Tell us more about the play you're producing? When and how was it written and/or developed?
Window is a fantastically honest piece about a young married couple who one day see something out of their window that changes their lives forever. It is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, and we're all really excited about bringing it to the audiences of Clapham and beyond!

And what's the background of your theatre company?
Another Soup started back in Durham University in 2010, when a small group of us wanted to produce work in slightly more interesting spaces than the run-of-the-mill straightforward theatre venues we were used to. Since then, we've been to the Fringe, produced an immersive musical version of Sweeney Todd in an indoor market, converted a huge hotel suite in Edinburgh, and performed at the King's Head and the Hope Theatres, among others.

Tell us more about the play you're producing? When and how was it written and/or developed? 
‘Henners’ was conceived when Maddie and I were at drama school together. Henry VIII is such an iconic figure in history. Everyone remembers learning the 'divorced beheaded died' rhyme at school! The idea of couples counselling was Maddie’s brainchild, Henry had such rocky relationships and outrageous antics, it was just a comedic gold mine. We initially created the show for our end of year showcase, instantly we got a great response and we realised we couldn’t stop. We have performed it in two Fringes, Clapham and Guildford, and we have just watched it grow. We have recently got an amazing new director, Niamh Handley-Vaughan, who has transformed the piece and really helped us to hone and define the characters. We also rely heavily on pop-culture references so the play is constantly getting updated and reviewed in order to keep up with the current trends.
 
And what's the background of your theatre company? 
Tickled Gecko was created when we were students at The Forge Initiative. Our training was in Devised Theatre and the intention of the course was to graduate with the tools needed to create your own work. Our style is very collaborative, we write and devise all our work together using each other to bounce ideas off. We started off as specialising in comedy, hence ‘Henners’, but we are trying new things in our more recent work and seeing where it takes us. Inevitably though, comedy is our core so I am sure we won’t stray too far.
 
Who are the people involved? 
Laura Hall, Maddie O’Brien and Ryan Moss wrote the initial version of the play, since then, the girls have continued to develop and edit it. Laura Hall and Maddie O’Brien run the theatre company and also multi-role alternating between playing the wives and the marriage counsellors. The wonderful Matthew Farmer plays King Henry VIII and the ridiculous character of the Trumpeter is played by Sam Jarvis. Not forgetting Tickled Gecko’s truly talented director Niamh Handley-Vaughan.
 
For how long have you been working on this show and how has it changed over time? 
It has been just over a year since we first started work on ‘Henners’. It has developed so much over time, having a director in the room with a pair of fresh eyes has really helped our characters grow. Following the Guildford Fringe, we have been taking time to workshop ‘Henners’; we are playing with the comedy of it and constantly updating the pop-culture references. It is ten times the show it once was and as it has grown so has our love for the piece. One thing that never changes is just how fun and hilarious it is to perform. 
 
What were the biggest challenges in bringing your show to life? 
The thing with comedy is that it is can be so subjective and what may seem funny when we were writing and devising it may not transfer on stage so well. That is why we took so much time reworking and trying out our production to various audiences so we could really nail down what material is making the audience laugh and where we can run with it. We always wanted to keep the show historically accurate (to a certain extent...) which is hard to do whilst writing a comedy that modern audiences would like and understand.  
 
And what can we most look forward to from your production?
Lots of laughs and a bit more of an adult education on the horrible king.

Henners is on 10th & 11th September at 7.30pm

An interview with the writer of Puppy, Naomi Westerman.

Tell us more about the play you're producing? When and how was it written and/or developed?
Puppy came about almost accidentally. I was walking home one evening and noticed some grafitti on the local tennis courts saying "dogging" with an arrow. When I got home I sat down and wrote a little ten-minute comedy thing about a group of doggers, in about an hour. Some friends performed it for a sex-themed theatre fundraiser, and people seemed to laugh a lot. At the same time I'd been playing with the idea of writing a play about sex from a queer feminist point of view, and I decided to make the dogging short scene one of full-length play. It felt like a really unexpected angle and I liked that. The other inspiration was the so-called "porn ban" or "facesitting ban" of 2014, which was clearly crying out to be turned into a play (a government attack on female sexual pleasure, and Nick Clegg randomly turning up to give a speech in favour of facesitting??).

So I wrote 'Puppy' and we did a run of it at VAULT as a work in progress, where it sold out and got some amazing reviews (including being name checked in the Guardian and Time Out), and is now in talks about transferring to a major theatre.

And what's the background of your theatre company?
I set up Little but Fierce in 2014. I acted in a play with an all-female cast the year before, and it was such a wonderful and holistic experience to make work in an all-female environment. When the show ended several of us continued to have regular get-togethers, to work/play/learn (rehearse audition monologues, test out new material, practise improv, etc.) in a supportive environment. I named the group Little but Fierce, and when the opportunity arose to perform a one-act play I'd written (at the Royal Shakespeare Company, as part of a festival) we formally came together as a theatre company.

​"Gosh! It was quite wonderful." * 
 
We’re bringing our oft toured show of Everyman to London for the first time this year.  It’s been great fun working on it, especially considering how serious the play is.  It’s about what the actions in your life mean, what your good and bad deeds are – what good and bad deeds even are.  It’s quite intense at times, but we like it that way.
 
