England’s oldest University playhouse is administered and maintained by the University of Cambridge. Chairman of the Executive Committee: Mark Billinge Theatre Manager: Mitchell Clarke Operations Manager: Vicky Collins Production Manager: Jamie Rycroft Technical Manager: John Evans Office Administrator: Connie Dent Box Office Administrator: Katie Hook Box Office: 01223 300085 Free online booking: adctheatre.com | corpusplayroom.com adcticketing.com Administration Tel: 01223 359547 The ADC Theatre is a non-smoking venue. Patrons are reminded that in accordance with Cambridgeshire County Council regulations, the consumption of drinks in glasses is not permitted in the auditorium. Tonight’s performance will include a 15 minute interval All photography in this programme, with the exception of headshots is credited to Johannes Hjorth.
Whether we fall by ambition, blood or lust, Like diamonds we are cut with our own dust. In the court of Malfi, a nameless Duchess slips off her shoes to silence her footsteps, and takes her servant, and lover, by the hand. This movement will throw into harsh light the angles which comprise the final years of her short life; these appear onstage as the twisted limbs of a body, fraught with conflicting desires and suffocated by the jealous, incestuous obsession of Duke Ferdinand and the quiet, hungry Cardinal. Over the course of twelve years, two women are entangled and set alight by their struggle to regain autonomy in a world where every choice has already been decided and free will is always an illusion. There will be sheets, soot, shadows, red lights, and those shoes… That pair of hanging shoes.
ACT 1 | We come home to our beds. We fall asleep.
The Play
Antonio, the steward of the Duchess’ household, has been away in France on business for several months. When he returns, it is to find that the Duchess’ twin brother, the Duke Ferdinand, and their elder brother, the Cardinal, are visiting her in Malfi. This is both a social and a political visit, and many of the lords and high ranking politicians join them. Bosola is also present, recently released from prison, and frustrated at receiving no compensation from the Cardinal for serving time, despite having gone there as a result of work done for him. Before departing, the Cardinal and Ferdinand talk to the Duchess in private about their wishes that she should not marry again. She promises them that she has no intention to do so. When they leave, the Duchess summons Antonio to her; they have been seeing each other in secret for some time, and the Duchess finally summons the courage to ask him to marry her. They carry out the ceremony themselves, in secret, swearing their oaths on an old Bible.
ACT 2 | We shift, restlessly.
Several months have passed, and the Duchess is heavily pregnant. Bosola suspects as much, and, since she has been employed by Ferdinand to spy on the Duchess, plans to prove her suspicions by offering the Duchess some apricots, which are said to induce labour. The Duchess goes into labour on eating the fruit, and Antonio and his best friend Delia quickly attempt to fix the situation by sending the Duchess’ household into lockdown, so that the servants might not discover the pregnancy. However, Bosola slips out of her lodgings and finds a note, scribbled by Antonio, which informs her that the Duchess has given birth to a son. Some days later, in Northern Italy, the Cardinal and his wife, Julia, are interrupted by a servant bringing news that Ferdinand has come to his brother’s court in a rage. When he enters, he immediately reveals that he has had news of the Duchess’ pregnancy to the Cardinal.
ACT 3 | As the night deepens, we turn. We sleep uneasily.
Twelve years have passed, and Ferdinand and Delia have just arrived at the Duchess’ court for a long-awaited visit. Having had a long journey, Ferdinand retires to bed early. In the Duchess’ own bedroom, she and Antonio are able to spend some private time with their young family, Philario, Silvia, and Florizel, and their beloved nurse and best friend to the Duchess, Cariola. When the Duchess isn’t looking, the others sneak away to play a trick on her.
In their absence, Ferdinand enters, unseen. He warns the Duchess never to reveal who she has married, lest he murder the man viciously. He swears never to see her again. The Duchess, panicked, sends Antonio and Cariola with her children to safety, but before she can flee herself, she is surrounded by dark figures, lead by Bosola.
