Three's Company Blog

Twas the Season

2010-01-26T21:32:00.006Z

The snow's thawing and the world's returning to work. And so ends Three's Company's first London Season from the wintry heart of London's West End.

Our three-week residency at the Tristan Bates Theatre ended last Saturday and a big thank-you to all of you who came along to make it such a success. Here's how it all went.

After four years of work, our flagship production of Play On Words had it's first full London run. We were featured in the print editions of The Times ("both smart and funny... an ingenious little box of tricks") and Time Out ("light-footed and adept at scrambling the act of theatre") as well as in The Stage ("versatile, confident talent... just about the perfect format") and on Remote Goat ("entertaining and stimulating theatre craftsmanship"). And some pretty great crowds over the three weeks as well.
We hosted three Interactivity Symposiums which brought together critics from The Guardian, The Financial Times and The Stage as well as companies such as Coney and Non Zero One and practitioners such as Stuart Nolan and Steve Marmion (former associate director of the RSC) - all to discuss the place and the future of interactivity in theatre.
We produced three staged readings of plays by Tom: Later Showers and the newly written Still Life and Reverie. Each with guest directors and a great cast of new 3C artists.
We brought together a host of companies exploring interactivity in various art-forms - including a 'one-robot-show', an interactive library and dragon magic.
We performed all four of the currently existing episodes of our critically-acclaimed interactive radio comedy Adventure Time, starring our alter-egos and a wide variety of audience participants.

All in all, 43 performances of 18 different events over 20 days, all in the heart of the West End.

Based on this success, we hope this will be the start of many productions in London (as well as our visits to Buxton and Edinburgh). Watch this space for news of our next project.

So thank-you first to all of you who came along. Thanks to all our supporters who made the whole season possible. And here's a list of everyone else who was involved - huge thanks to you all!

Laura and the staff of the Tristan Bates Theatre, The Actors Centre and The Pleasance Theatre.

Bekki Coward, Natalie Eskinazi, Neil Keating Jacob Mason-Dixon, Amy Penrose and Meriel Rosenkranz for their various roles in creating Play On Words.

Bekki Coward and Natalie Eskinazi for co-managing the Interactivity Symposium.

Steve Marmion, Roger Foss, Stuart Nolan, Ian Shuttleworth, Annette & Tassos from Coney, Karl Rouse, Matt Trueman, Richard Stamp, Holly Gramazio, Neil Keating, Alex and John from Non Zero One, Esther Smith and David Byrne for taking part in the Interactivity Symposium.

Piff The Magic Dragon, Dan Somerville, Alan Fielden, Teak Show, Imprology, The Story Exchange and Bineural Performance for appearing in the Interplay Sessions.

Kyle McPhail for his help on Later Showers.

James Farrell with his cast Mariam Bell, John Cass, Stephen Connery-Brown, David Eadie, Jo Price, Gabriella Schmidt and Daniel Wiltshire for performing Still Life.

John Kay Steel with his cast Chris Porter, Joanne Cummins, Nick Ash, Sarah Thomas-Lane and Jennifer Jackson for performing Reverie.

Maram Bell, Jo Reekie, Rosie Stancliffe, Kyle McPhail (and several audience members) for performing in Adventure Time.

The Times on POW (and all the others)

2010-01-11T18:26:00.001Z

Anyone opening The Times today may have noticed a review of our very own Play On Words.

They called it "both smart and funny" as well as "an ingenious little box of tricks" - which was nice.

It's wonderful to see good reviews for the show coming out so soon in our first London season. We're expecting several more reviews over the next few days and we'll update this post as they come in with quotes and links to the full articles.

And if you want to see what they're all talking about, Play On Words plays at the Tristan Bates Theatre, Covent Garden until the 23rd January.

Fringe Guru

"I'm still won over by the simple chutzpah of throwing so many concepts into the blender. It could easily get out of hand, but it doesn't; it's a tight and finely-engineered work, where details of dialogue which at first seem off-the-wall later prove perfectly-formed and crucial."

Remote Goat

"One of the most stunning things about the piece is how it moves from clever jocularity to genuine emotion. You won't feel existential despair, you'll feel cheered. Play on Words is not conventional, but nor is it hard work: it's witty, thoughtful stuff that's consistently entertaining and full of delicious surprises."

