RECENT WORK
Power Play
A radical, scholarly young mother, recently widowed by her volatile imperial half-brother, arrives into an empire-shuddering, catastrophic family row. Battling to survive, protect her son and her beliefs, she begins to realise her own imperial destiny.
The Merciless Mission of Molly McCloy
Opened on Zoom June 2020
Freddie Branscombe, recently elected British Prime Minister, ditches his wife in favour of a newer model. He’s unaware that his new squeeze, Molly McCloy, is a mole, run by the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, to advance their interests as the UK crumbles.
The last thing they want is ‘checks in the Irish Sea’, misinterpreted by a false French tailor as a fashion statement.
Molly, now powerfully pregnant, discovers that the DUP’s espionage is run by Dame Serena Ridinghard, head of MI6, who, curiously, converses openly with Sergey Susemilh, a Russian ‘trade advisor’ based poolside in a glamorous resort in Odessa.
The British Establishment is hard put to get a grip.
Creed
Thursday July 25th 2019, 6:00pm, Royal Academy of Music, London
Constantine the Great discovered a battle-winning Christian god and built an imperial religion. But could this new god save Constantine from himself?
Chris Walker, composer, Ian Grant, writer, and a cast including MA students from the Royal Academy of Music’s musical theatre department show four scenes from this new work. The hour’s showing will consist of a brief introduction and a showing of the scenes followed by a Q&A.
Barbara & Cecily
Wednesday June 26th 2019, 3:30pm, Park Theatre, London
What happened to us? What do we think happened? What did we do to our family?
Family love, anguish and identity in our own time
Barbara, an eminent art critic – Miranda Welby
Cecily, her sister, organiser of the Writers Union – Renata Allen
June, Cecily’s daughter, between jobs – Mezze Eade
Directed by John Retallack
No-one Is An Island
November 23rd 2018 St Martin with Ludgate, London
A candle-lit St Martin within Ludgate was the atmospheric setting for an evening of poetry and music directed by liveryman Ian Grant who says he has returned to his early love of drama after a 40-year career in publishing. No-one Is An Island combined contemporary poetry, including works read by their authors Raymond Antrobus and David Harsent, with selections from Donne, Milton, Marvell and Katherine Philips. Themes ‘for these fractious times’ ranged over love and friendship, hubris, shame and death but ended on a note of joy and hope. The third performer, opera-trained Grace Cookey-Gam also sang and the music, interwoven between the poems, was performed by Holly Cullen-Davies and Live Junction. The event was a joint production between The Stationers’ Company, the Poetry Book Society and Time Productions.
After the Ball
March 7th to March 24th 2018 Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate, London
Love and betrayal during the First World War resound down the generations. Blanche marries William in 1914, William enlists in the Army, goes off to war and but remains overseas longer than expected.
**** ‘‘With a script so well crafted, the development of the characters is refined’
‘Nadia Papachronopoulou’s production….stands out for its fresh and human take on a family’s drama without aiming to draw tears but rather to explore the social dynamics involved’. The Upcoming
Tiny Dynamite
January 9th to February 3rd 2018 at the Old Red Lion Theatre, Islington, London
When memory takes hold, chaos takes over and when the electricity between us becomes overwhelming – an impossible love story is given a second chance and three scorched characters are about to learn that lightning does strike twice.
**** ‘beautifully acted by a stellar cast’ LondonTheatre1
Scapegoat
Workshop production – December 8th – 10th 2016 St Stephen’s Church, Canonbury, London.
A political tragedy of power and punishment with the rage and love of a mother and daughter at its heart.
‘An excellent play- very prescient for our worrying times…I felt my sympathies torn this way and that throughout the play’
A Prayer
October 27th – November 7th 2015 Hen & Chickens Theatre, Highbury, London
God doesn’t exist. M knows that. M. lives in a world of reason and sciences and facts…so why is he suddenly praying?
‘…an intelligent, ambitious and deeply moving piece of theatre…’
Stella Europa
April 21st – 25th 2015 Hen & Chickens Theatre, Highbury, London
Nationalism is gaining momentum, the case for Britain in Europe is on the back foot, where’s the passion?
‘A really well-written and constructed piece’
Macbeth
October 10th – 26th 2013 Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone, London
The production was set in the heart of the banking sector; the play’s themes are eternal and all too easily seen in the greed, ambition and ruthlessness behind the doors of two City banks.
‘The cast are all strong and experienced… a further twist is the use of many female actors taking traditional male roles.