ACT 4 | We dream, darkly
Ferdinand has imprisoned the Duchess in his home, and pays her a visit in the dark, so as not to break his vow never to see her again. He promises her a gift.
The Duchess is presented with the hanging figures of Antonio and her three children.The Duchess slips into a restless sleep. She is woken by Bosola, with news of her imminent death. The executioners are summoned, and the Duchess is murdered. Ferdinand enters. He is appalled at his own actions. Bosola, sickened by what she has been forced to do, and unable to bear being a pawn in others’ games, swears revenge on Ferdinand and the Cardinal.
ACT 5 | We find ourselves unable to wake.
Antonio has gone into hiding, seeking refuge with his old friend Delia. They discuss Antonio’s plans, and discover that his land has been taken unlawfully from him and given to the old politician Castruccio. Ferdinand has now come to the Cardinal’s court, but seems driven out of his senses. Bosola has also come to the Cardinal, and questions him about the Duchess’ death, but he evades her. As he leaves, Julia, his wife enters. Julia has been having an affair with Bosola for many years now, and they embrace - wary of the Cardinal discovering them. Bosola asks Julia to discover the Cardinal’s secret, and she promises to do so. When the Cardinal re-enters, Julia attempts to persuade him to reveal it, but the Cardinal notices some dust which has rubbed onto her dress from Bosola’s arm, and in a moment realises that she has been having an affair. He forces her to kiss a poisoned sword, and she dies just as Bosola rushes in to stop the murder. With nothing left to lose, Bosola finally, and brutally, seeks out and takes her revenge on both the Cardinal and Ferdinand. Slowly, the sun comes up. We awake. We find we have been dreaming.
INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR Peaking into the mind of Anastasia Bruce-Jones
“So first off, I’ve got to ask, what’s the shoe thing about?” ‘Well, historically shoes have often been used as a way to control women, or oppress them – high heels, for example, were used hundreds of years ago by prostitutes so that customers could follow the imprints they left to the brothel. Then you’ve got Chinese foot binding, and the fetishisation of women’s feet across a bunch of cultures. But it’s more than that, it’s the culture of women wearing shoes which make it more difficult to move around, which – whether the particular person wearing them has done so for this reason or not – are intended to give a woman height (making her more conventionally attractive) and increase her value as an aesthetic object. And it’s not just women, the first people to wear heels were men in Ancient Persia, so it becomes one of those things where society inflicts laws upon itself, which restrict and disadvantage everyone. ‘So this whole idea and the way wearing high-heels seems to symbolise the control and sexualisation of women – historically and socially speaking, of course, this is no campaign against heels themselves – really is symbolic of what our whole production is about; a growing fear of losing autonomy in a world where everything seems sort-of out of our control and every choice is, in a way, already made for us. ‘They’re also really important in the play of course in a totally different way, but this is how we’ve been thinking about them and their value thematically, or symbolically.’ “This loss of autonomy you’re talking about, is that in the play or currently - in the real world?” ‘Both! So much is out of our control these days, and the prescriptive way we live our lives (school, university, job, marriage, children – it’s all laid out for us, this plan of ‘how we should live our lives’) can feel really oppressive, so I was really keen to get a sense of that in the show. ‘Without giving too much away, our essential idea is that this show should feel like everyone, including the audience, is experiencing some weird, collective nightmare about what society might become – although I realise that probably
