The Tremayne Theatre Company

10/05/2017

Feature Film "Trevor" and how we're all involved: http://trevorfeaturefilm.wixsite.com/trevor

14/07/2016

BBL have done the translation work pro-bono for the vocab in the play because they are very very cool. Tickets available at this time (noon on 14 July) are: Friday 22nd (12 tickets available); Saturday 23rd (27 tickets available); Monday 25th (25 tickets available); Tuesday 26 (28 tickets available). Email subject TLK -> [email protected] with date + # of tickets. Given the unique space where we are performing, reservations are essential. THANKS for helping us get to London and for supporting Celeste and Anael!
http://www.bbltranslation.eu/en/english-bbl-translation-supports-theatre-and-kids/

BBL again partners with TTC to open up English-language theatre to Catalan and Spanish speakers in Barcelona. BBL provides Eng/Cat and Eng/Cas translations of the vocabulary in TTC’s latest show: “…

13/07/2016

OPENING Friday 22 JULY! What you might not know… We decided (as a collective) to create something different for “Thelma and Louise – and Karen” – and the result is pretty…yeah. We combine voice and action, on-stage and off-stage, dark comedy, dark energy, stars, friendship and a whole load more.

The setting: Chilled out (with wine, beer, air-conditioning, sofas).

Starring:
Wendy Lee Taylor (THELMA), Julia Fossi (LOUISE), Stephanie Figueira (KAREN), Al Fisher (ALBERT, STEVE, KURT, GROUP), Georgina Tremayne (DAVE).

RESERVATIONS ESSENTIAL (we're not joking. Seating is limited) email [email protected] Subject TLK. Indicate Date and # of tickets. Full info about the show: www.TremayneTheatre.com – and we’ll be posting daily about the show until Curtain Up (metaphorically, as there is no curtain).

ALL PROCEEDS
from this show go to: [1] our flights as we’re performing this show in London in August, and [2] Celeste and Anael (please visit https://www.generosity.com/community-fundraising/let-s-help-celeste-and-anael-ayudemos) or IM Luci Lenox to learn more about how you can help these children on an ongoing basis). And if you can’t make the show, perhaps you can donate directly to Celeste and Anael. Every 10 euros (the cost of a ticket) makes such a difference to them.
Enjoy the show!

21/02/2016

The latest fantastic group of actors are going up on Saturday 27 February with "Madness Sweet Madness"! Barcelona: Saturday 27 February is SOLD OUT. Sitges: Saturday 5 March has a million tickets available. Vic: Saturday 12 March is SOLD OUT. So if you want to see the show and you don't have a ticket, head on down to Sitges and we'll catch you there!
Thanks for supporting theatre and as a consequence helping the 2 groups we're sharing Box Office with for this show: "Let's Help Celeste and Anael" (indiegogo campaign for young twins in Spain without Spanish child support help) and AADAS.org.es who help women and children who are victims of s*xual abuse.

19/11/2015

CANCELLED – Madness Sweet Madness
Dearest everyone
One of our cast members has had terrible news: – a close family member of theirs has died.
We are so very sorry but it is impossible for us to do the show on Friday 20 November and Saturday 21 November.
We will reschedule the show for early 2016. Naturally, your tickets are valid for that show.
If you require a refund now please just email [email protected]
Thank you so much for your compassion for our cast member and great friend.
From the Madness Sweet Madness cast and crew.
PS The other cast members will be at Tinta Roja on Friday if you just want to hang out. We’d love to see you. X

18/11/2015

“Meet the Props”
(By Bet Midler, ex-Theatre Correspondent)

Let’s get real. I can’t interview props. You can’t interview props. No one can interview props. They’re inanimate objects, without opinion.
I went along with it anyway.
Here’s the scene.

Late afternoon. Hotel Pulitzer. The bar (deserted).

They were there before me.
Huddled together on a table in the corner: 4 eggs (yes, they’re eggs), a pair of glasses and “the Brand New Handbook”.
They sat on a hand-written STATEMENT with QUOTES (was the paper recycled?).
Statement:
The Brand New Handbook is pretty handy in the play ‘Madness Sweet Madness’. MAARTEN and WHISPERING WALT use it to mediate between GRACE and VESUVIUS. They highlight policy/protocol gone crazy – and they re-interpret the rules in the book to offer a darkly fun solution to a mad situation.
Quotes (Featuring Props):
“That’s life... Do you want an omelette?” (WHISPERING WALT)
“Life is not like a box of chocolates. It doesn’t come with a map or anything else to help you avoid biting into a nut.” (MAARTEN)

F**k it. I’m going to the show.

