sign in sign up
<<
Home , Brockley Jack Theatre, Finborough Theatre, Gate Theatre (London), The Stage Awards, The Worst Witch

Press Information

The is fully air conditioned

July to September Season 2012

presents

The World Premiere Barrow Hill by Jane Wainwright. Directed by Abbey Wright. Designed by Natalie Moggridge. Lighting Design by Miguel Vicente. Sound Design and Original Composition by Max Pappenheim. Cast: Janet Henfrey. Avye Leventis. Charlie Roe. Tom Spink. Mark Weinman. Cath Whitefield.

"It took your Great-Great-Grandfather and the rest a’ this town years to build this chapel. A hundred years of people's lives caught between its stones. And now these invisible men are trying to erase it till there's nowt left of any a' us."

The world premiere of Barrow Hill, a first play by new playwright Jane Wainwright, starring Janet Henfrey, and directed by Abbey Wright – whose recent work includes the multi-four star production of Dublin Carol as part of the Donmar at the Trafalgar Studios season – opens at the Finborough Theatre for a limited run of Sunday and Monday evening and Tuesday matinee performances on Sunday, 19 August 2012 (Press Night: Monday, 20 August 2012 at 7.30pm).

Chesterfield, Derbyshire, 2012. Kath is 86 years young and still going, but as her friends keep dying around her, her only tie to the world is her beloved chapel.

When Kath discovers that the chapel is to be converted into luxury flats for young professionals and that her own son, Graham, has won the contract for the rebuilding work, she is forced into a bitter battle between the past and the future.

In the Big Society that’s just waiting for her to die, Kath is confronted with the fragility of family loyalties and the pain of learning to let go...

Playwright Jane Wainwright was born in Derbyshire. She was a member of the ’s Young Writers Programme, their Invitation Group for Playwrights and their 'Supergroup' of twelve specially selected writers. Plays include Photos of You Sleeping ( – Start Night), Barrow Hill, performed as part of Vibrant – An Anniversary Festival of Finborough Playwrights (Finborough Theatre), In World, performed as part of Vibrant – A Festival of Finborough Playwrights (Finborough Theatre), Hands Free, part of ‘AVE IT!, in the Coming Up Later season ( Tunnels) and Pet's Corner (The Miniaturists at the ). She was shortlisted for the WritersRoom 10 scheme and the BBC Heartlands new writing scheme, and her play In World was part of the final shortlist in last year’s PapaTango New Writing Competition. Jane is 'fostered' by OffWestEnd.com’s Adopt A Playwright Award.

Director Abbey Wright has directed a string of critically acclaimed productions including Bitch Boxer (Soho), Dublin Carol ( at Trafalgar Studios), Sixty Six Books (Bush), Rose ( Festival), Lakeboat and Prairie du Chien (Arcola Theatre), The Occupied Times (Arcola Theatre), National Theatre Connections 2012 (National Theatre),The Song of Deborah (The Lowry, Manchester), Hidden Glory (The Lowry, Manchester, and Tour), The Ones That Flutter (Theatre 503), Restoration Sketch Show () and The Gay Man's Guide (The Drill Hall). Abbey was Resident Assistant Director at the Donmar Warehouse from 2008-09 during which time she worked with such notable directors as , Alan Rickman, Jeremy Herrin, Peter Gill, Sean Holmes, Jamie Lloyd and John Tiffany. She was also Staff Director to Danny Boyle on Frankenstein (National Theatre).

The cast includes: Janet Henfrey's theatre credits include Autobiographer (National Tour and Toynbee Studios), Charged (), All's Well That Ends Well (National Theatre), Tons of Money (Theatre Royal Windsor and National Tour), The Black Rider (Barbican Theatre and International Tour), Separate Tables (for which she won the Manchester Evening News award for Best Supporting Actress), The Happiest Days of Your Life and Tartuffe (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester), Perfect

118 Finborough Road, SW10 9ED Telephone 020 7244 7439 e-mail [email protected] www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk Artistic Director Neil McPherson

The Finborough Theatre is managed by The Steam Industry. Registered in England and Wales as a company limited by guarantee, no. 3448268. Registered Charity no. 1071304. Registered address: 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED. A member of the Independent Theatre Council.

