TOLD BY AN IDIOT (1993 - ) |
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Nationality: British Email: Click here to contact Website: Click here to visit Address: RADA, 16 Chenies Street, London, WC1E 7EX |
Told by an Idiot was founded in 1992 by Hayley Carmichael, Paul Hunter and John Wright. Told by an Idiot set out to discover the epic in the most personal of stories. With a passionate taste for diverse narrative and constantly inspired by a variety of influences, they pursue a committment to producing work that is both popular and challenging. In their huge world of extremes the line between comedy and tragedy has never been finer. Through devising and play, the company aim to tell stories using a wealth of imagery and a rich theatrical language, in the hope of producing exciting Theatre which is accessible to all.
World Premieres of Plays by Told By An Idiot
Aladdin | ||
| 1st Produced: | 30 Nov 2001 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #70135 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Christmas Show Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 4 | Female | 3 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Living alone with his mother, young Aladdin has nothing to call his own but a head full of dreams. One day, a passing magician leads him to a dusty old lamp, and Aladdin discovers something far more wonderful than he had ever imagined. . .Make your wishes come true this Christmas and join Aladdin, the Genie, the Princess and a host of other characters in an adventure stuffed full of laughter, colour and theatrical magic. | |||||
Further Reference: | Theatre Record Vol XXI (2001) Page 1669 - [Theatre: Lyric - Hammersmith] | |||||
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And the Horse You Rode In On | ||
| 1st Produced: | 24 Feb 2011 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #121756 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | conceived by Hayley Carmichael And Paul Hunter And created by the company | |||||
Synopsis: | A sequence of serious follies. A rather well-known rabbit attempts to stop an alien blowing up the earth. In a Berlin cafe a professor pleads with her student not to commit an atrocious act. And in an infamous London department store, the weirdest ever episode of Are you Being Served? is about to begin. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Beauty And the Beast | ||
| 1st Produced: | 29 Nov 2007 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #34788 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 2 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | adaptation by Paul Hunter And Carl Grose | |||||
Synopsis: | When Beauty's Father is caught in a terrible storm he seeks refuge in a remote country house. the house appears to be empty as he meets no-one until the next morning when he picks a rose for his daughter. Told By An Idiot, the company behind previous Lyric Hammersmith Christmas shows Aladdin and the Firework-Maker's Daughter, returns with a production packed with humour and theatrical invention. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Casanova | ||
| 1st Produced: | Leeds: West Yorkshire Playhouse, Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UP >>> | 07 Sep 2007 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #159664 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 4 | Female | 3 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | adapted by Carol Ann Duffy And Told By An Idiot | |||||
Synopsis: | the year is 1755 and a strange series of events has broken out across Europe. In Flanders, bakers' bread rises without yeast; in Padua, a church service is interrupted as the entire female congregation goes into labour; in Cirencester, several magistrates are seen cavorting naked on St Swithins Day. Could Casanova be the cause of these strange goings-on? | |||||
Further Reference: | Theatre Record Vol XXVII (2007) Page 1072 - [Theatre: Courtyard - West Yorkshire Playhouse] | |||||
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Comedy Of Errors | ||
| 1st Produced: | Courtyard Theatre, Stratford | 07 Aug 2010 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #180934 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | play | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Original Playwright - Shakespeare | |||||
Synopsis: | A story of two sets of identical twins, that were accidently separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant Dromio of Syracuse arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers - Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and family of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on hilarious misunderstandings ensues. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Dark Philosophers, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | 11 Nov 2010 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #34789 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Adaptation | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 5 | Female | 3 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | adapted by Carl Grose from the works of Gwyn Thomas; music by Iain Johnstone | |||||