just sounds like pretentious waffle. And feminism – or equality, if you prefer – and the loss of autonomy, are at the centre of that.’ “Feminism is quite an interesting angle to go for isn’t it, what with this being a Renaissance play?” ‘Well, yes and no. In terms of Renaissance theatre, we’re definitely talking about a lot of sexism going on – there are a crippling shortage of good roles for women, and you see the same stereotypes coming up again and again – not to even mention the fact that these ‘women’ would have been played by men. DoM has, for me, just a flicker of something different. The Duchess is such a strong woman, a woman who falls blamelessly at the centre of some truly cruel men and circumstances – her selflessness and strength in the face of all this sets her apart. She plays what Renaissance audiences would have thought of – and what, sadly, we still stereotype as – the ‘man’s role’ a lot of the time, in that she sacrifices herself to get her family to safety and then dies with absolute dignity. ‘Of course, we’ve also made some changes which shake things up a bit. We’ve changed the roles of Bosola and Delio so that they’re now women, and I think it massively adds to the dynamic of the whole play. Bosola totally defies the stereotypical roles of women in Renaissance theatre. She’s a soldier. She’s not lead by her emotions. Her morals are ambiguous and she walks a tough line between good and evil. She is the only character in the play that becomes aware of how little control she has over her own destiny, and chooses to try to take back that control. ‘In general, there are going to be a lot of surprises for audiences who know the play, in terms of what we’re doing with it. I wouldn’t say that taking a feminist angle is by any means the greatest of those.’ “Wow, ok, so there are a fair few surprises in store for us – I think I’ve heard you’ve got some kids involved?” ‘Yes! They’re very talented. Very professional – in fact, we all got the giggles in rehearsal the other day and they were the first to recover. It’s great to work with actors who are completely uninhibited by how they think they should behave – I think we’re all learning from them. ‘But again, I wouldn’t say the kids are going to be a big surprise for the audience compared to some other things we’ve done. I can’t say too much
of course, it would be sad to spoil it, but there’s one scene which we’ve sort-of added, which doesn’t have any dialogue, just choreography – and we’ve made quite a lot of other fairly dramatic changes like that.’ “Oh – choreography? So I’m guessing there’ll be some music we can look forward to as well then?” ‘Haha – yes, very much so. We have a completely original score for the show and there’s going to be an orchestra behind the stage playing it live every night. ‘Gary Rushton – he’s our insanely talented composer – has completely blown my mind. When I heard what he’d written for the first time I knew I had to up my game, because it sounds utterly professional. He’s a bit of a genius actually – it’s one of the reasons this show really shouldn’t be missed.’ “Ok, so go on, why shouldn’t we miss this – apart from the music?” ‘Gosh, all of it! Everyone involved is just brilliant – I feel really blessed to be working with these people. ‘Aside from anything, you’ll finally get to see why those shoes are important to the show – I haven’t given that away by any means. It would be a shame to be plagued by hanging shoes all over facebook and Cambridge and never find out why!’ Anastasia Bruce-Jones (pictured above) Director of The Duchess of Malfi
THE CAST OF THE DUCHESS Those whose skill is witnessed tonight
THE DUCHESS KATE MARSTON
Kate, now in her third year, is adament that playing the Duchess will help rather than hinder her English Lit. degree. Other performances that have ‘helped’ her degree include Valerie in ‘The Weir’, Stella in the ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and of course, Macy in that well known English classic, ‘Spilt Milk’.
ANTONIO JOE SEFTON
Joe is in his second year studying English and Drama with Education at Homerton College. His most recent projects include the Cambridge Greek Play: ‘Antigone/Lysistrata’ performed at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, and playing the title role in ‘Hamlet’ at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Previous credits include: Ted/Charlotte/Dan in ‘Wasted’, Berowne in ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’, Proteus in ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’, Woyzeck in ‘Woyzeck’, Judas in ‘Godspell’, Turai in ‘The Play’s The Thing’, and Meshak in ‘Coram Boy’. He is currently preparing for the role of the prince in the ADC/Footlights Pantomime: ‘Rumplestiltskin’. Joe spent his summer in Italy in preparation for his role, enduring the painful process of consuming copious amounts of pasta and practising his GCSE Italian.
