sign in sign up
<<
Home , Caryl Churchill, Hackney Empire, Hampstead Theatre, Kiln Theatre, London Palladium, Ovalhouse

Thursday 29 April, 7.30pm Friday 30 April, 2pm & 7.30pm Saturday 1 May, 7.30pm

Love and Information

By Caryl Churchill Directed by Pooja Ghai Guildhall School of Music & Founded in 1880 by the City of Corporation

Chairman of the Board of Governors Vivienne Littlechild

Principal Lynne Williams

Vice-Principal & Director of Drama Orla O’Loughlin

Vice-Principal & Director of Production Arts Andy Lavender

Please visit our website at gsmd.ac.uk

Photographs of the final year acting company are by: Dave Buttle (Charlie Beck, Lily Hardy, Isla Lee, Noah Marullo, Umi Myers, Felix Newman, Jidé Okunola, Guildhall School is part of Culture Mile: Sonny Pilgrem, Alyth Ross, Dan Wolff), Robert Harper culturemile.london (Kitty Hawthorne), Harry Livingstone (Nia Towle), Wolf Marloh (Zachary Nachbar-Seckel), Clare Park (Grace Cooper Milton), Phil Sharp (Genevieve Lewis, Sam Thorpe-Spinks), Michael Shelford (Levi Brown, Guildhall School is provided by the City of London Sheyi Cole, Aoife Gaston, Brandon Grace, Conor McLeod, Corporation as part of its Hassan Najib, Millie Smith, Tara Tijani, Dolly Webb), contribution to the cultural life David Stone (Justice Ritchie), Faye Thomas of London and the nation (Caitlin Ffion Griffiths), YellowBelly (Hope Kenna) Love and Information

By Caryl Churchill Pooja Ghai director Rosa Maggiora designer Diane Alison-Mitchell movement director Andy Taylor composer Sam Levy lighting designer Maisie Roberts sound designer

Thursday 29, Friday 30 April and Saturday 1 May 2021

Live performances broadcast from Silk Street

Recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited.

Please note this production contains strong language and adult themes. The Play

Love and Information is a curious mixture. Churchill’s thoughts even at a time when this subject was in its infancy. At the end of March 2020 YouGov, the significant but not infallible data analytics The play encourages us to see the world firm, asked a question of the British public. from a plethora of angles and perspectives. The question was: The scenes are so varied yet so pointed, so general yet so universal, it churns your Would you say over the past two weeks that brain thinking about the construction of it you have spoken to your loved ones more or less as a cohesive whole. And yet that whole does than usual, or about the same? exist. This is the genius of Caryl Churchill. You can love it, you can hate it, you can 58% of over 3,000 adults in the UK said they grapple with it for years or you can consume spoke to loved ones about the same amount it and leave it behind – whatever you do as they usually would. The split between the with Love and Information, it will make an other two major groups is startling; 36% of impact of some type. Just a quick Google of adults said they spoke to their loved ones more the play is enough to give you an aneurysm and only 3% said they spoke to them less. if you try to engage with the myriad of different opinions on it from critics and This is sort of understandable – lockdown audiences the world over: was looming, the proliferation of information about COVID-19 was reaching The Socialist review said of the original fever pitch and public belief in the health production: service was beginning to waver. “The play asks us to consider how meaning is What is notable about this survey is that constructed and to participate in the process.” it shows love and information are more entwined than ever before in human history. I mean – what!? That’s no small feat for This year the majority of us have had to a out at the theatre. live in a world where information and technology have changed all our lives in the A Chicago critic was less contemplative most tangible way imaginable. Lockdowns about a revival in 2019 and said, derisively: have been put in place across the world and left us reliant on a small black box that lives “If you have formal artistic training, at some in our pockets to connect with others. point, you were probably in a class in which you were instructed to write a scene in a Caryl Churchill’s play premiered in minute. Then, to make sure everybody did the 2012. Though I am not completely down assignment, the students all read their scenes with Caryl’s writing process, one can out loud, and learning happened. With the help safely imagine that the play began its life of professional production values from Remy sometime around 2010. Its prescience is a Bumppo, that’s basically what Caryl Churchill’s curious thing and showcases the depth of 2012 play Love and Information is.”

