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Neil Sheppeck is the Artistic Director of Rising Tides, and co-director of Gasping. Rising Tides is a collective formed of experienced and emerging artists, with the aim to contribute to wider artistic engagement with climate change. We aim to advance the understanding of climate change through the delivery of new professional theatre productions and theatre events for the benefit of the public. Neil was the creative force behind Love&Madness directing and performing in over 25 UK & Eire Tours. Now he still acts and directs, but is devoting a lot of his time to developing plays and projects addressing the challenges faced by Environmental Change.

 

 

What inspired you to bring these two plays together as a double bill?

“Rising Tides is committed to artistic engagement with the Climate Crisis. Both plays look at different aspects. Cause and Effect. Gasping explores some of the the causes via satire. Between Two Waves explores some of the effects via drama. As such, they compliment each other very well.”

After almost 30 years since ‘Gasping’ ended its run at The Haymarket Theatre, why do you feel it’s important for the play to be re-shown now, in light of modern times?

“Ben Elton wrote Gasping 30 years ago as a reaction to corporate greed, and as a satire on the bottled water industry. I don’t think he anticipated how relevant his play would be three decades later. Our thirst to consume has lead to our present state of emergency. It is funny and full of corporate caricatures, which allows it to make it’s points in an enjoyable and more palatable experience.”

 

 

In Between Two Waves, we see Daniel struggling with the ethics of bringing a child up in this current world. What’s your opinion on this?

“I believe the answer to that can only be specific to each individual. Can any of us who understand the storm we will be weathering over the next two or three decades subject an unborn child to that? Or do we bring up children to have the strength and understanding necessary to battle that storm? Greta and the school strikes, Extinction Rebellion, etc, show the passion to deal with this, are hugely inspirational, and are a true hope for the future.”

In the description of Between Two Waves, Daniel is shown as a ‘f****d-up, neurotic climatologist’. Are there any similarities or differences you’ve found between the character in this play and Phillip or Sir Lockheart in Gasping? How has knowledge of both plays informed the direction these characters are taken in?

“Well, we’re only just about to start rehearsing, so I can’t comment on the directions of these characters by the actors and the directors through exploration. We’re all ‘f****d up’ in our own way, and there are parallels between the journeys that Daniel and Philip take, and how each of us are effected by our awareness of the storm ahead – depression, denial, anger, resignation, etc.”

 

 

How do you feel presenting something as touching as Between Two Waves alongside something as brash as Gasping could impact an audience’s experience of the two plays?

“We all laugh. We all cry. Both allow us to give an outlet to our emotions. That’s why the theatre masks are both Comedy and Tragedy. They are intrinsically linked.”

How do you think staging both of these productions being in London, a highly polluted area of the UK, informs the importance and reception of the plays?

“I hope that the proximity of Canary Wharf will enable the messages of moral responsibility will reach out to individuals that can take a stance.”

 

 

How do you feel, as a company, theatre and the arts can help with the Climate Emergency?

“The Arts have always been a powerful part of sharing ‘stories’ and what makes life worth living. I challenge anyone to say that their life isn’t enhanced by film, music, theatre, dance, art, fashion, etc. Regarding the changes that we will be facing (and already experiencing), the arts can contribute to stories being shared (flooding, migration, fires, loss of homes or biodiversity), so as to give a voice to victims, or to promote understanding for those who haven’t suffered yet. And if we fail to deal with the Climate Crisis, then the arts can be there to aid us whilst heading for extinction, in holding hands and singing whilst on that path.”

 

Between Two Waves

Running from October 22nd-November 15th

BOOK HERE

 

Gasping

Running from October 24th-November 16th

BOOK HERE

Recently appointed Deputy Director of the Space, Matthew Jameson is collaborating with Storyfleas to bring The Play at Eight: The Monkey’s Paw to the Space. Directing and taking a performance role of  ‘The Director’.

What about W.W Jacobs short story ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ inspired you to create this piece of theatre?

