Category: .. Productions ..

15
Oct

Introducing: playwright Ben Norton Davies

Ben Norton Davies

It’s time to introduce multi-talented ANOTHER DAY playwright Ben Norton Davies…

Ben, ANOTHER DAY will be the second time you have worked with A Friend of a Friend Productions can  you tell us a little bit about the first time?

Yeah, well I was fortunate enough to have a play in the ‘Scripted’ event at the Southwark Playhouse  last year.

Two years ago actually.

Is it really? Bloody hell, time flies. Okay so I had a play in ‘Scripted’ two years ago; a little comedic  two hander about unrequited love called “A Misunderstanding” which had just been shortlisted for the Soho Theatre Westminster Prize. I enjoy playing around with staging conventions in my writing and I came up with the idea of a piece that worked as a single narrative but told by two people in
separate spaces… it seemed to go down pretty well.

It really did. So what have you been doing since then?

You know the joy of it was I actually met with a number of people in the bar after ‘Scripted’ who had enjoyed what I had done and wanted me to work with them. That was a great feeling! So that night I was commissioned to create a piece for Invertigo’s ‘Seven’ event at The George Tavern in Shadwell. Then that in turn led to me writing a longer piece for them entitled “A Marked Man” that was presented at the 2013 HighTide Festival. I have also had works performed at new writing nights across London. Oh and I’m working on a screenplay… but then isn’t everyone?

A Misunderstanding SCRIPTED lob

Nick Read and Ben Worth in A MISUNDERSTANDING

A question we are asking all our writers is predictably enough; “did you always want to be a writer?”

No, not really. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I actually went to university with ambitions of being an actor. Then while I was there I wrote a few plays for coursework that were well received, and then I started writing stand-up routines and comedy songs that I would perform at local pubs, and I guess I just found myself drifting more in that direction. Even now though I don’t really think of myself as just a writer as its only part of what I do, part of who I am I guess.

And what are the other parts?

Eurgh. I don’t know. I hate these kinds of questions. I do a bit of everything I guess; writing, illustration, comics, design… and then there’s the day job as a follow spot operator.

Can you tell us more about that?

About follow spotting? Well I point a big light at a stage…

Ha. No; about your design work.

Oh right, okay. So I created the webcomics ‘My TV is Evil’, ‘Catatonic’ and ‘Modern Life is Awesome’, and I’ve done logo designs and posters for various clients. I’ve also done artwork on iPhone apps and various websites. Most recently I designed the cover art for Jenifer Toksvig and David Perkins adaptation of ‘The Nutcracker’ for Samuel French, which we are currently developing into an interactive app book. So yeah; to go back to the question “did I always want to be a writer?” I guess I just always wanted to be creative, you know?… Damn, no; don’t put that.

Why not?

Well it’s a bit of a wanky answer, isn’t it? You know what; ask me again.

Okay. Did you always want to be a writer?

Yes.

Ha! Okay can you tell us a bit about your writing process? Do you sit down with a definite idea or do you just start typing and see what comes out?

I guess a bit of both. I fill notebook after notebook with ideas, and thoughts, and overheard conversations but naturally not every one of them will develop into something. I’m not one of those writers that handcuffs themselves to the computer for eight hours a day, I tend to focus on an idea with a rabid ferocity for as long as it feels exciting and then if I haven’t shaped it into something in the first week or so it tends to drop down into the “work in progress” file where it moulders, half-forgotten, until I rediscover it when I’ve lost interest in the next thing, do you know what I mean?

But still I would say I write most days; on the bus, at work, in cafes, you know? I’ve constantly got three or four projects bubbling away at any one time so I’ll flit between them constantly editing and revising. Of course sometimes you get lucky and people ask you for something specific; and I love it when that happens because in many ways it makes the process easier; having that pressure to deliver… you know that absolute threat of a deadline? It cuts out all the procrastination and forces you to, well… deliver.

We know what you mean.

That’s a relief.

Ha. ANOTHER DAY focuses on the residents of Southwark and in particular Blackfriars, can you tell us a little about your connection to the area.

Well I have been a Southwark resident for about 10 years, first in Elephant and Castle and now slightly further out in East Dulwich. I love South London, especially the genuine sense of pride that people have for the area. I also love how you are only ever a few minutes from a park, I’m not a full on tree hugger or anything but I do like to sit in the shade of a tree with my ukulele on a sunny afternoon. As for Blackfriars itself I am quite familiar with the area as I often cut through on my way to and from work but thanks to working on this project I’ve been spending more time in the area and spending more money in the many bars! This summer I happily ended many an evening staggering to the 63 bus stop on Blackfriars Road! You know, I actually set “A Marked Man” in Blackfriars? Admittedly a slightly dystopian future version of Blackfriars, but still… I was drawn to the dichotomy of the area, extreme wealth and extreme poverty rubbing against each other in such a confined space, and then you’ve got the sense of history in conflict with extreme modernisation and the fact that you can see these changes in the skyline happening daily, happening relentlessly; it makes for a strong visual metaphor for modern society. It’s actually been extremely satisfying to revisit these ideas and have them inform the piece I’ve written for ‘Another Day’.

Ben Norton Davies is the writer of ‘The Artist’s Dog’ for ANOTHER DAY.

Follow Ben on twitter : @mytvisevil

Check out his comics:

My TV is Evil - http://mytvisevil.thecomicseries.com/comics/1/
Catatonic - http://bnortondavies.wordpress.com/page/27/
Modern Life is Awesome - http://modernlifeisawesome.thecomicseries.com/comics/1/

13
Oct
11
Oct

Discount for SE1 Residents

Tickets are on sale for ANOTHER DAY and we are delighted to welcome the local community that has inspired us with a discount for all residents of SE1: simply type in the code SE1 when purchasing your ticket, click Apply Code, and you’ll be able to purchase tickets for £5!

It’s as easy as that – just remember to bring proof of address with you on the day.

 

Buy your tickets now: https://www.unicorntheatre.com/whatson/88

If you’re not sure, have a look below for where to enter your code.

Another Day Blackfriars Unicorn discount code

 

You can also purchse discounted tickets by quoting “SE1” in person at the box office or on the phone by calling 0207 645 0560.

09
Oct

Buy your tickets for Another Day

Another Day Banner

 

Tickets are now available via the Box Office at the Unicorn Theatre in person or over the phone by calling 0207 645 0560.

To book your tickets online, please click here: https://www.unicorntheatre.com/whatson/88

Please note that this performance does not take place at the Unicorn Theatre.

7:30pm Monday 20th October – Wednesday 22nd October 2014
7:30pm Sunday 26th October – Wednesday 29th October 2014

Another Day is a site specific promenade performance which commences at the Mad Hatter Hotel, we advise that you dress warmly and wear comfortable footwear.

If you have any questions, get in touch by emailing us at hello@afriendofafriendproductions.org

07
Oct

Announcing the cast of Another Day

After two rounds of auditions, we are full steam ahead with rehearsals – including lots of site specific work!

So here’s our hurrah to the wonderful cast of Another Day:

 

Denise Mack

Denise Mack

Ian Mairs

Ian Mairs

Rachel Keys

Rachel Keys

Terri-Ann Brumby

Terri-Ann Brumby

Shivani Kapur

Shivani Kapur

Alex Harvey

Alex Harvey

Andy Umerah

Andy Umerah

Jenny Wills

Jenny Wills

 

 

You can find out more about the cast on our online programme: http://www.afriendofafriendproductions.org/project/another-day/

 

Presales are currently open over the phone and in person with the Unicorn Theatre [link] … you’ll be able to book online soon, we promise!