This is a story about Alan and Jane and their daughter Sarah. Alan and Jane have changed, but having a child always changes people, especially when your daughter’s a crocodile.
Crocodile is a dark comedy that combines pitch-black humour with an increasingly nightmarish sense of menace which promises to leave audiences both delighted and disturbed.
Joe Eyre’s debut play Crocodile, originally selected to open the first ever Pint-Sized, a quarterly of new writing that began at the Jermyn Street Theatre in 2015 and now based at The Bunker, will run at London’s VAULT Festival 2017 from 1 February to 5 February 2017 in a venue used for the first time as part of this year’s festival: the Network Theatre. Joining Joe Eyre (graduate of Guildhall School of Music and Drama; recent credits include King Charles III (West End) and French Without Tears (Orange Tree Theatre and ETT UK Tour)) to complete the cast is Rhiannon Sommers (graduate of Birmingham School of Acting; recent credits include The Notorious Mrs Ebbsmith, Bloody Poetry and Anyone Can Whistle (Jermyn Street Theatre) and Butley (West End)).
Crocodile is directed by Matt Maltby, whose work as a director has been selected for Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of The Fringe. The show is also designed by Clancy Flynn (Trainspotting (The Vaults and UK Tour), Piece of Silk and Victorian and Gay (Hope Theatre), Portia (Theatre 503) and Valkyrie (VAULT Festival 2016)) and Odinn Orn Hilmarsson (Stone Face (Finborough Theatre) and Radioman (Old Red Lion Theatre)).
Joyous Gard is a brand new theatre company founded by siblings Joe Eyre and Beth Eyre (Wooden Overcoats (iTunes Best of 2015, Prix Europa 2016 nominee), The Awkward Ghost (VAULT Festival 2016), The Alchemist (Rose Playhouse) and The Waiting Room (Arts Theatre)) and producer Frankie Parham (Luce (Southwark Playhouse), DENIM (VAULT Festival 2016), Waiting for Godot (Arcola Theatre) and Spring Awakening (Edinburgh Fringe Festival)) with a slate of productions in development for this, its first, year. Crocodile is the company’s first production.
Joe Eyre wrote Crocodile and plays Alan. He trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and then began work as an understudy in the Wyndham’s Theatre transfer of Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III under the direction of Rupert Goold and Whitney Mosery. Joe has just finished performing in a national tour of the ETT/Orange Tree Theatre production of French Without Tears, directed by Paul Miller. Other theatre credits include Three Short Plays by Samuel Beckett (Whispering Beasts, Old Red Lion), As You Like It (Creation Theatre), and Mojo (Edinburgh Fringe Festival, directed by Matt Maltby). Joe is a member of The Factory Theatre and Oneohone Theatre Company.
Rhiannon Sommers plays Jane. She trained at Birmingham School of Acting. Theatre credits include: Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Felicia in The Fatal Friendship, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and Dido in Dido, Queen of Carthage (Rose Theatre, Bankside), Titania/Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Brockley Jack), Rosalind in As You Like It (Creation Theatre, Oxford), Charley’s Aunt, Round and Round the Garden and Gwendolen in The Importance of Being Earnest (Frinton Summer Theatre), Olivia in Twelfth Night and Rosalind in As You Like It (Guildford Shakespeare Company), Agnes Ebbsmith in The Notorious Mrs Ebbsmith, Mary Shelley in Bloody Poetry and Anyone Can Whistle (Jermyn Street Theatre), Butley (West End), Mephistopheles in Doctor Faustus (Place Theatre, Bedford) and Viola in Twelfth Night (Studio Tour).
Matt Maltby directs. Matt runs Pint-Sized, an evening of new writing attached to The Bunker. His work as a director has been selected for Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of The Fringe, and his writing has been performed at The Criterion, the Jermyn Street Theatre and the New Diorama. He works primarily as an actor, and is a member of The Factory Theatre and The HandleBards. Other work includes tours of Japan, the USA and UK.