I was reading submitted scripts for Plays Rough London (a new writing collective that I’m a co-founder and producer for) seeking pieces of work that could be performed in ‘sightless or soundless’ way. And this was one that I immediately loved, it was so well observed, the language was beautiful and it was ripe for potential staging.

In pairing this short script with a cast and team, we first had a drop out of an actor, so I joined as a narrator, then the director dropped out a week before the show, so I turned it into a loose collective collaboration with me making the final calls.

It started as a 20 minute radio play homage, Jack and Sara saw what I’d done with that and wanted to take it further, which I happily agreed with!

‘The Director’ getting his obligatory Space gates photo. 

Tell us a bit about the relationship you, as director, had with both Jack and Sara during the creative process.

We have a really good relationship, it’s creatively very close and much less formal than many others I’ve worked with. Between my work at the Space and setting up the show in my own time it’s been a bit mad but Jack & Sara are so resourceful and energetic. We’re also running the producing side of things ourselves, Jack and I are taking performance roles and Sara has been planning our marketing with Keri (from Wonderpup Media). They help me expand on any points with the actors I get a bit muddled on and I give them nods or nudges in a staging or dramaturgical point of view, but there’s no sense of preciousness from anyone and we always leave meetings laughing.

How did the idea to use the form of a radio play within a play come to light and how has it impacted the production?

When I read the short script, everything sounded as if it was written to be read by Orson Welles and plummy 30’s/40’s actors, the narrator was named ‘HOST’ and there was special denotation and attention given to sound effects. Jack & Sara never made it explicit, but subconsciously I think it was all there.

I think the idea of the 30’s is what really spurred on the momentum to flesh out the world, we explored an earlier draft of a modern podcast, but there was something more visceral and theatrical about that period.

The hardest bit has been splitting the ‘studio’ world and the ‘radio’ world but keeping the play in one piece, they have two very different energies, paces and styles of acting needed, so it’s a challenge that we’re having fun figuring out.

Orson Welles, a radio maverick with an ‘interesting’ personal life 

A review from London Theatre Marathon mentions the use of a blindfolded audience. How do you feel the removal of their vision impacts their experience of the play and is this an aspect you’re keeping for your shows at The Space?

It really heightens the drama and sensory experience that an audience has. In many ways it super simplifies your job as a director too, you just have to worry about sound instead of facial expressions, body language, aesthetics etc. And there’s a lot more room for imagination with making sounds, which is what drew me to the Foley aspect. I love making strange equivalents from familiar tools and equipment, my soundtrack growing up was the guitar work of Tom Morello [Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, Street Sweeper Social Club] who made a guitar sound like anything that wasn’t a guitar, so this has been a great chance to experiment in a similar way.

We’re going to limit how much an audience can see of our radio play sections (WITHOUT blindfolds), but you can’t expect us to give away all our secrets.

You have said that you like the ‘clever use of sound and humour’ in storytelling, how has this been created and developed in the rehearsal room?

With the ‘sound’ element, we show our working in the performance, so I won’t give any spoilers, but luckily Foley artistry is such an extensive and comprehensive discipline that most of what we’re after has been found and made 10 times before by those much more clever than we.

Finding ‘humour’ is harder, as the more we looked at the original text, the more it became clear that there are some elements that haven’t aged very well. So we’ve had to lean into that side of things, incorporating a lot of genuine 30’s marketing and copy, examining our national mindset at the time and bringing elements of satire, purely by observing and being faithful to how absurd the times were.

To get the belly laughs in, we’re lucky with our writers and performers. We’ve got writers who are both incredibly observant and who have a great turn of phrase and sense of mischief. Our performers are great, Becky [Coops – Playing Dick Everett, the male lead] said yesterday “Take the work seriously, but not yourself seriously in your work” which really struck me as the perfect balance, she’s interrogating the character to find truth, but not afraid to be ridiculous in performance.

What do you hope to be the future plan for ‘The Play at 8: The Monkey’s Paw’ and ‘Storyfleas’?

