The Factory Theatre Company
Encyclopedia
The Factory Theatre Company was created by Tim Evans
and Alex Hassell
in 2006.
The Factory's cult-hit production of Hamlet
, directed by Tim Carroll, initially played around London
in secret locations, where the audience was informed where and when to turn up only a few days before the performances, and were also asked to provide the props by bringing any object of their choosing for the actors to use in the show. Each performance had a cameo appearance from either a well known actor or an audience member. Cameos included Rufus Sewell
, Kathryn Hunter
, Josh Hartnett
, James McAvoy
and Nonso Anozie
. In 2008 the show was performed at midnight at Shakespeare's Globe
to a sold-out audience. In November that year it played at the Barka Theatre in Budapest
, Hungary, for two nights. In 2009 it played in rep with The Seagull
at both York Theatre Royal
as part of the Takeover Festival and Bristol Old Vic
as part of Bristol Jam.
In January 2009 the company presented 'Round One' - an innovative night of new writing at the Electricity Showrooms, Hoxton
, the Factory rehearsal rooms at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington
and in the Studio of the Hampstead Theatre
. In the show the titles of ten minute plays were picked at random by audience members. The cast of each play knew all of the roles, and who was to play which character was decided by the audience only seconds prior to the start of the scene.
The Seagull Project was first performed at the Hampstead Theatre in April 2009, and later in secret locations around London. Once again directed by Tim Carroll, the cast, again with multiple actors capable of playing each role, learnt the play as 'units of action' working from all the English language translations of Chekhov
's text. In each performance the words spoken are improvised by the cast, but closely following the structure of Chekhov's original. In this way a 'new translation' emerges each night, in the moment. All set and costume are sourced from the audience or the room the show takes place in. The company most recently played The Seagull at The Living Willow theatre in Powys
, Wales in July 2010.
In November 2009 the company were part of the Daring Parings festival at Hampstead Theatre and curated 50/50 - running along the same lines as Round 1 but this time written specifically for the festival. Each piece was inspired by one year from the past fifty years. Writers were not allowed to write stage directions or setting and the pieces were written so that anyone within the company could play them, regardless or age, gender or ethnicity. Again, the audience picked the order of the plays at random and again they determined who would play which character in a piece seconds before it began.
50/50 formed the basis for Round 2, which ran from March 2010 until July of that year. Round 2 developed the ideas from both Round 1 and 50/50 but was unusual for the company in that they played in the same venue, The Electricity Showrooms in Hoxton, for the duration of the run. New plays were added to the playlist on a weekly basis. By the time the company finished the run the playlist extended to over 25 new plays especially created for the company. The final performances of Round 2 were at the Latitude Festival
and Secret Garden Party
.
The company were also one of 5 young companies asked to curate the Victoria and Albert Museum
's 1:1 festival in June 2010. 6 writers were asked to write a piece for a specially built performance space, designed by Brazilian architect Carlos M Teixeira in The Porter Gallery.
Tim Evans stepped down as joint Artistic Director in 2010. Liam Evans Ford has been Producer and Associate Director of the company since 2008.
The Factory have also collaborated extensively with BBC Radio
, appearing twice on The Verb and working closely with Jeremy Mortimer
, among others.
The Factory's first production of a full-length play, Boiling Frogs, by Associate Member Steven Bloomer, premiered in September 2010. In October 2010 the company returned to Bristol Old Vic
with both The Seagull
and Round 2 as part of that year's Bristol Jam.
In March 2011 The Factory staged a special performance as part of one of the Victoria and Albert Museum
's Friday Lates, before playing the Seagull, Hamlet and Round 2 at the Rose Theatre, Kingston
for one week from April 11th.
Tim Evans (theatre)
Tim Evans is a British actor and theatre director. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London after studying Performing Arts at Hereford College of Arts....
and Alex Hassell
Alex Hassell
Alex Hassell is a British actor born September 17, 1980 in Southend. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama after completing GCSE and A-Level courses at Moulsham High School, in Chelmsford, Essex...
in 2006.