50% of Box Office → “Let’s help Celeste and Anael Indiegogo” (via Luci Lenox) & AADAS.org.es
TICKETS
Barcelona, Friday 20 November, 9pm. TICKETS madnessBCN.eventbrite.com
Sant Pere de Ribes, Saturday 21 November, 8pm. TICKETS madnessSitges.eventbrite.com
More info: www.TremayneTheatre.com

Unofficial photograph of the ‘Madness Sweet Madness’ Props © Image rights retained.

The play stars these actors. They are phenomenal:
Dermot Flanagan. Stella Lane. Wendy Lee Taylor. Hunter Tremayne.

18/11/2015

“Meet Maarten”
(By Bet Midler, Theatre Correspondent, The Grauniad)

I met Stella Lane over coffee at 2 in the morning. She’d just finished another 6-hour rehearsal of the new play “Madness Sweet Madness” where she plays the role of Officer Maarten. She looked good. Fresh. Maybe a little hyper. But, honestly, really good.
I asked what drew her to the role of Maarten.
“I don’t play me.”
A clear response. Any deeper meaning?
“No.” She was quick to set me straight. “There’s nothing deep about it. I simply don’t play me. I don’t play the glamourous s*x queen that I was put on this earth to play again and again. Why would I? I can do that at home. No. Maarten’s the antithesis of me. Maarten’s a “cop”. Who’s maybe not a cop. In full control, with sharp comic timing when you least expect it.” She paused. “Okay, maybe that bit’s me. But I’ll leave it at that.”
Anything else?
“No. Come and see the play,” she ordered.
And with that, she left.

Stella Lane plays MAARTEN in the upcoming production of “Madness Sweet Madness” by Georgina Tremayne. The script won selection and performance at the 24:7 Theatre Festival in Manchester in July 2015. It then transferred to Liverpool’s Shiny New Festival. It debuts in Spain at Tinta Roja on Friday 20 November, 9pm. The Sitges performance is on Saturday 21 November. Ticketing and Info: www.TremayneTheatre.com

16/11/2015

Some rehearsal pictures taken at Tinta Roja by Alexandra Csuport Photography
Next up: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with the Madness Sweet Madness props. How mad is that?

Dermot Flanagan as WHISPERING WALT; Stella Lane as MAARTEN; Wendy Lee Taylor as GRACE; Hunter Tremayne as VESUVIUS. “Madness Sweet Madness” debuts in Spain at Tinta Roja on Friday 20 November, 9pm (madnessBCN.eventbrite.com). The Sitges performance is on Saturday 21 November one hour earlier (madnessSitges.eventbrite.com). More Info: www.TremayneTheatre.com

13/11/2015

“Meet the Writer”
(By Bet Midler, Theatre Correspondent, The Grauniad)

