Independent Productions 2018

It is about to begin!

Our final year Independent Productions are in full swing, and our students have produced four very exciting performances. 

Performances are kicking off next week; first up is DNA by Dennis Kelly, performed by Glass Roots Theatre on Monday in Camden, London, and then again on Wednesday in High Wycombe:

DNA by Dennis Kelly

Within the dark confines of the forest lies a dark secret amongst a group of so-called school friends.   As they try to cover up a sinister crime which they believe they have committed, changes of circumstance reveals that this may prove a more difficult task than they thought…

As the group of peers continues to come up with story after story to cover their tracks, they soon realise that it will take more than their wit to overcome something more challenging than homework.

A tragic thriller, turning darker as time goes on.

Monday 19 February: Et Cetera Theatre, London7.00pm £7.50 (£5) (Members of Etcetera Theatre will receive £1.50 off ticket price)

Wednesday 21 February: The Old Town Hall, High Wycombe 7.30pm £6 (£3)

Also next week is The Fastest Clock In The Universe by Philip Ridley, performed by Hungry Dog Theatre Company; you will be able to catch them in High Wycombe on Tuesday, before travelling all the day to the Old Fire Station in Oxford at the beginning of March:

THE FASTEST CLOCK IN THE UNIVERSE by Philip Ridley

Cougar Glass is attractive, if not a little bit obsessed with being young... and youth is a thing he would kill for.
​
Cougar plots to lure the delectable school boy Foxtrot Darling to his flat with... questionable intentions. However, seduction is a dangerous game, especially when you throw the explosive Sherbet Gravel into the mix.

 
Your invitation to the hottest party of the year has arrived, an invitation many people have died for. You’d better reply soon… The clock is ticking… 

In a world that falls apart as the characters descend into mayhem, watch as these fanciful characters take you on an exploration of your darkest secrets and their sexual fantasies. You are welcomed into a world of madness, horror and intrigue, a world that will have you simultaneously sitting on the edge of your seat and cowering back in your chair. 

Tuesday 20 February: The Old Town Hall, High Wycombe 7.30pm £6 (£3)
Friday 2 March: The Old Fire Station, Oxford 7.30pm £10 (£5)

Week after next will see the premiere of Rumours, a farce by Neil Simon, performed by Creative Confusion:

RUMOURS by Neil Simon

Gunshots!

Lies!

Spasming backs!

It should be a peaceful, elegant wedding anniversary party. But when Ken and Chris find their host Charley, a prominent Government official, with a bullet wound in his ear lobe, the couple realise they must lie to protect his reputation! Len and Claire arrive, themselves injured in a car crash, and are soon joined by others each with their own set of problems. A second gunshot leaves Ken temporarily deaf, the police arrive and Len must pretend he is Charley, concocting a touching and fantastic explanation...

One of Neil Simon’s most celebrated farces! Can you get your head around the lies and deception whilst sorting fact from the “Rumours?”

Creative Confusion is a theatre company dedicated to inspiring, entertaining and engaging audiences with innovative and exciting theatre.

Tuesday 27 February: The Mill Theatre, Banbury 7pm £10 (£8)

Thursday 1 March: The Old Town Hall, High Wycombe 7.30pm £6 (£3)

And hot on the heels will the King Charles III by Mike Bartlett, performed by Feast One’s Eyes both in High Wycombe and Hemel Hempstead:

KING CHARLES III by Mike Bartlett

King Charles III is a future history play which opens with the Queen’s funeral. Parliament wish to pass a new law limiting the freedom of the press. Charles must sign off a law he disagrees with and refuses. We see the relationship between parliament and the throne crumble, causing Kate and Wills to step in.

Will the Monarchy be abolished? Will Charles succeed in dissolving Parliament? Do Wills and Kate become King and Queen? Will Harry keep hold of his new girlfriend?

Feast One’s Eyes are a new company who aim to educate the younger generation on the importance of politics in an entertaining way. 

Monday 5 March: The Old Town Hall, High Wycombe 7.30pm £6 (£3)

Friday 16 March: The Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead 7.30pm £8 (£4)

Well done Stevie!

Yes, we did it again! We are very pleased to announce that Stevie Thomas, who graduated from the Bucks New Uni Performing Arts course this summer, has been long listed for the National Student Drama Festival. The NSDF is a fiercely competitive event, and it is a real honour that one of our students is considered for it again!

Stevie has been selected with his dissertation piece 1001010, which confronts the nature of performing gender and the restrictions of the gender binary. Coupling verbatim text with elements of physical theatre, the piece explores non-binary and fluid approaches to gender and sees the queer performer question their own identity through the expression of others.

Stevie began performing from a young age at his grandmother's dance school on the Isles of Scilly and has surrounded himself with the arts ever since. becoming an apt Tap and Modern dancer and later enjoying physical theatre during his studies at Bucks New University.
He describes himself as progressive feminist and is an active member of the LGBT+ community.

He is currently setting up a new theatre company and has started writing a script, so watch this space.

Well done Stevie, we are very proud and wish you the best of good luck for the selection process!

