MOTH e-programme
RANSACK THEATRE PRESENT
MOTH
BY DECLAN GREENE
THE PLAY
Sebastian is “that kid” at high school. He’s weird. He smells. He’s obsessed with comics, and talks to himself. But after a catastrophic fallout with his only friend, Claryssa, he wakes up with a moth in a jar by his bed, and a calling to save the souls of all humanity. And so begins the Passion of Sebastian: a journey into a terrifying and starless night.
By turns dark and shimmering, Moth is a fast, funny and heart-breaking story about two young people with nowhere to go.
Declan Greene is one of Australia’s foremost emerging playwrights and Ransack’s production of Moth marks his premiere to the North West.
Image from rehearsals. Alastair Michael & Charlotte Gascoyne.
THE HISTORY
In 2008, a young boy was shot dead by police, who claimed that they were acting in self-defence. It later transpired that the boy was suffering from a psychotic episode.
MOTH was written by Declan Greene as a response to this tragic event, which shook the city of Melbourne. First performed at The Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, MOTH has since transferred globally.
It has previously been produced by HighTide Theatre Festival in the UK, whose creative team have encouraged and guided the play's Northern premiere.
THE CAST
CLARYSSA: Charlotte Gascoyne
Charlotte was born in Lancashire and trained at Drama Studio London after graduating from Manchester University in Drama with English. She is thrilled to be performing on home turf with Ransack and later this year, Charlotte will be performing again with Headlong and their National Theatre co-production of People, Places and Things as it transfers to the St Ann's Warehouse, New York.
Her work in theatre includes - People, Places and Things (National Theatre / Headlong / Wyndhams), The Point of No Return (New Diorama / BeFrank Theatre), Julius Caesar (Bussey Building), A Royal Mess (Arts Theatre, West End), Sherlock Holmes and the Speckled Band (Theatre Mill, York), Female Parts (Contact), Over the Rainbow (National Tour), Boy's Life (Kings Head), Phaedra, The Bride's Lament, Caresses, Push Up (Envision Theatre), Blood (John Thaw Studio).
TV credits include - Hollyoaks (Channel 4), Steffi (Emerald Films), Witchcraze (Blast! Films). Film credits include - Pickups which premiered at the Dublin International Film Festival 2017, Honeymooner (Soda Pictures), The Projectionist (BFI), Trained (Paradox Films), Late (Better Late Productions), Anna (Screen Academy Scotland).
http://charlottegascoyne.co.uk
SEBASTIAN: Alastair Michael
Alastair is one of the original co-founders of Ransack Theatre. After graduating from the University of Manchester, he based himself in the city and trained at the Manchester School of Acting. As well as acting, Alastair also produces theatre and in this capacity has been involved with the Young Company at Liverpool's Everyman and Playhouse Theatres for the last two years.
Alongside his work with Ransack, Alastair most recently appeared in the TV remake of the Guy Ritchie’s SNATCH with Little Island Productions.
Previous theatre credits include: A Vocation (Arcola Theatre), Kristin Lavransdatter (Theatre Ad Infinitum, North Wall); Enveloped in Velvet (Flow Salford/Arts Theatre London); Matchstick Models(Theatre Arlecchino); Constellations (Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre); The Dumb Waiter (HOMEmcr/NSDF); Fat Penguins or Chubby Polar Bears (Theatre Arlecchino); The News (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Solve (EdFringe/John Thaw Studio).
THE TEAM
PIERS BLACK, DIRECTOR
MOTH will be Piers' second full directorial for Ransack after the award-winning success of his revival of The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter.
In addition to working as a freelance director at venues such as the Royal Exchange Theatre (Manchester), Piers has worked as an Assistant Director on productions including: Yen (Royal Exchange, Royal Court), So Here We Are (Royal Exchange, HighTide Festival), and currently City of Glass (HOME, Lyric Hammersmith).
Piers has recently won the John Fernald Award for Emerging Directors as well as receiving bursaries from both the BBC and JMK Assistant Director Award.
http://www.rochellestevens.com/black-hawkins/
FRANKIE BRADSHAW, STAGE AND COSTUME DESIGNER:
Frankie Bradshaw is a set and costume designer for theatre and performance. She recently won Best Set Design at the 2016 Off West-End awards for Adding Machine (Finborough Theatre).
Frankie’s other designs for theatre include: Orca (Southwark Playhouse), La Ronde (Bunker Theatre), Clickbait and A First World Problem (Theatre503), Barbarians (Young Vic – JMK Award 2015, Olivier Award Nominated) Grav (Torch Theatre, Wales), Stories from the Sea (Unity Theatre, Liverpool) Punk Rock (Actor’s Studio, Liverpool), A Picture of Dorian Gray and The Comedy of Errors (LIPA, Liverpool).Site-specific work includes co-designing: Karagula (STYX, Tottenham) and If Walls Could Talk: 100 Seel Street (Seel Street, Liverpool). She has also designed the Young Vic’s 5 Plays 5 Days and Fresh Direction projects.
