The Nutcracker | Digital Programme

PRO G R A M ME

This is my first Christmas working at BOV, so this is a Merry Christmas to anyone who is coming to the theatre for the first time too.

– Riddell, Development There’s something really special about walking down that cobbled street and seeing BOV lit up like a doll’s house. It’s a really beautiful moment every evening.

me.

– Becky, Operations

–Andy, Reception

I was on the lighting desk one year and an over-excited child spilled their juice from the upper circle onto the poor people sat in the pit. It was difficult keeping my concentration for the next few minutes. (Don’t worry – it’s pretty rare!)

– James, Lighting Everyone needs somewhere to call home and this place is it for me, I hope you feel that too.

– Thabo, Young SixSix

I love bringing my nieces to the shows, just like my mum used to bring

A CHAT WITH OUR TERRIFIC TRIO!

ONCE AGAIN THE DREAM TEAM OF TOM, LEE AND GWYNETH HAVE CREATED OUR CHRISTMAS SHOW. BUT WHAT’S THE SECRET TO THEIR SUCCESS? WE FOUND OUT!

TOM MORRIS

What is your job on The Nutcracker?

Writer, which means writing the dialogue and overseeing the story.  But the really exciting bit is watching Gwyneth growing bits of the story into songs. It’s like magic.

When did you first start working on it? What is the very first thing you do?

I started by writing a story structure and talking a lot to Gwyneth, Lee and Tom (Rogers) about the story we are trying to tell.  What should its themes be? What is exciting about this story to us?  Once they were happy with the direction of travel, I wrote a draft which we got the cast (or some of them) to read through and respond to. It’s been an ongoing creative dialogue ever since.

What’s the secret to your success working together?

It’s that we all do very different things. Lee is a master craftsman and a weaver of collaborations. Gwyn is a magician who turns straw into gold. So my job is to make sure we’ve got the right kind of straw and that the story is funny and interesting.

Do you ever disagree?

Very much so. And that’s what is so exciting. The best collaborations are with people who don’t see the world in the same way as I do. Because that makes us surprising to each other.  It challenges us and we have the space to discover new things.

LEE LYFORD

What is your job on The Nutcracker?

I’m directing it which means I’m responsible for bringing Tom and Gwyneth’s gorgeous vision to life on the stage. When did you first start working on it? What is the very first thing you do?

I think it was last November – The first thing I do is I read the original fairy story (by E.T.A. Hoffmann). That was way

How would you describe a Lee/Gwyneth/Tom show in 3 words?

Full of hope.

What are the key ingredients every Christmas show needs?

A genuine invitation to the audience to join in. A warm welcome to audiences of every age and background. A sense of hope and belief.

Describe the style of the story?

It’s the story of a child whose family are too busy to pay attention to her, and what happens when a magical clockmaker arrives in their house with a present that will turn their whole world on its head. It’s a strange and dark fairy tale. But not as dark as The Grinning Man. If you were trying to weave it out of middle-ranking 70s children’s TV classics, you’d mix it from Zorro, Monkey and Bagpus.

What is special about a show at BOV?

That lovely theatre allows audiences and performers to become life-long friends in a heartbeat. It’s without doubt the best room to tell a story in I’ve ever encountered.

Whose

job is the hardest??!

Definitely Lee’s.

before we had the script, when we were just chatting about it. I try and get a sense of what the story means for

me and what excites me about it. Then I like to take some time to just listen to Tom and Gwyneth’s brilliant ideas.

What’s the secret to your success working together?

I think it’s because we all come from slightly different angles and disciplines and bounce off each other. We take each other’s ideas and make them into so much more. Tom and Gwyneth are both amazing and I’m consistently blown away by their ideas on the page and in the ear.

Do you ever disagree?

Yes. That’s good because it means you interrogate an idea thoroughly and it helps you get to the nub of what you’re trying to do or say. We don’t really argue though.

How would you describe a Lee/Gwyneth/ Tom show in 3 words?

Musical, magical and meaningful.

GWYNETH HERBERT

What is your job on The Nutcracker?

I am the Composer and Lyricist… and Musical Director. I have three hats. I love hats.

When did you first start working on it?/ What is the very first thing you do?

We met up to swap ideas back in the Summer. Then, after Tom had written a sketch in response, I climbed inside the story - first with him, then with Lee and our brilliantly creative cast - to get to know the characters. Their fears, their dreams, their language. What they might have to learn. Next, I felt for the rhythm of the piece, sniffing out patterns to feed into the lyrics, bouncing things back and forth with the team. Then it’s a case of getting out of the way and letting the songs reveal themselves! That’s the magic bit I don’t really understand.

What’s the secret to your success working together?

Having fun, getting vulnerable and being open to discovery. Plus, having the best collaborators to play with in the room, including choreographer Laila (she’s a total inspiration!) and Cat, our brilliant assistant director.

Do you ever disagree?

Yep. Often the magic happens

What are the key ingredients every Christmas show needs?

I think it has to be an epic and relevant story, have lots of spectacle and oodles of heart.

Describe what an audience can expect when they sit down to watch?

A generous, talented ensemble of actors making a story feel like it’s appearing before your very eyes for the first time.

What is special about a show at BOV?

I’ve been seeing Christmas shows at Bristol Old Vic for years – It feels like a wam hug and always offers me something surprising.

