This event has been re-scheduled for October 22 2020

Featuring new scripts by Russell Nichols, Tony Pipes, Tom Pauk and Stephanie Weston

Full programme:

Aristotle Says by Tom Pauk

Reach for the Stars by Stephanie Weston

Monster in the Box by Tony Pipes

House of Glass by Russell Nichols

 

The Writers

Russell Nichols is a speculative fiction writer and endangered journalist. Raised in the Bay Area, California, he gave up all his stuff and now lives out of a backpack with his wife, vagabonding around the world since 2011. His stories, usually set in the near future, revolve around concepts of technology, race, mental health, and the absurdity of existence

Tom Pauk has been writing for stage and radio for the last three years. His stage plays have been performed at Theatro Technis, Pleasance Theatre, Harlow Playhouse, Ink Festival, Suffolk, Manchester ADP and Actors & Writers, Hammersmith. His radio play “DASH” was produced by Shoestring Radio Theatre, San Francisco in November 2019, and broadcast across the US and Canada. Tom’s non-writing activities include mentoring young offenders in prison; volunteering as a trained listener at The Listening Place, a London-based suicide prevention charity; and in conducting reminiscence therapy for people living with dementia.”

Tony Pipes currently runs the creative department of ITV Creative as Executive Creative Director.  He started his creative life with a decade in the music industry, as an artist signed to Manchester’s infamous Factory Records before starting a career in television as a Creative in broadcast marketing- first at the BBC, writing and producing Ad campaigns and trailers for drama such as Doctor Who, Luther and Call The Midwife, then at ITV where he has worked across campaigns for Broadchurch, Downton Abbey and Vera.His first stage play “The Button” was produced at the Bench Theatre in 2019 as part of the SuperNova 8 Festival and most most recently his short play “Bananas” was performed at the Questors Theatre in Ealing. He also writes Poetry, short films and screenplays for TV.

Stephanie Westonis a professional actress and emerging writer who has had work performed at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at The Royal Court, The Queen Dome, Edinburgh, The Rondo Theatre, Bath, Bridgwater Arts Centre, Tacchi Morris Arts Centre, Taunton, and the Brass Works Theatre, Bristol, amongst others. Writing competitions she has won include Pint Sized Plays, Page to Stage, Sandalles Five n’ Ten and Chorts (written). She has also contributed to comedy podcasts, has had her monologues broadcast on Radio Bristol and regularly performs with the comedy improvisation company, Instant Wit, of which she is Artistic Director.

 

The Cast

Charlotte Baker, Megan Kennedy, Charles Lomas, Nicholas Oliver, Lily Rogers

Charlotte Baker

Charlotte trained at The Oxford School of Drama. Last year saw Charlotte’s feature film debut in the box office hit ‘Fisherman’s Friends’. More recently she appeared in Sky One’s new drama, ‘Cobra’. Theatre credits include: Moth Hunting (The Cockpit), Every Seven Years (New Wimbledon Studio), Silence (Southwark Playhouse/ Director’s Cut), Pull Up Your Socks (Optik Theatre), Bunker Blues (Live Theatre, Newcastle), Taming of the Shrew, Pericles (Cambridge Shakespeare Festival), The Dutch Courtesan (The Globe Sam Wanamaker Festival). Charlotte also works as a professional voiceover artist.

Megan Kennedy

Megan recently graduated from Rose Bruford College and trained at Drama Centre London prior to that. She is a member of The National Youth Theatre and The National Youth Music Theatre. This is her second time working with Optik Theatre.’

Charles Lomas

Charles has just appeared in THE GIN CHRONICLES and AT CHRISTMAS (2019). He graduated from Arts Educational School in 2017 and has been performing since the age of 13. Recent stage credits include IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY Old Joint Stock (2018) and RELATIVELY SPEAKING Whitehore Theatre Company (2017). Film work includes the short films JERICHO  Matt Parsons Productions and ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE National Film School (2019) and the web series HAYLEY AND HENRY and HITMEN FOR HIRE (2019).

Nick Oliver

Nick is an actor, writer and producer and trained at Drama Studio London. He has performed in plays at The Arcola, The Vaults, Rose Playhouse and Jermyn Street Theatre. He is also the joint artistic director of Pint-Sized, the resident new-writing company at The Bunker Theatre.

Lily Rogers

Lily graduated from ArtsEd in 2017 and has since been working in stage and screen. She is delighted to once again be involved in The Script Room.  With a passion for new writing Lily has appeared in new works Chitta Vritti (The Cockpit) and Design Her (The Bunker Theatre). For a large part of 2019, she toured with Vienna’s English Theatre in Sean Aita’s adaptation of The Little Prince. Her recent screen work has included: A Guide To Life (Peninsula Films) and Propositioned On Instagram: The Dark Side Of Influencing (BBC).