A work in progress
A Deprivation Just & Wise
(to punish her for telling lies)
Actors East presents its first in-development showing. This is the first piece of writing that has made a transfer from SCENE NIGHT to our new development scheme. We are always looking for new work to invite into our programme. Interested? Bring it to next SCENE NIGHT.
There is a storm outside. It is late. Wren and Nora stand opposite each other in an empty village hall in the small village of Flecknoe. Wren is dressed up, Nora is soaking wet. It has been 23 years since the two women have seen each other, and they have a secret, a secret that is going to come out…
A Deprivation Just & Wise (to punish her for telling lies) is an investigation into the heartbreak of female friendship. The women meet in the present day, however, their story began at a particular time in early 2000s, a whirlwind mess when the internet was unbounded and uncensored, where boys could watch porn at after-school clubs and kids could watch real decapitations on their lunch break. Exploring the intricate relationship between violence and love, the play questions how our systems repeatedly fail young girls, how the decisions we make as teenagers can change the course of our lives, and what happens when those decisions catch up to us.
Cast and Creative Team Bios
Jess Tucker Boyd WRITER
Jess works as a freelance Movement Director, Director, Intimacy Coordinator and Movement Lecturer for The University West of London. Alumni of East 15 Acting School’s Acting & Contemporary Theatre BA and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s MA in Movement Directing & Teaching.
Selected Movement Directing credits include: Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Hakawatis, The Royal Court Theatre Katzenmusik, Trafalgar Studios Coming Clean & BU21, The Bush Theatre Come Inside, Theatre 503 BU21, Arcola Theatre Moormaid, and The Pleasance Theatre Honeybee. Selected Intimacy Coordinator credits include: Tattooist of Auschwitz (Sky), BACON by Sophie Swithenbank (directed by Matthew Illife), One Day (Drama Republic), The Winter King (Bad Wolf), Dangerous Liaisons (Playground Productions), I Hate Suzy (Bad Wold/Sky Vision), Missing Julie (Theatre Clywd), Faustus; That Damned Woman (Lyric Hammersmith).
A Deprivation Just & Wise is Jess' debut play.
Trilby James DIRECTOR
Trilby James read drama at Bristol University before training at RADA and has worked extensively as an actor in theatre and television. Since 2000, she has also worked as a freelance director and teacher at several leading drama schools, including (ALRA, Arts Educational Schools, Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, East 15, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Manchester Metropolitan University and RADA, where she is now an Associate Teacher working across courses. She has been a script reader and dramaturg for Kali Theatre Company, directed Stateless by Subika Anwar for Kali at The Tristan Bates Theatre and has directed several play-readings for their 'Talkback' seasons. Other directing projects have included A Cold Season in Calcutta by Elizabeth Kuti at The Mercury Theatre Colchester and Pop by Shivaun Woolfson at The Tristan Bates Theatre and JW3 Centre. She has also edited The Contemporary Monologues and Contemporary Duologues books in the Good Auditions Guides series from Nick Hern Books. A Deprivation Just and Wise is her forth collaboration with Jess Tucker Boyd, with whom she has co-directed three Shakespeare projects for the Contemporary Theatre course at East 15.
Brooke Mccreaner ACTOR
Brooke was born and bred in East London. She first fell in love with acting when she was 15. Brooke works as a London black cab driver and was inspired to seek acting training after meeting numerous acting passengers whom she had spoken with. Brooke discovered Actors East in 2021 through recommendation and since then has been regularly attending the classes. She is excited to be working with such talented and brave women on a play that, although specific to the two characters, will hopefully be relatable for many women. WREN is Brooke’s stage debut role.
Antoinette Alexandrou ACTOR
Antoinette has been passionately honing her craft since a young age. Despite taking a break to start a family, she has now returned to acting with renewed dedication. Thanks to the guidance and support of Actors East, she has just begun to write her own play which is currently in active development.
