Monkeywood – Last Orders from Epok Motion Statik on Vimeo.

A full recording of Last Orders by Monkeywood Theatre at Jabez Clegg on Thursday 27 January 2011
As part of The Library Theatre’s Re:Play Festival 2011 at Contact

Thanks to Doug Saunders dougsaunders@hotmail.co.uk

Cast: Daniel Fitzsimons, Martin Gibbons, James Harris, Ted Holden, Sarah McDonald Hughes & Francesca Waite

(c) Miriam Ainsworth

“Beautifully written to celebrate and emphasise the Northern voice using easily accessible and recognisable dialect; Last Orders effortless captures the excitement of a night out – that final push in to adulthood and the emotions that can be brought to the surface when seeing an old flame.”

WHATSONSTAGE.COM ****

“It’s a testament to the quality of the writing and the credibility of the characters that when this short piece ends, you’re left wanting to hear more.”

LARGE MANCHESTER

“The earthy comedy of Last Orders and the dilemma that’s created left the audience longing to see a follow up – Next Orders anyone?”

Crystal Francesca Waite

Michelle Sarah McDonald Hughes

Robbie Ted Holden

Ste Martin Gibbons

Craig Daniel Fitzsimons

Stan James Harris

Director: Martin Gibbons

Assistant Director: Francesca Waite

Stage Manager: Miriam Ainsworth

Francesca Waite: Francesca’s credits for Monkeywood include Donna in Maine Road, Crystal in Last Orders, Jenna in A Song for the Lovers and Janet and the infamous Rabbit in Coach G. She has just performed in Steph Riding’s National Express, as part of The Library Theatre’s Re:Play Festival 2011. She has appeared in Verbally Challenged at The Contact Theatre and prior to that as a villager in The Kirov Ballet’s production of Don Quixote at The Lowry. Francesca toured the north east with Team Players Theatre in Education Company and has appeared in several short films for Shameless Films, including the title roles in Nona Transvaal and Avril Tungsten. Francesca’s writing work includes On Standby for Verbally Challenged at The Contact Theatre and Silent Movie for BBC Learning & Libra Television.

Sarah McDonald Hughes: Sarah is an actor and writer from Manchester. For Monkeywood, she has appeared in numerous productions including Closer, Coach G, A Song for the Lovers, Last Orders and Maine Road. Sarah’s other recent acting work includes Be My Baby and A Taste of Honey for Northface Theatre; Love Shaped Thing, Maine Road and Caligari for BBC Radio; Night Train and A Million Shades of Pink for Action Transport Theatre; Come Back for Vita Nova Films and Somebody’s Son at the Lawrence Batley Theatre, Sheffield Lyceum & Library Theatre Manchester. On TV Sarah has appeared in Hollyoaks and numerous commercials. 

Sarah is co-artistic director of Monkeywood Theatre and has written a number of plays for them, including A Song for the Lovers (The Lowry, 2008), Last Orders (Royal Exchange Studio, 2009) and Maine Road (National Tour 2010). She has collectively written a number of plays for Action Transport Theatre including Night Train and Scratches in the Earth. She also wrote The Tree, a short play for children which was produced as part of Action Transport’s Croak project and subsequently shortlisted for Theatre Centre’s Adrienne Benham Award in 2009. A radio version of Maine Road was highly commended in the Alfred Bradley Bursary Award 2009 and produced by the BBC in 2009, featuring Sarah as Jade. Sarah is currently part of the Royal Exchange’s new writing project The Twelve, and was recently commissioned to write a play for Paines Plough’s national project, Come to Where I’m From, which was produced at the Royal Exchange in 2010. Sarah is also part of Vision and Media’s ‘Drafted’ scheme, working with industry professionals to develop an original feature film screenplay.