Where as a Los Angeles critic reached for the thesaurus when reviewing the play:

“Churchill is curious about what this informational freight is doing to us.”

This plethora (the thesaurus has clearly got to me) of opinions is what makes Love and Information unique. It is difficult to think of another living writer who can inspire so many different opinions and divide audiences so sharply, so easily, so artfully.

Churchill and her subjects, in miniature scenes and vignettes, manage to plough the public consciousness so effectively that it’s easy to see why she stands alone as the UK’s greatest living playwright.

ToXX return to the YouGov survey, I’d like to XX pose the same question to you, the audience, just as the play does. Do you think you have spoken to your loved ones more or less over this past year? Has technology brought us together or has it driven us apart? I’d suggest that love and information had a boom year in 2020 which is all set to continue in 2021.

Programme Notes by Andy McNamee Caryl Churchill playwright

Caryl Churchill’s plays include: Owners; Light Shining in Buckinghamshire; Traps; Cloud Nine; Top Girls; Fen; ; Ice Cream; Mad Forest; The Skriker; Blue Hart; This is a Chair; ; ; ; Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?; ; Love and Information; Here We Go; Pigs and Dogs; Escaped Alone; Glass.Kilss.Bluebeard.Imp. Music theatre includes: Lives of the Great Poisoners and Hotel, both with Orlando Gough. Caryl has also written for radio and television.

Photo by Marc Brenner Ensemble

Aoife Gaston Caitlin Ffion Griffiths Lily Hardy Genevieve Lewis Conor McLeod Umi Myers Felix Newman Sonny Pilgrem Sam Thorpe-Spinks Dolly Webb

A listing of CVs for Guildhall School Final Year Actors may be viewed on the School’s website: gsmd.ac.uk/finalyearactors Final year actors 2020/21

Charlie Levi Sheyi Grace Aoife Beck Brown Cole Cooper Milton Gaston

Brandon Caitlin Ffion Lily Kitty Hope Grace Griffiths Hardy Hawthorne Kenna

Isla Genevieve Noah Conor Umi Lee Lewis Marullo McLeod Myers Zachary Hassan Felix Jidé Sonny Nachbar-Seckel Najib Newman Okunola Pilgrem

Justice Alyth Millie Sam Tara Ritchie Ross Smith Thorpe-Spinks Tijani

Nia Dolly Dan Towle Webb Wolff Production Team

Costume Supervisor Production Assistant Additional Production Staff Tara Boland Darcey Robinson Staff Stage Manager Wardrobe Manager Production Sound Engineer Luke Mason Lucy Lawless Thomas Dixon Staff Stage Management Costume Assistants Sound Operator Supervisor Lucy Lawless Mary Deakes Lizzie Donaghy Imogen Leather Deputy Stage Manager Staff Production Manager Production Electrician Ophir Westman Bob Holmes Joshua Collins ASM Book Cover Production Sound Kate Electrician Assistant Natalya Scase Assistant Stage Managers Ross Carmichael Lighting Programmer Emily Nellis Guy Knox-Holmes

The School thanks Production Manager the following for their Will Darby contribution to this production Technical Manager Aled Roberts Katherine Verberne (ASM cover)

Ros Chase, Ashe DeWaal, Hayden Gurney, Ethan Howlett, Rylee McDaniel, Ben Mills, Stanley Olden, Ben Tinniswood (lighting crew)

A listing of CVs for Guildhall School Final Year Production Arts students may be viewed on the School’s website: gsmd.ac.uk/finalyearPA Watch Guildhall events online for free

Until we can welcome audiences back to our buildings once again, Guildhall School invites you to experience the power of the performing arts online. Visit our website to enjoy exceptional performances delivered by the School’s vibrant community of musicians, actors, production artists and special guests. All broadcasts – from big band gigs to orchestral concerts, solo recitals to drama productions – are free of charge to watch. Discover more at gsmd.ac.uk/events

Guildhall School is provided by the City of London Corporation @guildhallschool Biographies