I’d love to do it in a site specific setting, somewhere like a genuine radio studio/sound stage. As it is my first time working with Storyfleas I’d love to work with them again, they’ve got so many cool ideas and concepts!

If you were given the monkey’s paw with no consequences, what three wishes would you ask for?

Oh no, I’m not falling for that one. There’s ALWAYS a consequence!

The Storyfleas team at our Autumn/Winter Season Launch

The Play at Eight: The Monkey’s Paw
Playing from October 15th – 19th
BOOK HERE

New writing, timely revivals and radical re-imagining of classics – this autumn/winter at the Space is all about family, love, greed and remembering who we are in order to fight back.

Original, bold work from some of the most exciting emerging and established talent in the UK.

Set in 2050, THE OPEN tees off the season when a jobsworth and a romantic get stranded on the Great British Golf Course (owned by Donald Trump). As they battle tedium, an immigrant rebel crashes into their world. National identity, human rights and the endurance of love are pushed to the limit in this gripping post-Brexit dystopian thriller from theatre collective Brave New Word.

24th September – 12th October

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From the future to the past, we travel back to the 1930s in a resurrection of W.W. Jacob’s classic novella adapted and presented as a live radio play. From Storyfleas, THE PLAY AT 8: THE MONKEY’S PAW is a dark comedy featuring foley artistry, consummate actors with no personal issues whatsoever, questionable sponsors and the arrival of a mysterious artefact… a monkey’s paw.

15th – 19th October

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Then we are thrilled to have not one but TWO shows from Rising Tides, a collective of artists who contribute to wider artistic engagement with climate change. Kicking off with the UK premiere of Ian Meadow’s “work of immense and lasting impact” (Time Out) BETWEEN TWO WAVES. Meet Daniel. Daniel is one f****d-up, neurotic climatologist. Knowing how the future looks, can he bring a child into a world?  A vital piece of new writing about one of the greatest challenges facing humanity.

22nd October – 15th November

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Performing in rep is a timely revival of Ben Elton’s “poisonously funny morality play” (Sunday Times)  GASPING.

Philip has been challenged by his boss to find a new way of making money from nothing. His solution? Designer air! Evian for the nostrils. But when the world starts gasping, only the biggest suckers survive. First presented in 1990 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, this is a heady whirl of innuendo, an exuberant mockery of yuppie culture and a scintillating parody of corporate greed.

24th October – 16th November

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Then The Season of Bangla Drama returns with LIKE A RAMBLING STONE, the journey of a daughter finding her way to tell her Baba’s stories and ADAJHYO – THE UNBURNABLE , a new, soulful show sharing the stories of the sex trafficked women on the Indian – Bangladesh border.

21st – 23rd November

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Then its time for ★★★★★ “utterly bone chilling” (Londonpubtheatres) transfer from The London Horror Festival – Somna Theatre’s THERE’S A MAN IN THE WOODS . Hiding in a storm drain in the Nebraskan woods Russell tries to piece together the warning signs around his alienated son. Brimming with suspense and intrigue this is the story of a father, a son and a search for truth.

26th – 30th November

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Bringing our season to a close is THE PRINCE OF HOMBURG, a radical and modern re-telling of Kleist’s classic with a gender swapped lead. A story of ambition, love and victory asking what we do when reality around us becomes chaotic.

Do we actively stand up for what we believe in or passively go on as before?

 10^th – 14^th December

BOOK TICKETS

Become a Friend of the Space and get full price tickets reduced to £10, exclusive newsletters and notification of special ticket offers and special events before anyone else!

If you can’t decide what to see why not come to our SEASON LAUNCH PARTY on the 5th September where you can get a sneak peek at the shows and meet the artists involved…

Tuesday 6th August
7pm – Nathan and Ida’s Hot Dog Stand
8:30pm – Come Fly with Fred

Wednesday 7th August
7pm – Come Fly with Fred
8:30pm – Nathan and Ida’s Hot Dog Stand

Thursday 8th August
7pm – Two Clowns Suffer an Existential Crisis
8:30pm – Tropez!