Ted Holden: Ted trained at The University of Salford, graduating in 2002 with a BA Honours in Performing Arts. Ted has previously worked with Monkeywood in Last Orders, as part of the Royal Exchange Theatre’s sell-out PUB season. His most recent stage appearance was as ‘Jay’ in the M.E.N. Award Winning new play Lub You at The Octagon, Bolton and The Young Vic, London. Ted has also appeared as ‘Smiler’ in Chips With Everything and ‘Edward’ in Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me at The Lowry, Salford Quays. Some of Ted’s extensive television credits include – The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, Coronation Street, Life of Riley, Heartbeat, EarlyDoors, The Royal and the ITV drama Dead Clever.

Martin Gibbons: Martin is one of the Artistic Directors of Monkeywood. He directed the recent production of Maine Road and will be directing the upcoming Once in a House on Fire. Other directing credits include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and The Glass Menagerie. Acting credits for Monkeywood include Davy in A Song for the Lovers, Matthew in Coach G and Dan in Closer. He has also appeared in A Taste of Honey for Northface Theatre Company and has toured extensively for Team Players Theatre Company in the North East. Other work includes numerous short films and commercials and he appeared on BBC 3 in the short film The Curse of Jeff. Martin is also a full-time Casting Director.

Daniel Fitzsimons: Dan’s first professional role was playing Leo in the original production of Maine Road at the 24:7 Theatre Festival in July 2009 and subsequently on its national tour in 2010. He also worked with Monkeywood playing Craig in the premiere of Last Orders as part of the Royal Exchange’s PUB season 2009. Other theatre credits include a tour of Not in my Name for Fuse Theatre, Our Country’s Good with Northface Theatre and most recently a tour of Street Voices 3 with Freedom Studios, which closed at The Bush Theatre, London. Daniel also played a small part in Coronation Street.

James Harris: James is a comedy writer, performer, animator and film maker based in the North East of England. He appeared in Closer and Coach G for Monkeywood Theatre, and O’Leary’s Daughters as part of the 24/7 Festival in 2004. He has also appeared in several short films including the award-winning Rinse and Spin (2008), Bewick’s Mambo (2008), Real Must Have (2009) and Pleasure Droid 3000 (2010). He was in an advert for SCS last year too, but we don’t talk about that.

by Sarah McDonald Hughes

Robbie is out on his last night of freedom. Michelle is out on her last night in Manchester. Ten years ago they missed their moment – will they let it pass them by again? Last Orders is a short play about new starts, last chances and near misses.

WHEN?          Wed 26 and Thu 27 January 2011

7pm (doors 6.30pm) and 8.30pm (doors 8pm)

WHERE?       Audience members must meet at Contact no later than 30 min before each performance in order to be taken to the mystery location.

HOW?            Contact Box Office 0161 274 0600

COST?           £4

WHY?             It’s your opportunity to see this perfectly pint-sized piece of theatre that sold out at the Royal Exchange last year. Take your drink in, pull up a bar stool and wonder what happened to the one who got away!

Monkeywood Theatre first premiered Last Orders, written by Sarah McDonald Hughes, in the Royal Exchange’s sell-out PUB season. The Exchange’s studio was transformed into a local watering hole for performances of drama, poetry, music and stories. Monkeywood are tickled pink to be given the chance to dust off their party gear and paint the town red again for The Library’s Re:Play season in January 2011.

Cast

Crystal  Francesca Waite

Michelle  Sarah McDonald Hughes

Robbie  Ted Holden

Ste  Martin Gibbons

Craig  Daniel Fitzsimons

Stan  James Harris

Director:  Martin Gibbons

Assistant Director:  Francesca Waite

Stage Manager:  Miriam Ainsworth

We were joined for comedy, a love story and a pint on 3rd December in the studio….

‘Actually – I think I went to school with him you know.’

‘What – that one with the apron on?’

‘No you cheeky mare. The one with the pint.’

‘They’ve all got bloody pints.’

‘The one holding his pint, now, look.’

‘What him?’

‘No – not him. Oh he’s put it down now. He’s lovely.’