Pooja Ghai director Rosa Maggiora designer

Pooja was the Associate Director of Theatre Theatre Includes: Zorro the musical Royal Stratford East from 2015 to 2018. (Hopemill Theatre); Hobson’s Choice In 2018 she won the Eastern Eye award (Royal Exchange); Approaching Empty for Best Director for Lions and Tigers at (); Lions & Tigers (The Sam Shakespeare’s Globe. Wanamaker Festival/Shakespeare’s Globe); Nina, A story about me & Nina Simone Theatre: Approaching Empty (Tamasha (/Traverse/Edinburgh Festival/ Theatre); Creative Producer Hobsons Unity Theatre/Liverpool/Rikstearten/ Choice (Royal Exchange); Lions and Tigers Stadstearten Stockholm and Swedish Tour/ (Shakespeare’s Globe, Sam Wanamaker UK Tour); The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Playhouse); Blue Stockings (East 15); Chameleon Skin (Theatre Royal Stratford Rapunzel, Counting Stars, The House of East/Belgrade Theatre); The Wiz In Between (Theatre Royal Stratford (Birmingham Rep/West Yorkshire East); The Empress (Embassy Theatre); Playhouse); Starstruck, Not Black & White, The Accordion Shop (Leicester Curve/ Women, Power & Politics, Stones In His Warwick Arts Centre); As You Like It Pockets (Tricycle Theatre); A Midsummer (Ellen Terry Theatre); 13 (Corbett Theatre); Night’s Dream (Almeida/Edinburgh The Difference (Rich Mix/ Theatre); Festival); Freeoutgoing (Royal Court/ Bobby & Gina (Pavilion); Female of the Edinburgh Festival); The Penelopiad Species (Global Café); Top Girls (Edinburgh (The Swan Royal Shakespeare Company/ Fringe Festival); Metamorphosis National , Canada); Anansi (Burton-Taylor Theatre & Edinburgh & the Magic Mirror (); Fringe Festival); Getting On (Burton-Taylor Mother Courage (Nottingham Playhouse/ Theatre Studio). UK Tour/Hackney Empire); Everyman (Royal Shakespeare Company/USA Tour); Dance: dramaturg for Wayne Parsons’ A River Sutra (Three Mills Island Studios); Meeting (); A Vestige (Wilton’s Shakuntala (); Making The /UK Tour). Future (Oxford Stage Company/Young Vic); Easter (Royal Shakespeare Company/ Barbican); No Boys Cricket Club & Party Girls (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Happy Days (Glasgow Citizens Theatre).

Dance and Opera Include Awakening and Another America: Fire (Sadler’s Wells). Diane Alison-Mitchell movement director Andy Taylor composer