She has worked as associate designer to Christopher Oram on many productions including: No’s Knife (Old Vic Theatre), The Winter’s Tale/Harlequinade/Romeo and Juliet/The Entertainer (Garrick Theatre), Man and Superman (National Theatre), Photograph 51 (Noel Coward), Hughie (Booth Theatre, New York), and Damsel in Distress (Chichester Festival Theatre).
Frankie studied at Liverpool Institute for Performaning Arts, and graduated with a 1st class honours in Theatre and Performance Design BA. She was also a Linbury prize finalist in 2015 working with the Lyric Theatre, Belfast.
https://www.frankiebradshawdesign.com
MARK HARRIS, SOUND DESIGNER:
Mark has been a long term collaborator and associate with Ransack having designed the sound for The Dumb Waiter (2014) and Enveloped in Velvet (2015/2016).
Mark is now predominately working with GAIKA, whose most recent album SECURITY featured at No.19 in Dazed Digital's Best Albums of 2016 and No.9 on the same list for The Wire. After spending the last year designing GAIKA’s live shows on international tours and being Musical Director for the bands S4U and Illyr
“Theatre is a different process. You’re aiming at different things than with a lot of the other music work I do ... it’s really good to bounce off other people and come up with something together."
— Mark
MATT LEVENTHALL, LIGHTING DESIGNER:
Matt trained at the University of Nottingham and later the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Matt recently returned to RADA to take up the post of Assistant Head of Lighting. Matt was the runner up for the 2014 Off West End Award for Best Lighting Designer.
Recent credits include: Light (Barbican and European Tour); The Comedy About a Bank Robbery (Criterion, Associate LD); This Much (Soho Theatre); The Collector (The Vaults); The Vaudevillans (Assembly); Barbarians (Young Vic); Ant Street (Arcola); Lady Anna All At Sea (Park Theatre); Scarlet (Southwark Playhouse); A Christmas Carol (Old Red Lion); Sikes and Nancy (Trafalgar Studios and UK Tour); Suffolk Stories (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds); Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Secret Cinema, Site Specific); Fishskin Trousers (Finborough); Wild West End (Pleasance); Madame Butterfly (Leatherhead Theatre and UK Tour; The Songs of My Life (Garrick Theatre); TEDx London (The Roundhouse).
CHI-SAN HOWARD, MOVEMENT DIRECTOR:
Training: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Previous Movement Work for Theatre: Every You Every Me (Oxford Playhouse) The Tempest (Southwark Playhouse) Adding Machine: A Musical (Finborough Theatre) The Winter’s Tale (RADA Youth Company), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Andorra (St Mary’s Twickenham), Narcissus (RCSSD/Minack Theatre); Scarlet (Southwark Playhouse); The Best Pies in London (Youaremine./RIFT Shakespeare in Shoreditch Festival); Little Red Riding Hood (Trinity); The Sandwich Shop (Youaremine./Theatre Delicatessen); Hansel & Gretel(Trinity Theatre, Kent); Schumpeter's Gale (Rose Theatre Studio, Kingston); Antigone (Belt Up Theatre/UK Tour); Lorca is Dead(Belt Up Theatre/Southwark Playhouse).
Film: Birds of Paradise (Primrose Films)
Assistant Movement Director credits: Great Expectations (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Welsh National Opera/West Yorkshire Playhouse)
DECLAN GREENE, playwright
Greene is a theatre-maker and writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He is the co-founder of theatre company Sister's Grimm. Having won 3 Green Room Awards, 2 Sydney Theatre Awards, and a nomination for Best Play at the National Helpmann Awards, his company are well renowned in Australia.
As a playwright, Greene is considered one of Australia's foremost emerging writers; working as artist in residence at Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre. His individual awards include the Malcolm Robertson Prize, the Max Afford Playwright's Award, the AWGIE for Theatre for Young Audiences, and The Green Room Award for Best Original Writing.
WITH THANKS TO:
Ashley McKay (Marketing Advisor), Gina Fletcher (Fundraising Advisor), Madison Claire (Print Designer), Leo Warner, Hope Mill Theatre, Arts Council England, The Fidelio Trust, HighTide, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Amy Clewes, HOME, Megan Griffiths, ICAT, The Lowry Theatre, Elena Hilton and Paul McEvoy (LIPA).
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Casting: Anna Dawson
Producer: Catt Belcher
Stage Manager: Alice Longson
Production Manager: Emma Colledge
Production Electrician: Phil Geller
THIS PRODUCTION WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE GENEROUS SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIP OF:
