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Comp[ny

MAY 2016



This is Eloise. She’s a Yorkshire lass who has

been living in Manchester for just over 6 months
and today is her first class at the Cartwright

Drama Studio, run by Jim Cartwright.




Eloise loves Jim Cartwright’s plays and is a

tad terrified to be acting in front of him. The

class goes well, but then there is talk of a

showcase, and everyone is in the process of
making their own monologues. Alarm bells,

sweaty palms, mind blank.



Jim asks Eloise to start the process how
everyone else did; hot seating in front of the

whole class. “Hands on your lap, feet on the

floor, eyes closed. Imagine a place, not too
personal to you, not too far in the past or

future. Tell me when you have a place in

mind.”


“Ready.”


Jim starts asking questions and Eloise talks about this

massive building stretching out behind her and looking

forward over the greens. The feel beneath her feet, the

smell of grass, her heart beating on the first day of
university.



Jim asks what degree she’s doing, what her family are
like, what she thinks about leaving home.



“Urrrrrrm, English Literature”
“Could you get any more generic?” Eloise thinks to

herself. She leaves feeling disappointed at herself and

her boring character.

MAY 2016


















































Next week, Eloise goes back to class determined to create a more

fascinating, interesting character than a scared, timid fresher. After asking

Jim to start again, he says it is up to her, but that he is intrigued in seeing
what else this other girl has to say.

Not wanting to go against the advice of an award-winning writer, Eloise sits

down on the hot seat to become Danni again.
This time the questions go to a much darker place. After about a month at

university, something hurtful has happened between her and a close friend

she has made. She didn’t say much, but that she had been drunk and
couldn’t remember everything. She could, however remember something

happening in her room after this friend had walked her home. Her friends

had joked the next day about it, and she hadn’t told her parents.




This character has taken a turn, the storyline seems to ignite interest in the

group, and Eloise can relate and recognise the feeling this character is going

through.

A close friend told me that a few months
ago on a night out with some friends, a guy

had taken advantage when she was drunk in

her own room. She remembers deciding to
leave the bar and to go home by herself, but

then woke up and realised what had

happened. The guy was a close friend she

had known for a long time.

APRIL 2016





After a few weeks of answering questions

on the hot seat, Eloise starts to put
together a monologue in preparation for

the showcase.



But the first draft is just every thought
possible around what could be said…she

presents it in class and it lasts 6 minutes

instead of 2…rambling much!

I visited a friend that works in the arts industry

and showed her my monologue for her advice

on what to cut out. After reading it, she said
that she thought it was a really important

subject that isn’t represented enough. She

then told me that it had happened to her, a

friend of a friend who had then gone back to
her house. She told her parents but felt

discouraged to report it as she’d been drunk.

It had happened over a year ago.

OCTOBER 2016























Editing the monologue to be a third of the length is a

challenge, but it also helps Eloise carve a rhythm into the
piece using the card game Ring of Fire. This is it; she is all

in, and in no time at all it’s…



SHOWTIME!








































The showcase is recorded and Eloise decides to send the video to her

friend that had confided in her. Unsure of what the reaction might be as

it is a sensitive subject, Eloise is humbled when the friend posts it on

Facebook with lots of support. Many people like and comment on the
post, it seems to resonate with people.

OCTOBER 2016



Chloe, is part of a team organising an event called SASS celebrating

body ownership and raising awareness around sexual assault.


Chloe is scouting for artists of a variety of mediums to be part of

the event. She watches the video and asks Eloise to do her piece at
SASS.



































































Eloise wants to use this as an opportunity to develop the piece further.

She loved having to cut down the monologue to two minutes, but now
has the time slot to include more of the story.

A friend who watched the video

confided in me; she related to Danni’s

story and described what had
happened with an ex-boyfriend.

OCTOBER 2016


From the response on Facebook, and Chloe’s offer to perform at SASS, Eloise
starts thinking of ideas about how the story could be developed and where it

would thrive.


Eloise is working at a recruitment agency, where the majority of the team are

males. Ched Evans is currently in the news a lot, as he is being prosecuted in

a rape case and there are many discussions in the office about it.


Eloise often hears comments such as “She’s probably lying, girls lie all the

time to get money”, “She’s just a slut”, and “it’s her word against his”.







































This makes Eloise feel very uncomfortable and thinks

about the common reactions against the accused and
the people who speak out about being through this

situation. Eloise asks herself questions about how she

could let the audience experience the reality of the
situation using theatre.


“What would people think if they could see what
happened in that room? How would they feel if they

saw the reality of that situation? What would their

reaction be if they were part of the situation, and they
liked or were friends with the person who did it?

JANUARY 2017




































































Eloise writes down her ideas about how to have the audience involved

with the game, they are very rough and it barely looks like a script. But

coffee is vital in these situations, so Eloise asks a friend, Katrina, to
check the script out and if she would like to be the director. They go

for coffee (and cake, duh!) and she looks over the script.