FLORIZEL GILBERT DICKS PHILARIO SAMUEL BROADWAY BOSOLA SABRINA GILBY
Sabrina is a first year student reading French and Arabic at Newnham College. Palying Bosola in the Duchess of Malfi is her first acting credit at Cambridge and she hopes it won’t be her last. Studying at Newnham has meant she has got lots of practice kissing girls.
FERDINAND BEN WALSH
Ben shouldn’t be here. He graduated from Homerton in June and has clearly struggled to move on. He has therefore gladly accepted the role of this year’s ‘sad grad’ (Ghazi-Torbati, 2016). Aside from posing as a student, his acting credits in the past year include tours of ‘As You Like It’ in the USA and ‘Twelfth Night’ across Europe.
THE CARDINAL
JOE TYLER TODD
Joe is a first year student reading English Lit. at Christs. This is his first show at Cambridge. He has loved the rehearsal process despite the damage caused to his knees.
JULIA HELEN VELLA TAYLOR
Helen is a second year Education with English and Drama student at Homerton college. Her previous roles include Lady Croom in ‘Arcadia’ at the Edinburgh Fringe, Judth Windsor in ‘Woman in Mind, the Nurse in ‘Medea, ‘Kate’ in Breathing Corpses, Hannah in ‘Not A Love Poem’ the short film, Mrs Erlynne in ‘Lady Windemere’s Fan’ and is currently perparing for the Birth monologue in ‘Vagina Monologues’. Helen is also producing this week’s ADC Late Show ‘Comedy Weakly’...which you should all watch after this...(shameless marketing ploy).
CARIOLA ISOBEL LAIDLER
Isobel is a finalist reading English at Murray Edwards College. Previous credits include Edmund, ‘King Lear’; Rachel, ‘Posh’; Kay, ‘The Habit of Art’; Celimene, ‘The Misanthrope’; Paulina, ‘Death and the Maiden’; Virginia, ‘Life of Galileo’ and Miles, ‘Turn of the Screw’. Isobel is also performing in this years Marlowe Showcase, under the direction of Nicholas Barter, and is president MADhouse, the University English Society, and Membership Secretary for The Marlowe Society. When she’s not acting, Isobel can be found writing comedy or directing short films, and occassionally - if you’re really lucky - doing her degree...
SILVIA AYLA BOS
DELIA GEORGINA TAYLOR
Georgina is currently in her first year studying linguistics at Homerton College. This is her first show at Cambridge and she’s having the best time ever! Georgina has particularly enjoyed the role of Delia and her eccentricities--from the unhealthy fascination of graveyard echoes to her complusion to bestow unwanted wisdom at the most inopportune moments--but is mostly glad that we’ve finally decided on a name for the character. Enjoy the show!
THE MARQUIS OF PESCARA
CALUM MANEY
Calum is a second year Biological Natural Sciences student at Queens’ College. He has been involved in Pembroke Players’ The History Boys and The Heywood Society’s Murder on the Disorient Express, in addition to CUADC’s West Side Story and CUMTS’ production of A Little Night Music. Outside the theatre, he can be found organising charity events and wandering through town wearing a vague expression.
CASTRUCCIO
JEROME BURELBACH
Jerome is a third year PhD student in Physics at Corpus Christi College. His previous work includes ‘Medea’ (King Kreon), ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ (Jonathan Brewster), ‘The Real Inspector Hound’ (Simon), ‘Titus Andronicus’ (Chiron) and ‘Pronoun’, in which he played the iconic role of James Dean with a flawless Luxembourgish accent. Jerome started his preparation for the part of Castruccio by taking a dictionary to’t. When he’s not at rehearsals, he spends his spare time studying the thermal motion of small particles in liquids.
SILVIO JOE PIERI
Joe is a second year Historian at Girton college. His previous roles include Jamie- ‘Love, Love Love’, Rick‘Woman in Mind’, Ed- ‘Posh’ and the excitingly gender fluid role of Mum/Dad in ‘Pronoun’. Aside from the daily commutes on his bike into town (Girton is far away lol), Joe is a keen member of the CU show choir
and occasionally arranges social pursuits for his college dramatic society ‘GADS’.