Diane Alison-Mitchell is a movement Andy graduated with a Music degree from director, theatre choreographer and actor Huddersfield University in 1990 where movement tutor who trained at Royal he spent far too much time playing with Central School of Speech and Drama. She the sound-studio technology in between is Head of Movement at Guildhall School practising the piano and composing. of Music & Drama, co-founder/leader He then worked in various music recording of the Movement Directors’ Association studios (including CTS, Lansdowne, (MDA), and Visiting Lecturer and Personal Strongroom, Whitfield Street and Abbey Academic Tutor on the MA Movement: Road) recording a variety of film and TV Directing and Teaching at the Royal Central scores with composers such as Hans Zimmer, School of Speech and Drama. She has also Trevor Jones and Alan Silvestri; and albums taught movement at Italia Conti Academy, with artists such as Stan Tracey, Tina May, E15 Acting School, Regents University, Anthony Newley and . Royal Holloway and was previously Director of the Foundation Acting course To see the sun again Andy moved into at ALRA South. She was part of the creative teaching, initially at Amersham and Wycombe team for the London 2012 Olympic College, then at Kingston College, where Opening Ceremony. he taught Sound and Music (Technology/ Performance/Composition) to students Recent theatre credits include When The principally on the Theatre Production Crows Visit, Wife, Holy Sh!t (Kiln Theatre); Arts, Media, Music Technology and Music A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Criterion Performance courses. He completed a PGCE in Theatre); Shuck ‘n’ Jive (); 1999 and an MA (Audio Technology) in 2007. Our Lady of Kibeho (Royal & Derngate/ Theatre Royal Stratford East); The Hoes Andy is now Head of Theatre Technology ( Theatre); Snow White and and Programme Leader for BA (Hons) the Happy Ever After Salon (/ Video Design for Live Performance at Plymouth Theatre Royal); Never Vera Guildhall School. Recent Sound Designs/ Blue, Offside (Futures Theatre); The Compositions at Guildhall School have Island (Theatre Chipping Norton/Dukes included The Hour We Knew Nothing of Lancaster); Roundelay, Klippies (Southwark Each Other (dir. Sue Lefton); Machinal (dir. Playhouse); They Drink It In The Congo Edward Dick); Great Expectations (dir. (); SOUL (Royal & Christian Burgess); Gut (dir. Kate Budgen); Derngate/Hackney Empire); Othello, Magna Carta and Shakespeare 400, the latter Julius Caesar (RSC); The Emperor Jones of which were video projection mapping (LOST Theatre); How Nigeria Became: productions at Guildhall in association A story, and a spear that didn’t work with the BA (Hons) Video Design for Live (). Performance programme. Sam Levy lighting designer Maisie Roberts sound designer

Sam is currently in his third year of Maisie is currently in her third year of the BA (Hons) Technical Theatre Arts the BA (Hons) Technical Theatre Arts (Theatre Technology) programme at (Theatre Technology) programme at Guildhall School. Guildhall School.

Lighting credits include: Lighting Sound credits include: Sound Assistant Programmer Antigone (dir. Orla Summer Opera Makers 2020 (dir. John O’Loughlin); Lighting Programmer Tortoise Ramster); Sound Operator and Mixer (Bunker Theatre – NYT); Followspot Earthquakes in London (dir. Abigail Graham). Operator Snow White (). Other Guildhall credits include: Production Other Guildhall credits include: Sound Manager Pod (dir. Jamie Bradley and Designer Pod (dir. Jamie Bradley and Vicki Igbokwe); Video Assistant Earthquakes Vicki Igbokwe); Production Sound in London (dir. Abigail Graham); Video Engineer Guildhall Live Events; Sound Assistant The Angel Esmeralda (dir. Martin Engineer Opera Makers 2020 (dir. John Lloyd-Evans); Video Assistant Gut (dir. Ramster); Notch Programmer Opera Double Kate Budgen); Lighting Programmer Bill (dir. Olivia Fuchs); Assistant Stage Dido and Aeneas and La Bella Dormente Manager Earthquakes in London (dir. Abigail Nel Bosco (dir. Olivia Fuchs); Production Graham); Production Sound Engineer Assistant Autumn Opera Scenes 2019 (dir. Provok’d: A Restoration (dir. Jamie Bradley Martin Lloyd-Evans); Production Assistant & Vicki Igbokwe); Production Assistant La fedeltá premiata (dir. Stephen Barlow). Red Velvet (dir. Wyn Jones). Other Professional credits include: Sound Other Professional credits include: Vault Assistant for Leanne La Havas with BBC Lates (Vault Festival 2020); Grandpa’s Symphony Orchestra (Barbican Concert Great Escape (Arena Tour); Rugby X (O2 Hall); Freelance Lighting Technician Arena); Edinburgh Fringe (Pleasance); (); Venue Crew at The Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony Cellar, Edinburgh Fringe Festival; Sound 2019; MiSST Concerts (London Palladium, Technician All Aboard! At Termination Station Cadogan Hall); Beautiful Thing ( (dir. Lily Burton); The Tea House & Bread + Docklands International Festival). and Roses Pub Theatre ( Fringe); Lighting Designer Terra/Earth (dir. Sarah Stephenson), National Theatre Connections, Nottingham Playhouse; Sound No.2/ASM Madagascar the Musical (dir. Leah Scott), Theatricool Performing Arts (Mercury Theatre); Sound and Lighting Technician Tubular Bells Live (Mercury Theatre). Watch Guildhall events online for free

Guildhall School offers a diverse selection of online and in-person short courses in a wide range of topics, including music, drama and production arts. Whether you’re thinking about learning something completely new, exploring a hobby or a passion, or just brushing up on existing skills, we have something for you.

