute
Farce Theatre Company
After two successful productions
at the Jack last year, Brute Farce returned with a sell-out production of Shakers,
another hit comedy of urban night life.
A
Slice of Life
Dissensemble
New devising theatre
company Dissensemble presented an exploration into the complex connections
between our anatomies and the physical landscape of our experiences.
Through physical expression and storytelling Dissensemble share experiences relevant
to us all in a dissection and celebration of our relationship with our bodies.
Elasticity
Cwtch Theatre
Cwtch explored interchangeable lovers, disposable emotions and replaceable teacups, in
an evening of obsessive ambitions and insatiable fantasies. Written by Heather O'Shea through
Sgript Cymru, Elasticity was directed and adapted by practicing Live Artist Owen
Glyndwr Parry.
The
Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar
Wilde
The Brockley Jack Theatre
presented Oscar Wilde's comic masterpiece as its seasonal treat. Dazzling and fun, Wilde's
drama portrays the antics of two young men passionately in love with two young women, both
of whom are determined to marry a man called Ernest.
'very much in the spirit of Wilde... heartless and fun' The
Stage
Sex,
Life and e.f.t
by Peter Searles
Best known for his internationally acclaimed “ HEY GRINGO! ” Trilogy (first
premiered at the Gilded Balloon in 1997) - actor, writer and raconteur Peter Searles is
a regular performer at the Jack.
In Sex, Life and e.f.t he turned his attention from travel into a quest for enlightenment
and love.
A
Doll's House
by Henrik Ibsen
Innovative
new company Twelve Three and a Half gave Ibsen
thought-provoking and original treatment with their first production:
A Doll's House. Published
in 1879, A Doll's House tackles subjects that are still overwhelmingly controversial
126 years later - debt, flirtation and adultery around the Christmas Tree, with abandoned
children and an ‘unnatural mother' into the bargain.
People
in Glass Houses
by Darren Rapier
presented by Insight Theatre
Insight
Theatre returned to the Jack with this intriguing and thought-provoking modern drama.
People in Glass Houses is set in the future when land is scarce, and the nearest
you get to a picnic is a sandwich over a window box!
The
Tempest
presented by Ant Theatre Company
Simon Beyer directed a new and exciting interpretation of The Tempest:
a world where women hold positions of power and authority and the virtue of innocence is
seen through the eyes of a young man.
If Shakespeare
wrote this play today, would he have set it in a world filled with women in power? A modern
parallel for our times in a story centuries old.
A Fans' Club
Written
by Matthew Couper,
With original music by Chris Barlow
A Fans' Club
is a feel good play about shattered dreams and renewed hope, about taking on the big boys….
and starting again! The play is based on the formation of AFC Wimbledon.
Worlds
Apart
by Darren Rapier
.......dignified performances.....Rapier's political and poetic message, namely that
immigration has always been an issue in Britain; moreover, for immigrants and Buddhists
alike, nothing is ever still. Time Out
After
successful productions across America,
Wild Oats Productions presented the UK premiere
of
Listen to my Heart:
the songs of David Friedman
SPIKEFEST
UK
Lewisham's comedy festival, revisited the Jack Theatre in April 2005. The Jack saw a host
of comic talents perform, including Court in the Act, Mark Maier, Chambers and Nettleton,
Spencer Brown, Pete Searles, Alan Francis and Elven Bitch.
SHORTSCREEN : FILM AT THE JACK
In April
2005 for the first time ever the Brockley Jack Theatre hosted a festival of cinema shorts.
From art house to kitchen sink, these included award winning films and companies as well
as more obscure and exciting Sci-Fi. Films included: Between the Wars
(Emily Woof), Green Monkey (Rob Sprackling) & the dark comedy Don't Walk
featuring Alexi Sayle.
Films supplied courtesy of Whatever Pictures and Sci Fi London.
Antigone
translated
by Marianne McDonald
Antigone
was the work of the Brockley Jack Theatre School. This production marked the culmination
of 13 weeks training.
The story of Antigone, a sister who risks her life to bury her brother, shows the consequences
of decisions made from listening only to the heart or to the head.
Day
Trippers by Jean McConnell &
Night Owls by Barrie Smith
Capital Theatre
Company presented a double bill of two light and dark comedies. Capital Theatre has been
based in south-east London since 1993. Among its recent productions have been Some
One Who'll Watch Over Me by Frank McGuiness, Two by Jim Cartwright, Little
Eyolf by Henrik Ibsen and Pinterland, a collection of sketches by Harold
Pinter.
Bouncers by John
Godber
A Brute
Farce Production
After two successful productions at the Jack, this was another chance to see John Godber's
smash hit comedy and relive part of nearly everyone's disco history. Slow dances, snogging,
late night kebabs and being sick in the back of a cab. The ultimate 80s Christmas night
out!
A Servant
of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni
A Stone
Crabs Production
Carlo Goldoni's legendary
18th century comedy came to the Jack in an imaginative and energetic new interpretation.
Inspired by Commedia dell'arte,
the company explored A Servant of Two Masters through the form's Brazilian incarnation.
Combining strong physicalisation with an eclectic cast, Stone Crabs brought Goldoni's riotous
humour to life with a unique and contemporary edge. The production transferred to the New
End Theatre.
The Country by
Martin Crimp
A Stone
Crabs Production in collaboration with Teatre2.Akt
Anders Rasmussen, artistic director of the Teater2.Akt, was invited by Stone Crabs to stage
this performance. The production opened in June at the Brockley Jack Theatre and transferred
to Denmark later in the year.
Spikefest UK 2004
Spikefest UK was
the name for the London Borough of Lewisham's 2004 comedy festival. During Spikefest
2004 the Brockley Jack welcomed performances by Peter Searles, Markus Birdman
and Patrick Monahan.
Educating
Rita by Willy Russell
Presented by Insight Theatre
First produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and later made into the famous film, this
hilarious yet moving comedy brings Rita, an effervescent, working class, Liverpudlian hairdresser
to the study of Frank, a disillusioned English Literature professor who likes a drink or
two.
Burke and Hare by
Terry Newman
Presented by Brute Farce Theatre
in association with Skullduggery
theatre.
This revival of one of the hits of the 2003 Edinburgh Festival was reworked
by director Gemma Sessions for Brute Farce.
A Christmas Carol
adapted by Katy Slater
Presented by Brute
Farce Theatre
A brand new adaptation of Charles Dickens' seasonal classic,
commissioned specifically to be the Jack's opening production. Directed
by Rob Crouch.
"...a first rate production that is sure to lift anyone's spirits" The
Stage read full
review.
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