Time Out

"Keeps you on your toes for most of its 70 minutes... light-footed and adept at scrambling the act of theatre. Worth a look"

The Stage

"To their great credit, Michael Grady-Hall and Yaz Al-Shaater build an intense, ultimately fractured relationship that maintains the interest throughout.There’s certainly no doubting their enthusiasm for the project, Al-Shaater is a versatile, confident talent and Grady-Hall is in serious danger of busting a blood vessel in a terrifying, but impressive tirade near the show’s close."

The Times

"Tom Crawshaw’s text offers a metatheatrical game of dramatic forensics.

Both smart and funny... an ingenious little box of tricks"

"Back & Forth" Directors Announced

2009-12-30T20:06:00.000Z

Hey folks! We've just announced the directors for Back & Forth over at our sister blog, interactivity.org.uk. James Farrell will be directing Still Life, John Kay Steel is helming Reverie (the full length play based on Dreams May Come), and our revival of Later Showers will be directed by... yours truly.

So if you want to catch Tom's latest work, or re-live the passion and poetry Later Showers (again starring Michael), then be sure to catch Back & Forth, as part of The Reactivity Season.

Head to the original blog post to find out the details, and be sure to subscribe to the blog while you're there.

Have a Happy New Year, and I hope to see you in January!

Three's Company Need You!

2009-12-28T13:52:00.006Z

During January Three's Company are taking over the Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden.

From the 4th-23rd the award-winning Play On Words will be playing everyday at 7.30pm (4pm on Sundays), and from 8th-23rd 3C will be hosting The Reactivity Season.

But we need your help! We have yet to cast some pivotal roles - which anyone can take, without any prior experience. So why not take up one of the following fantastic opportunities to be a part of it all. We are looking for:

A Female Special Guest for one episode of the interactive, pun-dimensional comedy A Live Transmission of 'Adventure Time'. It's a cheeky two-minute cameo part, in which the star of Comedy Trio's spoof-tacular radio show turns up late and interrupts the recording- with "hilarious"* results... (Performed one night in January.)
Fern and Basil (our plants in the audience) who antagonise the protagonist at the dramatic pinnacle of Tom Crawshaw's Play On Words. Very, very important (but fear not, you only have to say one line). We need a different person each night - so get in touch before they all go.

It's all in the good cause of theatre - so if you'd like to join in, drop us a line at fun@threescompany.co.uk

Oh yes - and happy new year. All the best for the Tens / Decimos / Teenies!

* The Troglodyte - and also my nan

Join our festival!

2009-12-21T20:50:00.000Z

Three's Company are looking for companies of all sizes with all levels of experience whose work in some way incorporates interactivity, or challenges the traditional audiences/performer relationship. Perhaps you talk to the audience, get them on stage or allow them to shape your work before or during performance?

Applications are invited to fill the remaining slots in The Interplay Sessions - part of The Reactivity Season, which explores audience involvement in the theatre. Slots are available on Saturday the 9th, 16th or 23rd January. The season takes place at the Tristan Bates Theatre, Leicester Square - home to cutting edge new work and experimentation in the heart of the West End.

Pieces of work can be anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes, and anything in the area of theatre, storytelling, comedy or performance art. Past work that fits the brief or ideas you will try out for the first time can both be accepted. Companies will need to develop the work themselves although a few hours of rehearsal time in the theatre are available.

This is a fantastic opportunity to perform your work for free at one of London's leading theatres, in an exciting new event exploring an urgent and important new genre of theatre.

To register interest, or for any question, contact us in one of the following ways:

Tweet us ... @reactivity_fest
Email interplay@reactivity.org.uk
Leave a comment below

Details & small print:
You're expected to cover your own props, set, expenses and resources - Three's Company & The Reactivity Season can unfortunately offer no resources towards the realisation of your work. Companies will be neither charged nor paid by Three's Company, The Reactivity Season, or The Tristan Bates Theatre. We'll provide promotional support, and we'll try to help in any other way we can. You'll only have a few minutes to get in and out of the space, so complicated sets or technical requirements are not going to be practical. You'll be invited to take part for free in the Interactivity Symposium on the day you perform, and we hope you'll attend to talk about your experience in interactivity. Full details and practicalities will be discussed in a more formal way with successful applicants!

