Slingshot Theatre, supported by Arts Council England and the Peggy Ramsay Foundation have begun early development work on a brand new production: THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY. This info pack gives insight to our work, the show we are envisioning and the work we’ve done so far in developing our concept.

WHO ARE SLINGSHOT THEATRE? Slingshot exist to create innovative, popular and unpredictable comic theatre, championing the use of mask to tell wildly theatrical stories. Launched in 2010 by Artistic Director Christopher Hawes (pen-name Dennis) our productions to date have been: THE ZANNISKINHEADS AND THE QUEST FOR THE HOLY BALLS (2010-11) Directed by Antonio Fava, performed in English & French, performed in Reggio Emilia, Geneva, Edinburgh and on a UK Tour. “Sublime moments of slapstick” (Scotsman) NATIVITY IN CREAKEBOTTOM (2012-14) Directed by Andrew C. Wadsworth, toured the UK twice performing in just under 40 theatres, schools and community venues. “Unique, original, hilarious…Face-hurtingly funny” (The Stage)

WHAT IS ‘THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY’? G. K. Chesterton wrote his metaphysical thriller ‘The Man Who Was Thursday’ in 1908 and it has never been out of print since. It was adapted for radio by Orson Welles in 1938 and has received several other radio adaptations since by the BBC. In our hands the story becomes a raucous, highly theatrical comic thriller, set in Edwardian England against a backdrop of anarchist terrorism. Gabriel Syme, the man who becomes ‘Thursday’, infiltrates the Anarchist Council in order to overturn the reign of the dreaded and colossal President known only as ‘Sunday’. Many of the mad and maniacal characters in the story are brought to life through the vivid half-masks of Russell Dean (Strangeface Theatre). Gabriel Syme, our protagonist come Everyman, remains unmasked for the piece. Five actors bring this thrillingly anarchic and surreal story to life in a style reminiscent of film noir and Terry Gilliam animations, similar to other period adaptations such as The 39 Steps.

OUR R&D SO FAR… In July 2015 Christopher Dennis was awarded a £2500 grant from the Peggy Ramsay Foundation to write a new play. In October 2015 Arts Council England awarded Slingshot Theatre £14000 to undergo a period of research & development and organisational growth. Part of the grant was to commission Russell Dean to create a brand new set of masks that will be unique to the final production. At the end of this phase of development we will have spent 9 days developing the show, have a working draft script, captured photo & video footage of our progress and defined in greater detail what the show is and who it will appeal to.

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THE TEAM Marcello Magni Director Marcello is one of the co-founders of Complicité. He co-directed

Help! I'm Alive, Foe and was an associate on Endgame. He also performed in a number of Complicite's early shows including To The Wedding, Foe, Out of a house walked a man…, The Winter's Tale, Help! I'm Alive, Burning Ambition, Anything for a Quiet Life, The Visit, Please, Please, Please, More Bigger Snacks Now, A Mintue Too Late and Put It On Your Head. As an actor he has worked prolifically in theatre at Shakespeare’s Globe, with Peter Brook and in his own work, most recently Marcel for the Bouffe de Nord, Paris.

Marc Pickering Actor Marc trained at GSA and recently broke into American TV receiving

glowing reviews for his portrayal of the young ‘Nucky Thompson’ (aka Steve Buscemi) in Boardwalk Empire Season 5. His other screen credits include playing opposite Johnny Depp in Sleepy Hollow, Calendar Girls, and in Peter Kay’s Britain’s Got the Pop Factor. Most recently Marc has been seen stealing the show in The Toxic Avenger (Southwark Playhouse).

Emily Mytton Actor Emily recently finished as movement director for the RSC’s

Cymbeline directed by Melly Still. Emily trained at the Lecoq School in Paris and has numerous theatre credits including: Simon McBurney’s The Magic Flute (ENO), Rupert Goold’s Medea (Almeida), Paulette & Baby Joey Puppeteer in WarHorse (NT), Alice Estee in Punchdrunk’s The Drowned Man (NT), Georgina & Charlotte in Emma Rice’s The Empress (RSC) and has helped develop many different shows with Complicite, Melly Still, Tom Morris and Maxine Doyle.