Press Information Days (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, and Watford Palace Theatre), Orpheus Descending (Donmar Warehouse), Lettice and Lovage (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Richard III (Haymarket Theatre, Leicester), The Canterbury Tales (), Candide (), Medea (Wyndham's Theatre and Broadway), Trelawny of the Wells (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, and West End), The Rules of The Game (), The Good Person of Sichuan (National Theatre), Too Clever By Half and Andromache (The Old Vic), Lloyd George Knew My Father (), The Dresser (Queen’s Theatre), Salonika (Everyman Theatre, Liverpool), Turkey Time (Bristol Old Vic), Man and Superman (Savoy Theatre), Ella (ICA), Zigomania (), Hans Christian Anderson (National Tour), Mother Courage and her Children (Paris), Great Expectations (Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich), The Good Woman of Setzuan, The Madwoman of Chaillot and Dr Knock (Oxford). Theatre with the Royal Shakespeare Company includes The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Winter’s Tale, Pericles, The Two Gentleman of Verona, Major Barbara and Bewitched. Film includes Les Miserables, Jiltin Joe, Dual Balls, Dragonworld, A Pin for the Butterfly, The Tamarind Seed, Reds, Mark Gertler, The Cook The Thief His Wife and Her Lover, She’ll be Wearing Pink Pyjamas, Lady Jane Grey, Handel and Foreign Body. Television includes playing Mrs Bale in seven series of As Time Goes By, the Teacher in The Singing Detective, as well as Tipping the Velvet, , The Prince and the Pauper, No Bananas, One Foot in the Grave, Alice in Wonderland, Simon and the Witch, Dr Who, Stand Up Nigel Barton, Unfair Exchanges, Weather in the Street, Wood and Walters, Uncle Silas, The Treasure Seekers, The Famous Five, Fatal Obsession, Boon, The Jewel in the Crown and Chocky.

Avye Leventis Trained at L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq. Theatre includes Something Very Far Away (), The Little Mermaid (Disney and Stage Entertainment), War Horse (National Theatre and New London Theatre), Faeries (, Covent Garden), Time Stands Still When I Think of You () and Brief Encounter (Kneehigh). Film includes Gravity, The Lost Polar Bear and Alice. Television includes Holy Flying Circus..

Charlie Roe At the Finborough Theatre, Charlie appeared in Enduring Freedom (2008) and The Potting Shed (2010 and 2011). Theatre includes A Few Good Men (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Educating Rita (English Theatre Frankfurt), The Day After the Fair (Lyric Theatre), Electra (Gate Theatre), The Taming of the Shrew, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (English Touring Theatre), The Tempest (Cheek by Jowl), Macbeth, Waiting for Godot (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), As You Like It, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Ting Tang Mine (National Theatre), The Lady’s Not for Burning (Chichester Festival Theatre), Troilus and Cressida (Royal Shakespeare Company), A Month in the Country (Leatherhead Theatre) and To Kill A Mockingbird (Courtyard Theatre, Leeds and UK Tour). Television includes Lewis, Holby City, Ashes to Ashes, Derailed, If, Wire in the Blood, The Lakes, Peak Practice, Kavanagh QC, Silent Witness, Inspector Morse, Minder, Shackleton and Brideshead Revisited.

Tom Spink Theatre includes South Downs (). Film includes Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Television includes Casualty.

Mark Weinman Trained at the University of Manchester. Theatre includes The Hairy Ape (), Captain Amazing (Live Theatre, Newcastle), Some Scary Stories (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester), Step 9 (of 12) for which he received a nomination for Best Actor in the OffWestEnd Awards (Britannia Theatre), Fast Burn (KneeHigh Theatre), Herons (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, and Library Theatre, Manchester), Amphibians (), Edmond (Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Emperor Jones (National Theatre), Still Killing Time (National Youth Theatre at the Soho Theatre), Nettles and Europe (Contact Theatre, Manchester), Pale Horse (John Thaw Theatre) and Scenes from Abroad (Watford Palace Theatre). Film includes Waves, Shinos Show and This is Love. Television includes : The Experiments.

Cath Whitefield Trained at Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq, Theatre du Soleil and The State Institute of Theatrical Art, Moscow.

118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED Telephone 020 7244 7439 e-mail [email protected] www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk Artistic Director Neil McPherson

The Finborough Theatre is managed by The Steam Industry. Registered in England and Wales as a company limited by guarantee, no. 3448268. Registered Charity no. 1071304. Registered address: 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED. A member of the Independent Theatre Council.