Whose job is the hardest? It’s not mine!

in that place. Being open to other people’s brains, ideas and ways of working allows the work to have a combined voice you wouldn’t find anywhere else.

How would you describe a Lee/Gwyneth/ Tom show in 3 words?

Playful. Joyful. Moving. What are the key ingredients every Christmas show needs?

Things to make you think, make you laugh, and make you FEEL!

Describe the style of the music?

I don’t ever really think about “style” when I’m writing. It’s a big story-led soup with, I guess, dashes of folk, some wonky time signatures and a whole heap of soul… James and Harry, the amazing musicians working alongside me, bring their own delicious stylistic flavours to add to the pot.

What is special about a show at BOV?

Ahhh… the Bristol Old Vic. It’s a beautiful, intimate space that has stories all of its own. The floors creak and the walls speak with the voices of the ghosts of theatre past. And I LOVE Bristol. There are a few places in the world that feel like home to me - Bristol, at Christmas, is one.

Whose job is the hardest?

I’ve given this a lot of thought. It has to be Lee’s.

MEET THE CAST

MAE

WHO WAS YOUR FAVOURITE CHILDHOOD TOY?

Guy: Probably all my beanie babies. I’d set them as a school with the owl teaching them. Until my older brother came along and told me they weren’t alive… I’m channelling him for Eddie.

Kirris: Teenage mutant hero turtles figurines. Loved them all, especially Michelangelo.

Harry: A bear actually! A Care Bear in fact. Champ was his name. He won trophies, unlike me...

James: A Dalmatian cuddly toy called Floppy/Spotty dog.

Mae: I use to have a grey dog called Scrufty, I loved him so much. He still lives at my parent’s house and is still loved.

Gwyneth: Podgy the Bear. He was fat, squidgy and cuddly, with a squashy nose and a serious expression. We did our potty training together. He was especially serious on the potty.

Tristan: An adventure set I got for Christmas when I was 7.

JAMES

Guy: Action Man. Always up for the challenge, often woefully ill prepared.

Patrycja: I love Baboon With A Spoon, because she is full of energy, very excitable and makes funny noises.

Kirris: I would definitely say dog because he loves to play all day and sing.

Harry: Well, you guessed it...

Bear. Having type 1 diabetes, I have a very special relationship with sugar!

James: Well it’s got to be Lemur - hair, flares and lots of instruments!

Gwyneth: I play the Mouse Queen, and I think we’re pretty similar. Like her, I believe everyone should be heard, seen and treated as equals. Like her, I relish my one, wild

and precious life today and try to live each moment from my heart. Although I’ve never cursed anyone. (Yet…)

Tristan: Mr Choke, because I’m useless with time!

Denzel: The Nutcracker because he’s enthusiastic and curious but also loves to make people laugh (and also really terrified all the time!)

WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS ARE YOU MOST LIKE AND WHY? WHAT’S THE STRANGEST DREAM YOU’VE EVER HAD?

Patrycja: I often dream about being able to breathe under water.

Guy: I have a recurring dream that I’m on the toilet and the walls fall down. That’s pretty strange.

Mae All my dreams are strange but I love them, especially the ones that should be scary. I’m always having the best time even if I’m running away from something.

Gwyneth: I can normally fly in my dreams. I hug my knees

and hover 5 feet off the ground at just above a walking pace, so it’s not very liberated or graceful, but great for confusing people.

Tristan: I had a dream when I was very young that I was a wiggly line! Weird!

GWYNETH

HARRY

WHAT’S THE TUNE THAT GETS YOU DANCING?

Patrycja: “Tightrope” by Janelle Monae.

Harry: Right now it’s New Waves by Denzel, our very own Nutcracker.

Mae: You can probably put anything on and I’d dance

along but put on some Earth Wind and Fire and I am dancing full out.

Gwyneth: Max Richter for hand ballet, Bowie for shapes and Daft Punk for rocking through the washing up.

Denzel: The Mr Choke song really gets me dancing and flailing about happy.

WHO IS THE NAUGHTIEST PERSON IN REHEARSALS?

Kirris: Apart from myself I would definitely say it was Guy who plays Eddie/Action man/Curly Pearly.

Harry: Dare I say but Lee Lyford, especially if any games are being played.

James: Mmm, it’s probably

Lee Lyford but that Tristan Sturrock has a certain twinkle in his eye that makes me think he’s always cooking up something mischievous.

Guy: Gwyneth. No doubt.

Gwyneth: Ooooh. That depends on the day. We tend

to take it in turns and pass the naughty baton round the room.

Tristan: Denzel!

Denzel: Harry.

DENZEL

TRISTAN

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MOMENT IN THE SHOW?

Harry: The bit at the end when... No, I wouldn’t!!!

Patrycja: The scene when Toys come to life and we reveal the most wonderful and funny costumes by Tom Rogers.

Guy: Mr Choke’s first song… when it feels like the magic begins!

Mae: Maybe dancing with the mice backing singers –it’s even fun just being opposite them and see them having the best time.

Gwyneth: Nicking the ladle off that sour-faced old Spoonie-Queen.

Tristan: My favourite moment in the show is

when the Clown dances for Curly Pearly.

Denzel: I love the Mouse Queen songI think you will too!