Merry Christmas from Three's Company

2009-12-20T18:53:00.007Z

With snow falling in London - and rather more in Buxton - it's time for 3C to head off for a mini Christmas break. Even more snow for Michael however who is off to some unnamed French mountain to ski (or rather drink hot chocolate, learn his lines and avoid any pre-show injuries).

Of course it's only a mini break as our first London season starts on Monday 4th January at the Tristan Bates Theatre.
We're performing Play On Words - with a fantastic new design by Amy Penrose - every evening.

Our interactive comedy show Adventure Time will be mixing things up on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights (if the audience can save the day)

Each Saturday sees a day-long Interactivity Symposium - complete with experimental performances in the Interplay Sessions afterwards.

And Back & Forth sees two new plays by Tom Crawshaw - Still Life and Reverie - given staged readings, as well as the London premiere of Later Showers (in scratch form).

Find out more at www.play-on-words.net

and www.reactivity.org.uk (for everything else)

Keep up to date by following Three's Company or The Reactivity Season on Twitter.

And, as a special Christmas present to all our Blog followers, we'd like to offer a half-price deal to see Play On Words, which can be used any time in the first week (4th - 11th Jan). Just quote "3C Blog Deal" when booking in person or by phone (from the 4th Jan).

So from all of us at Three's Company, have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, a pudding-and-stocking-filled and carbon-free holiday and we hope to see you all in January 2010!

Three's Company's First London Season

2009-11-15T20:05:00.003Z

Exciting news theatre fans!

Hot on the heels of another wonderful Edinburgh Fringe, Three's Company have just been offered a three-week slot at top London theatre the Tristan Bates (near Leicester Square) this January.

We're still putting the finishing touches to our exact plans for this season but here's what we've got so far:

Play On Words makes its London transfer (after a critically-acclaimed sell-out run at the Pleasance Dome) from January 4th-23rd. Bigger and better than ever before and (hopefully) ready to take London by storm.

Alongside this flagship production we'll be hosting the Reactivity Season. This is a festival of new work celebrating and exploring audience intereaction in theatre. Featuring:

An Interactivity Symposium on the three Saturdays (9th, 16th, 23rd). Talks and debates with an invited panel and performances from guest theatre companies. Bringing together everyone currently working in - or interested in - interactivity in theatre. A chance to take stock, share ideas, learn from others experiences and plan the future for this exciting, new and emerging genre.

Adventure Time: after trials around the country, we bring our anarchic, interactive, spoof radio series back to the Tristan Bates where we'll be staging the full series of pun-dimensional episodes. Can the audience save the on-air broadcast that will make Comedy Trio's name? Come along and find out / decide.

Play readings of two new works (and one in need of refreshment) by Tom Crawshaw. Still Life which explores the place of religion in modern urban life and Reverie which follows a young man on a journey to harness the power of dreams. Joined by Later Showers which makes its London premiere after wowing critics in Buxton and Edinburgh in 2005 (starring Michael Grady-Hall and directed by Yaz Al-Shaater). All readings welcome feedback to help the development of the works afterwards.

So it's all happening at the Tristan Bates theatre, 4th-23rd January. There'll be plenty more information to follow but feel free to email fun@threescompany.co.uk if you'd like to know any more. We hope to see everyone there at some point, whether you like watching, interacting or joining discussions.

Work with Three's Company

2009-11-06T12:16:00.003Z

We are just now in the process of negotiating three weeks at a major London theatre for our first ever London season, this coming January. This should see the transfer of Play On Words alonside a host of play readings and exciting interactive experiements and talks.

More information to follow soon. But for now, we're looking for people to get involved and help us realise this ambitious plan. So here's our recruitment advert:

At this stage, we are particularly looking for:

Producers - for individual elements (including the three-day Interactivity Symposium) as well as the season overall, with responsibility for press, marketing, correspondance and liason, fundraising, team management, admin etc.
Designer, for Play On Words
Assistant Producer, for the overall season (open to those looking for work-experience of intern positions)
Marketing Assistant, for the overall season (open to those looking for work-experience of intern positions)

Three's Company are Yaz Al-Shaater (CSSD graduate and interactive theorist), Tom Crawshaw (award-winning playwright) and Michael Grady-Hall (RADA graduate and award-winning actor).