Clancy Flynn is the lighting designer. She is a theatre designer and technician based in London. A New York native, she studied theatre at Trinity College Dublin before coming to the UK. Previous lighting credits include: Trainspotting (The Vaults and UK Tour), 2 Become 1 and Dorian Gray (King’s Head Theatre), Paper Hearts (Waterloo East Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Piece of Silk and Victorian and Gay (Hope Theatre), Portia (Theatre503), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Pleasance Theatre Islington), The Awkward Ghost, The Signal-Man, Best Served Cold, and Valkyrie (VAULT Festival 2016), Fire Burn (international tour), Click (Ophelia Theatre), and Little Red Riding Hood (Gaiety Theatre and Swansea Grand).
Odinn Orn Hilmarsson is the sound designer. He is an Icelandic composer and sound designer based in London. Since graduating with an MA in Digital Film Production from the University of York in 2012, Odinn has been providing music and sounds for projects all over London and parts of the UK. Recently he has worked on Stone Face at the Finborough Theatre, Radioman at the Old Red Lion Theatre and on the podcast Hector Vs The Future.
Beth Eyre is a producer, actor, voice-over artist and director. She trained at Drama Studio London, and is associate producer of Mercurius Theatre Company. She is perhaps best known as the voice of Antigone Funn in the podcast sitcom Wooden Overcoats, for which she also produces the live shows, and for which she has just been nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role in the 2016 Audio Verse Awards. Theatre credits include The Awkward Ghost (Crowley & Co., VAULT Festival 2016), The Alchemist (Rose Playhouse), A Woman Killed With Kindness (Read Not Dead), The Devil Is An Ass (Rose Playhouse), The Waiting Room (Arts Theatre), Monster Hunters (Crowley & Co.), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Cambridge Shakespeare Festival), The Massacre At Paris (Rose Playhouse), Gut Girls (Brockley Jack), Emma (Oneohone Theatre Company, Tristan Bates Theatre). Voice-over credits include Drayton Trench (Zut Alors), Hector VS The Future (Andy Goddard), Peace & War, Amok and Angel (Wireless Theatre Company).
Frankie Parham is a producer of theatre, film and comedy. Credits include the UK première of Luce by JC Lee (Southwark Playhouse, 2016), Oliver Dench’s One-ManHamlet (Théâtre National de Nice, 2016), DENIM (various, 2014-2017), Waiting for Godot (Arcola Theatre, 2014), sketch comedy double-act Scene Selection (various, 2013-2016), Twelfth Night (UK tour, 2013), Spring Awakening (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2012), Hamlet (UK tour, 2011), Henry V (OUDS/Thelma Holt international tour to Tbilisi, Georgia, 2009) and Предложение (Anton Chekhov’s The Proposal performed in Russian, 2007). He has also worked for the RSC (Revolutions season), Moscow’s Sovremennik Theatre, Cheek by Jowl, Shakespeare’s Globe (Globe to Globe season), Theatre Royal Plymouth, Sputnik Theatre Company, Whispering Beasts, Sovereign Arts, antic | face and the critically-acclaimed Oneohone Theatre Company.
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Crocodile
1 February – 5 February 2017
6.30pm (no latecomers admitted)
VAULT Festival
Network Theatre
246A Lower Road
Waterloo
London SE1 8SF
Tickets: £12. A limited number of 2-for-1 tickets available for 1 February, 2 February and 5 February
Conleth Hill and Imelda Staunton start rehearsals for Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ahead of 13 week run in the West End beginning 22nd February. The cast includes Imelda Staunton as Martha, Conleth Hill as George, Imogen Poots as Honey and Luke Treadaway as Nick. James Macdonald directs the first production of Albee’s landmark play since his death last September. The production runs at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 22nd February to 27th May 2017.
In the early hours of the morning on the campus of an American college, Martha, much to her husband George’s displeasure, has invited the new professor Nick and his wife Honey to their home for some after-party drinks. As the alcohol flows and dawn approaches, the young couple are drawn into George and Martha’s toxic games until the evening reaches its climax in a moment of devastating truth-telling.
Imelda Staunton (Martha) returns to the West End after her triumphant and Olivier Award-winning performance as Mama Rose in Gypsy. Amongst her many other theatre credits, notable performances include Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd, for which she won an Olivier Award, Circle, Mirror, Transformation for the Royal Court and the role of Claire in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance at the Almeida Theatre. In total, Staunton has been nominated for eleven Olivier Awards, winning four. On film Staunton is perhaps best known for playing the title role in Vera Drake, for which she received the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and for the role of Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films.