Friday 9th August
7pm – Tropez!
8:30pm – Two Clowns Suffer an Existential Crisis

Saturday 10th August
3:30pm – Two Clowns Suffer an Existential Crisis
5pm – Nathan and Ida’s Hot Dog Stand
7pm – Come Fly With Fred
8:30pm – Tropez!

Tuesday 13th August
7pm – Tropez!
8:30pm – Two Clowns Suffer an Existential Crisis

Wednesday 14th August
7pm – Two Clowns Suffer an Existential Crisis
8:30pm – Tropez!

Thursday 15th August
7pm – Come Fly With Fred
8:30pm – Nathan and Ida’s Hot Dog Stand

Friday 16th August
7pm – Nathan and Ida’s Hot Dog Stand
8:30pm – Come Fly With Fred

Saturday 17th August
3:30pm – Come Fly With Fred
5pm – Tropez!
7pm – Two Clowns Suffer an Existential Crisis
8:30pm – Nathan and Ida’s Hot Dog Stand

To find out about each of the acts click HERE

BOOK TICKETS

Mike is joining the team with a focus on continuing to grow the Space into an exciting new writing venue and incubator of emerging talent.

Mike first came to the Space with a short play for the appropriately named ‘Theatre of Inspirations’ Scratch night back in 2009. That piece “The Trunk” made a return for the Space’s 15th Anniversary show and then on to a full production in 2014. He has been a regular visitor since contributing to numerous new writing initiatives alongside sharing his own work. In recent years he has read hundreds of submissions, alongside a fabulous reader team, for the Space’s Script Space new writing initiative and was dramaturg for the 2019 Foreword Festival which saw four talented emerging playwrights share their debut plays, launching their distinct and powerful voices.

Alongside his work at the Space, Mike is a founder of The London Playwriting Lab workshops, hosts the monthly South London Writers’ Group and co-hosts Playwriting at The Pit and Clapham Omnibus workshops.

I, like many, have benefitted from the fantastic spirit of generosity Adam and the team at the Space have developed towards new work and new artists. It’s in the building’s DNA as is evident from the quality and variety of companies that perform week in week out. I’m incredibly proud to join and contribute with a focus on bringing more new writing to the Isle of Dogs.

Watch this Space.

Mike Carter

Mike’s latest play CHEKHOV IN MOSCOW will be premiering at the Space 27^th August – 1^st September. Based on Chekhov’s letters and short plays this will be a frenetic comedy celebrating the great playwright’s life, work and wit.

A fortnight of foolery showcasing the best in clowning, physical comedy and circus from some of the most promising companies in the UK. Expect stories of far flung adventures, whirlwind love and poorly hatched plans… what could possibly go wrong?

Time to meet the clowns…

Nathan and Ida’s Hot Dog Stand

6th – 17th August

Nathan and Ida Hardwerker leave the old country to build a better life for themselves in the New World. With nothing but a will to succeed and a secret recipe for sauce, they discover love, dice with danger and tangle with villains to create the hottest hot dog in town. An award winning, ★★★★★ (View from the Gods)  whirlwind comedy and heart-warming romance.

WINNER of Best Comedy, Buxton Fringe

WINNER Best Performance, Swindon Fringe

BOOK TICKETS

Come Fly with Fred

6th – 17th August

Meet Fred. Tired eyes, dirty Jacket, empty pockets. But despite his lonely lifestyle he is guaranteed to make you smile. Join Fred on his daily search for friendship in an explosion of circus, puppetry, physical comedy and break dancing. Partnering with Centre Point, this show is inspired by many honest and moving interactions with London’s homeless community.

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Tropez!

8th – 17th August

In chic Saint-Tropez, a failed cat burglar and a gentle gigolo form an unlikely pair and take aim at the top of St-Trop! Their plan? To pull off the biggest jewel heist in history. A gloriously silly, heart warming, ★★★★★ (Remote Goat) tale of friendship, love, and jewels from the makers of Nathan and Ida’s Hot Dog Stand.