For more information about the company visit http://threescompany.co.uk

For more information or to enquire about any of the posts, email jobs@threescompany.co.uk

2009 Summer Tour complete (So long and thanks for the fish)

2009-09-05T15:16:00.001+01:00

Having to pay extortionate amounts to be ignored on public transport, people being thrown into confusion at the sight of Scottish banknotes, and... some days without rain...

It can only mean one thing: yes, it's the end of our Summer Tour for another year, and our return to London.

This year, Play On Words and Adventure Time visited the Buxton and Edinburgh Fringe - the fourth year now that we've 'done the double' (as we like to refer to it*). The award-winning, pun-tastic tragi-comic Play On Words had five performances in Buxton (at Underground Venues) and 27 in Edinburgh - where we were pleased to get a slot at the Pleasance (the undisputed home of new theatre talent in Edinburgh). After a warm-up in Buxton, we let the audience choose which of us played which part for the whole run. Adventure Time (episodes 3 & 4) also played for six nights in Buxton and was the invited to perform a special charity gig at the Pleasance to close the Fringe.

So how did it all go? Let's have a look:

Play On Words nominated twice for Best Actor (Michael Grady-Hall & Meriel Rosenkranz) at the Buxton Fringe Awards
Three's Company awarded the 'Fringe 30' award for their contribution to the Buxton Fringe
Play On Words called "undeniably unmissable" and Adventure Time "a hugely entertaining show" by Buxton Fringe Review
Critics in Edinburgh also had lots of lovely things to say about our flagship production Play On Words: "Outstanding" All The Festivals, "Wonderfully witty" Three Weeks, "Fresh and alive" Remote Goat, "Sophisticated and extremely funny" The Spectator
In Edinburgh we got our largest total audience yet, with over 1200 people coming along to join in the fun
Adventure Time saw seven audience members take to the stage to play the part of Miss Claret in our 'live' recording
6 roles of gaffer tape, 4 spare legs, 1 tube of wood glue and 3 heavy-duty clamps were employed to provide rolling support to our battered desks
We were pleased to welcome our first animal co-star - Chris the fish - who made an impromtu appearence in Adventure Time (ah well... cod move in mysterious ways)

Our thanks go to our wonderful co-stars Meriel Rosenkranz and Kayleigh MacDonald; our production team including Neil Keating, Bekki Coward, Ben Cooper; the staff of Underground Venues and Pleasance Edinburgh; all the members of our Support Scheme who made the whole tour possible; Beth, Derek, Colin and Caroline for their hospitality and, of course, the people of Buxton and Edinburgh without whom it would have been a bit of a waste of time...

Here's to 2010!

*Okay, only I like to refer to it as that. T

Secret Gig Announced!

2009-08-29T11:24:00.001+01:00

Our mysterious alter-egos 'Comedy Trio' appear to have followed us up to Edinburgh and have managed to wangle themselves a secret gig at the Pleasance at tonight!

In the guise of Martin Brady-Small, Jon Grimshaw and Jazz L Carter, we'll be staging a performance of A Live Transmission of 'Adventure Time' - the interactive mock-radio-comedy show we've been developing this year.

Comedy Trio will be attemting to record - and stream live on the internet - two episodes of their new radio show: a murderously funny film-noir sppof and a murder mystery to die for. This spoof-tacular, pun-dimensional show looks set to be the perfect way to end the Festival on a bang - featuring missing actresses, audience voiced-aliens and rebellious technology.

Although it's a secret gig, we're announcing the details here on our blog. It's all kicking off at quarter past midnight (12:15am) tonight (Saturday 29th August) in the Jack Dome (Pleasance Dome). And entrance is free with the code-word "Scarlett".

Tell us about Play On Words...

2009-08-21T02:23:00.003+01:00

Seen Play On Words? Got an opinion?

As you know, we really like to hear what you think of the shows we do. Your feedback keeps our shows alive: criticisms mean we're able to keep improving and praise means we're able to keep happy!

