Theatre Award nomination for fEAST

And That’s a Wrap …..

On the 5th March the curtain closed on our 10^th anniversary season with The Canada Boys at Sheringham Little Theatre. The past two years have dealt us all an extraordinary rollercoaster of highs and lows and this tour was definitely a high, the Canada Boys has always been a hit for fEAST and this time round was no different. We had unanimous praise and positive feedback from new and old fEAST fans.  We really do appreciate your support and feedback – it has indeed been a challenging time for theatre makers, producers and venues.

Theatre Award nomination for fEAST

Research and development

After an incredible jam- packed 10 months on the touring circuit, fEAST have switched to concentrate on research and development for two exciting new plays. Both have been commissioned for production in our next season; ‘Elephant’ by Jeremy Page and ‘The Peggottys by Robin McLoughlin. The company is also currently holding talks to develop exciting partnerships with other arts organisations.

Elephant  –  Jeremy Page

In a house balanced on an eroding cliff in North Norfolk, local recluse Manny gets a surprise visit from his estranged sister, Jessie, whom he’s not seen for a year. She’s wildly unpredictable, searching for a long lost family secret, and has inexplicably brought along with her a petty criminal, Lee Farrier, trussed up in a sack. Jessie describes an unlucky series of events that have conspired to her making such a poor and rash decision, but Manny’s believing none of it. She’s done this kind of thing before.

As a rising tide eats away at the foundations, it’s the sudden appearance of a local girl, Cally, arriving with a damaged reputation and an uncanny ability to read minds, that forces all four of them to try and salvage something from the day before it’s too late.

REVIEW OF THE CANADA BOYS

by Chris Sadler

East Anglia’s premier touring theatre company, fEAST, kicked off their latest regional tour tonight with a welcome reprise of their classic play Canada Boys at Wells Maltings.

Crisply directed by Rob John, the play follows two brothers offered the chance to emigrate to Canada to start a new life in 1912; an opportunity provided by their employer, the legendary Colmans of Norwich. The conflict of known against unknown, the turmoil of choosing security over adventure, is explored thoroughly as each man’s life events influence his decision.

The audience is given time to connect with the characters and the play benefits hugely from this as seeds of empathy are sown, then bloom.

Canada Boys is engaging, funny, and moving.

The dialogue benefits from John’s characteristic comfort with the rhythm of language. And he’s not afraid to sugar the dish with odd moments of hilarity to sweeten and complement the meal.

All four cast members are uniformly excellent throughout. Robin McLoughlin delivers superbly as sympathetic firebrand Jack Craske.

Cast Announced For Twas The Night Before Christmas

Twas the Night Before Christmas has now been cast and we’re delighted in introduce two newcomers to fEAST:
Marcus Churchill who will be playing the villain of the piece – Elderberry Yacht.
Amy Lunn who will be playing our heroine Emily.

Marcus trained at The School of The Arts, University of Northampton. Theatre credits include The Monkeys Paw (Bread & Roses Theatre), Area Belle (Bacchae Theatre Company), Peter Pan (Camberley Theatre, Bouncers (BlackBox Theatre Company), There Be Migrants Here (Minty Fresh Productions), TRIBE (London Theatre Workshop), Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles & The Railway Children UK & China Tour (Chapterhouse Theatre Company), D!CK the Adult Panto (Guildford Fringe Theatre Company), Sell-By-Date (Marbleglass Theatre Company), The Crucible (Looking Glass Theatre), The Bacchae (Royal & Derngate), The Fall of the House of Usher (Alias Theatre).

Film and Radio credits include Mordecai’s Girl (Jace Pictures), Wuthering Heights (Three Pigs Films), Nature’s Way (John Pictures), Wasteland (Crow for the Masses), Madame X (Okai Collier Company), Pathfinder Legends (Big Finish), Endurance (Word of Mouth Productions).

Amy grew up in West Norfolk, before training at Drama Studio, London. Since graduating in 2018, Amy’s theatre credits include: Nellie in The Lurking Fearat The Olde Red Lion Theatre (London); Ka in Strange Fascination’s summer tour of The Jungle Book (UK Tour); and the verbatim piece, Street Life (Norwich Theatre Royal, as part of their Creative Matters season). She has also become a series regular on the radio series Devine Comedy, directed by Jo Malone and Paul Schlesinger.