THE STORY OF THE NUTCRACKER

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without at least one Nutcracker in a theatre near you. But did you know, the story didn’t begin life in this way? Let me take you on a journey through time and across countries to see where this story began..

look the way they do – the result of a nasty curse from the Mouse Queen. Marie helps the Nutcracker break the curse, they fall in love and go and live in the Nutcracker’s Kingdom, populated by dolls. So far so strange..no ballet, no music and definitely no sugar plums. Hmmm…

Years later in France 1844, the story took an unexpected turn when it was adapted by Alexandre Dumas – the author of The Three Musketeers.

Legend says that after falling asleep at a holiday party, a band of children tied Dumas to a chair and demanded a story. In response, Dumas told a lighter version of The Nutcracker adapted for younger audiences, which he later wrote down. This was the first version of the light and dreamy story we know today from the famous ballet. (I’m not sure I’d have told them such a nice story if they’d tied me to a chair!)

1816 Germany. Author and composer E.T. A. Hoffmann published his dark and mysterious story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. A young girl called Marie is given a nutcracker doll by the mysterious Drosselmeier, but in a fight with her brother, the doll is broken.

Later that night Marie goes to check on the wounded Nutcracker and sees an army of mice led by the seven headed Mouse King. A battle takes place, Marie is injured so Drosselmeir tells her the story of how nutcrackers came to be and why they

Self-portrait E.T.A. Hoffmann

Costume sketch of our Nutcracker

Finally in the early 1890s, The Nutcracker travelled to Russia. Dumas’ version was used to create the two-act ballet. It was then that The Nutcracker gained its distinctive music, written by the celebrated composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (who also wrote the music for classics such as Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty). It premiered in St Petersburg on 18 Dec 1892. The story was told like never before, complete with swirling snowflakes and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Finally!

The ballet version has survived virtually unchanged since that first production and has become a beloved Christmas tradition.

The story of Clara (or Claire in our case) has come a long way but the journey is far from over! There have been Disney adaptations, (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms), Barbie’s first animated film was a Nutcracker story, and even the anime inspired Princess Tutu

Who knows where the story will take us next!

Original source material: Of Mice King and Men: The History of The Nutcracker By Rachel Christian, published in Family Tree Magazine, copyright Yankee Publishing, Inc.

Original production of The Nutcracker ballet

A traditional Nutcracker gift

REHEARSALS

Photos Geraint Lewis

JESSICA CAMPBELL Senior Producer DAZ JAMES Production Manager IMOGEN SENTER Deputy Production Manager

LINDA

COMPANY

DENZEL BAIDOO THE NUTCRACKER

Denzel trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre SchoolTV credits include Suspicion (Apple TV), Screw and Consent (Channel 4), as well as short films Gates (NFTS) and Reflection (BFI). He will be making his stage debut in The Nutcracker (Bristol Old Vic).

HARRY BIRD

MUSICIAN/BEAR

Harry Bird is a Glasgow based singer-songwriter, composer, circus musician and actor.

Theatre and circus credits include: A Christmas Carol (Bristol Old Vic), Aukerak (The Funes Troupe), Paradoxa (Zuhar Prest Zirko Taldea), Vademécum (Compañia Zirkozaurre) and Echadas a la Mar (Atropecias).

He has released three albums of his own songs as frontman of the folk group Harry Bird and the Rubber Wellies: Bricks and Feathers (2015), The Bones on Black (2012) and Long Way to Be Free (2009). A new solo album is due for release in 2023.

JAMES GOW

MUSICIAN/LEMUR

James is a multiinstrumentalist, educator and composer with a BA in Music from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

He is a core member and cello soloist in Olivier nominated composer, Benji Bower’s, Terra Coda Collective and is a member of several bands including: JOW, Eleven Magpies, and Dau Theatre includes; The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Dead Dog in a Suitcase, Tristan & Yseult, Brief Encounter (Kneehigh); The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Bridge); Calvino Nights (The Minack); James and the Giant Peach (West Yorkshire Playhouse); 100 Unearth (Wildworks); Ugly Chief (Victoria Melody).

GWYNETH HERBERT ONSTAGE MD/ QUEEN MOUSE (See creative biogs)

GUY HUGHES EDDIE/ ACTION MAN/ CURLY PEARLY

Guy trained at the Royal Academy of Music. Theatre credits include: The Lost Musical Works of Willy Shakes (The Lost Works); Cyrano and Twelfth Night (Bristol Old Vic); The Little Matchgirl (Shakespeare’s Globe and Bristol Old Vic); The Winter’s Tale (Cheek By Jowl); The Two Gentleman of Verona (Shakespeare’s Globe); Othello and The Merchant of Venice (RSC). Guy is also a composer, musical director and vocal coach. He runs the Vocal Studio Bristol, where he leads on singing and performance coaching.

PATRYCJA KUJAWSKA MOTHER/ BABOON WITH SPOON/ QUEEN SPOON

Stage Credits

Include Cyrano and The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic); Bagdad Café and Wise Children (The Old Vic); The Tin Drum, Dead Dog in a Suitcase, Tristian and Yseult, The Wild Bride, Midnight’s Pumpkin, 946 and The Red Shoes (Kneehigh); Don John (Kneehigh/RSC).

Film/TV Credits Include: Je Suis Karl (Netflix/Liquid Violet Studios) Wise Children (Wise Children/BBC).

Other Credits Include: Vincent Dance Theatre (Core Company Performer 20012015) shows include: Broken Chords and Motherland (UK & US tour); The Wild Bride (BBC Radio 4).