MALATESTI ISAAC JORDAN
Isaac is a finalist reading English at Downing College. His previous work as an actor includes Bernardo, ‘West Side Story’ (ADC Theatre); Harry Horner, ‘The Country Wife (Edinburgh Fringe); Adam/Corin, ‘As You Like It’ (Howard Theatre); Bunthorne, ‘Patience’ (John’s Waterfront) and Brian Four in ‘The Habit of Art’ (ADC Theatre). His primary interest comes from directing and writing however, and his work as a director includes ‘Spin’ (Howard Theatre), ‘Lulu’ (Howard Theatre), ‘One Small Step’ (Corpus Playroom) and ‘The Habit of Art’ (ADC Theatre). He is currently an Assistant Director for Cambridge’s annual Marlowe Showcase. However Isaac wishes someone would explain the knotted shoes in this production...
RODERIGO ABBAS KHAN
Abbas is a fresher reading Classics at Gonville and Caius College. ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ is his first show at Cambridge, though previous external roles have included Deputy Governor Danforth in ‘The Crucible’, and Anthony Hope in ‘Sweeney Todd’; he will also be performing in Robinson Brickhouse’s ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ as Judah later in the term. Abbas has found the show an exciting start to Cambridge theatre and is looking foward to more theatrical fun to come.
GRISOLAN DYLAN SMITH COURTIER PETER CHAPPELL
Peter is a second year English student at Downing College. Previous productions include directing ‘Hay Fever’ and ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’, and although he enjoys very much a cosy comedy of manners, has also been involved in ‘Medea’ as assistant director and in ‘Posh’, as Miles. He will be playing Lepidus in ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ in the coming weeks. When he isn’t acting he is in the college bar where, if you are particulary enthralled by his performance, you can see him in other embarassing positions.
COURTIER
GEORGE BOOTH-CLIBBORN
Peter is a second year English student at Downing College. Previous productions include directing ‘Hay Fever’ and ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’, and although he enjoys very much a cosy comedy of manners, has also been involved in ‘Medea’ as assistant director and in ‘Posh’, as Miles. He will be playing Lepidus in ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ in the coming weeks. When he isn’t acting he is in the college bar where, if you are particulary enthralled by his performance, you can see him in other embarassing positions.
DREAMERS
EVIE SMYTH
Evie is a finalist Law student at Trinity Hall. Her previous acting credits in Cambridge include Fraulein Schneider in ‘Cabaret’ (Trinity Hall), Cossin in ‘Massacre at Paris’ (ADC) and Lucy in ‘Confusions’ (ADC). She has very much enjoyed crawling around on the floor, creature-like, in rehearsals for Duchess; nothing gets one’s mind off the peculiarities of Labour Law like a bit of physical theatre.
NATALIE REEVE
Natalie is a third-year English student at Jesus College. Previous theatrical madness includes an awful lot of Victorian effeminates: Herbert Pocket in ‘Great Expectations’, Archibald Grosvenor in ‘Patience’, Mary Shelley in ‘Mary and Claire: A Defence of Poetry’, two out of three little maids in ‘The Mikado’ (Yum-Yum and Pitti-Sing). Playing both a gravestone and a lung in the same show has been something of a new experience for her. When not playing a gravestone, a lung, or a Victorian effeminate, she lurks in her room and writes novels about - well, Victorian effeminates. Not gravestones or lungs. Yet.
ELISE HAGAN
Elise is currently in her 2nd year studying HSPS at Trinity Hall. Her previous work includes Regan ‘King Lear’; Author, ‘The Habit of Art’; Dormouse, ‘ALICE’; Helmut, ‘Mnemonic’. Alongside theatre, Elise is also a keen improviser, performing with the Cambridge Impronauts. She is also in the process of reviving Trinity Hall’s drama group, The Preston Society.