Christopher Dennis Playwright & Actor Christopher trained at GSA and with Antonio Fava in Italy. He is

Artistic Director of Slingshot Theatre and continues to develop as an actor-writer after receiving glowing reviews for his former play Nativity in Creakebottom: “Face-hurtingly funny” (The Stage) “Laugh-out-loud funny… filled with the clarity and entertainment of Shakespeare and the ribaldry one sees in medieval plays done to their best” (Everything Theatre)

Ruben Crow Co-Writer & Actor Ruben trained at LAMDA, performed in Deborah Warner’s Julius

Ceaser (Barbican) and toured the UK with the Reduced Shakespeare Company. He toured with Slingshot’s Nativity in Creakebottom as Cornelius Hack and has taken on a series of other theatre roles as well as being a prolific voice over artist. He is currently starring as Andrew in the feature film Caught by Gael Films and Dandelion Productions.

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Daniel Hoffman-Gill Actor Daniel performs as part of the comedy sketch group This Glorious

Monster, performing at the Pleasance Courtyard at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Daniel is an actor/writer whose play Kings recently premiered at the Nottingham Playhouse. In Film he plays Boatswain in the upcoming Alice Through the Looking Glass. Recent TV credits include Doctor Who, Sherlock, and The Job Lot.

Eamonn O’Dwyer Composer Eamonn trained at the Royal Academy of Music and is an award

winning composer who has worked all over the world. He has written original music for Stones in his Pockets (Dukes Theatre Lancaster); Around the World in Eighty Days & The Glass Menagerie (Chipping Norton Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Barakura Festival Theatre, Japan); and is a frequent musical collaborator at Sir Peter Hall’s Rose Theatre in Kingston.

Russell Dean Mask-Maker Russell is a mask & puppet maker of sustained acclaim. He began

developing his passion for masks with Trestle Theatre and as Artistic Director of Strangeface Theatre Company he has produced over 10 different original shows using masks and puppets. His most recent work was Dissonance, a black comedy, featuring a bunraku-style puppet called ‘Mikey’.

THE SYNOPSIS London, 1908, and anarchists are on the loose, throwing bombs and igniting terror. London is in need of heroes, men who will give their lives to defeat this despotic underground network.

“There are seven members of the Central Anarchist Council, each named after a day of the week. Our President is called Sunday. Some call him Bloody Sunday. Tonight there will be an election to fill the difficult part of Thursday”

Enter Gabriel Syme, poet by day, policeman by night. Commissioned to infiltrate the anarchist organisation, Syme manages to become elected to the Central Anarchist Council under the code name ‘Thursday’, where he comes face-to-face with the terrifying leader, President Sunday.

“You are right, I am afraid of him. Therefore I swear by God that I will seek out this man whom I fear and strike him on the mouth. If heaven were his throne and earth his footstool, I swear that I would pull him down”

Armed with only a sword-stick, a revolver and dutch courage, Syme steps bravely into the unknown. But all is not what it seems…

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Syme’s quest features a lung-busting run through London, tram rides, nerve-wracking encounters with death, trains, ferries, sword fights and the run of his life through rural France chased by a bloodthirsty mob. Through this madness, to Syme’s relief and disbelief he progressively discovers that every council member except President Sunday is in fact also a policeman pretending to be an anarchist. Battered, bruised and bewildered, the six policemen return home to London with only one question to answer: who is Sunday?

“Never mind who I am. Who are you? Allow me to answer on your behalf. You are a silly bunch of highly well intentioned jackasses”

In a frantic and surreal climax to the chase, Syme will discover the true identity of the paradoxical president, and indeed life itself.

WHAT NEXT? We are now seeking financial backing from a Theatre or Independent Producer to work with us in taking the show through to full production in 2017. We’re delighted to invite interested producers to our work-in-progress showing:

ARCOLA THEATRE, Friday 17th June, 3pm. Contact Christopher on christopher@slingshot-theatre.com or 07811 567 017 to come along or chat more about the show.