Show of Strength Theatre Company
Encyclopedia
Sheila Hannon and Nick Thomas co-founded the company in Bristol in 1986, and it began as a two-handed company performing in small touring venues. In 1989 the company moved into an upstairs reception room above the Hen and Chicken pub in Bedminster. In the succeeding years they produced five seasons of work building regular and loyal audiences. Their work received growing attention, which was rewarded in 1993 with the LWT Plays On Stage award for the premiere production of A Busy Day, a lost play by the Georgian writer Fanny Burney
, which later transferred to the West End
.
In 1994 they lost the use of that venue, but found a new home in part of the grade I listed building Quakers Friars
in Broadmead
where in the succeeding three years they produced new and lost work by writers ranging from Peter Nichols
(Blue Murder
) to Dion Boucicault
(How She Loves Him). In 1996 they co-produced The Substance of Fire (Jon Robin Baitz) with the Theatre Royal, Plymouth
. In 1997 they lost the use of Quakers Friars and co-produced four plays with Bristol Old Vic
, which were also performed at the The Talbot Inn, Mells in Somerset
. The European premiere of Australian playwright Nick Enright
's Good Works won the Guinness/Royal National Theatre Pub Theatre Award.
Bristol architect George Ferguson
made the first floor of an abandoned tobacco factory in Southville available to Show of Strength in 1998 and the company succeeded in making this into a new theatre venue for South Bristol, which it remains to this day. In three years they produced eleven play including two news works by Peter Nichols and the acclaimed The Wills' Girls by Amanda Whittington
which was revived in 2003 and was also staged at the Dublin Fringe Festival.
Following a major Arts Council review in 2004, Show of Strength has grown to working with other arts agencies and venues in the South West, including The Everyman Theatre Cheltenham
, The Brewhouse Theatre Taunton
, The Northcott Theatre Exeter
, Bristol Old Vic, Asian Arts Agency and Travelling Light Young Peoples Theatre Company.
In 2006 as part of the Brunel 200 celebrations performances of An Audience with Sarah Guppy
were produced on Brunel's SS Great Britain
and three new plays under the banner title Brunel and Partners were performed at Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa
, Cheltenham
, Gloucester
, Plymouth
and Newton Abbot
railway stations. Trade It? commissioned as part of the 2007 commemoration of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807 was a street performance of ten short plays in June 2008 by writers including Mustapha Matura
, Catherine Johnson
and Sandi Toksvig
.
In 2008 Show of Strength suffered a major funding cut from Bristol City Council, but then received a temporary extension until March 2009. In February 2009 Trading Local, a partnership with the Southville Centre, produced short plays in 19 local shops in Southville and Bedminster.
Fanny Burney
Frances Burney , also known as Fanny Burney and, after her marriage, as Madame d’Arblay, was an English novelist, diarist and playwright. She was born in Lynn Regis, now King’s Lynn, England, on 13 June 1752, to musical historian Dr Charles Burney and Mrs Esther Sleepe Burney...
, which later transferred to the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
.
In 1994 they lost the use of that venue, but found a new home in part of the grade I listed building Quakers Friars
Quakers Friars
Quakers Friars is a historic building in Broadmead, Bristol, England.The site is the remains of a Dominican friary, Blackfriars that was established by Maurice de Gaunt, circa 1227....
in Broadmead
Broadmead
Broadmead is a street in the central area of Bristol, England, which has given its name to the principal shopping district of the city.- History :The name of the street was first recorded in 1383 as Brodemede...
where in the succeeding three years they produced new and lost work by writers ranging from Peter Nichols
Peter Nichols
Peter Nichols FRSL is an English writer of stage plays, film and television.Born in Bristol, England, he was educated at Bristol Grammar School, and served his compulsory National Service as a clerk in Calcutta and later in the Combined Services Entertainments Unit in Singapore where he...
(Blue Murder
Blue Murder (Peter Nichols play)
Blue Murder by Peter Nichols was written in 1995 as a four act drama, in response to those who had often questioned why Nichols had never written a play surrounding a murder investigation. Blue Murder opened at Royal Court Theatre in London on 23 May 1995 without the performance of the third act....
