L I V E R P O O L

L I V E R P O O L

L I V E R P O O L

Hello and welcome to the Royal Court Theatre and this performance of John Godber’s Bouncers.

I first saw a production of Bouncers at the Everyman back in 1985. I was working in London and a friend told me I had to get back to Liverpool to see this show. What a night. I had never seen theatre like it. Bouncers is a great piece of theatre writing but to be fully realised it needs a cast capable of delivering the play as it is meant to be.

Back in 1985 the cast included John McArdle, Con O’Neill and Terry Melia.

I knew we had to have a cast as good as them if the play was going to work here at the Court when we brought it back here last year and we put together one of our strongest casts with Mickey, Danny, Paul and Mark Womack. The show was incredible last year and we booked it in for another run straight away. Mark was unavailable for this year so we turned to Louis Emerick to complete the quartet. Louis is not just a great actor but he is a great friend of the other three lads and that camaraderie and friendship shines through in a play like this. You can see how much fun they are having every night!

Bouncers is perfect for the Royal Court and by that I mean you the audience. The cast along with Bob Eaton the Director have reworked the script so we can set the nightclub in Liverpool and the language has the flavour of a night out in Liverpool in the 80s. I think Bouncers goes

some way to defining what we strive to do here at the Court. We have a quality play, we’ve connected it to Liverpool and we have a Liverpool cast.

Not all our plays will follow the same formula but having that connection to this city is something we will always aim at. I’ve always believed it is important. It is how the Everyman worked in the 80s.

And also like the Everyman in the 80s we build our sets here in Liverpool and we rehearse our shows here. Not all theatresin the city can say that.

We are a great believer in “keeping it real” here at the Court and if you think that you recognise the doormen outside the theatre then it might be because some of them were on the door of the Grafton back in the day!

So I give you Bouncers. A play that is set in the 80s, brings with it the spirit of Liverpool theatre in the 80s and helps define the Royal Court today.

Kevin FearonChief Executive

L I V E R P O O L

RoyalCourtLiverpoolTrust@TerriersPlayterriersplay.co.uk

6 NOVEMBER 2014 7.30PM £5 / £3 ROYAL COURT LIVERPOOLBOX OFFICE 0870 787 1866 ROYALCOURTLIVERPOOL.COM

by Maurice Bessman

What do you do when you’re fifteen and live on an estate where you get street cred for being in a gang?

“This type of innovative theatre is a key resource.”

Jane KennedyMerseyside Police And Crime Commissioner 2013

“An amazing production ” Councillor Wendy Simon

“All young people need to see this” @NixonKeri

John Godber was born the son of a miner in Upton, West Yorkshire. He trained as a teacher of drama at Bretton Hall College. Whilst he was Head of Drama at Minsthorpe High School, the school he attended as a student, he won every major award at the National Student Drama Festival between 1981 and 1983. In 2005, John’s 50th play Wrestling Mad marked his 21st anniversary with Hull Truck as Artistic Director. John’s plays are performed across the world and he has the distinction of being one of the most performed writers in the English language. He has won numerous awards for his plays including a Lawrence Olivier award and seven Los Angeles Critics Circle Awards.

His plays include: Bouncers, Up ‘n’ Under, April in Paris, Teechers, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Cramp, Happy Jack, September in the Rain, Salt of the Earth, Passion Killers, Happy Families, Up ‘n’ Under II, Gym & Tonic, Dracula, Lucky Sods, Hooray for Hollywood, Weekend Breaks, It Started With A Kiss, Unleashed, Thick As A Brick, Big Trouble in Little Bedroom, Season In The Sun, on A Night Like This, Our House, Departures, Men of the World, Reunion, Screaming Blue Murder, Black Ties & Tales, Perfect Pitch Going Dutch, Christmas Crackers and most recently Crown Prince.

