Professional Shakespeare troupe, The Wet Mariners, will be performing their stage adaptation of Twelfth Night on Saturday 21st August. We are ecstatic that they are joining us for the fourth year in a row ...
The Wet Mariners will be performing Twelfth Night at the Arches Theatre!
So, who are The Wet Mariners? Made up of professional actors, this troupe began working together during their third year at LAMDA. They continue to come together each year to form The Wet Mariners and perform Shakespeare to sell-out audiences at their resident venue, The Willow Globe Theatre in Wales, and now The Arches Theatre too.
We're a Shakespeare theatre troupe that pop up in the countryside to mess around with the audience and tell stories. Actor led, no director, just words and play!
For those of you who have seen The Mariners in action, you will know they are fun and energetic characters who give an incredible performance. Which Mariners will be joining us? A cast of six will be taking on this Shakespeare comedy. All have performed on our outdoor stage in previous years, so you will certainly see some familiar faces. Joining us will be:
Amy Marchant: She was last at The Arches in 2019 when she played Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet.
Jamie Wilkes: You may recognise him from the BBC/HBO adaptation of Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials', where he played The Pale Faced Man. He has most recently starred in 'Finding Alice' on ITV alongside Keeley Hawes and Joanna Lumley, playing 'Dan', Hawes' brother. His credits also include: 'Mr Selfridge (ITV), 'Electric Dreams' (Channel 4/ Sony/ Amazon), 'Catch-22' (Hulu), 'Vanity Fair' (ITV/Amazon), 'Diary of a Teenage Girl' (Southwark Playhouse), 'Titus Andronicus' (Shakespeare's Globe), 'The Comedy of Errors' (Shakespeare's Globe), 'The Shoemaker's Holiday' (RSC), 'Two Noble Kinsmen' (RSC).
Kat JackM: Kat has most recently been in Channel 4's Hollyoaks. Last year she starred in 'The Salisbury Poisoning' as a police officer, and also in Sky One's 'COBRA' with Robert Carlyle as news reporter, Cressida McGuire. She has also appeared in Bleak House for Sky Arts, alongside Stephen Mangan. Her theatre and TV credits include: 'An Inspector Calls' (Webber PW Productions), 'Agamemnon' (Cambridge Arts Theatre), 'Bleak House' (Slam TV / Sky Arts), 'Coronation Street' (Granada), 'No Offence' (Abbott Vision/C4).
Tom Syms: Tom has written and directed the sell-out Trial TV for immersive performance-makers Secret Theatre, London. He also has many theatre credits to his name, including: 'Alice's Adventures Underground' (Les Enfant Terribles), 'Back to the Future' (Secret Cinema), 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' (The Willow Globe), 'For the Trumpets Shall Sound' (The King's Head).
As well as a great performer, Tom is also skilled in aerial work, puppetry and trapeze!
Shazia Nicholls: Shazia has a wealth of theatre credits to include The Winter's Tale, Antony and Cleopatra - alongside Ralph Fiennes - and Macbeth at The National Theatre, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing and Medusa. She also starred in 'Girls Like That' at the Unicorn Theatre, which was streamed online during lockdown. You may also recognise Shazia from BBC One's hit drama Doctor Foster.
Sophie Whittaker: Sophie has continued her teaching career and joins the The Wet Mariners when she can. For the Mariners she has played Dumaine (Love's Labour's Lost), Petruchio (The Taming of the Shrew), Alonso/Duke Ferdinand (The Tempest), Duke Senior/Duke Frederick (As You Like It), Friar Lawrence (Romeo and Juliet), Everyone Else/Fairies/Mechanicals/Hippolyta (A Midsummer Night's Stream).
We are very lucky to have this talented troupe back with us again. We can guarantee that you will be wowed with their spectacular performance. Find out more about The Wet Mariners by clicking here and tickets are still available to 'Twelfth Night' on 21st August.
Visit our box office now.
Until next time ...
DAVID PIBWORTH
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David is the owner and Artistic Director of The Arches Theatre in Clifton Reynes near Milton Keynes. Productions are underneath some flood arches on the disused Midland railway line (Bedford to Northampton). It is equidistant from Bedford, Northampton and Milton Keynes. You bring your food, drink and chairs and enjoy the varied shows that are produced. This year - 2022 - there are 12 productions on throughout the season, from Shakespeare to Ripping Yarns plus a music weekend.
David has been involved in 'Light Ent' for many years, working with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson adapting the scripts of 'Steptoe and Son' and those of Tony Hancock to the stage. He has produced shows for Norman Wisdom (which makes him feel old), Al Murray, and Joe Pasquale amongst others, and also worked in the music business promoting and producing shows with Chas and Dave, Neil Inness, Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk and others of that ilk.
He is also the director of a film school for young people in his home town of Olney as well as supporting many local events.
He recently negotiated permission from Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais to stage a short run of 'Porridge' on stage which proved a success.
This year the annual charity performance at The Arches Theatre will be the last of 'Ripping Yarns' by Michael Palin and Terry Jones, with the profits being donated to The National Brain Appeal' for research into dementia as David's father and uncle died of it, as did Michael Palin's friend and writing partner Terry Jones. Last year they raised an astonishing £10,000 and are hoping to get somewhere close again with the support of audiences and sponsors.
David also has a stage hire company and his wife Julie runs a livery yard, so they are surrounded by horses, dogs, light entertainment and and a 17 year old daughter.
He plays in a comedy jazz band and collects strange props such as the Spitting Image puppets of Denis Thatcher and Alan Bennett, the child catchers bike from the stage show of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and various other 'things' all of which he sells to raise money for the Arches Theatre, although he always finds it hard to part from these props. However as the theatre receives no funding at all, he is always devising ways to keep it going! Sponsors are always welcome!
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