Plain Clothes Theatre Productions is a Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

-based theatre company producing contemporary plays from around the globe. Formed in 2003 by artistic director Sam Bergerhttp://www.plainclothestheatre.com/company.html, the company has produced work in 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...

, Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, Cheltenham

Cheltenham

Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...

, Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 and Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

. Their work has included plays by Joe Orton

Joe Orton

John Kingsley Orton was an English playwright.In a short but prolific career lasting from 1964 until his death, he shocked, outraged and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies...

, Laura Wade

Laura Wade

Laura Wade is a British playwright. Wade grew up in Sheffield, where her father worked for a computer company....

 and David Mamet

David Mamet

David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...

, and their style is based around the teachings of American acting coach Sanford Meisner

Sanford Meisner

Sanford Meisner , also known as Sandy, was an American actor and acting teacher who developed a form of Method acting that is now known as the Meisner technique....

.

Formation of the Company

The company was formed in 2003 by Sam Berger to coincide with his graduation from the MA Directing course from Goldsmith's College, London. The company initially consisted of three core members - as well as Sam Berger, Catherine Hoare designed set and costume and Dirk Mandlebrot produced sound effects and chose music for their shows.

Their first production was Joe Orton

Joe Orton

John Kingsley Orton was an English playwright.In a short but prolific career lasting from 1964 until his death, he shocked, outraged and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies...

's 'Entertaining Mr. Sloane' which ran at the White Bear Theatre in Kennington

Kennington

Kennington is a district of South London, England, mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, although part of the area is within the London Borough of Southwark....

, London.

Plain Clothes Theatre in Canada

After their inaugural production Plain Clothes Theatre's work moved to Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 in conjunction with Sam Berger's move there. A number of co-productions took place, including development of a new musical, Plane Crazy, in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 with M. Rubinoff Productions and Closer

Closer (play)

Closer is the third play written by English playwright Patrick Marber. The play was premiered at the Royal National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre in London in 1997, and made its North American debut at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway on 25 January 1999....

by Patrick Marber

Patrick Marber

Patrick Albert Crispin Marber is an English comedian, playwright, director, puppeteer, actor and screenwriter.-Early life and education:...

  with Paige 18 Productions in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

. In 2005 they undertook a site-specific production of Duck Variations by David Mamet

David Mamet

David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...

. The play was to be shown in Stanley Park

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is a 404.9 hectare urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was opened in 1888 by David Oppenheimer in the name of Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor-General of Canada....

. However, a week before the show went up the park authorities decided to stop the production. No reason has ever been clearly given.

Blue/Orange

Plain Clothes' are touring Joe Penhall

Joe Penhall

Joe Penhall is a British playwright and screenwriter.Born in London, his first major play was Some Voices for the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1994, which won the John Whiting Award. It has twice been revived off Broadway...

's Blue/Orange

BLUE/ORANGE

Blue/Orange is a play by written by English dramatist, Joe Penhall. A sardonically comic piece which touches on race, mental illness, and 21st century British life, it premiered at the Cottesloe Theatre in April 2000, starring Bill Nighy, Andrew Lincoln and Chiwetel Ejiofor...

around the South-West of England in Autumn 2008. Venues include the Tobacco Factory

Tobacco Factory

The Tobacco Factory is the last remaining part of the old Wills Tobacco site on Raleigh Road, Southville, Bristol. It was saved from demolition by the architect George Ferguson and through his vision has become a model of urban regeneration...

, Bristol; Cheltenham Everyman Studio, Swindon Arts Centre and the Rondo Theatre

Rondo Theatre

The Rondo Theatre, in Bath, was established in 1989 through the generosity of Doreen and Wilf Williams, who bought the former church hall from St. Saviours Church, Larkhall in 1976 and gifted the freehold to a newly formed charity, The Rondo Trust for the Performing Arts...

, Bath.

PRODUCTION STAFF

Director - Sam Berger

Designer - Danielle Bassett

Producer (Tour Management) - Rachel McNally

Producer (Publicity & Marketing) - Lucie Rennie

Stage Manager - Heather Readdy

CAST

Bruce - Christopher Tester

Christopher - Colin Dunkley

Robert - Chris Bianchi

Breathing Corpses

In 2007 the company produced Laura Wade

Laura Wade

Laura Wade is a British playwright. Wade grew up in Sheffield, where her father worked for a computer company....

's Breathing Corpses again at the Alma Tavern pub theatre. This play received excellent reviews and again sold out for the majority of its run. Venue magazine

Venue (magazine)

Venue is the what's on magazine for the Bristol and Bath areas of the UK.It was founded in 1982 by journalists who had been working for another Bristol magazine, Out West, which had been consciously modelled on London's Time Out magazine....

described the play as "brilliant...constantly unexpected, gripping, lifelike and not a cliché in site" and gave it a five-star review. The Bristol Evening Post

Bristol Evening Post

The Bristol Evening Post is a newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, Northern Somerset and South Gloucestershire....

commented "Plain Clothes are destined for bigger things. Future productions will have a hard act to follow." Following the success of the run, the play transferred to the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre in October.

At the end of the year Venue magazine

Venue (magazine)

Venue is the what's on magazine for the Bristol and Bath areas of the UK.It was founded in 1982 by journalists who had been working for another Bristol magazine, Out West, which had been consciously modelled on London's Time Out magazine....

awarded the play 'Best Theatre of 2007'.

PRODUCTION STAFF

Director - Sam Berger

Producer - Lucie Rennie

Set and Costume Design - Catherine Hoare

Lighting Design - James Kennard

Tour Assistant - Danielle Bassett

Lighting Ops (Cheltenham) - Adrian Henderson


CAST

Amy - Charlotte Ellis

Jim - David Angus

Elaine - Dee Sadler

Ray - Dave Rogers

Kate - Georgina Carey

Ben - Tom Turner

Charlie - Ashley Callum

Problem Child & Criminal Genius

In 2006 the company produced a double bill of plays by Canadian playwright George F. Walker

George F. Walker

George F. Walker, CM is a Canadian playwright and screenwriter. He is one of Canada's most prolific playwrights, and also one of the most widely produced Canadian dramatists both in Canada and internationally.-Early years:...

from his 'Suburban Motel' collection of plays; namely Problem Child and Criminal Genius. The show ran at Bristol's Alma Tavern pub theatre over March and April gleaning good reviews and sell-out audiences.

PRODUCTION STAFF

Director - Sam Berger

Designer - Catherine Hoare

Stage Manager - Adrian Henderson

Sound Design - Dirk Mandlebrot


CAST

Problem Child

RJ - Tom Turner

Denise - Maria Hodson

Phillie - Toby W. Davies

Helen - Natasha Black


Criminal Genius

Rolly - Steven Boswell

Stevie - Henry Barrett

Phillie - Toby W. Davies

Shirley - Maria Hodson

Amanda - Natasha Black