Katrina is onboard!

Winning!

JANUARY 2017


Audition day; Eloise and Katrina are looking for a friendly and instantly
trustworthy Jack so he will be able to build a positive relationship with

the audience. It is important to Katrina that Eloise is comfortable with

the Jack as well, so the audition includes a group discussion of the
script to help them choose the right Jack.



Thankfully the auditions prove fruitful, the first Jack is found and

rehearsals begin. Character development exercises are important to
help Eloise and Kane create the friendship between Danni and Jack.



Once this is established, it is down to the
nitty gritty of blocking without having seen

the venue, although the rough, hand drawn

floor plan from Chloe helps to form some

sort of understanding of the venue space.
The play being somewhat unconventional as

an immersive piece, and never having seen

the venue in person, presents a challenge to
direct and rehearsals comprised of a lot of

marking out the walls of the “flat” with chairs, 3 person games of Ring of

Fire and Danni and Jack dancing and talking with the invisible audience.



Over the next two months, the play takes form. Certain moments of
friendship are fixed, but the majority of the play is down to the

interaction with the audience.

FEBUARY 2017


Eloise sees that someone has shared an article on Facebook and she clicks on it
to read more. Eloise reads the article and watches the clip of these two people

doing a speech, then follows the link to watch the full version.









Eloise realises the speech is a

Ted Talk that has been on her

“To Watch” list for a while.

The story is powerful and
hard to put into words. The

article said that the women,

Thordis Elva, and her rapist

had jointly written a book
together called the South of

Forgiveness. Eloise pre-orders

the book for when it comes
out… two weeks after the

SASS performance.

MARCH 2017



Finally the big day came and the cast travelled off to London with a

massive suitcase full of props, including a duvet, to transfer the venue
into a quirky student flat.



Everything went to plan, they arrive with ample time to rehearse and
when the time comes the play goes smoothly.



What is most touching is the feedback they receive; the level of honesty
is overwhelming with multiple people admitting that similar events had

happened to them and that the play had helped them understand this.

This affirms the importance of the play to Eloise and Katrina and they

head back to Manchester feeling very proud and definitely ready to
continue the journey.

MARCH 2017


Chloe sends over some photos from the SASS event which captured
the play really well and could definitely help with marketing and

promoting in the future.









































































There is, however one photo
slightly less photogenic then the

rest. Eloise wonders what on

earth she was doing…is this her
dancing?

APRIL 2017


South of Forgiveness finally arrives and Eloise begins to read it and can’t
put it down.



The development of both Thordis and Tom in their teen years and the
week spent in Cape Town is hard to comprehend and naturally evokes

many strong emotions. Thordis’ experience was not one that most people

would automatically regard as rape; however this well considered, intimate

account of the journey, highlighted some myths that often invalidate
survivor’s stories.





















Throughout the week in Cape Town, Thordis and Tom explored the area
whilst talking through their past. On one of their final days they went to

the botanical gardens to visit an African tree called the Baobab tree.



“I circle the tree, studying it from all sides…‘THE BAOBAB TREE – A TREE
OF LIFE,’ he reads from the sign. I lean on his shoulder and cry as we

read about how the baobab is literally the tree of life, where every part of

it has value to either man or animal…The tree of life lives up to its name,
and I cry at its feet. I cry over the heavy burden of secrecy that often

threatened to break me…I cry because I finally eye the finishing line on a

journey that brought me halfway across the planet and half a lifetime
into the past.”



Eloise has been struggling to think of an appropriate theatre company

name, she wants it reflect the realness and immersive style but not be
too obvious. It suddenly clicks with Eloise. Baobab Tree Theatre

Company. This will now be the theatre company’s name; a connection

directly from the first ever production and a hint into the theatre they

will produce.

MAY 2017


After the strong reactions and words of praise from the audience at
SASS, Eloise decides to register to be in the Greater Manchester Fringe to

keep the momentum of support going and widen the audience that will

come and experience it.


Eloise struggles to find a great venue that King Jack Queen would not

only work in, but thrive in. Eloise looks through the list of Greater

Manchester venues but doesn’t find quite was she is looking for. Eloise
broadens her search and contacts pubs and bars that have venue rooms

and even bed and breakfast pubs or inns that she could maybe rent a

room at. Unfortunately, all the options come with a minimum spend

which is way over budget, or understandably won’t allow Eloise to bring
her own alcohol in, but this would dramatically push up the cost of the

play.


Starting to struggle with what the best option

would be, Eloise suddenly thinks of her

perfect venue choice.


She sends out enquiries to apart hotels and

Airbnb accommodation to find out if they

could hold an event and if it is possible
to have it open for a public, ticketed performance.



Eloise gets a few responses, one host called Rachel is more than happy

for the performance to happen in the Airbnb flat and Eloise finally has
dates!


th
th
7 and 8 July will be show day!