MAE MUNUO CLAIRE

Mae is an actor/ deviser and graduated from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2019. She made her professional debut with I’ll Take You to Mrs Cole! for Complicite.

Her credits include: The Canterville Ghost, Gulliver’s Travels and The Bolds (all Unicorn Theatre); Anansi the Spider (Regent’s Park Open Air/ Unicorn Theatre). She also wrote and performed her own play How to Become A Revolutionary (Small Truth Theatre) and credits with them also include: September Skies and Centre Ground.

Film credits include: Behind Your Back (short film) and mini-series Mea and Gee (which she wrote and directed).

KIRRIS RIVIERE MARTIN/KING SAUSAGE/DOG

Theatre includes: A View From The Bridge, Macbeth, Ones Head Is Ones Creator, Jolity Farm, Huckleberry Finn (Tobacco Factory); Playmas (The Orange Tree Theatre); Clockwork Orange The Musical (Stratford Theatre Royal); Comedy Of Errors (RSC); Tracy Beaker Gets Real (Nottingham Playhouse).

Television includes: The Sandman (Netflix); Manhunt Season 2 (Buffalo Pictures); A Confession (ITV Studios); I Live With Models (Comedy Central); Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures); Mount Pleasant (Tiger Aspect); Five Daughters, We Are Klang, Little Britain, Casualty (BBC); NyLon (Channel 4).

Film includes: Welcome 2 Karachi, Red 2, The Truth About Love, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.

TRISTAN STURROCK MR CHOKE

Theatre includes: Cyrano, Messiah, Peter Pan, Coram Boy, Juliet And Her Romeo and Mayday Mayday (Bristol Old Vic); Edward II, Blue Remembered Hills (Sheffield Crucible); As You Like It (Manchester Royal Exchange); Spanish Tragedy (RSC). For Kneehigh Theatre (Founder Member): Rebecca, Brief Encounter, A Matter Of Life & Death, Tristan & Yseult, The Riot. Television includes: The Tower, Malpractice, Miss Scarlet & The Duke, True Love, Midsomer Murders, Poldark (5 series), The Crown, Three Girls, Endeavour, Doc Martin, Jamaica Inn, The Borgias, The Queen, Bad Girls, The Project.

Film includes: My Policeman, Christopher Robin, Bait, Saving Grace, Long Way Back.

CREATIVE TEAM

TOM MORRIS WRITER

Tom Morris was Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic from 2009 - 2022 and has been Associate Director of the National Theatre since 2004. He was the Artistic Director of BAC from 1995 to 2004 and has worked widely as a journalist, broadcaster and freelance writer, producer and director. At Bristol Old Vic his productions include Touching the Void and The Grinning Man, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Swallows & Amazons (West End and international tours); Juliet and Her Romeo, The Crucible, King Lear, Handel’s Messiah, Dr Semmelweis and The Meaning of Zong (co-directed with Giles Terera) and launched Bristol Old Vic On Screen, releasing films of several of the above titles and The Bristol Proms. Tom also adapted A Christmas Carol for Bristol Old Vic in 2018, co-wrote the lyrics for The Grinning Man, and adapted A Matter of Life and Death with Emma Rice for the National Theatre. For Kneehigh, he wrote Nights at the Circus and The Wooden Frock with Emma Rice. For BAC he wrote Ben Hur, Jason and the Argonauts and World Cup Final 1966, all with Carl Heap. Other directing credits include: Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo (Vienna Staatsoper), Breaking the Waves (Edinburgh International Festival), The Death of Klinghoffer (ENO & Metropolitan Opera, New York); Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (National Theatre); War Horse (as codirector for National Theatre; 2011 Tony Award for Best Director);Disembodied, Newsnight: The Opera, Home, Passions, Unsung, Othello

Music, Trio, All That Fall, all for BAC, where he also produced Jerry Springer: The Opera, BAC Opera, British Festival of Visual Theatre, Sam Shepard Festival and The Critics: Up for Review. Tom was founding Chair of the JMK Trust, has served on the boards of Complicite & Punchdrunk, has honorary doctorates from UWE and Bristol University, and an OBE for services to Theatre.

GWYNETH HERBERT

MUSIC & LYRICS

Vocalist, multiinstrumentalist, composer & musical activist Gwyneth Herbert has worked in collaboration with writers, musicians, directors, choreographers, visual artists, academics, clowns and young people to create a canon of genre-defying interdisciplinary work, as well as seven critically acclaimed albums under her own name.

Credits include: Letters I Haven’t Written (UK Tour); A Christmas Carol, The Snow Queen (Bristol Old Vic); The A-Z of Mrs P (Southwark Playhouse), After Lydia (Watermill Theatre). As a composer: The Patsy (BFI Silent Film Festival 2010); The Palace That Joan Built (Art on the Underground / Theatre Royal Stratford East) as well as commissions for London Sinfonietta, Mahogany Opera Group and Snape Maltings.

2022 also saw a collaboration with Music and Theatre for All on a sitespecific community opera in Lewisham, as part of the 2022 Borough of Culture Celebrations.

LEE LYFORD DIRECTOR

A Christmas Carol, The Elephant Man (with Diverse City and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School), The S now Queen, Muscle (BOV/ Hull Truck), The Window.