Synopsis: | National theatre Wales will celebrate one of Wales' most distinctive voices of the last century with the Dark Philosophers, a brand new Dramatisation of the ink-black comic tales of Gwyn Thomas, the great Welsh storyteller and dark, hilarious chronicler of the Valleys. the youngest of 12 children, Gwyn Thomas (1913-1981) was born and brought up in Cymmer, in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. Growing up in poverty, he won a scholarship to Oxford University, and returned to Wales to teach. the Dark Philosophers, a collection of short stories, was published in 1946, while his novels include the Alone to the Alone (1947); All Things Betray thee (1949); the World Cannot Hear You (1951), and Now Lead Us Home (1952). His play the Keep opened at the Royal Court theatre in 1961, to great acclaim. | |||||
Further Reference: | Theatre Record Vol XXX (2010) Page 1313 - [Theatre: Riverfront - Newport] | |||||
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Don't Laugh It's Mr Life | ||
| 1st Produced: | Weymouth College, Dorset, UK | 1997 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #159663 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 2 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Mime Festival @ BAC 1998 | |||||
Synopsis: | An anarchic tale of redemption. In a quiet house in a quiet street the kids are beating dad with twigs, mum's at the end of her tether and grandma thinks the lodger is Jesus. Don't Laugh it's my Life is inspired by Tartuffe, Moliere's classic comedy of human obsession. It tells the story of a man who seemingly has everything but is persuaded to give it all up in search of a better life. He falls under the influence of an enigmatic stranger, a holy man. His first impressions prove misleading and chaos ensues for everyone. Don't Laugh it's my Life is a farce with occasional dark and disturbing undertones. In an attempt to rediscover the spontaneity and invention of Commedia dell'Arte, the Company has drawn heavily on the techniques and structures of that form whilst managing to avoid the distinctive marks at the tradition. the result is a vigorous mix of physical comedy and high Drama with flights of fancy that have you gasping for breath as a family falls apart. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Evening with Johnny Springer, An | ||
| 1st Produced: | 17 Oct 1999 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #70141 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | You've all seen the Jerry Springer show but did you know that he has an English half brother, Johnny, with very similar ambitions, but less taste. Worried that your wife is really a man, concerned that your grandmother sleeps with sheep..then come and join the audience of the Johnny Springer show. An outrageous evening of half mask theatre. | |||||
Further Reference: | Theatre Record Vol XIX (1999) Page 1388 - [Theatre: BAC (Battersea Arts Centre)] | |||||
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Evening With the Bondress, An | ||
| 1st Produced: | 1995 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #106962 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | London International Mime Festival. The first Festival took place at The Cockpit Theatre and Arts Centre, London NW8, in January 1977. In that year the event was called The Cockpit Festival of Mime and Visual Theatre. It is now the longest running festival of its kind in the world. With the exceptions of 1983 and 1986, the Festival has taken place each year, featuring, in addition to workshops, films, debates and special events, performances by the following artists and companies. | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Every Last Trick | ||
| 1st Produced: | Northampton: Royal &Amp; Derngate Theatres, Guildhall Road, Northampton NN1 1DP >>> | 18 Apr 2014 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #70142 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Original Playwright - Georges Feydeau. Adapted by Tamsin Oglesby | |||||
Synopsis: | A charming politician and his glamorous new wife evoke a picture of marital bliss. Her first husband was a liar and a cheat. Her second is a different batch of chromosomes altogether. Not only is he chairman of the Feminist Forum but he clearly adores her. He says so, repeatedly, usually on Thursday nights when he goes out to 'stretch his legs'. Her suspicions are obviously hormonal. But when he resorts to illusion to maintain the delusion, well, there's a lot of confusion. If experience has taught her anything it's the need to fight fire with fire, lies with more lies and every last trick with pure magic. . . A comic marvel from the master of French farce, Georges Feydeau, Every Last Trick is an ingenious look at the game of infidelity and marriage, given fresh life by playwright Tamsin Oglesby | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Evocation Of Papa Mas, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | 04 May 2006 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #158497 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 3 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | A collaboration with Nitro And the theatre Royal Plymouth. written by John Wright, music by Felix Cross | |||||
