Blue Elephant Theatre, Camberwell

Following the success of Female Intuition, Original Impact returns to the Blue Elephant to showcase more works of new writing.

“Original Impact proves what is possible with a strong cast and some directorial creativity” Culturised on Original Impact’s Twelfth Night

Online bookings seem to be experiencing intermittent problems. Please note neither night is sold out yet and tickets can be booked by calling 02077010100 or bought on the door from 7pm.

The Watch

written by Will Langley
directed by Amelia O'Loughlin

'The Watch' is a symbol of the beginning of the end. You are going to see the beginning of a full-length play. Set in one room in a council flat on an estate in West London, 'The Watch' is a post-Brexit, post-Trump apocalyptic, not-so-far-stretched imagining of the future. The play tells the story of a group of people stuck in a very bad situation.
Having broken the law in several ways, and started a riot on rival estate, Queensmead; how will the Wyndham crew cope with the pressure? Will they stay true to The Watch?

The Empty Space

written by Alexandria Turner
directed by Joshua Jewkes

Is it worth it worth it? Being an actor? The gruelling audition process. The hours of unpaid work. The emotional strain. The inconsistency of work. The pretending. How do we really feel when we enter The Empty Space?

Shark

written by Kieron Tufft
directed by Alexandria Anfield

Shark examines trauma and fears within the confines of love. Spanning several years the play invites you to examine how the characters change with the tide of the modern world, and the people they become while trying to make their love work.

Dorian Grey

written by Niamh Headley-Vaugh
directed by Louis Labovitch

An adaptation of Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" we start in 90's London and end in modern day following Dorian's journey from a vulnerable and damaged sweet boy into what some would describe as a monster through the means of extreme romanticism, manipulation and hedonism.

Two of a Kind

written by Elizabeth Bryant
directed by Sean Hollands

'Why does there have to be two of everything?'
Society has conditioned us to need someone or something else to make us whole.
A Pair.
But what happens when we lose the other half?

Any and All

written by Louis Labovitch
directed by Elizabeth Bryant

These Four Walls

written by Amelia O'Loughlin
directed by Samuel Dunstan

These Four Walls is a timely and provocative tale of a young woman, Jess, living on the streets of London. As we follow in Jess' footsteps, touching on themes of loss, memory and security, it seems that Jess has lost everything, but in doing so, she may just have stumbled upon something out of the ordinary.

Viking survival guide:

Avoid the elves.
Avoid the dwarves.
Avoid the giants.
Definitely avoid all other humans.
Avoid both underworlds.
Whatever you do, DON’T offend the eagles.
Don’t enter game shows.
Remember cheese sandwiches for the sea monster.
Do not drink ANYTHING. Absolutely anything at all.
If truth be told, being slain in battle is advisable, but only if it’s heroic.

Best of luck
Thor

This is a work in progress performance by Hammer & Tongs Theatre who previously presented Arabian Nights and MYTHS at the Blue Elephant.

Praise for Hammer and Tongs' previous work:

"Wittily written and sharply performed...drawing its wry irreverent tone from classic comedy like Monty Python and Douglas Adams’ novels" - Euston Street Diaries (MYTHS)

★★★★"... a fun, fast-paced hour propelled by polished performances from the cast" - Everything Theatre (MYTHS)

★★★★ "So funny…the applause didn't stop" - Views From the Gods (Arabian Nights)

Reviews

“Gives the audience enough info to whet our appetites and make us want to learn more, whilst keeping us well and truly entertained. Already a lot of fun and with great performances from an engaging cast, I look forward to seeing how the show develops from here”

A Blog of Theatre Things

“All three performers are excellent …the success of the piece comes from the actors’ effectiveness as an ensemble.”

Euston Street Diaries

Unscripted Theatre Company and Blue Elephant present a night showcasing London’s emerging actors and musicians.

From monologues to melodies, watch up-and-coming acts share bitesize performances…with the option to take to the stage yourself in the Open Mic section.

Unscripted Theatre Company are a new company who aim to support performers to take the next step in their careers, whether it be auditioning for drama school or jumping into professional work for the first time.

Join us on May 11th to discover the talent of tomorrow taking that next step.

Performers include Stefan Soweh, A'Evangalist, Benjamin Anthony, Paris Robin, Leane Henlon, Diany Samba, Nathaneal Dzenyo, Omolade Tiawo and Claude Driver.

A showcase of excerpts and short works-in-progress of new material from London's most exciting artists across the arts.

Tickets are FREE and can be booked here.

A Performer Reads ‘The Hunger Artist’ by Franz Kafka

Can I tell you a story? It’s called ‘The Hunger Artist’ by Franz Kafka. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it interesting.

Dirty Rascals is a theatre and performance collective led by Pavlos Christodoulou and Jeremy Wong, and is one of New Diorama Theatre’s Graduate Emerging Companies 2017/18.

DEAD SOULS

An extract from DEAD SOULS, a contemporary reimagining of Gogol’s unfinished novel and epic satire of Russian society. The darkly hilarious story of Pavel Chichikov’s twisted quest to acquire as many dead serfs as he can in order to fraudulently mortgage them to the government. It is a tale about the power of the Capitalist system to turn human beings into numbers, and the ways in which cynical individuals exploit this - and end up eroding their own humanity in the process.

Monkhead Theatre is a new collaboration of writer Chloë Myerson and director Nico Pimparé.

Photo credit Sivan Lavie.

CRACK/ed

This play brings to light a unique perspective of the reality behind addiction using elements of dark humour and surrealism. Warden, a young single parent, is determined to fight to get addict son Ryan the treatment he needs before it’s too late. But can Ryan escape his past or will his toxic friendship with Simon dictate his future?

HiddenViewz is a collective of up and coming creatives - highlighting political and social issues through art and performance.

Director and Writer: Rachel Mervis. Cast: Lauren Coomber as Warden, Theo Ray as Ryan, Ash Howells as Simon and Blair Gyabaah as Clive. Photo credit HiddenViewz.

Quiet Pip

Pip is from Hastings. She’s cared for her mother since her father died. She’s worked in a local supermarket since she was 18. She’s now 23. By chance Pip comes across The Book of Disquiet by Portuguese poet Pessoa in her local library. Pessoa’s book sparks Pip to question her own disquiet and ask ‘why’?
The extract being explored on the night is near the later end of the play.

Photo Credit: Jo Gale

The Performance

Iain Gibbons is embarking on a brand new solo show. Before its previews at the Wordsworth Fringe and Premiere at the Brighton Fringe, here is a sneak peek especially for the Blue Elephant Theatre.

Iain is just as excited to watch ‘The Performance’ as you are, so join him as he sits through the most spectacular, high-production piece of theatre he has ever seen. This Gaulier-trained performer, inspired by the silent clowns, plays the most annoying audience member you could ever wish to sit next to, inexperienced with the expected etiquette of theatre.

“Gibbons expressions [are] warm and full” ***** (New Current)

“Hilarious” (Wales Online)