ZOE MORRIS
Zoe is currently in her 3rd year studying Neuroscience at Corpus Christi College. Her previous work includes playing Isabel in ‘Pirates of Penzance’, Directing ‘Pearl’ and Assistant Directing/ Producing ‘Three Days Time’ both at the ADC and at Edinburgh Fringe. She is currently also involved in ‘Joseph and the amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ as well as Directing ‘HMS Pinafore’. She has particularly enjoyed crawling around the stage and trying to creep out the other actors and when not in the theatre she can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee, writing stories or short films or in the lab working with cocaine-addicted rats (as part of her degree not some crazy hobby….she promises).
EVE FRENCH
Eve is in her first year studying Classics at Churchill College. This is her first production in Cambridge, but she is also currently rehearsing for ‘Our Country’s Good’, in which she’s playing Liz/Dawes. She has really appreciated the positive energy with which Anastasia leads every rehearsal, however mad the warm-ups may be.
ALICIA HUSSEY
Alicia is in her 3rd year studying Classics at Homerton College. This is her first play in Cambridge, but the unabating contortion of limbs along with permanently dusty clothes after rehearsals have not been enough to put her off. She recently attended the Royal Shakespeare Company Summer School, and has in past worked with Watford Palace Theatre and Rickmansworth Players. Previous acting experience outside Cambridge includes ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘St. Trinian’s’, and a highlight was (of course) playing Precious in a ‘Come Fly With Me’ sketch at school. Alicia is super excited for the show, but less so for the cycle back to Homerton afterwards. On a lighter note, due to the extent of physical theatre in the play, Alicia has since rescinded her gym membership.
MAYA YOUSIF
Maya is in her first year at Homerton studying Education with English and Drama. Although this is her first play at Cambridge, she is currently in rehearsals for the fresher’s play ‘Bed’. Despite being initially terrified of doing some physical theatre, it has actually proved to be a lot of fun, and she hasn’t (yet) injured herself or anyone around her.
DREAMERS
SASKIA WEST
Saskia is a fresher studying Land Economy at St John’s College. This is her acting debut at the ADC and she looks forward to getting involved in what the wonderful world of Cambridge Theatre has to offer. Spending her summer with the National Youth Theatre proved to be particularly beneficial for the ensemble work and physical theatre in this production and she has found it surprisingly fun getting in touch with her inner ‘creature’ whilst crawling around the floor with fellow thespians.
BETH HINDHAUGH
Beth is currently in her second year studying Natural Sciences at Trinity Hall. Previous credits include Charlie; ‘Posh’ and Lizzie/Tom; ‘Philadelphia, Here I Come!’, and she is preparing for a production of ‘Joseph K’. She is greatly enjoying crawling/lunging/Gollum running around the stage, and when not in the theatre she can be found crawling/lunging/Gollum running around Cambridge.
SNEHA SEN
Sneha is a first year Linguistics student at Downing College. This is her first play at Cambridge and she is way too excited about performing at the ADC for the first time - even if she isn’t awake for most of the play! Sneha has particularly enjoyed trying out physical theatre techniques in rehearsals, even when they involve twisting her limbs into angles that shouldn’t be physically possible. Really.
ELEANOR BURKE
THE CREW OF THE DUCHESS Those working behind the stage
THE DIRECTOR
ANASTASIA BRUCE-JONES
Anastasia is a second year reading English at Gonville and Caius College. Previous credits include directing ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’; assistant directing ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, ‘Iolanthe’ and ‘The Mikado’ at the Minack Theatre; producing ‘Ashes to Ashes’; and stage managing both episodes of ‘Cambridge Shorts’. When she’s not thinking about ‘The Duchess of Malfi’... ... ... who are we kidding? She’s always thinking about ‘The Duchess of Malfi’.