Synopsis: | An awe-inspiring and epic event combining the spectacular imagery of Trinidadian carnival with compelling live music and the theatrical inventiveness that has become Told by an Idiot's trademark. This is a superbly anarchic show that lifts you off your feet. When the plantation owner, Mr Walker, kills a penniless street beggar trying to court his daughter, he's haunted to the grave and into the spirit world beyond - to a point where carnival is his only option. Set in a cartoon world, the Evocation of Papa Mas is a love story and a mischievous parody which is sometimes beautiful and poignant, yet shocking and raucously funny at the same time. This is a show for everyone with a zest for life! | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Fahrenheit Twins, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | 24 Nov 2009 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #70143 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play/Drama | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 1 | Female | 1 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | from the novel by Michel Faber, Adapted by Told by An Idiot And Matthew Dunster | |||||
Synopsis: | the parable of man's innate need to destroy is illustrated using carefully crafted physical theatre | |||||
Further Reference: | ||||||
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Firework-Maker's Daughter, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | 2003 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #70144 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | devised by Told by An Idiot And Philip Pullman | |||||
Synopsis: | Lila wants to be a firework-maker more than anything else-but her Father won't tell her the final trade secret. there's a quest, a kidnap and Crackle Dragons in this explosive story about talent, determination, luck and simply loving what you do! | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Get Happy | ||
| 1st Produced: | Barbican Pit, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS >>> | 12 Dec 2013 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #34790 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | TYA 45 min | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 2 | Female | 2 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | A mysterious noise is heard from a bag. An opera singer falls in love with a gorilla. And strangest ever egg sandwich is created live on stage. This festive season, enter the artfully controlled chaos of Get Happy, a madcap, mischievous show for children (ages 4+) and their families featuring performance, dance, music and visual comedy, commissioned by the Barbican. Internationally acclaimed theatre company Told by an Idiot has taken inspiration from the work of Charlie Chaplin, Dr Seuss and Pina Bausch: prepare to laugh at some of the silliest things you can imagine in a show that is literally bursting with life and has no rules. | |||||
Further Reference: | ||||||
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Ghost Train, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | Manchester: Royal Exchange Theatre, St Anns Square, Manchester, M2 7DH >>> | 14 May 2015 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #180935 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | drama | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 4 | Female | 5 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Arnold Ridley's classic drama was first produced in 1925 and filmed no less than three times. Better known as Private Godfrey in BBC's long-running Dad's Army, Ridley conceived the idea for this thriller horror on a deserted platform waiting for a train. The story begins when a young man accidentally strands six passengers at a small Cornish wayside station. Despite the stationmaster's weird stories of a ghost train, they decide to stay the night in the waiting room. Soon they regret this decision as a ghostly apparition terrorises the group. A detective hiding his true identity from the passengers soon discovers the real truth, but is it too late? | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Happy Birthday, Mister Deka D | ||
| 1st Produced: | 10 Aug 1999 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | ISBN/ASIN: | - | ||||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #34791 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play/Drama | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 2 | Female | 1 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | devised by Told by An Idiot And Biyi Bandele-Thomas | |||||
Synopsis: | A haunting love story laced with delicious comedy. Collaborating with a writer for the first time, Told by an Idiot has commissioned the acclaimed Biyi Bandele. the commissioning of this new play marks a major development for the Company and fulfils a desire to tackle a text, from a writer we have long admired. In a place where time has stood still, Mister Deka D celebrates his birthday. A man, Trisk, and a woman, Lika, come together to confront their past, whilst doing all they can to avoid it. Meanwhile, Mister Deka D doesn't seem to realise what is taking place around him, in the same way that Trisk and Lika don't seem to notice Mister Deka D's presence. the genesis of collaboration between Biyi Bandele and Told by an Idiot comes from a mutual fascination with storytelling. the rich vein of humour that runs through Biyi's work is a particular area that the Company wishes to explore and challenge with its own approach of mixing comedy and tragedy. Ultimately to attempt the fusion of new writing and physical theatre feels like an exciting departure and a natural progression for Told by an Idiot. the play aims to focus as much on what is unspoken in a relationship as what is said, and creating a world where the smallest detail can prove to have the greatest resonance. Mister Deka D celebrates his birthday in a place where time has stood still. A man and a woman come together to confront their past, whilst doing all they can to avoid it. Happy Birthday, Mister Deka D is an intense, moving and comic look at the nature of love and the effect that the past has on the present. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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I Am Thomas | ||