Participation Bursaries are available on a number of courses, offering full and partial funding to eligible applicants from low-income households.

Find out more at gsmd.ac.uk/shortcourses

Guildhall School is provided by the City of London Corporation Guildhall School Scholarships Fund

Each year the Scholarships Fund enables talented young actors, production artists, musicians and theatre technicians to take up their places or continue their studies at Guildhall School. We are extremely grateful to many trusts, foundations, businesses, City livery companies and individuals who make annual donations to the Scholarships Fund, and to those people who make provision for legacy donations in support of the School in their wills. Students involved with our 2020/21 theatre productions who have received support from the Scholarships Fund and from external donors are as follows:

Rigler-Ollerton Acting Production Arts Benedict Rattray Scholar Maisie Roberts Guildhall Scholars Conor McLeod Guildhall Scholars Rosie Roberts Sheyi Cole Laura Alexander- Daniel Robinson The Bess Jones Caitlin Ffion and Leigh Hudson Smith Natalya Scase Griffiths Award Holder Molly Barron Matthew Servant Lily Hardy* Brandon Grace Georgie Bottone Matt Shraga Hope Kenna Ros Chase Ema Soares Da Isla Lee The Nicky Bird Eve Clayton Cunha Hassan Najib Scholar Joshua Collins Andrea Støier Jidé Okunola Levi Brown Kyra Coppini Andersen Alyth Ross The Stanley Picker Ryan Davies Allegra Totaro- Sam Thorpe-Spinks Trust Scholar Mary Deakes Wainwright Tara Tijani Felix Newman*** Jack Garner-Greene Qian Yan Tan Dolly Webb** Bradley Halliwell Katherine Verberne *also supported Olivia Hilton-Foster Ophir Westman The Damian directly by The Holly Hooper Adam Woodhouse Lewis Finishing Lilian Baylis Award Miriam Houghton Fund Scholar City of London Edward Jackson Justice Ritchie **also supported Scholars Devon James-Bowen directly by Sophie’s Sophie Bramley City of London Sammy Lacey Silver Lining Trust Reuben Cohen Scholars Samantha Liquorish Dani Diego Grace Cooper Milton Kerry Loosemore ***also supported Sam Levy Aoife Gaston directly by The Eilidh Mackenzie Nia Towle Sir John Gielgud Rylee McDaniel Leathersellers’ Livvy Meeks Scholar Noel Coward Charitable Trust Foundation Scholar Stanley Olden Kate Charlie Beck Sophie Presswell Tallow Chandlers’ The Steel Charitable Scholar Trust Scholar Finlay Anderson Monika Zwierzchowska Skinners’ Lawrence Atwell Scholar Carpenters’ Fiona Newton Company Production Arts B&T Scholars Scholarship Tara Boland Emylly Ombok Charlie Vince- Crowhurst The Salters Production Arts Leverhulme Award Holder Arts Scholars Abu Mensah Samuel Dawson The Jane Ades Em Dethick-Jones Ingenuity Scholar Poppy Harnett Rin Akiyama Amy Hill Emma Horne Viktor Mileika Emily Nellis Pete Reavey Jack Stevens Naomi Wright

The Vanstone Scholar Takiyah Campbell Join the Guildhall Patrons Empower our students to light up stages and concert halls around the world

Your support will safeguard the School’s specialist training of international musicians, actors and production artists and provide expert masterclasses, strands of specialist teaching and the equipment essential to maintaining the Guildhall School as a world-leading conservatoire. As a Patron you will be richly rewarded with performances across the breadth of the School’s artistic disciplines. We invite you to witness artists in training and enjoy a fulfilling rapport with Guildhall staff, students and fellow supporters. For more information about becoming a Patron, please contact: Emily McNeillis, Development Officer (Individuals), [email protected]