Strawberry Vale Productions in association with Western Edge Plays and the Bush Theatre present
Eigengrau
[ay-gen-gr-ow ] – noun intrinsic light; the colour seen by the eye in perfect darkness
Rose believes in true love and leprechauns. Her flatmate Cassie is engaged in a fervent struggle against patriarchal oppression.
Across London, Mark believes in the power of marketing. His flatmate Tim Muffin is engaged in a fervent struggle to get out of bed in the morning.
When circumstance throws them together, all four have their beliefs tested to devastating effect in a biting black comedy about trying to connect in a city where Gumtree can sometimes feel like your closest friend.
*Age rating 15+. Please be advised, this play contains scenes of a sexually explicit nature, real cigarettes and strobe lighting. Please call the Box Office for more information
Post-show Events:
We've also lined up some special FREE post-show events on the following dates:
23rd March – Feminist Panel Discussion
Responding to some of the issues raised in Eigengrau, a panel of women including Kat Banyard (author of The Equality Illusion: The Truth About Women and Men Today) and Tessa Walker (Paines Plough's Literary Director) will be discussing feminism in the modern day.
29th March – Response Plays
A selection of talented new playwrights (including Andrew Keatley, E V Crowe, Paula B Stanic and Tom Wells) have each written a short play in response to Eigengrau. They will be performed on the Bush stage following the performance.
Direction by: Hannah Dickinson, Ant Stones, Tim Hoare & Ed Viney.
Events will take place at the end of the show and run for 30-40 minutes. Open to all Eigengrau ticket holders. Subject to availability
Hannah trained in theatre design at Nottingham Trent University and Central School of Speech and Drama. She was a winner of the 2005 Linbury Biennial Prize for stage design.
Theatre designs include: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (The Globe); THYESTES (Arcola, London); UNDER MILK WOOD (Northampton Theatre Royal); NOCTURNAL (The Gate, London); BILLY WONDERFUL (Liverpool Everyman); HORTENSIA AND THE MUSEUM OF DREAMS (Vanbrugh Theatre, RADA); THE SNOW QUEEN (West Yorkshire Playhouse); PROPER CLEVER (Liverpool Playhouse); Pequenas Delicias (Requardt & Company); TORN (Arcola, London); ROADKILL CAFE (Requardt & Company, Centro Coreografico de Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal / Teatro Fondamenta Nuove, Venice / The Place). House Of Agnes (Paines Plough); Breakfast With Mugabe (Theatre Royal Bath); The Cracks In My Skin and WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (Manchester Royal Exchange); OTHELLO (Salisbury Playhouse); AS YOU LIKE IT and WE THAT ARE LEFT (Watford Palace Theatre); BIG LOVE (The Gate, London); TERRE HAUTE (Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh / Trafalgar Studios / UK Tour / 59E59, New York); THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (Bristol Old Vic); JAMMY DODGERS (Requardt & Company, The Place / Royal Opera House 2 / INT Tour); DEATH OF A SALESMAN, WHAT THE BUTLER SAW, BLUE/ORANGE, A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, I JUST STOPPED BY TO SEE THE MAN, TWO and FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE (Bolton Octagon).
Lighting Designer: Company (Rada), Thyestes (Arcola Theatre), Edward II (BAC), Paradise Lost (Southwalk Playhouse), Romeo and Juliet (BAC), More Light
(National Theatre Olivier), Connections Festivals 2006/7 (National Theatre)
Associate: Seafarer (National Theatre & Tour), Measure4Measure (Complicite Tour), The UN Inspector (National Theatre), Royal Hunt of the Sun (National
Theatre).
Upcoming projects include: Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (Arcola}, The Half Light (film).
Previous writing credits include F * *ked (Old Red Lion)
'F* *ked should be on everybody's lips. 5 STARS' Time Out (on F* *ked)
Other work includes 1 in 5 (Hampstead Theatre Upstart/Daring Pairings Festival and Young Vic bar); Stationary (Hampstead Theatre Startnight); and ongoing devised work with Brief Transit. She is a member of the Royal Court Theatre's Young Writers' Supergroupand the 2009 Future Perfect scheme at Paines Plough.
Polly trained at LAMDA and at the National Theatre Studio. She was the winner of the 2007 JMK Award for Young Directors, and was the recipient of the 2006/7 Bulldog Princeps Bursary at the National Theatre Studio.
Directing credits include Thyestes (Arcola Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (BAC), MIC:roscope (Lilian Baylis, Sadler?s Wells), Good (Sound Theatre), As You Like It (Oxford Playhouse).