) to Dion Boucicault
Dion Boucicault
Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot , commonly known as Dion Boucicault, was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the most successful actor-playwright-managers then in the...
(How She Loves Him). In 1996 they co-produced The Substance of Fire (Jon Robin Baitz) with the Theatre Royal, Plymouth
Theatre Royal, Plymouth
The Theatre Royal in Plymouth, Devon, England is "the largest and best attended regional producing theatre in the UK and the leading promoter of theatre in the south west", according to Arts Council England...
. In 1997 they lost the use of Quakers Friars and co-produced four plays with 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...
, which were also performed at the The Talbot Inn, Mells in Somerset
Mells, Somerset
Mells is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, near the town of Frome.The parish includes the village of Vobster which had a coal mine of the same name on the Somerset coalfield and quarry, both of which are now disused. The old quarry is now used as a diving centre...
. The European premiere of Australian playwright Nick Enright
Nick Enright
-Life:He was drama captain of St Ignatius' College, Riverview in 1964, where, like Gerard Windsor and Justin Fleming, he was taught by Melvyn Morrow. At that school, he won the 1sts Debating Premiership in both 1966 and 1967....
's Good Works won the Guinness/Royal National Theatre Pub Theatre Award.
Bristol architect George Ferguson
George Ferguson (architect)
George Robin Paget Ferguson, CBE, PPRIBA, RWA is a British architect, who has made a significant contribution to architecture, town planning and design in the South West of England and Europe....
made the first floor of an abandoned tobacco factory in Southville available to Show of Strength in 1998 and the company succeeded in making this into a new theatre venue for South Bristol, which it remains to this day. In three years they produced eleven play including two news works by Peter Nichols and the acclaimed The Wills' Girls by Amanda Whittington
Amanda Whittington
Amanda Whittington is a playwright and was born in Nottingham in 1968. After leaving school, she worked as a freelance journalist for a variety of publications and was a columnist for the Nottingham Evening Post....
which was revived in 2003 and was also staged at the Dublin Fringe Festival.
Following a major Arts Council review in 2004, Show of Strength has grown to working with other arts agencies and venues in the South West, including The Everyman Theatre 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...
, The Brewhouse Theatre Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, The Northcott Theatre Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, Bristol Old Vic, Asian Arts Agency and Travelling Light Young Peoples Theatre Company.
In 2006 as part of the Brunel 200 celebrations performances of An Audience with Sarah Guppy
Sarah Guppy
Sarah Guppy, née Beach was an English inventor who contributed to the design of Britain's infrastructure and developed several domestic products.-Early history and inventions:...
were produced on Brunel's SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain was an advanced passenger steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company's transatlantic service between Bristol and New York. While other ships had previously been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first...
and three new plays under the banner title Brunel and Partners were performed at Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa
Bath Spa railway station
Bath Spa railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Bath, in South West England.-Architecture:Bath Spa station was built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by Brunel and is a grade II* listed building...
, 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...
, Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England on the River Teign, with a population of 23,580....
railway stations. Trade It? commissioned as part of the 2007 commemoration of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807 was a street performance of ten short plays in June 2008 by writers including Mustapha Matura
Mustapha Matura
Mustapha Matura is a Trinidadian playwright living in London.In 1971 his play As Time Goes By was first performed at the Traverse Theatre Club in Edinburgh and the Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, with a cast of noted Caribbean actors including Stefan Kalipha, Alfred Fagon, Mona...
, Catherine Johnson
Catherine Johnson
Catherine Johnson is a British playwright, producing works for stage and television. She is best known for her script for the musical Mamma Mia! and screenplay for the film of the same name, which became the highest grossing UK film of all time and the biggest selling UK DVD of all time in January...
and Sandi Toksvig
Sandi Toksvig
Sandra Brigitte “Sandi” Toksvig is a Danish comedian, author and presenter on British radio and television.-Career:...
.
In 2008 Show of Strength suffered a major funding cut from Bristol City Council, but then received a temporary extension until March 2009. In February 2009 Trading Local, a partnership with the Southville Centre, produced short plays in 19 local shops in Southville and Bedminster.