The Factory's cult-hit production of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, directed by Tim Carroll, initially played around London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in secret locations, where the audience was informed where and when to turn up only a few days before the performances, and were also asked to provide the props by bringing any object of their choosing for the actors to use in the show. Each performance had a cameo appearance from either a well known actor or an audience member. Cameos included Rufus Sewell
Rufus Sewell
Rufus Frederik Sewell is an English actor. In film, he has appeared in The Woodlanders, Dangerous Beauty, Dark City, A Knight's Tale, The Illusionist, Tristan and Isolde, and Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence. On television, he starred in the 2010 mini-series The Pillars of the Earth...
, Kathryn Hunter
Kathryn Hunter
Kathryn Hunter is an award-winning English actress and theatre director.Hunter was born in New York to Greek parents but brought up in the UK...
, Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
, James McAvoy
James McAvoy
James McAvoy is a Scottish stage and screen actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in 1995's The Near Room and continued to make mostly television appearances until the early 2000s. His notable television work includes State of Play, Shameless, and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune...
and Nonso Anozie
Nonso Anozie
Nonso Anozie is a British actor who has appeared in several stage plays and four films to date.In the summer of 2002 he became the youngest person in history to play William Shakespeare's "King Lear" and won the Ian Charleson Award in 2005 for his performance as Othello.Anozie was hired in 2006 to...
. In 2008 the show was performed at midnight at Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic best guess, based...
to a sold-out audience. In November that year it played at the Barka Theatre in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary, for two nights. In 2009 it played in rep with The Seagull
The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
at both York Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal
The York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St. Leonard's Place, York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 847 people. This reduced capacity takes into account removal of the mixing position seats and the stage side boxes which are normally not sold...
as part of the Takeover Festival and Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
as part of Bristol Jam.
In January 2009 the company presented 'Round One' - an innovative night of new writing at the Electricity Showrooms, Hoxton
Hoxton
Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, immediately north of the financial district of the City of London. The area of Hoxton is bordered by Regent's Canal on the north side, Wharf Road and City Road on the west, Old Street on the south, and Kingsland Road on the east.Hoxton is also a...
, the Factory rehearsal rooms at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
and in the Studio of the Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
. In the show the titles of ten minute plays were picked at random by audience members. The cast of each play knew all of the roles, and who was to play which character was decided by the audience only seconds prior to the start of the scene.
The Seagull Project was first performed at the Hampstead Theatre in April 2009, and later in secret locations around London. Once again directed by Tim Carroll, the cast, again with multiple actors capable of playing each role, learnt the play as 'units of action' working from all the English language translations of Chekhov
Chekhov
- People :* Alexander Chekhov, older brother of Anton Chekhov* Anton Chekhov , Russian writer** Chekhov Gymnasium, school, and now museum in Taganrog** Chekhov Library, public library in Taganrog** Anton Chekhov class motorship...
's text. In each performance the words spoken are improvised by the cast, but closely following the structure of Chekhov's original. In this way a 'new translation' emerges each night, in the moment. All set and costume are sourced from the audience or the room the show takes place in. The company most recently played The Seagull at The Living Willow theatre in Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales in July 2010.
In November 2009 the company were part of the Daring Parings festival at Hampstead Theatre and curated 50/50 - running along the same lines as Round 1 but this time written specifically for the festival. Each piece was inspired by one year from the past fifty years. Writers were not allowed to write stage directions or setting and the pieces were written so that anyone within the company could play them, regardless or age, gender or ethnicity. Again, the audience picked the order of the plays at random and again they determined who would play which character in a piece seconds before it began.