Other directing includes: Owl at Home, Hoof! (both Theatr Iolo), I Wish I Was a Mountain (BAC, the egg); Polar Bears Go Go Go, The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, Polar Bears Go Up, Britain’s Best Recruiting Sergeant, The Fourth Wise Man, (all Unicorn Theatre); the Night Watch (Richard Burton Theatre); the Ladykillers, Tuxedo Junction, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (all Watermill Theatre); Moominland Midwinter, Alice Through The Looking Glass, Ben Hur, The Odyssey, My life as a Fairytale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Heidi - A Goat’s Tale, Broken Wings, Broken Hallelujah, His Dark Materials, Around the World in Eighty Days (all for Theatre Royal Bath/the egg).

Lee is Artistic Director of Theatr Iolo.

TOM ROGERS SET & COSTUME DESIGNER

Previously for Bristol Old Vic: A Christmas Carol, The Snow Queen, The Rivals, The Misanthrope. Other theatre credits include: 9 to 5 (Savoy Theatre); Pretty Woman (Piccadilly Theatre); The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (Ambassadors Theatre); The Cher Show (UK Tour); We Will Rock You (International Tour); Phantom (Tokyo/ Osaka); Dreamworks’ Madagascar (International Tour); Written on Skin, Powder

Her Face (Opera Philadelphia); Carmen (Teatro Petruzelli, Bari); Il Matrimonio Segreto, La Cenerentola (Scottish Opera); Goat (Rambert, Sadlers Wells & UK Tour).

Television and Music Includes: Robbie Williams’ Swings Both Ways worldwide tour, The Courtship (NBC); Game Of Talents (ITV), Even Better Than The Real Thing (BBC1); Let It Shine (BBC1) and Head Of Costume on Britain’s Got Talent (ITV) since 2015.

ANNA WATSON

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Theatre includes: Hamlet -Candlelight Consultant (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre); The Bolds (Unicorn Theatre); All Of Us (National Theatre); Poet in da Corner, Pity, You for Me for You, A Time to Reap (Royal Court Theatre); Becoming: Part One, Salt Root & Roe (Donmar); Henry VI, Richard III - Candlelight Consultant (Sam Wanamaker); Gaslight (Watford Palace); A Christmas Carol (Bristol Old Vic); Leave to Remain, The Seagull, Shopping & F**king (Lyric, Hammersmith); Snow in Midsummer, The Roaring Girl (RSC); Box of Delights (Wilton’s Music Hall); King Lear (Shakespeare’s Globe); Dutchman, The Secret Agent, Fireface, Disco Pigs, Sus (Young Vic); Bank on it (Theatre-Rites/Barbican); Salt (Ruhr Triennale, Germany); Gambling, This Wide Night (Soho); Rutherford & Son, King Pelican.

ADRIENNE QUARTLY SOUND DESIGNER

Credits include: Gunpowder Immersive (Tower of London); Bad Jews (Arts, West End); Footfalls & Rockaby (Jermyn Theatre); Get Happy (Told by an idiot); Red (Polka Theatre); The Girl who Fell (Trafalgar Studios); Black Men Walking (Eclipse Theatre); Citysong (Abbey Theatre, Dublin); The Paper Man, Opening Skinners Box (Improbable); Rose, Queen Margaret (Royal Exchange Manchester) Cuttin’ It (Young Vic/

Royal Court); Splendour (Donmar Warehouse); The Elephant Man (BOV). Audio/Albums include: Mansfield Park for Audible, A Tale of Two Cities (Incidental; music for the stage); Artists Rifles (Piano Magic) Film credits include: Lost Tango and 7 Deadly Idiots.

LAILA DIALLO

CHOREOGRAPHER

Laila is a choreographer and performer based in Bristol. Alongside independently and collaboratively devising dance works, Laila often works as movement director/choreographer in theatre and opera. Credits include: ABBA Voyage; Rigoletto, Otello, Un Ballo in Maschera (Opera North); Wonder Boy (Bristol Old Vic); Three Seagulls (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School), Aïda, War and Peace (Canadian Opera Company); Thérèse Raquin, All’s Well That Ends Well (National Theatre); The Prince of Homburg, Dance of Death (Donmar); Tis Pity She’s a Whore (West Yorkshire Playhouse).

JATINDER CHERA

CASTING DIRECTOR

Jatinder is a graduate of the Casting Certificate, from the National Film and Television School. His casting credits include: The P Word (Bush Theatre). For the Royal National Theatre, Jatinder cast: Up Next Gala 2022 (Lyttleton Theatre). As a casting associate: The Father and the Assassin (Olivier Theatre). As a casting assistant: Othello (Lyttleton Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Lyttleton Theatre), Small Island (Olivier Theatre), and Trouble in Mind (Dorfman Theatre).

CATHERINE BOOT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Cat trained in Contemporary Circus with Physical Performance at Circomedia, Bristol and

European Theatre Arts at Rose Bruford, London.

As a director, theatre credits include: Oh No, George!, Invisible Thread and Plink and Boo for Can’t Sit Still. Digital theatre direction: What Will George Do? and Play-Along Plink and Boo. As circus/movement director: The (Not So) Quiet Revolution of Kindness and Village Green Antics, both for Hubbub Theatre. Cat is the Artistic Director of Can’t Sit Still, an arts organisation based in South Gloucestershire that uses creativity and culture to disrupt social inequalities; inspiring individuals, connecting communities and spreading joy.

