Sarah Townsend
Encyclopedia
Sarah Townsend is a British Emmy Nominated producer, director, composer, and screenwriter. Townsend has worked across all genres, starting off in theatre and stage shows, moving into music production and then moving into feature and documentary film-making [1]. In 2010 she was nominated for her work on "Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story" for best Outstanding Nonfiction Special. Townsend splits her time between the United Kingdom, New York and Los Angeles.
Sarah dated Eddie Izzard from the late 1990's until 2002, according to "Believe," the Izzard bio-pic that Sarah produced.
, she then set up the 'GreyFriars Kirk House', an ex-soup kitchen which she turned into a venue for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. During the festival, Townsend ran shows including Brecht's 'Respectable Wedding' and 'Company of Wolves' by Polka TC, for 20 theatre companies from across the globe.
At the Edinburgh venue, she 'discovered' a number of stand-up comedians including Ardal O'Hanlon
(star of the hit Irish sitcom 'Father Ted
') who made his UK debut at the venue. Townsend also premiered Eddie Izzard
's first solo standup show where he received his prestigious Perrier Award nomination. For a brief period of time, Townsend promoted Izzard along with Jenny Eclair.
Townsend used the profits she earned to produce her own plays, which she toured around the UK and Ireland.
In the early nineties, Townsend took over the running the Time Out Street Entertainers Festival and mounted the World Street Fest in Covent Garden
, bringing together performers from across the globe.
As Townsend became more involved in the UK comedy scene, she opened a comedy club called 'The Swan' in south London
and ran the Soho comedy club 'Raging Bull', where Eddie Izzard was the regular host for several years. She hosted a number of comedians during the period, including Jerry Sadowitz
, Steve Coogan
, Patrick Marber
and Jo Brand
. 'Raging Bull' was critically successful but struggled to get huge audiences. It ran for two years at the Boulevard Theatre
and one year at the Shaw Theatre
in Kings Cross
.
Following 'Raging Bull', Townsend set up the 'Halyon Club', in Soho in early 2000. With support from local jazz musicians, particularly Mercury award winning composer and musician Guy Barker
, Halyon became a music, art and film club which held regular events for both up-and-coming and established artists. The club attracted an extraordinarily eclectic audience, from Terry Gilliam
to Mo Mowlam
, Norman Cook (Fat Boy Slim) to Alan Rickman
and hundreds of others in between. She closed it in 2003 because of work commitments.
, Whacked also earned nods from the New York International Film Festival
, Turner Classic Movies
Shorts Awards, and the US International Film Festival.
Eddie Izzard
and Sarah Townsend met in 1989, after Eddie approached Sarah for a booking at the venue she was running at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The two worked together for years in parallel. After producing several DVD extras for Izzard, in 2003 he invited Townsend to film one of his shows. After deliberating for several months, she declined and opted to direct a documentary which focuses on the comedian.
as being a 'heartfelt documentary on comedian/actor Eddie Izzard which blends home movies, interviews and performance footage to fine effect' to reveal a raw perspective on the creative mastermind. Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story was released in theaters in the United Kingdom and the United States in October 2009, and then on DVD on March 2, 2010.
The film documents growing up following the death of his mother, his beginnings in comedy by street performing, his transvestism
, and his move into acting.
In 2010, Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Nonfiction Special.
Personal
Townsend was born in London, England. Sarah Townsend began her directing career while studying English and Drama at Royal Holloway College.Sarah dated Eddie Izzard from the late 1990's until 2002, according to "Believe," the Izzard bio-pic that Sarah produced.
Early career
Townsend went on to run Oxmad Theatre Company with Warwick Smith, while working backstage on West End shows to fund herself. While living in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, she then set up the 'GreyFriars Kirk House', an ex-soup kitchen which she turned into a venue for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. During the festival, Townsend ran shows including Brecht's 'Respectable Wedding' and 'Company of Wolves' by Polka TC, for 20 theatre companies from across the globe.
At the Edinburgh venue, she 'discovered' a number of stand-up comedians including Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon is an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his roles in television sitcoms as Father Dougal McGuire in Father Ted and George Sunday in My Hero.-Early life:...
(star of the hit Irish sitcom 'Father Ted
Father Ted
Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
') who made his UK debut at the venue. Townsend also premiered Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard
Edward John "Eddie" Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime...
's first solo standup show where he received his prestigious Perrier Award nomination. For a brief period of time, Townsend promoted Izzard along with Jenny Eclair.
Townsend used the profits she earned to produce her own plays, which she toured around the UK and Ireland.
In the early nineties, Townsend took over the running the Time Out Street Entertainers Festival and mounted the World Street Fest in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, bringing together performers from across the globe.
As Townsend became more involved in the UK comedy scene, she opened a comedy club called 'The Swan' in south 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...
and ran the Soho comedy club 'Raging Bull', where Eddie Izzard was the regular host for several years. She hosted a number of comedians during the period, including Jerry Sadowitz
Jerry Sadowitz
Jerry Sadowitz is an American-born Scottish stand-up comic and card magician, known for his frequently controversial "sick humour". An accomplished practitioner of sleight of hand, he has written several books on magic and invented many conjuring innovations. He is widely acclaimed as one of the...
, Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...