50/50 formed the basis for Round 2, which ran from March 2010 until July of that year. Round 2 developed the ideas from both Round 1 and 50/50 but was unusual for the company in that they played in the same venue, The Electricity Showrooms in Hoxton, for the duration of the run. New plays were added to the playlist on a weekly basis. By the time the company finished the run the playlist extended to over 25 new plays especially created for the company. The final performances of Round 2 were at the Latitude Festival
Latitude Festival
The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006....
and Secret Garden Party
Secret Garden Party
The Secret Garden Party is an annual independent arts and music festival which takes place in Abbots Ripton near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Part of the grounds of a Georgian farm house, the location has its own lake, river and landscaped gardens...
.
The company were also one of 5 young companies asked to curate the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
's 1:1 festival in June 2010. 6 writers were asked to write a piece for a specially built performance space, designed by Brazilian architect Carlos M Teixeira in The Porter Gallery.
Tim Evans stepped down as joint Artistic Director in 2010. Liam Evans Ford has been Producer and Associate Director of the company since 2008.
The Factory have also collaborated extensively with BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, appearing twice on The Verb and working closely with Jeremy Mortimer
Jeremy Mortimer
Jeremy Mortimer is a British director and producer of radio dramas for BBC Radio. He is the son of John and Penelope Mortimer. His credits include The Pattern of Painful Adventures and radio adaptations of Daphnis and Chloe , Philomel Cottage and The Time Machine...
, among others.
The Factory's first production of a full-length play, Boiling Frogs, by Associate Member Steven Bloomer, premiered in September 2010. In October 2010 the company returned to Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
with both The Seagull
The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
and Round 2 as part of that year's Bristol Jam.
In March 2011 The Factory staged a special performance as part of one of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
's Friday Lates, before playing the Seagull, Hamlet and Round 2 at the Rose Theatre, Kingston
Rose Theatre, Kingston
The Rose Theatre, Kingston is a theatre on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The theatre seats 899 around a wide, lozenge shaped stage....
for one week from April 11th.
- Actors associated with the company include Mark RylanceMark RylanceMark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
, Ewan McGregorEwan McGregorEwan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
, Richard Wilson and Bill NighyBill NighyWilliam Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
.
- Factory Members include John HopkinsJohn Hopkins- People :* John Hopkins , British film and television writer* John Hopkins , American film and television writer* John Hopkins , British actor* John Hopkins , British academic...
, Alan MorrisseyAlan MorrisseyAlan Morrissey is a British actor who was born in the Golden Buck pub in Stockport, where his parents were the licensees, he grew up in Manchester. Alan trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In 2002 and again in 2003 Dame Maggie Smith and The Fenton Arts Trust awarded him the bursary for...
, Catherine BaileyCatherine Bailey-Acting career:Catherine Bailey started acting at the age of 12 when she landed the lead role of Helen Green in Uncle Jack, a BBC television series starring Paul Jones and Fenella Fielding...
, Doon MackichanDoon MackichanDoon Mackichan is an English comedienne and actress.-Biography:Born in London, Mackichan was brought up in Surrey until the age of 9 when she moved with her family to Upper Largo, Fife. She is a graduate of Manchester University...
, Nick Harrop, Laura ReesLaura ReesLaura Rees is a British actress from Northampton.In 2003, she played the role of Gina the record executive in Richard Curtis' blockbuster romantic comedy Love Actually...
, Steven Bloomer, Leila Crerar, Jethro Skinner, James Garnon, Simon Müller, Jonathan OliverJonathan OliverJonathan Oliver is a British stage and television actor.-Biography:Trained at Manchester University, Oliver has numerous stage credits, including Shakespeare's Globe and the Royal National Theatre...
, Linda Broughton, Jack WhitamJack WhitamJack Whitam is an English born actor.Whitam studied acting at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Shortly after graduating in 2003, he went on to join the Royal Shakespeare Company for their Tragedies Season where he appeared as Lennox in Macbeth directed by Dominic Cooke and Burgundy...
, Colin Hurley, Marianne Oldham, Jack LaskeyJack LaskeyJack Laskey is an English actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , and has appeared on both stage and screen.At Shakespeare's Globe Laskey played Bernard of Clairvaux in Howard Brenton's critically acclaimed In Extremis and Octavius Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra...
and Federay Holmes.