| 1st Produced: | 18 Feb 2016 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #180933 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | musical theatre | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | music by Iain Johnstone; lyrics Simon Armitage | |||||
Synopsis: | Edinburgh; a cold town on the edge of civilisation, in very much the Year of Our Lord, 1696. The church has spies everywhere. Here, you keep your counsel and choose your words with care ... unless you are Thomas Aikenhead - a loud-mouthed, smart-arsed and likable student at the university. A man in the wrong place at absolutely the wrong time. . .trouble is brewing for Thomas. A rich vein of black humour is exploded in this account of the last person in Britain to be executed for blasphemy. Using Told by an Idiot's internationally celebrated theatrical invention, we glimpse into Edinburgh's dark past to reveal this true story with universal resonance. A riotous and unsettling drama which swings between 1696 and the present day, I Am Thomas is performed with an original live score. Inspired by fact, fantasy and an original short story by James Robertson | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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I Can't Wake Up | ||
| 1st Produced: | Liverpool: Unity Theatre, 1, Hope Place Liverpool, L1 9BG >>> | 27 Sep 2001 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #34792 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 2 | Female | 1 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | devised by John Wright based on An original story by Paul Hunter | |||||
Synopsis: | Seeking to tell an epic story of desperation and survival, the Company creates a comic and touching account of dementia. I Can't Wake Up is set in an 1830s hospital and tells the story of William and Emily. A happy couple who believed they shared the same memories, whereas in reality they drifted further and further apart. the show explores memory through the relationship between an ill man who can't remember anything and his wife, and through their individual flashbacks of happy times. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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I Weep at My Piano | ||
| 1st Produced: | Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle | 1998 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #34793 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 2 | Female | 1 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | A moving homage to an exceptional friendship. Following Northern Stage's invitation to open their Lorca Festival in May 1998 to celebrate the centenary of Lorca's birth, Told by an Idiot devised a new piece of work, I Weep at my Piano. Inspired by a mutual fascination with the work and imagination of three great artists, Lorca, Dali and Bunuel, the Company has created a show as captivating and as charismatic as the men themselves. they were drawn to these three artists because of their anarchy, reflected in works such as Bunuel's Viridiana, their imagistic poetry, seen in all of Lorca's plays and their teasing morality, a running theme in the work of Dali. Overall we were probably most attracted by their startling innovation. Told by an Idiot recognise and respond to this area of creativity, where there is no judgement of ideas and a wildness of the imagination. Rather than making an autobiographical play, the Company captures something of their spirit, their use of truth and lies, their naughtiness and passion, their genius and glamour. I Weep at my Piano marks a departure for the Company in several ways: for the first time, narrative is not the driving force within the production. the focus shifts instead to a dreamlike world full of atmosphere and illusion. To avoid a simple collage of images the piece is set in a real environment and situation from which we can constantly depart and return. Three men, one tough, one skinny and one ugly, meet for the first time. the men would come to be regarded as three of Spain's greatest and most influential artists: Salvador Dali, FedErico Garcia Lorca and film maker Luis Bunuel. I weep at my piano is inspired by the tempestuous relationship between these one-time friends. Lorca waits in a government building hours away from the bullets that will kill him. He begins to remember the years past when he first met Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel, at the Residencia in Madrid in 1923. As these stories combine a strange dreamlike world is evoked. Whilst making no attempt to make a purely autobiographical play, I weep at my piano takes elements of Lorca's life, mixes them up and adds some bits. Told by an Idiot aims to capture something of the spirit of these three great artists, with Bunuel and Dali appearing as Lorca's memories leading him to his fate. | |||||