BOOK TICKETS

Two Clowns Suffer An Existential Crisis

8th – 17th August

After the appearance of a mysterious flashing red light two clowns decide that an audience awaits them. But Eric is crippled by stage fright but Harry wants to take the opportunity to perform something new. Then they discover of a mysterious script. The script of the play they are in. Circus meets magic meets live music in this premier from Curios Theatre.

BOOK TICKETS

A bit about the Space…

The Space is fast becoming one of the most exciting fringe venues in London “continually providing a launch pad for new talent” (Spy in the stalls, 2018) programming “incredibly ambitious and interesting new work” (Theatre Box Blog, 2018).

This festival of new work will be no exception.

Describe Lovers Anonymous  in three words. 

Funny, awkward, hopeful

What was your inspiration for creating the show?

Our initial inspiration came from Shakespeare’s sonnets! We wanted to explore all the different types of love that are expressed in his sonnets in a modern context, and the group counselling framing seemed an exciting and fun way to do this.

Why love?

Love is something we all experience in different ways. No two individuals, couples, families or friendships express love in the same way. We wanted to explore, and celebrate, the diverse ways in which people experience and share their love. We also wanted to explore the complexities of love as we approach the third decade of the 21st century. There have never been so many options open for people to express love on their own terms, which we love, but we are seeing increasing resistance and opposition to people loving in their own way, which is a scary prospect and something we wanted to challenge.

The show is described a ‘unique, immersive, theatrical experience’ – break that down for us…

First of all, we don’t think there is anything like this show out there at the moment. It feels new. We use “immersive” carefully, but we are taking the audience out of a traditional theatre space divided into audience and actors, and into a real-life Lovers Anonymous session. They are part of the group, not just passive observers – we think of it a bit like a roller-coaster where the audience are in the carriage with the actors experiencing the highs, lows and laughs with them. It is less of a show, more an experience that will hopefully stay with them long after the session has finished.

As an audience do I have to get involved or can I just watch?

Of course you can just watch! Just expect to be sat in a circle, and you’ll probably have an opportunity to get to know your neighbour…

What made you want to create work that challenges the “normal” actor / audience relationship?

For us, this is the most exciting form of theatre. When our expectations of what theatre is are broken down and suddenly we’re confronted as spectators to think about what we’re seeing in a different, active way. Making the audience part of the action and part of the discussion is the best way to show them different perspectives, and that’s what we are trying to do!

What do you want the audience to chat about in the bar afterwards?

Well, first of all we want them to enjoy Clifford & The Lonely Tones’ short acoustic set. After that…we want them simply to talk to each other about their experiences of love! Have you ever had your heart broken? Who was your first kiss? These would be great conversation starters!

Do you have any advice for emerging theatre makers trying this style of work?

Get yourself out of a traditional theatre space. Find a place where you would never expect ‘theatre’ to happen. Pick a stimulus to get the ideas flowing and get stuck in. Surround yourself with positive people who want to be creative with you. Be honest with each other, and make sure you have some willing friends and family to be you test audience!

Lovers Anonymous runs from 9 Jul – 19 Jul

BOOK HERE

 

Describe Spitfire Sisters in three words.

 Daredevils, Dedicated, Wild.

What inspired you to tell the untold stories of the heroines in the ATA during World War II?

Research! These were astounding women who never received the credit they deserved and they are the only women to achieve equal pay in all of British history  . . . sadly, still true today.

Each character is so unique and brings her own story to the table. How did you come up with these characters and their stories?

We read! We researched! And then we used our imaginations! It was fun!

What do you love most about them? 

All of the brazen, caring, lovely women. But my favourite:  I love Jackie (real name Cochran) Hawkins! Almost illiterate, but fought her way out of Southern American poverty and stereotypes, broke the sound barrier twice over male counterpart, friends with three presidents, first woman to cross the Atlantic in a bomber gift plane to Churchill, married a billionaire and loved to tell about it. She was anything but modest. I cried at the end of both of her biographies when she died. She’s my southern, in-your- face, brash soul mate. God, How I would have loved to have known her (I suppose I do actually). She constantly made me laugh while I was writing her dialogue. Thanks for asking this.

