Roughhouse Theatre
Listed as: Education/Training, Youth Theatre, Theatre Company
info [at] roughhousetheatre.com
- Keywords:
- new writing, performing arts, contemporary, classics
http://twitter.com/roughhouseuk
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19316926350&ref=ts
Established in Sydney in 2000 under the direction of Shane Morgan and Moira Hunt, Roughhouse Theatre is committed to producing classical theatre, rarely performed plays and supporting new writers throughout development and into performance.
Roughhouse Theatre’s premier production was Shane Morgan’s staging of Nick Hornby’s short story Nipplejesus. The one man show was part of the Sydney Fringe Festival in 2001 and went on to win Critic’s Pick for the festival that year.
As resident theatre company at the Crypt Theatre, Balmain NSW, Roughhouse produced sell-out seasons of Joe Orton’s Loot, Dario Fo’s Can’t Pay!? Won’t Pay!! and premieres of David Mamet’s Squirrels and Neil La Bute’s Bash!.
In 2005, Roughhouse relocated to Bristol, UK. Since then, its credits have included a 1930’s Cabaret-esque vision of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and a credit crunch revival of Can’t Pay!? Won’t Pay!!. In 2009, Roughhouse took Nipplejesus on tour , performing at venues such as Bath’s Rondo Theatre, Taunton’s Brewhouse, Cheltenham’s Everyman and Bristol’s Tobacco Factory.
Also, in 2009, Shane Morgan and Moira Hunt were members of Little Lights Theatre, the resident theatre company at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The show, Little Women: The history of the corset, was invited to be part of the IMTAL Theatre in Museum conference in Monterey, California.
2010 has seen Roughhouse Theatre's Moira Hunt working for Richmond Theatre, London as part of their 110th birthday celebrations. She has continued to be a regular member of Little Lights Theatre, performing in two shows,'Victorian Worker' and 'Puppet on a Sting' which goes alongside the Edward Gordon Craig exhibition and the Diaghilev exhibition.
Shane Morgan was assistant director on Ben Hur at the Theatre Royal, Bath and has joined the cast of 'Puppet on a String' at the V and A as part of its Christmas run.
Roughhouse Theatre aims to create theatre that is dynamic, engaging, visually exciting.
PAST Roughhouse shows:
Abducting Diana by Dario Fo
New Theatre, Sydney 2002
“an uproarious defence of the rich…brilliant” Green Left Weekly, Sydney
Cast: Hayley Buckley, Mark Duffy, Moira Hunt, Sean Parker, Amanda Thomas, Joanne Trentini, Martin Viski
Can’t Pay!? Won’t Pay!! by Dario Fo
Crypt Theatre, Balmain, NSW 2003, in association with Dramatic Events.
Cast: Mark Duffy, Heidi Gledhill, Gabriella Maselli, Michael Piccirilli
Loot by Joe Orton
Crypt Theatre, Balmain, NSW 2003
“entertaining and well-mounted…plentiful cynical gags” Sydney Morning Herald
Pick of the Week (Sydney Morning Herald Metro)
“Shagadelic! Kinky, sarcastic and gleefully disrespectful…” Sun Herald, NSW
Cast: Mark Duffy, Michael Gregory, Brett Hicks-Maitland, Moira Hunt, Adam Touminen
Squirrels and All Men Are Whores by David Mamet
Crypt Theatre, Balmain, NSW 2004
Cast: Peter Hayes, Gabriella Maselli, Michael Piccirilli
Bash! Latterday Plays by Neil LaBute
Crypt Theatre, Balmain, NSW 2004
Cast: Moira Hunt, Peter Rassmussen, Gerry Sont, Alyson Standen
Dwarfspotting by Caleb Lewis
Seymour Centre, Sydney 2005
Runner Up: Short and Sweet Festival 2005
Cast: Shane Morgan
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Alma Tavern, Bristol UK 2005
Bierkeller, Bristol UK (Bristol Shakespeare Festival)
“rip roaring good fun…rousing music” **** Metro
Cast: Rob Benson, Gerard Cooke, Adam Fuller, Matt Grinter, Adrian Harris, Moira Hunt, Emily Lawrence, Carrie-Ann Lewis, Clive Linthorne, Tom Turner and Anna Westlake.