“I want to create theatre that connects with people’s lives, not a piece of candy floss”JOHN GODBER

“I think a joke only

works if it’s painfully

true. If you didn’t

laugh you’d cry”JOHN GODBER

Within his extensive career in writing and directing in TV and Film, John also devised the BBC2 series Chalkface and his screenplay My Kingdom for a Horse starring Sean Bean was nominated for an alternative BAFTA award. John’s first feature film Up ‘N’ Under was released in January 1998. In 2005, he co-wrote Odd Squad for BBC2, with his wife Jane, which was shot in Hull using local actors. Odd Squad won two British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards in the Schools’ Drama category and in the BAFTA original writer section. John has an MA from Leeds University, an Hon D.Litt from Hull University, an Hon D.Litt from Lincoln University, a D.Uni for the Open University and was a PHD research student for five years at Leeds University. He is a Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Liverpool Hope University, a visiting Professor of Drama at Hull University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

L I V E R P O O L

RoyalCourtLiverpoolTrust@TerriersPlayterriersplay.co.uk

6 NOVEMBER 2014 7.30PM £5 / £3 ROYAL COURT LIVERPOOLBOX OFFICE 0870 787 1866 ROYALCOURTLIVERPOOL.COM

by Maurice Bessman

What do you do when you’re fifteen and live on an estate where you get street cred for being in a gang?

“This type of innovative theatre is a key resource.”

Jane KennedyMerseyside Police And Crime Commissioner 2013

“An amazing production ” Councillor Wendy Simon

“All young people need to see this” @NixonKeri

Kevin FearonKen Alexander

Kevin DunnJess BolgerIain Christie

David GordonSimon Collard

Alison WardSteve Smith

Jamie JenkinLouise HurdMarie Jones

Mick Bawden

Chief ExecutiveArtistic DirectorFinance DirectorAssistant Producer Marketing ManagerTechnical DirectorHead ChefFinance OfficerFront Of House ManagerSales ManagerBox Office ManagerCostume SupervisorResident Stage Manager

Box Office AssistantsKira Cookson, Rachel Delaney, Danielle Goodfellow, Daniel Kearney, Isabelle Litwin, Sarah Randle, Angela Simms, Katy Skidmore, Rebecca Smith

Front of House Stephen Briggs, Collette Burgess, Lewis Edwards, Peter Gornell, Kathy Hutson, Jake Jones, Emma Keig, Sven Key, Christopher Kidd, Ricci Kinsella, Charlene Lim, Melanie Lovett, Hazel Patterson, Siobahn Spear, Adam Thompson, Sophy Vicary, Christina Wiggins and Thomas Wright

Stage DoorAllan Dodd, John Evans

KitchenDavid Assall, Billie Chisam, Carl Chisam, Debbie Chisam, Libby Hind, Alicia Harris, Robert Hughes, Eileen Lawless, George Schott, Doreen Uber

Cleaners Billie Chisam, Carl Chisam, Debbie Chisam, Gillian Stephenson, Doreen Uber

And a big thank you to all of our security staff for their hard work throughout the year

Bob Eaton Richard Foxton

Ian Scott Kate Harvey

Beverley Norris-Edmunds Elizabeth O’Sullivan

Dave Gordon Marie Jones

James Haining Matt Weeks

Mick BawdenKelsey Moran

DirectorDesignerLighting DesignerSound DesignerChoreographerDeputy Stage ManagerProduction ManagerCostume SupervisorChief LX / Sound & LX OpSound & LX OpWorkshop ManagerAssistant Choreographer

Moss Bros

Paul BroughtonDanny O’BrienLouis Emerick

Michael Starke

Lucky EricLesRalphJudd

DANNY O’BRIENLesDanny O’Brien has become a regular fixture at the Royal Court - this will be his sixth time here.

He has appeared in some of the Court’s biggest hits including: Stags And Hens, Lost Soul , Night Collar and The Salon. He has also been travelling around the northwest, most recently playing Bob in Rita, Sue And Bob Too at the Theatre Royal St. Helens. He has also just finished a run of the award winning and critically acclaimed Rainbow Connection at the Unity Theatre.

Danny’s other credits include: The Long Shot, The King Of Edge Hill, The Wedding, House Of Anubis, Scrims and Good Cop. He is very excited to be back at the Court and would like to dedicate his performance to his two beautiful daughters Pearl and Edie.