"Amazing performance, although I knew it would be.  So thought provoking and moving.  At one point I thought I was going to cry!!"
 
Everyman has been seen all over the country, but London kept being missed out of our tours.  We’re very sorry about that, it’s nothing personal.  Every year we also try to produce at least one other revival of a more obscure piece of early drama, something that has never or rarely been seen before.
 
"A triumph! Thought provoking, light & dark, everything for a complete performance - superb!!"

Back to Where is based on improvisations. What was it like developing the piece?
It's been a very enjoyable and creatively rewarding experience. With the improvisations we ended up generating so much material the biggest challenge was in deciding which bits told the story best. We all agree that it's been one of the most collaborative projects any of us have been a part of. It's been exciting as through the improvisations the original story has gone in unexpected directions....maybe into the story that it was always supposed to be?

What was the process and how long have you been working on it?
We started the project in August 2016 so by the time the show goes on we will have been working on it for just under a year. Colin had written a rough script a couple of years prior upon which we based the character's relationship and setting. The next stage was improvising the scenes; we set up a camera and just went for it. We would then evaluate the improvisations and type videos up into a script. Since then it's been a balance of editing and rehearsals to make the most entertaining and compelling play we can.

Our latest in-house production, a revival of 'dirty butterfly' by Olivier-Award-winning playwright and BAFTA-Award-winning screenwriter debbie tucker green, has been getting rave reviews in its opening week. There are 10 performances left to catch it, so make sure to book your tickets asap.
​Tue-Sat until 13th May!
 
Listening through their thin walls, Amelia and Jason are drawn into the dark and compelling world of their mutual neighbour, Jo. Something very nasty is going on next door. Jason and Amelia know it, but do nothing...
 
"a memorable and stunning theatre event" ★★★★★ - Remotegoat
"terrific performances" and "sharp direction" ★★★★½ - Arthur's Seat
"The intimate Bread and Roses Theatre is perfect for such challenging in-yer-face theatre" - The Stage
"a moving and unnerving piece" ★★★★ - ActDrop
 Top Pick of the Month: "political and deeply human" ★★★★ - London Pub Theatres Magazine
"a strong production" - British Theatre Guide
"doesn’t let the tension dissipate for a moment" ★★★★ - Breaking The Fourth Wall
"I did enjoy Dirty Butterfly and will definitely think again" ★★★★ - LondonTheatre1
"fantastic production that is wonderfully entertaining and thought provoking" - Fairy Powered Productions

BOOK NOW!

​This is a brand new play. How was it developed and conceived? What is it inspired by?
 It was written by American playwright David Moberg who’s based in Florida, he also runs notech theatre, as to make it easier for companies  to perform plays with little to no tech which is great idea especially for a company like ourselves who are just starting out and have limited funding and resources. I believe this is the first play that he has written and this will the first run of Teaching a dillo to cross the road,  this side of the pond. The main elements that inspire the play are bereavement and how that effects the family unit, mental illness in the form alcoholism and delusions, physical illness with dementia being quite predominant in the plays action as well as human emotions such as guilt, regret, shame and hope.

Tell us more about Tennessee Theatre Company. What's the company's history and background?
Tennessee Theatre Company  was founded by actress Rebecca Calienda in 2016  it was after a stint at the Edinburgh fringe festival, Rebecca decided she wanted to start creating her own theatre productions on returning to London and produce work that aims to effect an audience. She was also keen to collaborate with like minded individuals. Tennessee Theatre Company takes its name from Rebecca’s faverioute playwright Tennessee Williams. Teaching a dillo to cross the road will be Tennessee Theatre Companys first production, the play was picked as Rebecca liked the idea of taking a new writing piece which hasn’t been performed before as it felt like a fresh slate to start with for this new company.

Following 5 star reviewed productions of 'Miss Julie' in 2015 and 'Low Level Panic' in 2016, this year The Bread & Roses Theatre is putting on a revival of the debut play of Olivier-Award-winning playwright and BAFTA-Award-winning screenwriter debbie tucker green, dirty butterfly.

We are largely funding the projects ourselves but need to raise some additional funds. We are therefore holding a fundraiser and running a crowdfunding campaign!

Fundraiser
An exciting one-night-only fundraising event. We will have a quiz, raffle, auction and plenty of entertainment with exciting prizes to win! Arrive from 7pm - kicking off at 7:30pm.
Location: The Garden Room @ The Bread & Roses Pub, 68 Clapham Manor Street, Clapham SW4 6DZ

Crowdfunding Campaign
Give a little or a lot and/or just help us by spreading the word and sharing the link!

Thank you!

Free Rayne Artists tell us about their return to The Bread & Roses Theatre with a new edition of their hit show Spiral (12-14 April).

Tell us a bit more about the people behind Free Rayne Artists! What are all your theatre backgrounds? 
Matthew and Rebecca are the Founders and Artistic Directors. Olivia and Leanne are the Artistic Advisers. They all trained as actors, graduating from Drama Centre, London, Italia Conti and The London School of Musical Theatre. 

This is your third time producing Spiral, the second time at The Bread & Roses, how has the project evolved over the time?
We are committed to developing the work of new writers and giving directors and actors the opportunity to showcase their talent. The projects evolve by pursuing innovative new plays and continuing to search for new talent. We are always thrilled to hear when our creatives progress within the industry.