Marcus is also passionate about working with children and has been involved in several Youth Theatre groups in the East and South of England, promoting and encouraging life skills, self-confidence and teamwork with young people.

Wells Maltings Serves Up a
Christmas fEAST

This festive period Wells Maltings is teaming up with much loved local theatre company fEAST to produce a family show, ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas’ by Nick Lane, to be staged at the recently transformed North Norfolk venue throughout December.

The story of plucky young Emily and a Christmas showdown with her nemesis, the villainous Elderberry Yacht, was previously staged at Hull Truck in 2004 and is being reworked by the writer and fEAST to reflect a new setting in Norfolk.

Since its creation in 2010 fEAST theatre has brought to life an array of locally-set stories and has gained a loyal following with a deft mix of humour, pathos and genuine Norfolk voices.

Their most recent tour was ‘Into Thin Air’, the heartbreaking story of the decades-long impact of the disappearance of a Norfolk schoolgirl which performed at Wells Maltings in 2018 to a sell-our audience.

This new collaboration between fEAST and Wells Maltings brings the very best of each of them together, to delight family audiences and school parties at Christmas.

fEAST director Dawn Finnerty says ‘Our previous shows have dealt mainly with adult themes so we’re incredibly keen to extend our reach by presenting a theatrical experience that will be hugely entertaining and fun for the whole family. We are working with Nick Lane to tweak the original script to put fEAST’s Norfolk spin on what is already an original and inventive piece. The story is universal, but it’s important for it to resonate with our local audience who are at the very heart of what we do. We promise it will be a Christmas show with a difference – short, punchy and peppered with humour for all ages. We very much hope that regulars and newcomers to fEAST shows will come along and bring their children or grandchildren with them!

The Maltings is a unique and vibrant cultural Landmark in North Norfolk and we have a shared commitment to deliver high quality, accessible theatre. We are very proud to be working together to produce theatre for locals and visitors alike in their newly restored, dynamic and intimate venue.’

Director of Wells Maltings Simon Daykin is also enthusiastic about the collaboration: ‘We are really excited to be working with fEAST theatre in bringing some festive family fun to Wells this Christmas, and reaching out to everyone across the county and beyond to be part of something really special. It’s a real first for us both- and who can resist the chance to save Christmas in the company of some fabulous characters?’‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ will run at Wells Maltings from the 5th to the 28th of December 2019.

Tickets via the Wells Maltings box office
01328 710885,
or online www.wellsmaltings.org.uk.

Theatre Award nomination for fEAST

fEAST are thrilled to have been nominated for The Theatre Award 2019 by Norfolk Arts – an annual awards event that celebrates creative talent in Norfolk. The awards ceremony takes place at St Georges Theatre in Great Yarmouth where the winners will be announced.

Follow this link to the EDP page that details the nominees for the Norfolk Arts Awards: Norfolk Arts Awards Nominees.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ review: a warm, lovely production

‘Twas The Night Before Chirstmas is a live professional show currently playing at Wells Maltings Theatre.

It will charm all children as well as any sceptical adult dragged along, under pressure, for a family treat.

The plot is a rich plum pudding of fairy tale, broad humorous, song and dance, telling of wicked Elderberry Yacht and his plot to steal Christmas. He is ably opposed by redoubtable eight year old Emily (with a nice Norfolk accent), trying to thwart his evil machinations. It involves moths scattering dream dust, Alan the Red-nosed Reindeer (brother of Rudolph), a sympathetic garden gnome, and Father Time. High jinks indeed!

It was written ten years ago for Hull Truck company and taken on, this year, by fEAST Theatre Company. This warm, lovely production is worth catching. After all, we are told that all Santas gather on Christmas eve at Kings Lynn Bus Depot; could there be another more apt local venue?

Calling all Playwrights!

Calling all Playwrights! We are looking for an unperformed small cast play to be a part of our tenth anniversary season next year. Some link to Norfolk or the East of England (you or the play) preferred. If successful this will be a paid gig. If you have submitted before we may have missed it so please send again. Submissions to info@feasttheatre.com