LOUIS EMERICKRalphLouis Emerick is a much loved British TV actor, best known for his portrayal of Mick Johnson in the soap opera Brookside and for his

recurring role of PC Walsh in Last of the Summer Wine.

Louis was born in the Toxteth area of Liverpool. He started out his theatrical life acting and singing in amateur productions, in particular being a long time member of Genesis Theatre. After the theatre group broke up in 1982 he went on to further his career and subsequently turned professional. Early screen appearances include; Home to Roost, Floodtide and the TV movie Ball-Trap on the Cote Sauvage.

In 1989 Louis joined the popular Channel 4 series Brookside and remained with the show for another twelve years. On his departure Louis immediately went on to secure numerous television credits in shows such as Cold Feet, The Bill, Merseybeat, Holby City, Doctors, Trexx & Flipside, Mile High and the semi-regular role of Mike Bateman in Casualty. He could be seen in the Jimmy McGovern series Justice for BBC TV, as Peter O’Brian in Waterloo Road, and Last of the Summer Wine - a show which he appeared in (on and off) for over twenty years!

On film, Louis has appeared as Carl in Tomorrow, Billy in Fruit Machine, Colour Blind, and as Trevor in Layer Cake alongside Daniel Craig, directed by Matthew Vaughn.

Alongside his numerous screen credits, Louis has proven himself as a highly accomplish d and critically acclaimed stage actor. Notable theatre credits include; A Little Pinch of Chilli (Liverpool Everyman); The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui alongside Mark Rylance (Contact Theatre, Manchester); On the Ledge (Royal Court, Liverpool), Siswe Banzi is Dead (Stephen Joseph), Master Harold & the Boys and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (both at the Liverpool Everyman), Claudius in Hamlet (Horseshoe Theatre Company), Basil and Beattie (Royal Exchange) and most recently the National Tour of Soap Opera and productions of Jim Cartwright’s Two (Manchester, Liverpool and St Helens).Recent TV credits include New Tricks, Doctors and BBC1’s primetime drama Silent Witness (all for the BBC), Channel 4’s Hollyoaks Later, Crime Stories for ITV, the feature film Lapse of Honour and two

PAUL BROUGHTONLucky EricThis is Paul’s 5th appearance at the Royal Court following on from Dave Kirby’s Council Depot Blues, Jim Cartwright’s 8 Miles High, the

first run of Bouncers and Mark Davies Markham’s Special Measures. He is currently teaching drama students how not to do it at Arden School of Theatre in Manchester, in the language of Scouse…as a missionary.

Other credits before he was rumbled as an Actor, included;

Theatre: On the Ledge (Alan Bleasdale,) Democracy (Michael Frayn) – The National Theatre. The People are Friendly (Michael Wynne) – The Royal Court, London.

Musicals: Billy Elliot, Closer to Heaven – West End, London

Television: Brookside, Liverpool One

Films: 51st State, Like it is, Awaydays

MICHAEL STARKE JuddMichael began his professional career at Liverpool Playhouse in the 1984 production of Cavern of Dreams by Carol Ann Duffy. The

next few years saw him appearing almost exclusively at the Everyman in Liverpool, where he appeared in such shows as The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui, Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, The Taming of the Shrew, She Stoops to Conquer, Three Sisters, and No Holds Bard. Michael was the first ‘guest star’ in the Olivier Award winning The Play What I Wrote, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Other theatre work includes Be Bop A Lula, Blood Brothers (Leicester Haymarket) Anything Goes (National Tour). Film work includes:

episodes of ITV’s Benidorm as Norman the Doorman.

Louis will next be seen as Horse in the National Tour of the Full Monty. He is very happy to be back at The Royal Court in such an iconic play, and particularly playing alongside old mates Michael, Paul and Danny.