PRODUCER
GEORGIA HUMPHREY
Georgia is currently in her second year studying English at Christ’s College. Her previous roles include production work on the CADS 2016 fresher’s play, and acting and costume design on a range of shows including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and two CADS pantos. She became President of CADS during her first year when it became clear that they needed someone to boss everyone around, and this is the first time she’s been released in to the wild to work on an ADC show, where she continues to boss people around and drown in paperwork. She’s absolutely loved working with this wonderful cast and crew, and helping Anastasia bring her fabulous show to life.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
LOUIS NORRIS
Louis is a second year English student at Sidney Sussex. He’s been in some shows since being here (productions include ‘Peter Grimes’, ‘Grief ’, ‘Bull’, ‘Posh’ and ‘King Lear’), and has recently made a film (‘Not A Love Poem’). This is his first experience ADing, and he is immensely enjoying being involved in a show where all the stressful things like having to learn lines and go on stage are done by other people.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
MYLES O’GORMAN
Myles is a second-year English student at Selwyn College. Previous theatre as Director includes: ‘Hamlet’ (Edinburgh Fringe), ‘Antigone’ (Selwyn Chapel) and Assistant Director on ‘Teahouse’ (ADC Theatre). Upcoming theatre includes directing Arthur Miller’s ‘A View from the Bridge’ at Pembroke New Cellars. This happens to be on in the same week as Duchess: so If you enjoyed, why not pop down the road to Pembroke for a double dose of Week 5 tragedy!
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
ELEANOR MITCHELL
ASSISTANT PRODUCER
EVELYN HENDERSON-CHILD
STAGE MANAGER
CAITLIN WALSH
Caitlin is in her 2nd year reading Classics at Magdalene College. Her previous involvements in Cambridge Theatre include Stage Managing ‘Mnemonic’ (ADC), ‘The Art of Coarse Acting’ (Howard Theatre) and ‘One Small Step’ (Corpus Playroom), as well as Assistant Stage Managing for ‘West Side Story’, ‘Peter Grimes’ and ‘Trojan Barbie’ (ADC). Though she has dabbled briefly in acting, her loyalties truly lie backstage...
DEPUTY STAGE MANANGER
ISSY HOUSTON
Issy is a second year English student at Queens’ College. Previous productions involve stage managing ‘The Winter’s Tale’, ‘Peter Grimes’ and she is involved in producing ‘Joseph K’ later this term. This will be her first experience of being at the Deputy Stage Manager’s desk and being somewhat technically challenged in everyday life she is hoping that all the switches work okay!
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
EMMA MORGAN
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
TOBY MOLYNEUX
Toby Molyneux is currently in his 4th year studying Engineering at Homerton College. His previous work include Technical Director, Caravan, Head Carpenter, Have I got to mock the buzzcocks for you and is currently preparing for (as head carpenter) the CUADC/ Footlights Pantomime: Rumpelstiltskin.
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
ANTHONY GRAY
Anthony is currently in his 2nd year studying Music at Robinson College where he is also the junior Organ Scholar. His previous theatrical engagements have included Jesus Christ Superstar and West Side Story and he will be musical director for ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ at Robinson in two weeks time. He has very much enjoyed working with Gary Rushton and the band on his fantastic score and would like to thanks Gary for all of the effort he has put into producing an incredibly evocative score.
COMPOSER GARY RUSHTON
Gary is currently in his third year studying Music at Jesus College. He developed a keen interest in singing at his secondary school, eventually joining the prestigious Halle Youth Choir in 2012, with whom he toured in Belgium, Scotland and France, as well as participating in two BBC proms. Gary is regularly involved in various operas and musicals including highlighting as Francis Bacon in ’the Francis Bacon opera’ a the ADC, Handel’s ‘Jeptha’ at the Fitzpatrick Hall, and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe at West Road Concert Hall. Gary is a current member of the Choir of Jesus College as a tenor, and is the musical director for the Jesus Singers, a non-auditioned choir at Jesus College. He also sings with the Fisher consort and with Vox Cantab, both based in Cambridge. As a composer he has premiered two silent film scores for the John Hughes arts festival in Jesus College, and is always looking for new platforms for his choral and instrumental works.
