Tag: Jessica Swale

Blue Stockings and The Wheel of Time

I’ve been improv acting as a simulated patient over the last few years, and the odd voiceover, but between October 21st and 28th I’m heading back to the stage as an actor in Blue Stockings, by Jessica Swale. The play is on at Bolton Little Theatre. This one of several productions of Jessica Swale’s popular debut play being staged nationwide that week.

1896. At Girton Colllege, female students are welcomed to study at the University of Cambridge for the first time. The Girton girls study ferociously and many match their male peers grade for grade. Yet, whilst the men graduate, the women leave with nothing but the stigma of being a ‘blue stocking’ – an unnatural, educated woman. The play follows them over one tumultuous academic year, in their fight to change the future of education. There is laughter, thwarted romance and bravery from both the women and their few male supporters. Whilst in the background is the suffragette movement, which ironically might do as much to damage their cause as support it.

I play Radleigh, one of Cambridge dons who is against encouraging women to study degrees, viewing it as youthful indiscretion which will destroy their future prospects of marriage and respectability. It is a fairly small part, appearing in two scenes but I must admit I was struggling to memorise my lines after leaving that part of my brain unexercised for years. But they are in there now and I hope my performance gets richer now with each rehearsal. This is all useful practice for a much larger role I’ll be taking on next year in Hangmen by Mike Bartlett.

Blue Stockings runs from 21st to 28th October 2023, including a Sunday matinee. For more information and to book tickets visit https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/boltonlittletheatre or the theatre’s website boltonlittletheatre.co.uk

I posted recently that Rik Hoskin had recently written the comic strip adaptation of Book Two of The Wheel of Time – The Great Hunt. He has recently had a couple more interviews published, where he talks about Robert Jordan’s writing and the experience of adapting such a famous, influential fantasy world.

Epic Fantasy — Discussing ‘Robert Jordan’s The Wheel Of Time: The Great Hunt’ With Writer Rik Hoskin

The Beat – Comics Culture

Nell Gwynn, appearing at Bolton Little Theatre this September

Nell Gwynn poster

My favourite theatre is opening its new season with Jessica Swale’s accessible, funny and intelligent play about the infamous 17th century royal mistress. In this take, she is a woman not only of her time, but also ahead of it. She was England’s first well known stage actress, thanks to Francophile King Charles II’s abolishing the stricture that women were not allowed to tread the boards. The author enjoys drawing parallels between 1660 Drury Lane and the West End of today, ruefully pointing out that some problems like good roles for women and the dangers of celebrity have been with us for centuries.

I’m involved with the realising the soundscape and I’ll be one of the sound operators during the week of the show. I had been offered a part but sadly did not have the spare time to take the director up on it. Last Sunday I attended the rehearsal and filmed some of it to create a promotional video, which I’ve just uploaded to social media. Starting off with 40 minutes or so or material, I gradually pared it down to a few clips which were full of movement and expression. The music has been specially recorded for this production and will be heard on the night. I’m pretty pleased with the way this one has turned out, and I hope you like it too.

Nell Gwynn runs 17th to 22nd September 2018 at Bolton Little Theatre. For more information and to book tickets, please visit http://www.boltonlittletheatre.co.uk