No Surrender by Alan Bleasdale, Distant Voices, written and directed by Terrence Davies, The 51st State directed by Ronny Yu and starring Samuel L Jackson. Michael is probably best known to TV viewers as Sinbad, a role he played for fifteen years in Channel 4’s Brookside. He then spent six years playing Ken Hopkirk in Yorkshire TV’s The Royal, and was most recently Jerry Morton in Coronation Street. Michael also played Howard in the Manchester 24/7 Festival production of Dancing To The Sound Of Crunching Snails by Joe Graham and directed by Joyce Branagh.

In 2010 Michael was one of the three Edna Turnblads in the national tour of Hairspray with Michael Ball and Brian Conley. He followed that with the role of Monsignor O’Hara in the Whoopie Goldberg produced national tour of Sister Act.

Since his last appearance here in A Nightmare on Lime Street, Michael has done Special Measures and completed two films: Jack Ryan directed by Kenneth Branagh and a British film, Longtails, produced and directed by Elizabeth Arends.

comedy in theatres, bars, shops, schools, people’s houses (we’ll check

with them first), coach tours, kids shows, pub crawls, poets, quizzes, plays,

magicians, networking events, rap battles, sketch groups and stand up

Michael Palin Cardinal Burns

Sean HughesBridget Christie

Robin Ince Vikki Stone

Chris Cairns • Silky • Steve Gribbin • Laurence Clarke Dave Twentyman Adam Rowe • Jake Mills • Tony Carroll

24 September to 5 October 2014For full listings visit liverpoolcomedyfestival.com

BOB EATONDIRECTORBob’s first job was in 1971 as Assistant Director at the Victoria Theatre Stoke. During the mid 1970s he was a member of Alan Ayckbourn’s Scarborough company as actor, director and writer.

In the late 70s he was Associate Director of Contact Theatre Manchester and in 1981 became Artistic Director of the Liverpool Everyman. His productions here included Alan Bleasdale’s It’s A Madhouse, his own show, Lennon which subsequently transferred to The Astoria Theatre, London and the Entermedia Theater New York, winning the Sunday Times award for Best Musical of 1986, and the stage musical version of Our Day Out on which he collaborated with Willy Russell. In 1984 he became Artistic Director of the London Bubble Theatre and from 1996 to 2003 he was Director of The Belgrade Theatre Coventry. Bob has written many plays and musicals including Good Golly Miss Molly, Three Minute Heroes and the lyrics for Face. His many collaborations with Sayan Kent include The Good Companions, Limestone Cowboy and Silas Marner.

Last year he directed a new musical Soul Sister based on the life and times of Ike and Tina Turner, at the Hackney Empire, which transfered to the West End and is now on a national tour.

Bob is delighted to be back in Liverpool and working in the wonderful Royal Court where he has directed Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels, Lost Soul, Good Golly Miss Molly, Two, Stags and Hens – The Remix, On The Ledge, Council Depot Blues, Slappers And Slapheads, Merry Ding Dong, A Fistful Of Collars, Willy Russell’s Our Day Out - The Musical, the hugely successful revival of his own show Lennon, Scouse Pacific, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Little Scouse on the Prairie and Reds & Blues: The Musical.

RICHARD FOXTONDESIGNERPrevious design work for the Royal Court, Liverpool: Eight Miles High, Ladies Day.

Design work elsewhere includes: And Then The Dark, Bedroom Farce, A Passionate Woman, Up on the Roof, Noises Off, Vincent in Brixton, The Price, Chimps, A Family Affair, Double Indemnity (New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich), Garage Band, Absent Friends, The Winter’s Tale, Beauty & The Beast, Jack & the Beanstalk, Aladdin (Mercury Theatre, Colchester), Takeaway (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Office Suite (Theatre Royal Bath & national tour), Brassed Off (Sheffield Theatres national tour), Blue/Orange; The Country Wife, Queen’s English (Palace Theatre ,Watford), Blonde Bombshells of

