ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY KATE MCGREGOR PRODUCED BY THEATRE6 AND TALES RETOLD
HHHHH “Brave, brilliant and unmissable” The Times (The Scottsboro Boys) HHHHH “Captivating” Windsor Express (Persuasion) DIRECTOR’S NOTES
I’ve loved Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations’ for many years and always found myself entranced and intrigued by Miss Havisham and her adopted daughter Estella. Estella is often described as a mystery to those around her - cold, lonely and unfeeling. However, when you consider her childhood and immediate role models, it’s no wonder she has struggled to establish her own identity. Throughout the novel, Estella is kept away from the truth of her life by Pip, Jaggers and Miss Havisham and this just didn’t seem fair to me. Therefore, I wanted to write a version that put the women of ‘Great Expectations’ unapologetically front and centre. 'Estella' is about giving Estella, Molly and Miss Havisham their time in the spotlight and in doing so, releasing them from the fate of being forever underwritten and universally misunderstood. At Theatre6 we work predominantly with live actor- musicianship and this approach has been the perfect vehicle to help unlock Estella’s secrets and lay her truth bare. It’s been really exciting to fill in the gaps of Estella’s life and give her new agency. We hope that this adaptation celebrates the fascinating narratives of so many women in Victorian literature and establishes a new legacy for classic popular fiction.
KATE MCGREGOR - DIRECTOR CAST
Afia Abusham - Estella Afia Abusham completed her Acting training at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City. Whilst predominantly working as an Actress Afia has always had a passion for music, playing the Clarinet and the Piano from an early age. Once returning to the UK she furthered her musical theatre training at Associated Studios in London. Credits include: Uncle Vanya (Harold Pinter Theatre), Anansi the Spider (Unicorn Theatre), Babylon Beyond Borders (Bush Theatre), Apple Tree House (CBBC), Macbeth (Classical Theatre of Harlem).
Annabelle Brown - Miss Havisham Annabelle trained at Mountview and the VCA. Theatre includes: The Mousetrap (West End); Henry II (RBL); Lysistrata, Salome (TLC); An Elizabethan Christmas, Speak Low if You Speak Love, Encounters (HCP); Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest (Principal Theatre Company); O Little Town, Whisky Dusk (Specifiq); Dick Barton (Warehouse Theatre); When Harry Met Sally (National Tour;) A Christmas Carol (King’s Head); and several international site-specific productions. She regularly narrates orchestral concerts for children for The Classical Road Show, with the RPO and LMP. Audio work includes: Peter Pan, An Audio Adventure (POH); The Rise of Banda Singh Badur (English dub); and several series of children’s stories for Ziptales.
Olivia Warren - Molly Olivia trained as an actor musician at Rose Bruford College. Her credits include Hey Diddle Diddle (Goblin Theatre), Christmas at the Hall (Royal Albert Hall), Say My Name! The Unauthorised Breaking Bad Parody Musical (Theatre N16) and Shootout (White Bear Theatre). She is also a writer - her play Eaten Mess has been developed at CLF Art Cafe and Theatr Clwyd, and her short film Hard as Nails is currently available on BFI Player after being selected for BFI’s Future Film Festival. Over lockdown, she has grown a modest amount of leafy greens, enough to fill a small salad bar. CREATIVES
Kate McGregor - Director, Adapter & Producer for Theatre6 Kate is Artistic Director of award-winning Theatre6 and winner of the Noel Coward Trainee Director Bursary at The Salisbury Playhouse. She trained on the Chicago Director’s Lab, National Theatre Studio and Postgraduate Director’s Course at Drama Studio London. She has a First Class BA Honours degree from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Kate’s recent work for Theatre6 includes acclaimed UK Tours of Persuasion by Stephanie Dale and Gabriel by Moira Buffini staring Belinda Lang and Paul McGann. Gabriel achieved four and five- star reviews in The Times, The Mail on Sunday, Liverpool Echo, The Stage and toured to eight venues including Richmond Theatre, Liverpool Everyman, Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud and Windsor Theatre Royal.
Her other directing credits include: The Lost Boy (Theatre-in-the-Quarter), The Adventures of Pinocchio (Cornerstone), Bugsy Malone, Grace: a youth musical, Truce, East and West (New Wimbledon Theatre), Alice In Wonderland (Rose Theatre Studio, Kingston), Honest (UK Tour), Richard III, Henry V (Shakespeare’s Globe - Education), Kinetics (UK Tour), The Water Engine and Mr Happiness (Old Vic Tunnels - Time Out award nominated), Moments (Chichester Festival Theatre), Dracula, The Jungle Book, (London Libraries Tour), The Ripple Effect (Richmond Theatre/London 2012 Festival). The Devil Is An Ass, The Double (White Bear Theatre), Never any Fruit (Pleasance Theatre Islington).
Kate works as a Staff Director at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. She regularly adapts novels for the stage and works as a dramaturg in the UK and internationally. She is based in Bristol and lives with her husband Phil and dog Wicker. www.katemcgregor.co.uk Maria Haïk Escudero - Composer Maria obtained her MA in Musical Theatre (Composition) from Goldsmiths University in 2009. In 2010 she joined Theatre6 as resident composer. With Theatre6, credits include The Double (The White Bear), Beyond Therapy (Hen & Chickens), Mr Happiness & The Water Engine which won The Off West End Award for Best Actor and was Time Out Critics Choice, Gabriel (UK National Tour) starring Paul McGann and Belinda Lang and more recently two UK tours of Austen’s Persuasion, adapted by Stephanie Dale.