Assisting credits include Warhorse (Olivier, National Theatre), The Man of Mode (Olivier, National Theatre), The Seafarer (Cottesloe, National Theatre).
Previous sound designs include: The Observer, Baby Girl, DNA, The Miracle, The Five Wives Of Maurice Pinder, Landscape With Weapon, The Reporter, The Alchemist, Exiles, Southwark Fair, The Mandate, Primo, The False Servant, Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads, Scenes From The Big Picture, Dinner, Closing Time, The Associate, Sanctuary, The Mentalists, The Shadow Of A Boy, Free, The Walls (National Theatre); Exposure, Under The Blue Sky, On Raftery's Hill, Sacred Heart, Trust, Choice (Royal Court); Primo (Music Box Theatre Broadway & Hampstead Theatre); Dinner (Wyndhams); What The Night Is For (Comedy); 50 Revolutions (Whitehall); Rock, Fimbles Live!, The Unexpected Man, The Lady In The Van, The Deep Blue Sea, The Boy Who Left Home, The Nation's Favourite … The True Adventures Of Radio One (UK Tours); The Price, Hyperlynx (Tricycle Theatre); Julie Burchill Is Away (Soho Theatre); Kingfisher Blue (Bush Theatre); Cue Deadly, Yllana's 666 (Riverside Studios); Strike Gently Away From Body (Young Vic Studio); The Difficult Unicorn (Southwark Playhouse); Small Craft Warnings (The Pleasance /London); Dirk (The Oxford Playhouse).
Rich was Associate Sound Designer for The Cat In The Hat (National Theatre).
Alison is currently reprising her leading regular role in the BBC’s Shetland series opposite Douglas Henshall.
Her theatre credits include Boys (Headlong), Yerma (Gate Theatre and Hull Truck Theatre), The Hard Man (Scottish Theatres Consortium), My Romantic History (Bush Theatre/Sheffield Crucible), Eigengrau (Bush Theatre), Dolls (National Theatre of Scotland), Lady Windermere's Fan (Oran Mor), The Assassination of Paris Hilton (Racked), Mad Funny Just (Creased), 1 in 5 (Hampstead Theatre Daring Pairings), Phaedre (Offstage), Barren (Old Vic New Voices - The 24 Hour Plays), The Ghost Sonata (Goat and Monkey) and Broken Road (Hush Productions).
Her television credits include Shetland (BBC), Holby City (BBC), Feel the Force (Catherine Bailey Productions).
Theatre includes: The Good Soul of Szechuan
(Manchester Library Theatre), A Stab In The Dark
(Kings Head/Latitude Festival), Our Country?s Good
(The Watermill), Edward II (B.A.C.), Pains of Youth
(Belgrade), Romeo and Juliet (B.A.C.), The Reporter,
The Alchemist (National Theatre), The Strindberg
Project ( National Theatre Studio), The Beaver Coat
(The Finborough).
Television includes: Eastenders, Holby City, Doctors, Banged up Abroad.
Radio includes: London Calling, To Sicken And So Die, A Fare To Remember, Small Gods, Twice Brightly, Hold My Breath, The Voice of God, Troilus and Cressida, The Fountain Overflows, Agatha Rasin, Clare in the Community.
Theatre includes: Our Class (National Theatre), His
Ghostly Heart, Little Dolls (Bush Theatre)), Women Of
Troy (National Theatre), The Wild Duck (Donmar),You
Never Can Tell (Bath & Tour/West End), The Birthday
Party (West End), The Mandate (Royal National), The
Crucible (Crucible), Spoonface Steinberg (GBS).
Film includes: Wreckers, Nanny McPhee 2, The Boat That Rocked, Spring Of 1941, Happy Go Lucky, Wednesday (short), Pride and Prejudice, Vera Drake.
Television includes: Men Are Wonderful, Half Broken Things, Ideal x 6, Trial and Retribution, Who Gets The Dog, The Hogfather, Viva Las Blackpool, He Knew He Was Right.
Theatre includes: The Contingency Plan: On the Beach and Resilience (Bush Theatre); Pains of Youth, The History Boys, The Bacchai (National); Journey's End (West End); Henry VI Parts 1, 2 & 3, Richard III, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, Henry V (RSC); Nathan the Wise, Merchant of Venice (Chichester).
TV includes: Ashes to Ashes, Hunter, Elizabeth I, 20,000 Streets Under the Sky, Midsomer Murders, Timewatch, The Other Boleyn Girl, Love in a Cold Climate, Sword of Honour.
Film includes: Angel, Matchpoint, Kinky Boots.