, Patrick Marber
Patrick Marber
Patrick Albert Crispin Marber is an English comedian, playwright, director, puppeteer, actor and screenwriter.-Early life and education:...
and Jo Brand
Jo Brand
Josephine Grace "Jo" Brand is a BAFTA winning British comedian, writer, and actor.- Early life :Jo Brand was born 23 July 1957 in Wandsworth, London. Her mother was a social worker. Brand is the middle of three children, with two brothers...
. 'Raging Bull' was critically successful but struggled to get huge audiences. It ran for two years at the Boulevard Theatre
Boulevard theatre
Boulevard theatre is a theatrical aesthetic which emerged from the boulevards of Paris's old city.-Origin:Starting from the second half of the 18th century, popular and bourgeois theatre alike took up residence on the boulevard du Temple, then nicknamed Boulevard of Crime due to the many...
and one year at the Shaw Theatre
Shaw Theatre
The Shaw Theatre is a theatre in Somers Town, in the London Borough of Camden. It is located near the Euston Road, beside the British Library and St Pancras Chambers , equidistant from King's Cross station and Euston station....
in Kings Cross
Kings Cross, London
King's Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. It is an inner-city district located 2.5 miles north of Charing Cross. The area formerly had a reputation for being a red light district and run-down. However, rapid regeneration...
.
Following 'Raging Bull', Townsend set up the 'Halyon Club', in Soho in early 2000. With support from local jazz musicians, particularly Mercury award winning composer and musician Guy Barker
Guy Barker
Guy Barker is an English jazz trumpeter and composer. Barker was born in Chiswick, London, the son of an actress and a stuntman. He started playing the trumpet at the age of twelve, and within a year had joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra...
, Halyon became a music, art and film club which held regular events for both up-and-coming and established artists. The club attracted an extraordinarily eclectic audience, from Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
to Mo Mowlam
Mo Mowlam
Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam was a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament for Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.Mowlam's time as Northern...
, Norman Cook (Fat Boy Slim) to Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
and hundreds of others in between. She closed it in 2003 because of work commitments.
Filmography
To transfer her skills across from theatre to film, Townsend produced and directed a series of DVD extras including 'Comedy Masterclass' and '24 Hours Sexie'. She then produced a number of short films with executive producers Vince Power and Phil McIntyre, including Secrets written by Tony Thompson, Angel and Whacked directed by Jake West. In addition to being screened on Sky MoviesSky Movies
Sky Movies is the collective name for the premium subscription television movie channels operated by Sky Television, and later British Sky Broadcasting. It has around 5 million subscribers, via satellite, cable and IPTV in the UK and Ireland...
, Whacked also earned nods from the New York International Film Festival
New York International Independent Film and Video Festival
New York International Independent Film and Video Festival is a film screening event in various American cities. It was founded in 1993, and its website claims it has been recognized by the film and entertainment industry as one of the leading film events on the independent festival circuit...
, Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
Shorts Awards, and the US International Film Festival.
Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard
Edward John "Eddie" Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime...
and Sarah Townsend met in 1989, after Eddie approached Sarah for a booking at the venue she was running at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The two worked together for years in parallel. After producing several DVD extras for Izzard, in 2003 he invited Townsend to film one of his shows. After deliberating for several months, she declined and opted to direct a documentary which focuses on the comedian.
Emmy Nominated Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story
Written, Produced and Directed by Townsend, the documentary film Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story released in 2009. Known for her combined passion for music and humour the documentary was reviewed by the LA TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
as being a 'heartfelt documentary on comedian/actor Eddie Izzard which blends home movies, interviews and performance footage to fine effect' to reveal a raw perspective on the creative mastermind. Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story was released in theaters in the United Kingdom and the United States in October 2009, and then on DVD on March 2, 2010.
The film documents growing up following the death of his mother, his beginnings in comedy by street performing, his transvestism
Transvestism
Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
, and his move into acting.
In 2010, Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Nonfiction Special.
Producer
- Whacked (2002)
- Secrets (2004)
- Diva 51 (2006)
- Eddie Izzard: StrippedStripped (Eddie Izzard)Stripped is the title of a stand-up comedy tour by Eddie Izzard, and is a continuation of his style of comedy, full of "stream-of-conscious banter and predilection for nonsensical detours and frequent tangents." The tour was performed from 28 April to 9 August 2008 with three "warm-up" dates...
(2009) - Eddie Izzard: Live from Wembley (2009)
- Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story (2009)
Director
- Comedy Masterclass (2001)
- Diva 51 (2006)
- Eddie Izzard: StrippedStripped (Eddie Izzard)Stripped is the title of a stand-up comedy tour by Eddie Izzard, and is a continuation of his style of comedy, full of "stream-of-conscious banter and predilection for nonsensical detours and frequent tangents." The tour was performed from 28 April to 9 August 2008 with three "warm-up" dates...
(2009) - Eddie Izzard: Live from Wembley (2009)
- Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story (2009)
Composer
- Eddie Izzard: Definite ArticleDefinite ArticleDefinite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzard's 1996 performance released on VHS. It was recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre...
(1996) - Eddie Izzard: Glorious (1997)
- Eddie Izzard: CircleCircle (Eddie Izzard)Circle is the name of a stand-up tour by the comedian Eddie Izzard in 2000.It was released on VHS and DVD in the United Kingdom on 18 November 2002...
(2000) - Eddie Izzard: SexieSexieSexie is the name of the 2003 tour by Eddie Izzard. The tour covered Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland....
(2003)