Further Reference: | Theatre Record Vol XIX (1999) Page 0107 - [Theatre: BAC (Battersea Arts Centre)] | |||||
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I'm a Fool to Want You | ||
| 1st Produced: | 07 May 2002 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #146251 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | mix of jazz, mime and speech Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 2 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Conceived by Paul Hunter, devised And presented by Told By An Idiot | |||||
Synopsis: | a 75 minute meditation on the life of Boris Vian, the French novelist, poet, jazz musician, surrealist and absurdist, who died in a Paris cinema in 1959 at the age of 39. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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I'm So Big | ||
| 1st Produced: | 1995 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #9659 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Devised Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Little Fantasy, A | ||
| 1st Produced: | 23 Jan 2001 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #70145 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Mime Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 1 | Female | 4 | ||
Parts other: | doubling | |||||
Notes: | part of London International Mime Festival 2001. The first Festival took place at The Cockpit Theatre and Arts Centre, London NW8, in January 1977. In that year the event was called The Cockpit Festival of Mime and Visual Theatre. It is now the longest running festival of its kind in the world. With the exceptions of 1983 and 1986, the Festival has taken place each year, featuring, in addition to workshops, films, debates and special events, performances by the following artists and companies. | |||||
Synopsis: | A Little Fantasy was first developed as a work in progress as part of the 2001 London International Mime Festival. the Company will re-visit this work and develop it into a full production to tour in the Autumn 2002 - Spring 2003. From Shakespeare to the Sopranos, people have always been fascinated by families and often the more dysfunctional the better. Told by an Idiot gives their own highly original take on 'the family', the power struggles, the egos and the bonds that can never be broken. Set in a time when the natural order of things has collapsed, A Little Fantasy tells the story of a family who dwells outside of the law, living on their wits, and ruled by two women whose hearts 'beat as one.' | |||||
Further Reference: | Theatre Record Vol XXI (2001) Page 0064 - [Theatre: BAC (Battersea Arts Centre)] | |||||
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My Perfect Mind | ||
| 1st Produced: | 41319 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #34794 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play/Drama | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 2 | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | written by Kathryn Hunter, Paul Hunter and Edward Petherbridge | |||||
Synopsis: | Acclaimed classical actor Edward Petherbridge was cast as King Lear when, on the second day of rehearsals, he suffered a stroke that left him barely able to move. As he struggled to recover Edward made a discovery: the entire role of Lear still existed word for word in his mind. From being on the brink of playing one of Shakespeares most revered roles, to lying in a hospital bed, Edward had never imagined what tragedies and comedies lay in store for him. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Never Try This At Home | ||
| 1st Produced: | Birmingham: Rep, The Studio, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EP >>> | 27 Feb 2014 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #57584 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 5 | Female | 1 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | devised by Carl Grose | |||||
Synopsis: | Remember watching children's TV on a Saturday morning and wanting to be part of the fun and madness? Well now you can. . .Enter the world of a 2014 TV special, made to reunite stars of a classic children's TV programme, Shushi. The atmosphere is tense. Last time the cast were together the show was cancelled for good after a celebrity went missing, an obsessive fan made his final demand and a presenter was pushed to her breaking point live on air! With this catastrophic episode recreated live on stage, Never Try This At Home transports you back to a long-lost era of custard pies, buckets of water and presenters under pressure. Inspired by legendary programmes such as Tiswas, Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Going Live, and Live & Kicking, Never Try This At Home is a hilarious new comedy from critically-acclaimed Told by an Idiot, recreating the anarchic chaos of cult children's TV . Prepare for a disturbing look behind the forced smiles and bad clothes but be aware that anything could happen and that this show definitely isn't for children! | |||||
Further Reference: | Theatre Record Vol XXXIV (2014) Page 0229 - [Theatre: Birmingham Rep] | |||||
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On the Verge Of Exploding | ||