CHOREOGRAPHER
MADDY GAILBRAITH
LIGHTING DESIGNER
NOAH FRAM
Noah is a first-year MPhil student in music at Trinity Hall. Before Duchess, some of his favourite projects have been designing lights for The Last Five Years (CUMTS), Tartuffe (Bucknell University Theatre), The Drowsy Chaperone (Vanderbilt Off-Broadway), and the premiere of the opera The Ghosts of Monticello (Bucknell University Opera), serving as chief electrician for Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Bucknell University Theatre) and Spring Awakening (Vanderbilt Off-Broadway), and performing as Albert Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Vanderbilt University Theatre). When he isn’t in the ADC or the music faculty, he can be found getting hopelessly lost trying to find music stores or annoying his neighbours with his incessant practicing.
ASST. LIGHTING DESIGNER
SALLY PEARSON
Sally is in her second year studying Geography at Gonville and Caius College. This is her first time on a lighting board in Cambridge, and there are major differences compared to her tiny local Georgian Theatre back home! She hopes that she will be able to cope with the technology upgrade, bringing her out of the 1700s.
SET DESIGNER JACK PARHAM
Jack is a 3rd year languages student. Previous set designer credits: Albert Herring (Fitzpatrick), Henry V (Arts Theatre), The Strip, Tribes, The White Devil, The Beck and Mnemonic. He is currently on his year abroad in Colombia.
COSTUME DESIGNER
CHRISTINA MAURICE
PUBLICITY DESIGNER
OLIVER BALDOCK
A freelance graphic designer, more of Oliver’s work can be seen at www.oliverbaldock.com.
EDUCATION OFFICERS
AMELIA OAKLEY & GABBY KOUMIS
PHOTOGRAPHER
JOHANNES HJORTH
Johannes has produced some amazing shots of the cast and crew in action, and all the photographs in this programme can be attributed to him. More of his work, including further shots from this production can be seen on his website: photo.johanneshjorth.se
HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHER
BENEDICT FLETT
NOTES FROM THE COMPOSER
On my first look through the script the thing that really struck me about Webster’s play is the real Gary Rushton’s take on Webster’s ‘The Duchess sense of unease that pervades it. It of Malfi’ is in the characters of Ferdinand and the Cardinal. It follows Bosola wherever she goes. Even the Duchess is eventually overcome by unease and dread. This was the starting point for my entire scoring, as I wanted the listener to hear the tension that so acutely underpins the words of the playwright. Capturing the right style was key, so I looked to one of my favourite eras, the turn of the 19th century, to see if I could find the right tone for such a dark theatrical piece. The score contains the atonality of Schoenberg and his tortured sense of line, but also the deep melancholy of the late romantics, contributing to a score that varies widely, but always to the same end. In another sense everything in the music comes from my interpretation of the characters. The Duchess is everything good in her world, strong and heroic. This contrasts with the music of her brothers, always teetering on madness and oblivion. The music of treachery follows Bosola around like a wolf ready to bite. It is likely a far cry from what Webster could envisage, but I hope he would have appreciated the atmosphere nonetheless. Gary Rushton (pictured above) Composer for The Duchess of Malfi
MEET THE BAND
Last but by no means least
VIOLIN
PRISHITA MAHESHWARI-APLIN TABITHA BARDSLEY
VIOLA
ANNA SEMPLE MICHELLE SPIELBERG
CELLO
CATHERINE PORTER
FLUTE
CHARLOTTE EVES
CLARINET
IMOGEN CASSELS
TRUMPET
ED LIEBRECHT
BASSOON
SIOBHAN CONNELLAN
Programme & Publicity Design by Oliver Baldock www.oliverbaldock.com The Duchess of Malfi 2016