PENTHOUSE
A Poignant New Production Challenging Perceptions Of The Banking Underworld Premieres At The Edinburgh Fringe Festival At The Space On 4th August 2017
AUTHOR Ed Brody
DIRECTOR Kate Williams & Chris White
AT The Space, Niddry Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1TH
WHEN: 4th - 26th August (excluding 13th)
TIME: 16:45 – 17:40
Ewan: I was a banker.
Eloise: Trouble in paradise?
Ewan: You could say that. I'm making some changes.
Eloise: For the better I hope?
Ewan: I think so.
What was the inspiration for this performance?
I read an article about a banker years ago who had desperately tried to hide the losses he had accumulated from the bank. He was eventually found out. After reading it I learnt about the stresses and struggles these young bankers vying to get ahead in the industry face. And the awful consequences that can arise.
Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?
Absolutely. To be that close to a group of actors telling a story that could potentially move you, there’s no better way to stage ideas that we can talk about.
How did you become interested in making performance?
I’d watched people I knew do it successfully and
always had the desire to write so sat myself down and started doing it. I also wanted to test myself and there is no better way to do this.
Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?
Being new-writing we workshopped it a lot. My cast were invaluable in testing what worked and what didn’t and they helped devise the piece. We wanted it to be dark and powerful and I think we have achieved that.
Does the show fit with your usual productions?
Well this is our first production so I guess so!
What do you hope that the audience will experience?
I hope they see what leads people to the edge. What puts them in the mind frame of making awful decisions. I would also hope they come out asking questions about the industry and without being too broad, what can be done to protect people within and out of it.
What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?
We did a lot of research into the industry. It shocked us just what has gone on and thought that we should create a story that shocked people as much as it did us.
Ewan is one of the country's most intelligent young bankers but he's just lost close to £1.4 billion of investors' money in illegal trades. His plan? Hire the penthouse of a hotel and indulge in a blowout before ending it all.
But everything is turned upside down when he meets an escort called Eloise and sex, drugs and depression begin to blur Ewan's perception of reality.
Penthouse offers an insight into the world of bankers and the pressures they face that can lead them to take their own lives.
Inspired by a true story, Ed Brody wrote and directed his debut play PENTHOUSE as part of his drama school dissertation. But as his interest in the profound and timely themes of the play grew, so did his passion to put Penthouse onto a bigger stage.
PENTHOUSE stars a wealth of talent including Cat Lamb Hughes - critically acclaimed for her recent lead in Jack Thorne's 'Bunny' at The White Bear Theatre; Dario Coates - Off West End Award nominated for his role in 'Sid' at The Arts Theatre in London's West End; recently graduated Ryan Hutton and the play's writer Ed Brody seen in 'Father Brown' (BBC) 'The White Queen' (BBC) and 'The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas' (Chichester/Tour dir. Joe Murphy).
PENTHOUSE will premiere at The Space on Niddry Street, on the 4th August, and will run until the 26th August 2017 (excluding 13th August).
CAST:
Ewan Ed Brody
Father Brown (BBC), The White Queen (BBC), The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas (Chichester/Tour)
Eloise Cat Lamb Hughes Bunny by Jack Thorne (White Bear Theatre), The Crown (Netflix), Cucumber (Channel 4)
Danny Dario Coates Offie nominated for Sid (The Arts Theatre). Coronation Street (ITV) Endeavour (ITV)
Drew Ryan Hutton Staunch- Map Productions (53two Manchester)
CREATIVES:
Directors Kate Williams and Chris White
Producer Sophia Nicholson
4th - 26th (excluding 13th) 16:45 – 17:40
SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION:
@penthouse_play
@theSpaceUK / thespaceuk.com
No comments :
Post a Comment