Press Information Theatre includes Bitch Boxer (Soho Theatre), The Legend of Captain Crow’s Teeth (Unicorn Theatre), Electra, How To Be An Other Woman, The Sexual Neuroses of our Parents (Gate Theatre, London), Elektra (The ), Othello (Royal Shakespeare Company), Between Dog and Wolf (Paines Plough), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Filter and National Theatre), Mancub, Gobbo, and Home for which she received a nomination for Best Actress in the Scottish Critics Awards (National Theatre of Scotland), Charlotte’s Web (Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow), Lost Ones (Vanishing Point Theatre), A State of Grace (King's Head Theatre), Platform (ICA), Mother Courage (Watford Palace Theatre), Grid Iron which won the award for The Best Ensemble in (Fierce), Earth (Perdu Theatre, Amsterdam), Sara, Decomposition, Princess Ivona, Into the Woods and Trial By Jury (Paris), Don Quixote (Festival France), The Song of Love and Death of Christopher Rilke (National Theatre Campage), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (National Tour), Les Quatre Morts de Marie and Cabaret Flottant (Aria Festival Corsica), Metamorphosis (National Tour), First Love (Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich), Kingfisherbreastbone ( Jack Theatre), Transient Blues (Tristan Bates Theatre), Julia (Germany and Poland Tour), All The World’s a Biscuit and The Bald Prima Donna (Edinburgh Festival), The Government Inspector (National Tour) and Yerma (Donald Roy Theatre, Hull). Film includes Hell’s Pavement. Television includes Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia and The Bill.

Snapdragon Productions was formed by Artistic Director Eleanor Rhode and Producer Sarah Loader in 2009. Their productions include the London premiere of Michael Healey’s The Drawer Boy which was named Time Out’s Critics’ Choice; the European premiere of Michael Healey's Generous (Finborough Theatre) which enjoyed two sell-out runs and was also named Time Out’s Critics’ Choice; the award-winning European premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Me and Juliet (Finborough Theatre); Anna Karenina (Arcola Theatre); and a co-production of the world premiere of Anders Lustgarten's A Day at the Racists (Finborough Theatre and Theatre, Barking) which was nominated for the 2010 TMA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Regional Theatre and won the playwright the Inaugural Harold Pinter Award for Playwriting. Forthcoming productions include the first London revival in over thirty years of Hugh Leonard's A Life at the Finborough Theatre in October 2012.

Supported by Carol Slavid and Sofie Mason of OffWestEnd.com

The Press on director Abbey Wright On Dublin Carol – Donmar Warehouse at the Trafalgar Studios ★★★★ Four Stars, Michael Billington, The Guardian "This fine revival... Wright wrings every drop of dark humour out of the script" Financial Times ★★★★ "Exhilarating... Abbey Wright's production is good on the detail and rises to the cathartic heights." Time Out ★★★★ "Director Abbey Wright does well to mine all of the emotion and wit in McPherson's script. She gets three excellent performances." The Stage "Abbey Wright's production deserves attention for its detailed and intricate characterization." British Theatre Guide On Rose – Edinburgh Festival "Well-crafted, relevant, winningly-performed" The Telegraph ★★★★ "Poignant and powerful" Evening Standard ★★★★ "Abbey Wright directs with style and imagination" WhatsOnStage ★★★★ "Bravura performances... touching and thought-provoking" The Times ★★★★ On Lakeboat and Prairie Du Chien – Arcola Theatre "Riveting" The Independent ★★★★ "Abbey Wright's finely judged production... Wright does a stupendous job of drawing out the overlapping resonances in this rare double-bill." Time Out ★★★★ "Abbey Wright's production hits you with all of the withering, clear-eyed force of youth" The Times "Here's a treat; two fairly unknown plays... directed to a very high standard by Abbey Wright" Whatsonstage ★★★★ On The Ones That Flutter – Theatre 503 "The acting from the whole cast is quite simply stellar...Abbey Wright's direction is as sharp and well-defined as the acting." Whatsonstage ★★★★★ "You are totally absorbed and left emotionally spent. This is an extraordinary production." The Telegraph ★★★★

118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED Telephone 020 7244 7439 e-mail [email protected] www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk Artistic Director Neil McPherson

The Finborough Theatre is managed by The Steam Industry. Registered in England and Wales as a company limited by guarantee, no. 3448268. Registered Charity no. 1071304. Registered address: 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED. A member of the Independent Theatre Council.

Press Information PRESS NIGHT: MONDAY, 20 AUGUST 2012 AT 7.30PM PHOTOCALL: By arrangement. Please email [email protected]

Finborough Theatre, The Finborough, 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED Box Office 0844 847 1652. www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 August, 2, 3 and 4 September 2012 Sunday evenings at 8.30pm. Monday evenings at 7.30pm. Tuesday matinees at 2.00pm. Tickets £14, £10 concessions. Performance length: Approximately 80 minutes.

For more information, interviews and images, please contact Neil McPherson on e-mail [email protected] or 07977 173135 Download press releases and images at http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/press-resources.php

118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED Telephone 020 7244 7439 e-mail [email protected] www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk Artistic Director Neil McPherson

The Finborough Theatre is managed by The Steam Industry. Registered in England and Wales as a company limited by guarantee, no. 3448268. Registered Charity no. 1071304. Registered address: 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED. A member of the Independent Theatre Council.