JENNIE FALCONER & SARAH BANBURY COSTUME SUPERVISORS

Jennie is managing director of Bristol Costume Services who have supervised many productions for Bristol Old Vic including The Misanthrope and Uncle Vanya (co- productions with Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory), Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, The Rivals, The Snow Queen and A Christmas Carol.

Jennie and Sarah are also currently supervising Sister Act and White Christmas UK tours.

A CHAT WITH OUR DESIGNER TOM ROGERS

How do you begin your design ideas? What is the first thing you do?

In a more traditional process I would begin with reading the script. My initial designs would be a direct reaction to that and how the images develop in my head. However this process was slightly unconventional in the fact that the design process began before we had a finished script. I knew there were three very different worlds I needed to create but the design world has grown alongside the script rather than in reaction to it, perhaps occasionally the design even influencing the narrative, so that has been a really fascinating exercise.

How collaborative is the process?

Our process is extremely collaborative. Lee, Gwyneth, Anna, Tom and I have all worked together at Bristol Old Vic on previous productions so we have certainly developed a shorthand and an understanding of each others styles and working processes. It’s lovely to work with a team where your voice is valued, not only in your particular role, but in all aspects of the production. It’s also the best sort of working environment to be creating new work with your best friends.

What did the design need to achieve?

The main requirement of the design was to create three distinctive worlds - the real world of Claire’s present day new home, the topsyturvy world where toys can come to life and imagination runs riot, and a third, fairytale world where princesses get locked in towers, mice make deadly curses and dancing boys become nutcrackers. All these three worlds are linked by the recurring theme of time.

Tom Rogers chatting to actor Guy Hughes in rehearsal

Time being a central theme influenced the design so I spent a lot of my time looking at clocks and their inner workings and how we could use these shapes to create different elements of the set - the musicians floating on a cloud of cogs or a fairytale castle made entirely of grandfather clocks. The idea was always that our Nutcracker was a Clown rather than a Soldier so that also gave me the idea for the central world being almost like a Clockwork Circus, allowing the costumes in particular to have a heightened theatrical quality.

I think our biggest challenge was how to represent the epic battle sequence at the end with a relatively small cast. We are still in rehearsals as I write this so we are still in the process of solving it!

What can you tell us about the costumes?

The costumes on this production have been a real joy to produce. The characters are all so diverse, and exaggerated and I’ve really enjoyed collaborating with Kelly Jago our brilliant prop maker to help produce all the weird and wonderful head pieces.

There’s also a lot about the power of the imagination in the story - how imaginary friends can help defeat evil, or how a child’s imagination can bring inanimate objects to life and give them power. I wanted Claire’s internal imaginary world to be represented physically in some way on stage which is where the idea for the huge child’s drawing on the front cloth came from. This led to me having the idea that we could ask local children to provide us with drawings of the characters and central design elements and then use them to create this giant imaginative canvas. What you see on stage tonight on that cloth is entirely made up of just some of the amazing drawings we were given.

For me a Christmas Show needs to transport its audience to another world - it should be an escapist adventure for all ages.

What did you use as inspiration?

What are your influences?

Were there any difficult problems you had to overcome? What were the challenges?

Is there something about a Christmas set design that is different/special compared to other times of the year?

Costume drawings by Tom Rogers

OI POLLOI & ST MUNGO’S

TWO WAYS TO HELP THIS CHRISTMAS.

For the last few years Bristol Old Vic has partnered with St Mungo’s each Christmas to raise funds for their invaluable work. ‘H’ has been supported by St Mungo’s in the past and is also a member of Bristol Old Vic’s new theatre company Oi Polloi. Here’s why supporting in both practical terms and through creative opportunity is so important.

The fact is that I really feel supported by both St Mungo’s and Oi Polloi – if it wasn’t for those organisations I don’t know what I’d do. I sing Oi Polloi & St Mungo’s praises! I feel that it’s a magical experience where I feel valued and included. They’re a life changer & a life saver. It’s just special, sometimes there isn’t any words.

Quote from H

Oi Polloi is Bristol Old Vic’s community theatre group for adults who want to develop their creativity and confidence through creative play and ensemble theatre making, led by professional theatre-makers Liz Felton and Benj Foster.

The project started in 2019 out of Cardboard Citizen’s national programme Cardboard Camps. Now working in partnership with Bristol Drugs Project, the project provides a safe and supportive space for individuals to try out new skills and make work together.

Oi Polloi is a creative programme that works with adults with lived experience of homelessness, people who use drugs or alcohol, or feel socially isolated for other reasons.

To find out more about the programme please contact engagement@bristololdvic.org.uk.

Oi Polloi performance. Photo Edward Felton

Oi Polloi performance. Photo Edward Felton

Leading homelessness charity St Mungo’s is here in Bristol. And we’ll be here day in, day out, until we end homelessness for good.

We run 18 services across the whole city, supporting people at every stage of homelessness. We work with people to prevent them becoming homeless in the first place. Our outreach team is out day and night, supporting people who are on the streets of Bristol. And we also provide specialist emergency accommodation to help people get back on their feet, and longer-term homes for people who are ready to live a more independent life.

Our mental health services offer tailored support when and where people need it. And our Bristol Recovery College and Putting Down Roots gardening programme offer training and mentoring to help people fulfil their ambitions as they move away from homelessness for good.