Can’t Pay!? Won’t Pay!! by Dario Fo
Alma Tavern, Bristol UK
“Moira Hunt is a brilliantly irascible Antonia…Clive Linthorne makes each of his characters amusingly memorable” METRO
“outraged-flavoured, credit crunch yumminess” ****(4 stars) EPIGRAM
Cast: Gerard Cooke, Olivia Dennis, Moira Hunt, Clive Linthorne, Tom Turner
Nipplejesus by Nick Hornby
Various venues in NSW, Australia and England
Staged and performed by Shane Morgan
“Perfect…funny and clever” Drum Media, Sydney
“an attack on popular culture…well worth a look” Sun Herald, Sydney
Critics Pick (Sydney Fringe Festival) – Sydney Morning Herald
“Storming one man production…laced with testosterone” Bristol Evening Post
“Powerful and skillfully acted…Taunton was privileged to see such an outstanding performance” Somerset County Gazette
Cast: Shane Morgan
Nipplejesus/Shane Morgan article:
http://www.crackerjack.co.uk/node/13058
www.roughhousetheatre.com
Key Projects
- Can't Pay?? Won't Pay!! by Dario Fo
-
Can't Pay?? Won't Pay!! by Dario Fo
- Abducting Diana by Dario Fo
-
Abducting Diana by Dario Fo
- Can't Pay!? Won't Pay!! by Dario Fo
-
Can't Pay!? Won't Pay!! by Dario Fo
- Bash! by Neil LaBute
-
Bash! by Neil LaBute
- Squirrels / All Men Are Whores by David Mamet
-
Squirrels / All Men Are Whores by David Mamet
- The Sneeze: 3 short episodes by Anton Chekhov
-
Lord Nelson was sick when he went to sea,
Columbus was trying to get to India,
Stalin was training to be a priest
And Chekhov didn’t like plays...
(taken from The Sneeze Act One)
Roughhouse Theatre, commissioned by the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Friday Late programme, is producing three of Anton Chekhov’s short plays for THE PLAYHOUSE on Friday 25th March 2011.
Drama, The Proposal and The Sneeze will be performed three times during the evening in the spectacular surroundings of the Norfolk Music Room in the British Galleries of the V & A: 7pm, 8pm and 9pm.
A dynamic translation with more than a nod to Vaudeville, this is Michael Frayn at his comic best.
Cast:
Peta Dennis (Pinocchio Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol)
Chris Grimes (Instant Wit)
Elizabeth Isaacs (Dream Demons Discovery Channel)
Ellis J Wells (Dracula Greenwich Playhouse)
Directed by Shane Morgan and Moira Hunt
- 24 Hour Plays
-
“An adrenaline rush like no other!"
Kevin Spacey (Artistic Director, Old Vic, London)
The Theatre Royal Bath is staging the first of its 24 Hour Plays on Saturday May 28th 2011.
The 24 hours commence at 10.00 pm on Friday the 27th May and conclude at 10.00 pm on Saturday 28th May.
At the beginning, nothing exists except an empty page, a creative team on the starting blocks and a ticking clock. At the end of the 24 hour period, 6 new short plays have been written, directed, rehearsed and performed.
6 writers, 6 directors and 30 actors
join forces to create one of theatres most exhilarating journeys and ask their audience to
buckle up for the ultimate theatrical rollercoaster.
This amazing project brings together both
professional actors and members of the TRB Engage Group under the project director Shane Morgan of Roughhouse Theatre.
In association with Roughhouse Theatre and TRB Engage, Theatre Royal Bath have a host of talent ready to get the creative process running. The writers scheduled to participate
are;
Adrian Harris (www.papercutproductions.com), Simon Harvey Williams, Gill Kirk (www.gillkirk.com), David Lane, Katherine Mitchell and Carrie Rhys-Davies.
These talented wordsmiths will be working with the
following directors;
Sam Berger (www.plainclothestheatre.com),
Andy Burden (www.andyburden.com),
Hannah Drake (www.wix.com/hannahdrake/director), Anna Girvan (www.annagirvandirector.co.uk),
Chris Loveless (www.chrisloveless.com) and
Ian McGlynn (www.ianmcglynn.co.uk).
This will be a wonderful opportunity for the theatre’s own community theatre actors from
Engage to work with professional actors such as: Oliver Millingham (Richard II Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory), Jordan Whyte (Ministry of Fear and Spies Theatre Alibi), Malcolm Hamilton (The Station Tobacco Factory Theatre and tour), Robert Harper (Serious Money Chapter, Cardiff) and Christopher Grimes (Instant Wit).
The 24 Hour Plays project results in a one-off performance of the 6 new plays on
Saturday 28th May at 8.00 pm. Tickets are available from the Theatre Royal Bath Box
Office on 01225 448844 or online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk
Listings Information:
Venue: Ustinov Theatre, Bath, BA1 1ET
Dates: Saturday 28th May 2011
Performances: Single performance 8.00 pm
Tickets: £10 / £7 concessions
Box Office: 01225 448844, www.theatreroyal.org.uk
Further details: www.theatreroyal.org.uk/page/3029/The+24+Hour+Plays/129
Project director:
Shane Morgan shane@roughhousetheatre.com
Roughhouse Theatre
Established in Sydney in 2000 and relocated to the UK in 2005, Roughhouse Theatre is committed to producing classical theatre, rarely performed plays and supporting new writers.
Roughhouse have worked in association with, amongst others, the Tobacco Factory Theatre, Theatre Royal, Bath and Richmond Theatre. They are members of IMTAL and are ongoing collaborators with Little Lights Theatre, the in house theatre company at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Key Personnel
- Shane Morgan
- Director/Producer
- Moira Hunt
- Actor/Producer