| 1st Produced: | 1993 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #159666 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Playing the Victim | ||
| 1st Produced: | 37840 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | Nick Hern Books, London, 2003 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #159665 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Translation | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 4 | Female | 2 | ||
Parts other: | doubling | |||||
Notes: | Original Playwright - The Presnyakov Brother translated by Sasha Dugdale | |||||
Synopsis: | A young man drops out of university and goes to the police. He's done nothing wrong he just wants a job. A particular job. Playing the victim in murder reconstructions. Maybe by getting close to death he can manage to cheat his owm | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Shoot Me In the Heart | ||
| 1st Produced: | 19 Sep 2000 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #70146 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 4 | Female | 4 | ||
Parts other: | doubling | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Shoot Me In the Heart was a co-production with the Gate theatre, London. Shoot Me In the Heart is based on an Argentinian short story. Dedicated to all those who dare to follow their heart, it tells the story of an unlikely love affair set in a small coastal town in South America in the 1930's. A woman gives birth to a girl whom she adores. On her daughter' seventh birthday, the mother realises that her little girl will never grow again. Time passes. In the town is an ageing romantic figure, whom everybody is fascinated by. On the day of the girl's seventeenth birthday this man buys her a present of a white pony and falls in love with her. He tries to deny this feeling to himself and goes travelling for five years. It is impossible, so he returns. they marry and live happily ever after, until one day a circus comes to town. . .. This is a particular tale, about a particular situation, and yet, like all the best stories, its themes are universal. It is in its essence both sad and ridiculous, funny and painfully familiar. | |||||
Further Reference: | Theatre Record Vol XX (2000) Page 1232 - [Theatre: Gate - Notting Hill] | |||||
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Too Clever By Half | ||
| 1st Produced: | Manchester: Royal Exchange Theatre, St Anns Square, Manchester, M2 7DH >>> | 10 Jul 2013 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #34795 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | play | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 6 | Female | 5 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Original Playwright - Alexander Ostrovsky adapted by Rodney Ackland | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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You Can't Take It With You | ||
| 1st Produced: | Manchester: Royal Exchange Theatre, St Anns Square, Manchester, M2 7DH >>> | 07 Dec 2011 | ||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | Dramatists Play Service, NY, 1937 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #34796 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | 3 act Comedy | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 9 | Female | 7 | ||
Parts other: | 3 men extras | |||||
Notes: | written by Moss Hart And George S. Kaufman | |||||
Synopsis: | at first the Sycamores seem mad, but it is not long before we realize that if they are mad, the rest of the world is madder. In contrast to these delightful people are the unhappy Kirbys. the plot shows how Tony, attractive young son of the Kirbys, falls in love with Alice Sycamore and brings his parents to dine at the Sycamore home on the wrong evening. the shock sustained by the Kirbys, who are invited to eat cheap food, shows Alice that marriage with Tony is out of the question. the Sycamores, however, though sympathetic to alice, find it hard to realize her point of view. Meantime, Tony, who knows the Sycamores are right and his own people wrong, will not give her up, and in the end Mr. Kirby is converted to the happy madness of the Sycamores, particularly since he happens in during a visit by an ex-Grand Duchess, earning her living as a waitress. No mention has as yet been made of the strange activities of certain members of the household engaged in the manufacture of fireworks; nor of the printing press set up in the parlor; nor of Rheba the maid and her friend Donald; nor of Grandpa's interview with the tax collector when he tells him he doesn't believe in the income tax. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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You Haven't Embraced Me Yet | ||
| 1st Produced: | 09 Oct 1996 | |||||
Organisations: | Told By An Idiot | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #34797 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Piece | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 1 | Female | 2 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | A beautiful tale of revenge. the past shakes hands with the present in the hypnotic world of the Boombar Club, a place full of crazy music, tender magic and dancing that would make your curtains blush. | |||||
Further Reference: | Theatre Record Vol XVI (1996) Page 1519 - [Theatre: BAC (Battersea Arts Centre)] | |||||
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