1943, Dumbshow, Deathtrap, Stepping Out, Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Kes, The Sunshine Boys, Perfect Pitch, On the Piste, Good Golly Miss Molly (Coliseum Theatre, Oldham), Equus, Macbeth, The Miser, Dead Funny (Salisbury Playhouse), The Rise & Fall of Little Voice, Jack & the Beanstalk (Harrogate Theatre), Kvetch (West Yorkshire Playhouse), All My Sons, Neville’s Island, Brassed Off (York Theatre Royal), Things We Do For Love, Death of a Salesman (Library Theatre, Manchester), Desperate To Be Doris, Hector’s House, The Importance of Being Earnest (LipService national tours); The Lighthouse on Shivering Sands (North Country Theatre, tour), Happy Jack, A Kind of Loving (John Godber Co./Wakefield Theatre Royal), Loot, Pub Quiz is Life, Macbeth, The Flags, Ladies Day, Wuthering Heights, 1984, Toast, Up on the Roof, Under the Whaleback (Hull Truck); and over fifty productions for the Octagon Theatre Bolton including And Did Those Feet…, The Crucible, The Caretaker, Four Nights in Knaresborough, Saved, Blood Wedding, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dancing at Lughnasa, The Pitchfork Disney.

He has twice been nominated for the TMA Design Award & has won the Manchester Evening News design award five times, most recently in 2008 for Oh What a Lovely War (Octagon Theatre).

His work was included in the British exhibit at the Prague Quadrennial (1995), he was a judge of the Linbury Prize (1997).

Forthcoming work includes: Chicago (Oldham Coliseum Theatre), Sleeping Beauty (Harrogate Theatre).

IAN SCOTT LIGHTING DESIGNIan has designed the lighting for many shows at the Royal Court including A Nightmare on Lime Street, Our Day Out, Scouse Pacific, On The Ledge, Eight Miles High, Council Depot Blues and Ladies Day. In 2012 he designed the set and lighting for the Lodestar/Royal Court co-productions of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Other recent projects: Marco Polo (Bergen National Opera), Where The Wild Things Are/Higgelty Piggelty Pop (Aldeburgh Festival, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Barbican), The Victorian in the Wall (Will Adamsdale/Fuel), The Ugly Spirit (Fittings/South Bank), Touch Me (Coisceim Dance Theatre), Blok/Eko (The Wrestling School), The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre) and Reasons To Be Cheerful (Graeae).

As an Associate Artist with the experimental theatre company Suspect Culture Ian designed the set and lighting for much of the company’s work including Timeless, Mainstream and Lament.

KATE HARVEYSOUND DESIGNKate was born in Blackpool and at the age of 15 went on work experience at Blackpool Opera House.

At 16 she was offered the job of lighting operator on Danny La Rue’s summer season show and has enjoyed a career in technical theatre ever since. Shows worked there include Blood Brothers, Dr. Dolittle, Grease, Sunset Boulevard and Boogie Nights. She then spent two years at Stageworks Worldwide Productions designing and operating two pantomimes and working many corporate and conference events.

Six months at Butlins in sunny Skegness saw her sound engineer for famous acts such as Slade, Bad Manners, Chesney Hawkes, Sinitta, Right Said Fred and many more. A move to the ocean waves to work as a production technician for Island Cruises let her enjoy four months in Brazil and six months in the Mediterranean before securing a job as production manager for P&O cruises. Mixing sound to the stars all over the world including Jane McDonald, Brian Conley and Petula Clark she then felt it was time to come home.

In June 2008 dry land was calling and Kate is now delighted to be working at Royal Court Liverpool where she recently designed Night Collar, Shirley Valentine, Our Day Out - The Musical, Lennon, Scouse Pacific, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Little Scouse on the Prairie, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Reds And Blues - The Musical and Ladies Day.BEVERLEY NORRIS–EDMUNDSCHOREOGRAPHERTheatre credits include; Nightmare on Lime Street, Our Day Out - The Musical (Willy Russell), Ladies’ Night, Little Scouse on the Prairie, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Scouse Pacific, Brick Up the Mersey Tunnels, Good Golly Miss Molly, Dirty Dusting, Merry Ding Dong, Slappers and Slapheads, Lucky Numbers, Council Depo Blues, Stags and Hens and Reds & Blues - The Musical (Royal Court Liverpool); Cinderella (Empire Theatre Liverpool).