Robbie is out on his last night of freedom. Michelle is out on her last night in Manchester. Ten years ago they very nearly kissed…

Last Orders is about everything always being the same and nothing ever changing – and everything changing and nothing being the same ever again.

Thomas graduated from The Arden School of Theatre in 2004. His most recent theatre credit is Danny the Champion of the World at The Bolton Octagon, directed by Mark Babych. He wrote and appeared in a number of plays for Sheep Town Theatre Company including The Diversification of Veg Boy, which formed part of the 2006 24:7 Theatre Festival. He appeared in the MEN Theatre Award nominated The Hanged Man at the 2005 24:7 Theatre Festival and also played Capulet in Nevada Shakespeare Company’s American tour of Romeo and Juliet. His television credits include, most recently a guest lead in an episode of The Royal to be broadcast on Sun 26 July on ITV, The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard and two episodes of Manhunt. He played a guest lead on hit US show I Shouldn’t be Alive and appeared in several episodes of Coronation Street as a Weatherfield Gazette reporter.

Marie Critchley (Babs)

Marie is a co-founder of Northface Theatre Company and has recently performed in their latest production of Be My Baby. Other performances for Northface include Skirmishes, The Threepenny Opera and The Virtuous Burglar. Marie’s other theatre work includes Brassed Off at Oldham Coliseum, Beautiful Thing at Bolton Octagon, A View from the Bridge at Bristol Old Vic and Our Day Out at Northampton Theatre Royal. TV credits include Lilies, See No Evil, Pierrepoint, Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Marie appeared in the BAFTA award-winning episode, Stan, in the first series of Jimmy McGovern’s The Street.

Dan Fitzsimons (Craig)

Maine Road is Dan’s professional acting debut after recently completing a HNC in acting from The Arden Theatre School. His credits while training include the lead in Macbeth, Ste in A Beautiful Thing, Ralph Clarke in Our Country’s Good and Peachum in The Threepenny Opera.

Martin Gibbons (Steve)

Maine Road was Martin’s directorial debut for Monkeywood and his performance credits for the company include Steve in Last Orders, Davy in A Song for the Lovers, Matthew in Coach G and Dan in Closer. Martin directed numerous productions including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Other acting credits include a villager for The Kirov Ballet at The Lowry, A Taste of Honey for Northface Theatre Company and extensive touring for Team Players Theatre in Education Company. He has appeared on BBC 3 in the short film The Curse of Jeff.

Ted Holden (Robbie)

Ted’s most recent stage appearance was in Lub You at 24:7 Theatre Festival, Bolton Octagon and The Young Vic. His extensive Television appearances include Doctors, Coronation Street, Life of Riley and Early Doors.

Sarah McDonald Hughes (Michelle)

Sarah’s credits for Monkeywood include Jade in Maine Road, Michelle in Last Orders, Caty in A Song for the Lovers which was produced at the 2006 24:7 festival and subsequently at The Lowry in October 2008. Sarah also appeared in Closer and Coach G for Monkeywood. Her recent acting credits include Be My Baby and A Taste of Honey for Northface Theatre, Love Shaped Thing and Caligari for BBC Radio, Night Train and A Million Shades of Pink for Action Transport Theatre Company. Sarah performed at the Sheffield Lyceum in Somebody’s Son, in which she appeared again at the Library Theatre in September 09 as part of the Decibel Showcase.

Francesca Waite (Crystal)

Francesca’s credits for Monkeywood include Donna in Maine Road, Crystal in Last Orders, Jenna in A Song for the Lovers and as Janet and the infamous Rabbit in Coach G. She recently appeared Verbally Challenged at The Contact Theatre and prior to that as a villager in The Kirov Ballet’s production of Don Quixote at The Lowry. Francesca toured the north east with Team Players Theatre in Education Company and has appeared in several short films for Shameless Films, including the title roles in Nona Transvaal and Avril Tungsten. Francesca’s writing work includes On Standby for Verbally Challenged at The Contact Theatre and Silent Movie for BBC Learning & Libra Television.