Paul found himself homeless after struggling with his mental health. Things came to a head when he lost his business and eventually lost contact with his young daughter. After months of sleeping rough in Bristol, he was introduced to the Putting Down Roots gardening training programme at St Mungo’s: “Arriving for my first day of training, I was very anxious, but the staff and the other clients were great. I started going to weekly training sessions at the Castle Park Physic Garden in Bristol, developing new skills and connecting with people who had similar experiences.

“Thanks to Putting Down Roots, I’ve found my groove. I’ve moved into my own flat. My daughter comes to stay and she’s one of my biggest motivations to stay on this path.

“Recovery is about finding the right balance and Putting Down Roots has helped me to find it.”

Since 2017, the St Mungo’s partnership with Bristol Old Vic has raised nearly £45,000, helping people all over Bristol, just like Paul, to rebuild their lives.

Between 19 Dec – 1 Jan, the St Mungo’s team will be collecting contactless card donations after the show or you can donate here

Paul Fido

THE BRISTOL OLD VIC TEAM

Rhys Baker, Daisy Bates, Natalie Beddows, Thomas Besley, Charlie Bevis, Jess Blakemore, Holly Brennan, Danny Burd, Cerys Capon, Georgia Casimir, Isabella Considine, Isabelle Coughlan, Jessica Cox, Lily Daintry Spraggon, Adriana De Azevedo, Lolly Deazley, Matilda Dickinson, Olivia Dunne, Nicky Ebbage, Akosua Edwards, Lottie Elcoate, Rieko Kijima Elliott, Antony Fairclough, Daniel Forbes, Adele Ford, Ben Foster, Lucy Freeman, Henry GadbrookCoffin, Charlie Gunn, Kieran Graham, Elliott Grant, Alex Hall, Ibbie Harris, Joseff Harris, Matthew Harwood, Navoda Hettiarachchi, Gemma Hilton, Ellis Hopkinson-Hassell, Katy Hoste, Paula Jankowska, Isaac Kane, Willa King, Daisy Kennedy, Gabriela Kocena, Oliver Laird, Finlay Latcham, Elsa Llewelyn, Daniel Loach, Elinor Lower, Krista Matthews, Carlota Matos, Charlotte McEvoy, Kira McGuinness, Lydia McKinley, Rose McPhilemy, Divija Melally, Ayan Mohammud, Mary Morgan, Rosie Mullaney, Luigi Musa Baldo, Daniel Newman, Charlie Nye, Boden Osborn-Clarke, Conor O’Sullivan, Henry Paasch, Katherine Palmer, Sophie Power, Zac Poynter, Amelie Purvis, Isabella Quennell, Jacob Rayner-Blair, Lily-Grace Roxburgh, James Saul, Khadijah Sawyers, Samantha Sayer, Heidi Sholl, Clare Simkin, Pippa Sloan, Chris-Ann Smith, Stan Smith, Hector Sturrock, Heather Sweet, Jossy Temme, Joseph Thomas, Evelyn Tocher, Harvey Thring, Katrina Trim, Malinka Tyrakowski, Flossie Ure, Charlotte VickersGraham, Tom Wijesinghe, Jonah Wills, Elizabeth Wilson, Hope Wishart, Sol Woodroffe, Ben Wright, Eleonora Zampa.

OUR VALUED SUPPORTERS

AVC

Gold Ticket Holders

Michael Bakwin

Ann Ziff

The Nisbet Trust

The Edis Trust

The Society of Merchant

Venturers

The John James Bristol Foundation

The University of Bristol

Guy Lancaster & Kate Mailer

250th Anniversary

Silver Ticket Holders

Dame Liz Forgan & Denis Burn

Andrew & Anne Nisbet

Michael & Clare Morpurgo

Sir Daniel & Lady Day-Lewis

Richard & Mara Aylmer

Trevor & Mary Smallwood

Guy Lancaster & Kate Mailer

Bob Crowley Nick & Gloria Baker

Simon Inch

Ann Ziff

Mary & Martin Bailey

Michael Bakwin

Ken & Karen Edis

Anthony & Gabrielle Brown

Andrew Garrad & Emma Balfour

Phil & Claire King

Chris & Jackie Booy

Edward & Rosie Harford

William & Felicity Mather

Annette & Nick Mason

Alan Moore

Christopher & Sarah Sharp

Vanessa & Alan Stevenson Guy & Gill Stobart

Lady Sylvia Macara Stephen & Bryn Allpress

Lady Susie Sainsbury

Constantine Orbelian Kean & Janet Seager Sarah Kenny Mark & Hilary Davison

Peter Rilett & Sonia Mills George Ferguson David Sproxton CBE & Peter Lord CBE

John & Mary Prior

The Bellevue Trust Sarah Billinghurst & Howard Solomon George & Daphne Burnett John & Johanna Laycock Emma Stenning & Tom Morris Cameron & Ros Kennedy Martin & Dani Clarke

Antony & Lady Virginia Gibbs Leila Maw Straus

Peter & Janie Cadbury

Trudie Styler

Sue Elliott John & Maoko Caird Bill & Karen Ray Helen & Peter Wilde

Clerk to the Ticketeers

Alan Moore

And all who have donated to The Merchants’ Studio Appeal and The Macara Gallery Appeal.

