A reclusive children’s writer becomes wildly successful. Her books are treasured across the country. But when a troubling narrative starts to unfold, we find ourselves asking: what matters more, the storyteller or the story?
Brilliantly imaginative and theatrically original, Heather is a short, sharp play about language, prejudice and the power of stories. The cast includes Ashley Gerlach and Charlotte Melia.
Thomas Eccleshare is the Verity Bargate Award-winning writer of Pastoral and the co-artistic director of Arches Brick Award winning company Dancing Brick. Heather will be directed by Valentina Ceschi and designed by Lily Arnold.
Iain Armstrong is a composer and sound designer based in Birmingham, UK. His work is presented internationally and spans sound design for theatre and dance, electronic music, multi-channel sound installation, and live electroacoustic performance. Recent work includes music composition for Humanhood’s ZERO, mac birmingham (2016) and Orbis, Without Walls (2017). Sound design for The Whip Hand by Douglas Maxwell, Traverse Theatre and Birmingham REP (2017); Looking For John by Tony Timberlake, Birmingham REP (2016); Stories To Tell In The Middle Of The Night by Francesca Millican- Slater, Birmingham REP (2016/17), REND Productions Howard Barker double bill The Twelfth Battle of Isonzo and Judith: A Parting From The Body, Arcola Theatre, London (2015); Heartbeats & Algorithms by Jenny Lee, Soho Theatre, London (2016); KILN’s A Journey Round My Skull (2014), A Journey Round My Theatre (2015) and upcoming Delightful, Birmingham REP (2017). iainarmstrong.net
Lily Arnold is a Set and Costume Designer who trained at Wimbledon College of Art. Her design credits for productions include: Snow In Midsummer, The Jew of Malta, King Lear, The Taming of The Shrew and The Rape of Lucrece (RSC); Broken Biscuits (Paines Plough), Forget Me Not (Bush Theatre); The Solid Life Of Sugar Water (Graeae/NT); Beached (Marlowe Studios/Soho Theatre); The Edge of our Bodies, Gruesome Playground Injuries (Gate Theatre); The Sugar Coated Bullets of the Bourgeoisie, Peddling, So Here We Are (HighTide); Minotaur (Polka Theatre); Yellow Face, World Enough and Time (Park Theatre); The Boss of It All (Assembly Roxy/Soho Theatre); A Season in the Congo, The Scottsboro Boys (Young Vic, Clare Space); Happy New (Trafalgar Studios); Ahasverus (Hampstead Downstairs) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Cambridge Arts Theatre) and Room (Theatre Royal Stratford East). lilyarnolddesign.com
Paul Jellis is an award-winning independent theatre and events producer. His work encompasses new writing, multidisciplinary performance, interactive theatre and immersive experiences. He has worked with leading theatres across the UK including the Young Vic, Old Vic, Lyric Hammersmith, Sheffield Theatres and Birmingham Rep, and internationally in New York and Bangalore. His production of Barbarians at the Young Vic was nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre. He has also developed and produce experiential events with global brands including Ray Ban, Courvoisier and PlayStation.
Thomas Eccleshare is a writer, performer and theatre maker trained at the Jacques Lecoq School. He is the co-artistic director of award-winning visual theatre company Dancing Brick, with whom he has toured nationally and internationally. As a playwright he has won the Verity Bargate Award, the Catherine Johnson Award and been nominated for an Off West End Award for most promising playwright. He writes regularly for TV and film and last year was the recipient of the inaugural JJ BAFTA Screenwriting Bursary. He is currently on attachment at the Royal Court.
Valentina Ceschi is a director and theatre maker who trained at the Jacques Lecoq School in Paris. She is co-artistic director of Dancing Brick with whom she has toured nationally and internationally since 2008 (her latest production of the Snow Child commissioned by the Unicorn Theatre will transfer to the Lincoln Centre in New York in 2017). She is associate director for OperaUpClose for whom she will be directing their production of the Magic Flute in a new version by Glyn Maxwell at Soho Theatre in 2017.