Other credits include: Mary Rose (Jack Studio Theatre and Off West End transfer to Riverside Studios), The Cherry Orchard (Jack Studio Theatre), Nina (Spanish Theatre Company) and Antigone (The Hope Theatre). Musicals include Fidel (Iris theatre), Moments (concert readings at Wimbledon Studio Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre), Zipporah (George Wood Theatre) and workshop of new musical Mio, based on Astrid Lindgren’s children’s story.
As lyricist Maria collaborated with musician Omar Puente on musical Mi Cubita Bella (Hammersmith Arts Festival) and with composer Eralys Fernandez, creating Mr and Mrs Hake and the Magic Princess Fish (North Finchley Arts Depot) a short opera for the very young. Recently, she composed the music for radio play The Party Animal (Open Theatre). www.ilovepiano.org. Cas Hodges - Producer for Tales Retold Cas read English and Drama at Sussex University then studied Acting at Drama Studio London. Cas runs Tales Retold: www.talesretold.co.uk Off West End award-nominated production company who explore telling classic tales in innovative ways. Their recent productions include: Flesh (River house Barn), Uncle Vanya (The Hope Theatre), Cold Callers (co-production with Funky Sputnik Productions), Antigone (Hope Theatre), Shakespeare in the Garden (Hampton Court Flower Show), Coward (The Nightingale Rooms), Much Ado About Nothing (Rose and Crown Fullers), Safer (Tristan Bates Theatre), Snoo Wilson’s More Light (Rose, Bankside) and the UK Premiere of The Tragedy of Soliman and Perseda (Rose, Bankside). Cas is a graduate of Stage One and the Finborough Theatre Production Internship 2013. She was Associate Producer at the Hope Theatre 2015-2019: www.hopetheatre.com.
Charlotte Cooke - Designer Charlotte graduated from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School with an MA in Theatre Design in 2017. Designs include: Into The Wild (Music Event), Charlie Chaplin (Arrows and Traps) UK Tour, Macbeth (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School TIE Tour), Macbeth (The Shakespeare Project) Salomons Estate, Jekyll and Hyde (Arrows and Traps) UK Tour, Boomtown, Decor Manager Wonderland (Brave Bold Drama) UK Tour, Thames Tales (WCTT YAC with Merton Music Foundation) Royal Albert Hall, To Walk on Water (WCTT YAC) New Wimbledon Studio, Lemons (WCTT YAC) New Wimbledon Studio, Rudolf (Pins and Needles production) MAC Theatre, Boudica (TRB TS) The Egg, Persuasion (Theatre6) UK Tour, Vanity Fair (TRB Summer Company) The Egg, The Farm (WCTT Young Actors Company) New Wimbledon Studio, Team Spirit (WCTT Young Actors Company) The Interference (WCTT Young Actors Company) New Wimbledon Studio, Punk Rock (Bristol Old Vic Young Company) Lantern Studio, Bristol Old Vic Summer School Project (Hauser and Wirth), Frogs (Hecate Theatre) Surplus Women (TRB Engage NOVA) The Orchid Girl (PirateClown Theatre) and Dracula (Open Book Theatre). Stage Manager - Alex Hobbs Alex has recently graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His previous Stage Management credits include working as the Technical Stage Manager for the Offi e Award winning production of All the Little Lights (directed by Hannah Calascione) at Tristan Bates Theatre, Deputy Stage Manager for the opera Sane and Sound (directed by Katie Bunting) at the Arcola Theatre, Deputy Stage Manager for The Rover (directed by Bethany Pitts) at British American Drama Academy, Stage Manager for the music concert Capital Orchestra with the Lydian Collective at Cadogan Hall and Stage Manager for events for Pride in London. Lighting Designer/Production Manager - Pete Rickards Pete Rickards is a freelance production manager working with eStage, and a Lighting Designer for theatre and concerts. His production management career has seen him working across the board Nationally and Internationally, spanning fringe venues, to giants such as The Roundhouse and Birmingham 02 Academy. Pete’s lighting designs have been showcased across the UK, US & Europe for Theatre, Music and immersive events.
Sound Designer - Paul Freeman Paul Freeman trained at the London College of Communication in Sound Arts and Design. He has twice been nominated for Best Sound Designer at the OffWestEnd awards for The Win Bin and Lovesong Of The Electric Bear, which went on to win him Best Sound Design at the 2016 OffWestEnd awards. Paul’s composition and sound design credits include The Electric Circus (UK Tour), 25” by 25” (Wellcome Collection), Green (Screen) Dreams (York Mediale), Where The Hell Is Bernard? (UK Tour), Persuasion (UK Tour), Foul Pages (Hope Theatre), The Host (The Yard), Executioner Number One (Soho Theatre), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Finborough), Steel Magnolias (Hope Theatre), Eigengrau (King’s Head), Rounds (Southwark Playhouse), Antigone (Hope Theatre), The Win Bin (Old Red Lion), Lovesong Of The Electric Bear (Hope Theatre). Work experience Lucy Phillips and Lily Stephens
Photography Lidia Crisafulli
Indiegogo supporters Justin Buzzard, Madi Delk, Rachel Diedrich, Sam Gonzalez, Francesca Green, Philip Jackson, Ria Jones, Chris McGregor, Ken McGregor, Liz McGregor, Alice Nicholas, Emma Piper, James Stone.
Thank you Arts Council England, Dominic Lindesay- Bethune at Theatre6, Tanya Ronder, Emily, Nigel and all the team at Riverhouse Barn, Will Mytum and all the team at BOAT, Marie McCarthy and all the team at Omnibus Clapham, Nick Aldrich, Madeline Young, Sue Hewitson.