Stephen Morgan TECHNICIAN
Tim Boyd TECHNICAL ADVISOR
ESS WEST SOUND DESIGN
Chrissie Boyd COSTUME DESIGN
Katherine Heath VOCAL COACH
PHOTOGRAPHY by Anna Francesca
THE AE TEAM
James Alexandrou ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Founder of Actors East as well as film & theatre-maker, writer, and actor. Alongside a 27-year career as an actor and a 15-year career as a filmmaker, James also completed an MA in Directing Fiction at the elite NFTS. It was during that time that he opened Actors East in response to the prohibitively expensive rents of rehearsal rooms in London. Vowing to always offer his studio on a “pay what you can” basis for unfunded projects and individuals with no questions asked - a community of creatives, teachers, writers and directors grew. His latest release is “An Audio Testimony” a short film exec produced by Jonathan Glazer for the Weiner Holocaust Library. James is also developing his 2nd feature film project.
His latest play CASSEROLE - created and produced by Actors East is transferring to the Arcola Theatre in March 2024.
His online video work has over 70 million views, visit james-a.com to see more.
Avital Lvova CO-FOUNDER / PRODUCER
actress & theatremaker from Berlin / Fringe First Award Winner 2017 and 2018/ Best Female Performer Nomination OFFIES 2017 / EAST15 Alumni
Stage credits include: Borders (New York Theatre Workshop,US/ Adelaide Festival,AU), Hell on Earth (HAU1 Berlin,GER)/Dance Umbrella Johannesburg,SA), Isabelle (Volksbühne Basel,CH), Macbeth (Chichester Festival Theatre), Angel (Arcola Theatre/59E59 Theatres New York, US)
Screen credits: Gala Dali alongside Ben Kingsley in Daliland (dir. Mary Harron), Treason (Netflix), The Power (Amazon), Trackers (HBO), Waiting for the Sea (dir. Bakhtyar Khudojnazarov).
Next seen in The Tattooist of Auschwitz (SKY), Three Body Problem (Netflix) and Edgar Baghdasaryan’s blacklisted arthouse film Yasha and Leonid Brezhnev
Rommel Rasheed STUDIO MANAGER/ PROP & SET BUILDER
Acting credits: Hide, Fifth Generation
As prop master: Casserole
Helped in the development of Sons of Abraham - a play by Tom Radcliffe
Laura Reznek ADMINISTRATOR/ MUSIC CURATION
Laura is a Canadian-born, London-based songwriter and composer. She works frequently within the theatre, film, and dance realms. Her most recent composition was written for a contemporary dance piece called A Hidden Playground, which debuted at the National Arts Centre in Canada this spring.
She has been a core member of the AE team since 2021.
Lily Sinko ASSOCIATE ARTIST
Lily Sinko is an actress, writer, singer & theatre maker, whose creative work draws inspiration from her upbringing in the vibrant city of Marseille and her training in devising and physical comedy. Her artistic expression often explores compelling themes such as women, sex, violence, and the surreal. Over a year ago, Lily became a part of AE while passionately developing her fierce and uncompromising clowning show, the Magdalena Confessions: 'You Scratch My Back, I Suck Your Dick' which was recently performed at the VAULT Festival. Currently, Lily is embarking on an exciting new endeavor as she collaborates with Artistic Director James Alexandrou in writing her first short film. This project promises to showcase her versatility as a storyteller across different mediums, further expanding her artistic repertoire.
Mathieu Bonnefont ASSOCIATE ARTIST
Mathieu is a French actor based in London. He has been part of Actors East community since 2018. He has worked in theatre (Le Dindon by Feydeau, Lucernaire theatre, Paris), TV ( FBI International) and films (The Butterfly effect, Hide, Puerto Ricans in Paris). Mathieu is currently working for an upcoming Ubisoft video game and is directing Voice Over artists for a VR game project.
About Actors East Theatre
Actors East Theatre is a thriving theatre community in Dalston, London, dedicated to fostering inclusivity and providing accessible opportunities in the arts. With its origins as a dark basement space, Actors East Theatre has become a haven for actors, writers, directors, and creative minds. AE has tirelessly fought and is still fighting to break down barriers to the arts, providing affordable space to unfunded projects and individuals. The theatre’s commitment to supporting unfunded projects and individuals has lowered barriers to entry and nurtured the growth of grassroots theatre in London. To date, Actors East has subsidised over 4000 hours of rehearsal time, much of that completely free. It has nurtured a unique community of passionate actors, writers, directors, and creative minds. The platform has allowed emerging talent to flourish.
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We hereby welcome you to be part of Actors East Theatre's extraordinary five-year story, showcasing the tenacity and resilience of London's independent theatre scene!
For more information, visit actorseast.com.