I saw Georgina Tremayne in the café before she saw me.
It was uncanny. I felt I’d met her before.
“I get that a lot. I look so average that people often do a double-take because they can’t quite place me. Then they decide they know me. So they tell me lots of things they really shouldn’t tell me.”
Is that good for you as a writer?
“It’s gold. I love being average.”
How would you describe “Madness Sweet Madness”?
“Not average. Serious themes with fun solutions, like food being prescribed instead of medication.”
What genre is the play?
“If I can only tick one box, it’s definitely surreal - in the sense that ‘surreal’ is the new reality. I mean it’s a pretty mad world right now when planes drop out of the sky and the people in the planes drop out of the picture… The characters do things that you don’t expect them to do, because that’s what happens in life. And there are some ideas in the play that might not be in place today but they could be in the near future.”
Can you give me an example?
“Cops being carers. You know, both jobs rolled into one.”
Sounds a bit unlikely.
“Why? It could be the way of the future. Politicians should like it because it’s cheaper. Socialists should like it because it’s more humane.”
Where do you get your ideas from?
“Life and imagination. Imagination is saner. Sometimes I have ideas when I’m writing, and I finish the play or whatever, and then I see glimpses of the ideas happening in our everyday life. Yesterday I read that two old people called the cops because they were lonely, and the cops went and had a cup of tea with them. I love that.”
That’s not a waste of taxpayer’s money?
“No, and it’s better than the cops shooting them.”
Hmm. Why the hell are you doing theatre?
“Hmm. That’s exactly the question I keep asking myself. I think…there’s something electric about live theatre, and I really hope the actors are happy with the script because there’s nothing crappier than having to work with a crap script or having to play a crap part if you’re a good actor. Or only writing roles for women under the age of 27. What’s that about? Did all the women on earth die when they turned 27? Or maybe I’m totally wrong. Or maybe I’m dead. I’m over 27.”
Have you finished?
“Not yet. No one in their right mind does theatre to make money - and I should know because I’ve done a ton of research on Madness. So theatre is a great way to have a good time and help people out too. In 2014 we donated €1700 to AADAS, a Barcelona organization that helps women and children fight s*xual abuse. For this show and any show going forward, we’re splitting 50% of the Box Office between AADAS and Luci Lenox’s Indiegogo campaign to raise cash for Celeste and Anael. They’re 8-year-old twins who were orphaned. Luci’s friend (an actor) adopted them. I’m adopted too and I admire anyone who adopts anything, even my mate Kevin who adopted a stickleback at London Zoo, but that’s another story. Many of the actors who do theatre also do work for Luci – so it makes sense to see theatre helping everyone out. I’d hope the other theatre companies will donate too. After all, it’s better than making a profit and paying tax. There are a lot of actors who have donated their time and talent in the last 2 years, including these guys (to name a few): Stephan Wiks, Wendy Lee Taylor, Farzin Sebastian Ghandchi, Julia Fossi, Aline Davis, Hunter Tremayne, Oleg Shevelyov, Katya Russanen, Ana Isabella Byrne, Dermot Flanagan, Stella Lane.
I was knackered.
“So – to sum up – it’s a real/surreal play within a play. It’s serious. It’s fun. The actors are brilliant. I have to go. See the show.”
And she left me, talking amongst myself.

Photographer: Alexandra Csuport Photography

Wendy Lee Taylor as GRACE and Hunter Tremayne as VESUVIUS in the upcoming production of “Madness Sweet Madness”. The script won selection and performance at the 24:7 Theatre Festival in Manchester in July 2015. It then transferred to Liverpool’s Shiny New Festival. It debuts in Spain at Tinta Roja on Friday 20 November, 9pm (madnessBCN.eventbrite.com). The Sitges performance is on Saturday 21 November one hour earlier (madnessSitges.eventbrite.com). Ticketing and Info: www.TremayneTheatre.com

12/11/2015

“Meet Grace”
(By Bet Midler, Theatre Correspondent, The Grauniad)

Wendy Lee Taylor came straight from an audition to meet me.
She hugged me warmly, and sat sipping coffee (or that’s what she told me it was) from a large silver flask while I asked her questions.

You do a lot of film?
“That’s right.” She smiled.
But this month you’re doing theatre, playing GRACE in the production of Madness Sweet Madness.
What’s Grace all about?
“Hmm. Here’s the context: Grace’s partner’s gone missing, and the emotional and financial impact of all of that has made her lose control of her life. So…”
Yes?
“She moves in with her brother-in-law. That’s never good.”
Not good?
“She’s drifting in and out of reality. She’s erratic. One minute she’s calm, then she’s manic.”
So she’s not normal.
“Tell me one thing in this world that is normal. I bet you can’t.”
She had a point.
“She’s trying to get her life back but she does some weird things in the process.”
Such as?
“She breaks into the neighbours’ house and cleans it.”
Oh yeah?
“And cooks.”
Wendy smiled. I smiled.
How do the neighbours react?
“They don’t complain about the cleaning.” Wendy laughed.
I laughed.
“They complain about the cooking.” Grace didn’t laugh.
“Cooking. Isn’t. Crazy.”
At this point Wendy/Grace looked a bit mad, and I checked there was a clear path to the exit.
I tried a different angle.
Do you find it easy to slip in and out of this role?
“No. I’m very METHOD.” Wendy/Grace said.
In a Dustin Hoffman type of way?
“No!” Grace/Wendy said.
I felt I’d disappointed them on a colossal scale.
“In a Daniel Day Lewis THERE WILL BE BLOOD type of way.” Wendy/Grace said.
There was no one else in the bar: it felt crowded.
“Come and see the play,” they roared.
Wendy smiled.
I nodded and edged to the door. I left.