THE RESISTORS - join us for our end of year showcase!

The academic year is coming to an end, all assessments are done, and we are starting to look forward to some deserved holiday times. But first we are excited to announce the line up of this year’s end of year showcase!

This year’s evening is called The Resistors and once again presents a selection of this year’s dissertation pieces; utilising multimedia, film, physical theatre and comedy, the evening offers thought-provoking perspectives on a range of personal and public subjects.

To book tickets, please go to the Courtyard Theatre webpage: www.thecourtyard.org.uk

This year's performances are presented by:

Rayanne Byrne – Instruct

About Rayanne:

Rayanne is a 21 year old performer from Manchester. She has studied Acting at Tameside Centre of Performing Arts before commencing and now successfully completing her Performing Arts (Film, TV and Stage) degree at Bucks New University. For Rayanne, her passion for acting started she was cast as Oliver Twist in her primary school production. Ever since, she's been drawn to performing as much as she can and hopes to build a solid career as an actor on stage all around the country!

About the piece:

Enter. Sit. Watch.

Instruct will carry you through the

perspective of the lived relationship with Rayanne’s own body and mind. As tensions and disputes between the two entities grow, the human body becomes their battleground. Inspired by Rene Descartes’ 17th Century philosophy of Cartesian Dualism, Instruct explores the both the collaboration and divide of the physical and mental realm.

Lucca Colonna - My Body

About Lucca:

Lucca, 21, from Lincolnshire has always had an interest in physical theatre and movement based performance; Since attending the Performing Arts (Film, TV and Stage) course at Bucks New University, this interest has grown and continues to do so as she finds her feet within her own style of physical performance.  In the future she not only wishes to continue developing her own personal style of performance she also wishes to work with young people within the performing arts industry! 

About the piece:

My Body was made by Lucca as a very personal investigation into her own physicality and the use of movement as a form of theatrical expression. Lucca invites you to come on an experience and join her in the exploration of her body, working out if her body pleases you or if her body pleases herself.

Rob D. Cosh - Remember Her  

About Rob:

Rob, from Somerset, began an interest in acting when involving himself with YouTube and working within the YouTube community. He went to study Performing Arts at Somerset College and continued at Bucks New University. He was one of the first to enter the YouTube UK Partnership Program, and has worked in the past with some of the most popular UK YouTubers, but has stepped away to develop his cinematographic abilities. He enjoys travelling, and with an obsessive passion for film making, Rob wishes to eventually pursue a career in film and TV, however still loves to perform on stage.

About the piece:

Alzheimer’s Disease: A form of Dementia that is known for being an unforgiving disease, causing the sufferer to forget the memories of their past and the people they love. Ken, an elderly man residing in a care home, talks to his carer about his wife and the memories that he has created with her. However, the struggle to remember his past reveals a harsh truth. Although he may forget some memories, he is happy to remember her.

Katelyn Collins - Student to Adult…wait…where’s the manual?

About Katelyn:

Katelyn grew up in Faversham, Kent.  She started performing when she was 11. But it was when she got the lead in the school musical during her GCSE's, she decided that she wanted to perform for a living. During her time at university, Katelyn has gained an interest in multimedia performance, as well as continuing her love for devised and written performance. Katelyn’s other main passion is music. She has played the Bass Guitar since she was 13. Last Christmas she got the opportunity to play at her church’s carol concert. In the future, she hopes to write/devise and perform as part of a Christian Theatre Company.

About the piece:

This comical autobiographical performance stems from my fear of stepping into the adult world and how unprepared I feel for it. Did you know that doors have their own furniture? No, I didn’t either. Join me as I look back at the moments and people who have helped shape me, as I prepare my unborn nephew for this crazy world we live in!

Jade Williams - Tainted Blood

About Jade:

Jade Williams, 21, was born and raised in North London. Jade has always been interested in Performing Arts and has studied acting at Middleweek Newton Academy before joining the Performing Arts (Film, TV & Stage) degree at Bucks New University. She will soon to be appearing in BBC’s Dr Foster. 

About the piece:

Tainted Blood is a one women performance based on contaminated blood, a NHS tragedy that resulted in thousand of patients losing their lives. The piece is focused on facts and stories from a contaminate and their family.

Stevie Thomas – 1001010

About Stevie:

Stevie began performing from a young age with his grandmother’s dance school on the Isles of Scilly. He has actively surrounded himself with the arts ever since, studying performance at Penwith College and later Buckinghamshire New University. He is an apt Tap and Modern dancer and enjoys physical theatre; Stevie also practices circus arts, including Poi and the Cyr Wheel, and is in the process of establishing a touring company. Stevie is also a progressive feminist and an active member of the LGBT+ community and hopes to establish a theatre company that concentrates on encouraging progressive discussion.

About the piece:  

1001010 confronts the nature of performing gender and the restrictions of the gender binary. Coupling verbatim text with elements of physical theatre, the piece explores non-binary and fluid approaches to gender and sees the queer performer question their own identity through the expression of others.