Most recent choreography credits include; Star Crossed Lovers, A Passionate Women, Satin ‘n’ Steel, Steppin’ Out, Sleeping Beauty (winner of the MEN Best Family Show Award 2010), Sweet Charity and Dick Barton Special Agent (Nominated for an MEN award) (Oldham Coliseum); Around the World in 80 Days, Stones in his Pockets, Christmas Carol, Where have I been all my life, Alice in Wonderland, The Rivals, The Admirable Crichton, Peter Pan, Sweeny Todd, Oliver, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Don Giovanni, The Glee Club, The Wicked Lady, Laurel and Hardy,Bouncers and Olympic Torch Relay 2012– Phoenix from the Flame. (New Vic, Stoke); Soul Man, Geordie Sinatra, The Pirates of Penzance, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The

Mikado (tour); Marlene and Carmen (Stephen Joseph Theatre/New Vic); Rise and Fall of Little Voice and Three Sisters (Royal Exchange Manchester). Song of Singapore, Christmas Carol, O What a Lovely War (Nominated for an MEN award) (Bolton Octagon); Loves Labour’s Lost, The Tempest and Death of an Anarchist(Northern Broadsides). Eight Rock and Roll Pantomimes for Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse. Beverley has also choreographed numerous productions for West Yorkshire Playhouse, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Haymarket Theatre Basingstoke, Harrogate Theatre and Birmingham Rep.

Television and film credits include: Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, CBBC’s The Agents, Fernando Torres Nike commercial and O’Jerusalem (Feature Film).

Touring credits include: Carmen, Lisa’s Sex Strike, A Taste of Honey and Return to the Forbidden Planet (National Tour).

Beverley runs Dolphin Dance Studios Performing Arts College in Liverpool and produces her own company.

MARIE JONESCOSTUME SUPERVISORMarie studied fashion and then moved on to theatre costume interpretation at Mabel Fletcher College. Marie’s work as a freelance costumier has included costumes for Oldham Coliseum, The Royal Exchange, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Jimmy McGovern’s film Liam, Beyond Friendship for Mersey Television and the many pantomime dames who have appeared on the Everyman stage.

She has worked extensively at the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and has recently been employed as full time Wardrobe Supervisor. Most recently Marie’s work at the Everyman and Playhouse has included: Much Ado About Nothing, The Electric Hills, The Flint Street Nativity, The Tempest, Unprotected, Billy Liar, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe, Urban Legend, Fly, Breezeblock Park, The Entertainer, Still Life And The Astonished Heart, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Anniversary, Dr Faustus, The May Queen, Cruel Sea and All My Sons.

Marie’s other credits include: Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels, Lost Soul, Good Golly Miss Molly, Stags and Hens - The Remix, On The Ledge, Misery, Eight Miles High, Council Depot Blues, Night Collar, Dirty Dusting, Shirley Valentine, Our Day Out - The Musical, The Salon, Funny Money, Merry Ding Dong, A Fistul Of Collars, Lucky Numbers, Lennon, Scouse Pacific, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Little Scouse on the Prairie, Reds And Blues - The Musical and Ladies Day for Royal Court Liverpool, Brouhaha International Street Festival, Working Class Hero on the recent Imagine DVD, Costume Supervisor for many shows at LIPA, The Splash Project at MYPT and Twopence To Cross The Mersey at the Liverpool Empire.

“One of the funniest plays you could ever

hope to see” Guardian

Directed by BOB EatOn

thE WOrlD’s FunniEst FarcE gEts thE rOyal cOurt trEatmEnt

L I V E R P O O L

5 Sep to 4 Oct Tickets from £120870 787 1866 royalcourtliverpool.com

Kim hartmann

(allo allo)

tupele DOrgu

(coronation street)

Jessica Dyas

(lennon)

stephen FlEtchEr

(Scouse Pacific)

Danny O’BriEn

(Bouncers)

Jennifer BEa

(scouse Potatoes)

Jonathan marKWOOD

(lennon)

christopher JOrDan

(in the Flesh)