Wendy Lee Taylor plays GRACE in the upcoming production of “Madness Sweet Madness”. The script won selection and performance at the 24:7 Theatre Festival in Manchester in July 2015. It then transferred to Liverpool’s Shiny New Festival. It debuts in Spain at Tinta Roja on Friday 20 November, 9pm (madnessSitges.eventbrite.com). The Sitges performance is on Saturday 21 November one hour earlier (madnessSitges.eventbrite.com). Ticketing and Info: www.TremayneTheatre.com

11/11/2015

“Meet Vesuvius”
(By Bet Midler, Theatre Correspondent, The Grauniad)

Hunter Tremayne met me in a small bar/café at 5am.
I ordered coffee. He ordered wine and coffee.
“Finishing one day. Starting the next,” he explained.
Hunter plays VESUVIUS in the upcoming production of “Madness Sweet Madness”. What happened next took place over the course of 167 seconds. (He talks fast.)
What drew you to the role of Vesuvius?
“He’s a great character for an actor to play. He goes through the gamut of emotions – he’s there in an impossible situation, trying to help GRACE (his brother’s wife) but she’s gone a bit mad and he’s out of his depth. The play opens at the point where he can’t handle her but he’s stuck with her – and then we take it from there.”
He’s stuck with her?
“Like glue.”
Hunter paused for a second and waved at the waiter to top up his glass.
“He’s kind though. Genuinely. He’s still trying to help her even when all hell’s breaking loose around him. But then these two “cops” show up with a unique solution to his problem.”
Is the character anything like you?
“Christ, no. I’d have been out of there in 2 seconds flat.”
Why are you called Vesuvius?
“Because it’s my name.”
Are you an unreliable narrator?
“No”.
Are you a natural blond?
“Yes”.
He finished his drinks and picked up my lighter.
“Come and see the show.” He stepped outside to smoke (with my lighter), and never came back.

Hunter Tremayne plays VESUVIUS in the upcoming production of “Madness Sweet Madness”. The script won selection and performance at the 24:7 Theatre Festival in Manchester in July 2015. It then transferred to Liverpool’s Shiny New Festival. It debuts in Spain at Tinta Roja on Friday 20 November, 9pm (madnessSitges.eventbrite.com). The Sitges performance is on Saturday 21 November one hour earlier (madnessSitges.eventbrite.com). Ticketing and Info: www.TremayneTheatre.com

10/11/2015

“Meet Whispering Walt”
(By Bet Midler, Theatre Correspondent, The Grauniad)

Dermot Flanagan was late for our breakfast meeting.
“Traffic’s a bitch”, he said, and left it at that.
Dermot plays WHISPERING WALT CAGNEY in the upcoming production of “Madness Sweet Madness”. I was keen to find out more about his character and where the name (Whispering Walt) came from.
With a somewhat unnerving instinct, he cut me off before I could even get the question out.
“We don’t know where the name came from,” he said. “You want an omelette?”
What?
“Do you want an omelette?”
No. I want to interview you.
“I’ll scramble some eggs.”
And he wandered off to the kitchen.
I called after him: I heard you were in a production of Godot. In Seoul. And the Irish embassy flew you to Singapore to perform there too. I hear your Madness character is a little absurdist too.
I waited. Nothing.
Then suddenly, from out of nowhere, he was standing in front of me.
“I’m a great cop,” he said.
Oh yeah? What makes you so great?
“I listen. To all the things that people don’t say out loud.”
Anything else?
“My partner’s Dutch. M.A.A.R.T.E.N. 2 As. 1 E. Dutch.”
It was early. I was confused.
“Come and see the show.”
He handed me a hard-boiled egg, and left.

Dermot Flanagan plays WHISPERING WALT CAGNEY in the upcoming production of “Madness Sweet Madness”. The script won selection and performance at the 24:7 Theatre Festival in Manchester in July 2015. It then transferred to Liverpool’s Shiny New Festival. It debuts in Spain at Tinta Roja on Friday 20 November, 9pm (madnessSitges.eventbrite.com). The Sitges performance is on Saturday 21 November one hour earlier (madnessSitges.eventbrite.com). Ticketing and Info: www.TremayneTheatre.com