Some of the feminist themes throughout the play are still relevant today – such as the women fighting for equal play with their male counterparts. Does this give you hope or make you despair?

The latter. 🙁

What do you want the audience to take away from this show?

Joy and the knowledge all women can achieve their goals if gutsy enough.

Any advice for emerging playwrights? 

Keep writing and don’t let the rejections get you down. Every time I get one, I say, “Your loss and I’m sending out two more!”

 

In the RAF Museum, London, the most prominent female presence is a cut-out figure of Captain Rosemary Rees (Lady de Vos), one of the original eight members of the Air Traffic Auxiliary, founded by Gerald d’Erlanger and the intrepid and formidably well-connected 29-year-old Pauline Gower, which is in turn represented by a low-key information board in a neighbouring gallery. In her autobiography, Rees commented that members of the younger generations would be mildly interested when they found out that she flew planes during the war but would shut down the conversation once they found out that she didn’t fight and her job ‘only’ involved maintenance and moving the aircraft around.

A huge amount of glamour was attached to the status of being part of the RAF  – apparently airmen were considered the most desirable strand of the forces as boyfriends – but in order for such victories to be possible, highly complex logistics executed with the utmost precision were imperative. This band of civilians, consisting of men who didn’t meet the RAF’s requirements and women, lived by the philosophy that they should be able to fly any kind of plane unseen, they took as many risks as the fighter pilots and a number died carrying out their mission, including female flying pioneer and national treasure Amy Johnson. If a man destroyed a plane, it would be considered unfortunate, if a woman did so, her entire sex would be tainted by association.

ATA women were featured in the press as highly aspirational figures, having grown up during the golden age of recreational flying when the American Amelia Earhart and the British Amy Johnson were adventurous, independent role models for interwar women. Many members of the ATA came from wealthy backgrounds and owned their own planes, allowing them to jet off to Europe for the weekend, giving their friends and lovers a ride. Rosemary Rees’s father was a Conservative MP who was unusually open-minded about his daughter pursuing a career as a dancer in revues; she was introduced to the idea of learning to fly by her brother’s friend Gordon Selfridge Jr, and when she had to choose between dancing and flying, she chose the latter. Mary Ellis, daughter of an Oxfordshire farmer, was less privileged but as a neighbour of the Mitford sisters, would sometimes get a lift in their car.

In Airwomen’s Work, a prospectus for women thinking about entering the ATA, Leonard Taylor questioned whether or not was a good thing that the world was moving toward greater equality between the sexes but conceded that ‘with every advance in civilisation, women grow in beauty and charm, and that it was necessary for everyone to roll up their sleeves for the war effort. Furthermore, the ATA’s work was no more physically unfeminine than the work undertaken by domestic servants, nor was mechanical work too difficult as ‘Any woman who can keep a complicated kitchen in order can look after a car.’

This kind of paternalism was also seen in the fight for the right to wear trousers.  ‘Pop’ d’Erlanger didn’t approve of women in trousers and requested that they change before disembarking­ but had to give in when they argued that to do so on tarmac would be unseemly. In the selection of memoirs that I have read, it’s notable how the women don’t talk about how they fought for and achieved equal pay with their male ATA colleagues in 1943. Diana Barnato Walker, daughter of a millionaire who received a Bentley for her 21st birthday and attended her ATA exam in a leopard-skin coat, breezily recalled that of course the women didn’t earn as much as the men, but they didn’t really care because the opportunities to fly state-of-the-art aircraft was payment in itself. Perhaps thinking about money many years after the events took place felt somehow tawdry but it nevertheless represented a considerable landmark.

For every dashing Group Captain Peter Townsend, there was a team of civilians making sure that the planes were ready for battle. Bringing the skill and courage of these women centre stage is something that they richly deserve, their remarkable achievements all the more extraordinary in a war and a world designed for men.

Spitfire Sisters ends 6th July

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