Trusts and Foundations

Garfield Weston Foundation

John James Bristol Foundation

The Aurelius Charitable Trust

The Linbury Trust

The Foyle Foundation

The Wolfson Foundation

J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust

The Kirby Laing Foundation

Atkin Foundation

Equity Charitable Trust

The Mackintosh Foundation

The Goldsmiths’ Company

Garfield Weston Foundation

Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation

The Backstage Trust

Harriet’s Trust

Stanley Picker Trust

The 29th May 1961

Charitable Trust

The Aspinwall Education Trust

The Isla Foundation

The Kirby Laing Foundation

The Langdale Trust

The Wingate Foundation

Theatres Trust

The 29th May 1961

Charitable Trust

The Antonia Watson Foundation

The Aspinwall Education Trust

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

The Langdale Trust

The Steel Charitable Trust

The Wingate Foundation

Theatres Trust

Noël Coward Foundation

The Veronica Awdry Charitable Trust

The Mackintosh Foundation

Quartet Community Foundation

Bristol Old Vic Theatre Club

Unity Theatre Trust

Champions

Emma Balfour Sue Elliot Simon Inch

Rupert & Alice King

William & Felicity Mather David Medlock

John & Mary Prior Paul & Joanna Pearson

Directors’ Circle

Bernard Donaghue Judith Jones & Tim Lockwood Jones

Cameron & Ros Kennedy Paul & Joanna Pearson

Principal Supporters

Annet t Charitable Trust

Clore Duffield Foundation

Ronald Duncan Literary Foundation

Charitable Trust

Charitable Trust Genesis Foundation

Ashley Pharoah Lucy Victoria Phillips

Tom Price Oliver Rawlins

Ian Sutherland Emily & Michael Williams Caroline & Richard York Marie Woodward

Associates Ad Infinitum

Adam Peck

Akiya Henry Black South West Network Bristol Design Assembly Christopher Shutt

Malaika Kegode MAYK

Melly Still

Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh Sacconi Quartet Saikat Ahamed

Sally Cookson

St Pauls Carnival

Toby Jones

Tristan Sturrock

Ujima Radio Vanessa Kisuule Vicki Mortimer

Wardrobe Ensemble Wise Children

Board

Bernard Donoghue (Chair) Sado Jirde (Deputy Chair) Folake Adekola Cllr. Craig Cheney Klaus Goeldenbot

Claire Hiscott Chinonyerem Odimba Oliver Rawlins Suneeta Sellers

Joe Sims

David Sproxton Dr Matthew Tanner MBE Kate Anthony Wilkinson

MOG THE FORGETFUL CAT DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD

14 – 18 Feb 19 Jan – 11 Feb

International touring company Complicité presents a new work for the theatre, directed by Simon McBurney and based on the Nobel Prize-winning author Olga Tokarczuk’s stunning novel.

A rallying cry for nature, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is a whodunnit unlike any other.

Join Mog and the Thomas family on a journey through one year in the life of a really remarkable cat, as she catches a burglar, gatecrashes a cat show, goes to the V.E.T. and gets to eat lots and lots of eggs. The Wardrobe Ensemble (Robin Hood: the Legend of the Forgotten Forest) adapt Judith Kerr’s beloved stories for the stage, with songs, live music and a menagerie of creatures little and large.

YOU BURY ME

24 Feb – 4 Mar

Coming of age in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, six young Egyptians navigate friendship, loss and secret Grindr dates in the city that made them. Winner of The Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2020, You Bury Me is an explosive, political debut from Ahlam about a generation emerging from a national trauma, determined to live and love freely.

WALDO’S CIRCUS OF MAGIC AND TERROR

It’s 1930s Brandenburg. Fascist whispers are growing to shouts. Many are leaving the country, but Waldo and his troupe of acrobats, clowns and conjurors are staying put. And hidden beneath the glamour of the big top is a story of forbidden love which balances on the tightwire. A dazzling and uplifting new circus theatre musical by Jamie Beddard and Hattie Naylor, with an original score by Charles Hazlewood (Paraorchestra).

ZOG

5 – 16 Apr

Large in size and keen in nature, Zog is eager to win a golden star at Madam Dragon’s school, where dragons learn all the things that dragons need to know.

The smash-hit stage adaptation from Freckle Productions (the team behind Zog and the Flying Doctors and Stick Man) is back and promises to be bigger, brighter and more roar-some than ever before!

VENUS

3 & 4 May

A quadruple bill of new work by Bristol-based dance company IMPERMANENCE.

Featuring collaborations with the London Symphony Orchestra and author George Monbiot amongst others, it is an eclectic, politically-charged collection of entertaining and arresting pieces, performed by some of the most exciting dancers working in the UK.

BECOME A MEMBER

Our memberships are inspired by the unique stories of our theatre, like the audience members who snacked on ORANGE peel; our legendary LAVENDER perfume-wearing ghost, and the THUNDER conjured from our roof-space! Our CIRCLE memberships take inspiration from the amazing people who make our work happen.

Unlock wonderful benefits and get closer to our work. Your membership helps us to inspire the creativity in our city’s communities, nurture the next generation of brilliant artists, and create shows that Bristolians can be truly proud of.

SCAN TO JOIN!

Support from just £3.75 per month

If you have any questions about Bristol Old Vic membership, please contact the Development Team on 0117 317 8661 or email membership@bristololdvic.org.uk

“I believe in everything you see - in the dance that happens between every tick of the clock.”