Conleth Hill (George) is perhaps best known for his role as Lord Varys in the HBO television production Game of Thrones. A multi award-winning theatre actor, amongst his extensive theatre credits, recent productions include Quartermaine’s Terms at the Wyndham’s Theatre and The Cherry Orchard at the National Theatre. Hill won Olivier Awards for his performances in The Producers, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and Stones In His Pockets in the West End. He also received Tony Award nominations for his role in Stones In His Pockets on its transfer to Broadway and The Seafarer, which transferred from the National Theatre to Broadway. Hill’s film credits include Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and Whatever Works, directed by Woody Allen.
Imogen Poots (Honey) makes her West End debut with Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Poots made her breakthrough performance as Tammy in the film 28 Weeks Later. She won the British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Look of Love in 2013 and was nominated for Best Actress at the 2015 Evening Standard British Film Awards for her role in Peter Bogdanovich’s She’s Funny That Way. Other film credits include Terrence Mallick’s The Knight of Cups, Green Room, Filth, Jimi: All Is By My Side, A Late Quartet, Jane Eyre and Frank and Lola. On television, she recently played the female lead in Cameron Crowe’s debut television series Roadies (Showtime).
Luke Treadaway (Nick) won an Olivier Award for his performance as Christopher in the internationally acclaimed hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre/ West End) and also originated the role of Albert in the earliest production of War Horse, again at the National. Further theatre credits include Over There (Royal Court), Piranha Heights (Soho Theatre) and Saint Joan (National Theatre). For film, Treadaway played the lead in the recent Sony Pictures release A Street Cat Named Bob, adapted from the New York Times bestselling novel. Treadaway’s further film credits include Unbroken, Attack the Block, The Whistleblower, Clash of the Titans, Tonight You’re Mine, Heartless, The Rise and Brothers of the Head. For television, this month he returns to his role of scientist Vincent Rattrey in the second series of Sky Atlantic’s critically acclaimed Fortitude. His further credits include the lead character of Alex Higgins in BBC’s The Rack Pack, the Duke of Richmond in the second series of The Hollow Crown (BBC/NBC/Neal Street Productions), as well as Sky Arts mini-series The Nightmare World of H.G. Wells with Michael Gambon.
James Macdonald is highly regarded for his work with Caryl Churchill and Sarah Kane, recently directing Churchill’s play Escaped Alone at the Royal Court. Most recently Macdonald directed The Children by Lucy Kirkwood, also at the Royal Court. Other recent work includes the award-winning production of Florian Zeller’s The Father and Roots at the Donmar Warehouse. Macdonald has previously directed Staunton in the Royal Court’s production of Circle, Mirror, Transformation by Annie Baker and in the critically-acclaimed production of Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance at the Almeida Theatre. Edward Albee was born on 12th March 1928 and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The Death of Bessie Smith (1959), The Sandbox (1959), The American Dream (1960), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize; 1996, Tony Award), All Over (1971), Seascape (1974, Pulitzer Prize), Listening (1975), Counting the Ways (1975), The Lady from Dubuque (1977-78), The Man Who Had Three Arms (1981), Finding the Sun (1982), Marriage Play (1986-87), Three Tall Women (1991, Pulitzer Prize), Fragments (1993), The Play about the Baby (1997), The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? (2000, 2002 Tony Award), Occupant (2001), At Home at the Zoo: Act 1, Homelife. Act 2, The Zoo Story. (2004), and Me, Myself & I (2008). Mr. Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980. In 1996 he received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts. In 2005 he was awarded a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Rehearsal Photography – Johan Persson
Cast Photography – Charlie Gray
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Imelda Staunton and Conleth Hill in Edward Albee’s
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
With Imogen Poots and Luke Treadaway
Director: James Macdonald
Designer: Tom Pye
Lighting Designer: Charles Balfour
Sound Designer and Composer: Adam Cork
Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions and Tulchin Bartner Productions in association with 1001 Nights Productions, Scott M. Delman, Rupert Gavin, Brian Zeilinger
The Harold Pinter Theatre
Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton Street, London SW1Y 4DN 22nd February 2017 – 27th May 2017