A new friend and I were chatting and I had told her I

was an actor. She said she really wanted to see me
act and asked what the next job was. I explained that

I was planning to do King Jack Queen in the fringe

festival so she asked what it was about.


I talked through the concept and told her that it’s

about sexual consent, rape and letting the audience

in to witness what really happens.


When I finish explaining, there was a pause followed

by a loaded question, “Why did you write about

that?” I can’t remember my answer, as I was already
distracted by what I thought might follow.



My friend then retold her own story, at a friend’s
birthday party; the guy was a friend of the birthday

girl. The guy has since been reported for another

incident, which was then followed by other women
speaking up against his actions towards them.



This reminded me that the subject is all too real.

MAY/JUNE 2017
Katrina and Eloise hold auditions straight

away to find the new Jack. The prospect of a

new friendship emerging and exploring a

different version of events is exciting.
Joe and Eloise quickly establish their

characters’ friendship and rehearse the crucial

moments throughout King Jack Queen.


Ha! And Eloise thought that finding the venue was a challenge!

With the dates and venue set, the real work began. Marketing,
insurance, social media, ticket links, press release, props, LED Lights,

programmes and venue measurements. Everything starts shaping

up and the cast are ready to go.

JULY 2017
th
The 7 July comes around in no time. Everyone arrives at the venue at
11am, but it turns out the host has run off with the keys so Eloise goes

for a quick scenic walk to get them back on site. Once the team is inside

the Airbnb, Military Operation King Jack Queen begins and within an
hour the house is transformed and props are set. Costumes and make up

on before the over pronounced “balustraded balcony” warm up.












































It’s half past one and Joe makes his way outside before the audience

started queuing up for Jack’s entrance. That has to be the longest half

hour wait before a show. Eloise does last minute checks; making sure
everything is in order.





















It’s 2 o’clock, Jack… reveal yourself!

JULY 2017


The show goes so well, especially for a first run with
an audience for Joe. The audience are engaged,

involved and moved around the space with Danni and

Jack. DJ-Dayz takes photos from the corner of the
club scene.

JULY 2017



At the end of the play, there is a long pause. None of the audience

moves, and then eventually they start to leave the flat. There has been
no mention of a post-show chat, but the audience naturally wait

outside. Joe decides not to come out, and so Eloise and Daisy go to

speak to everyone. There are strong emotions towards Jack and
positive reactions for the play and the way it was done.

JULY 2017


Show Day #2 arrives. This time the get in is already done and after two
shows, everyone is feeling more relaxed, confident and excited for the

day ahead. Shay Rowan, a photographer comes to the Matinee to get

photos of the action.












































<<<That dance
move makes

another

appearance…

JULY 2017


During the break, Eloise can’t help
but keep checking for the review.

She’s knows reviews can

sometimes take a while but
curiosity doesn’t stop her updating

her notifications.



Finally a Twitter notification comes
through that North West End have

tweeted about Baobab Tree

Theatre Company. Eloise quickly

opens her phone and to see the
whole tweet.



































Five stars!! Eloise

can’t believe it and

shares the full review

with the whole team.
Everyone is well

chuffed and raring to

go for the last show
of the run.

JULY 2017



They did it! Everyone is ready to celebrate and pop open a

bottle of sparkling.






















But there’s no stopping us now, we’ve had a great journey so far
but we definitely think we can go further. Below is a set design

with a script outline on the next page for a potential

development of King Jack Queen. Although this is still in the

early stages we wanted to demonstrate how we believe we
could potentially adapt the play. We aim to keep the reality of

the original but open it up to a larger audience.

JULY 2017


Cast
· Three “couples” (3x2 friends)

· Couple 1 could be two males, two females or one male and one female.


Plot

· There are three separate (but simultaneous) pre-drinks in each bedroom,

the audience choose which room to enter.

· Game proceeds as normal. One person from each couple has to drink the
‘King cup’

· The friends enter the bar and come together as a big group, the

audience follow.

· Events in the bar play out as usual- shots, dancing, shots and more
shots- with all of the friends interacting with the audience.

· One by one, in quick succession, a friend needs taking home because

they are too drunk.
- The audience may follow whichever “couple” they want to.



The actions below play out just behind each other with a little overlap.
· “Couple” 1 (in the 1st bedroom) very quickly start having sex, as this

progresses one of them asks if they can stop, the other agrees.

· “Couple” 2 the female is clearly drunk and although just about conscious

not aware of what is going on. The male takes advantage of the situation
and has sex with her despite her not being in a state to consent.

· “Couple” 3 are kissing when the female says she doesn’t want to do

anything. The male immediately gets angry and claims that he has been

led on, his language is abusive and his actions aggressive. It ends with
him storming out and slamming the door.

(This would be loud enough for any audience members who hadn’t followed

the action to hear to signify a shift in the play)


In the morning the male from “couple” 2 sneaks out leaving the female alone.



· The two who are left on their own perform a monologue with the cards
from the previous night’s game.



End.