So if you want to help us out, leave us some feedback on Play On Words. You can do so in the following ways:

Leave a review on the official Edinburgh Fringe website - it's quick and easy, and it helps attract us many more audiences.
Add a review on the Broadway Baby website - you can quickly sign in using your facebook login details.
Email us - feedback@threescompany.co.uk
Leave your mark on our facebook page, or give us a shout through twitter.
Meet us in Brooke's Bar after the show - we're always there from around 2.45pm for at least one beer...
Or, simply comment on this blog post!

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts...

Critical Acclaim for Play On Words 2009

2009-08-13T20:48:00.006+01:00

Well we're a week into our Edinburgh Fringe run of Play On Words at the Pleasance Dome and have our first reviews out. Great to see the show going down so well already.

Extracts below and links to the full thing. (We'll update as they come in)

"A script that crackles with vitality and exuberance showing a great command of the language that is used throughout - whether through clever punning or the artillery of quick-barbed remarks that they have at their disposal - the result highly innovative and enthralling.
Energy and originality compete with each other right through to the conclusion. Outstanding"
AllTheFestivals.com - read it here

"Sizziling with intellectual jokes and wonderfully witty puns. The shift in tempo from funny to serious was remarkably well-handled. Three's Company are absolutely aware of what they're doing and are all the better for it!"
Three Weeks - read it here

"Finely constructed and intriguingly woven... fresh and alive throughout. A graceful waltz through words and how they are used."
Remote Goat - read it here

"Sophisitcated and extremely funny... It makes great use of puns - luckily they're excellent. Crawshaw is the master of his materials." The Spectator- read it here

"Fine word play... well-judged and dark. I can tell you that all is explained, and the explanation hurts. Words aren't just to be played with, it turns out; words can lead to tragedy, too." Fringe Guru - read it here

A nice start to the festival...

2009-08-09T15:59:00.005+01:00

Just a quick one - happy to announce* that second day out of previews and we've had our first full house!

And if that's not enough, we've also got our first review - and it's five stars.

In other news, we're having a great time: the Pleasance is excellent, venue staff are lovely, our house is very nice (though leaky), and we've already seen some top shows. So all is looking pretty rosey for the month ahead...

Hmmm... I hope we don't use up our full allocation of good luck in the first week...

We'll keep you posted. Follow @ThreesCompany on twitter for more regular updates.

PS: Ticket sales for the days ahead are looking pretty good too, so book in advance if you're planning to come along.

*read: 'show off'

Farewell Buxton

2009-07-29T12:27:00.001+01:00

And so it is the end of the Buxton Fringe 2009 and the 30th Anniversary year of the glorious spa-town festival has been the best yet.

For us it's meant another two sell-out productions, as well as the chance to meet a huge number of performers from around the world at Underground Venues, and catch up with so many old friends from our wonderful home town.

We we're very glad to not only be able to preview this year's Edinburgh show - Play On Words - but also to try out our new interactive comedy Adventure Time. This seemed to go down pretty well and we look forward to taking the ideas further in London, so a big thank-you to all of those who came along for helping us develop it thus far.

We also need to thank all the Supporters of Three's Company who have allowed us to take the financial risks we are this year and will allow us to hopefully continue our work in London following the summer.

Remember you can check out the reviews we got in Buxton here - and also read about our latest award here.

Latest Award

2009-07-27T19:16:00.000+01:00

The Buxton Fringe held their Awards Ceremony for the 30th Fringe Festival yesterday with all the best shows from the last few weeks getting a recognition.

We were very pleased to receive two award nominations for our current production, Play On Words. Michael and Meriel were both nominated for Best Actor, Meriel for the part of Jen and Michael presumably for the three parts of Fred, Eddie and Jonnie (as we play all three this year!)

More special than this however, was an extra award made to Three's Company for Special Contribution to the Buxton Fringe - aka the Fringe 30 Award. This was in recognition of our many productions (as well as venue services) over the last seven years. Having grown up in Buxton, having seen many of our first shows and having learnt much of what we know from working on the Buxton Fringe, this award means an awful lot to us.

We're already planning Buxton Fringe 2010 but for now it's off up to Edinburgh for the Fringe there! ("Oh you take the high road...")

EXTRA PLAY ON WORDS DATE!

2009-07-20T18:17:00.003+01:00

Due to popular demand and high bookings, Three's Company will be presenting an extra performance of their award-winning Play On Words at the Buxton Fringe.

If you still haven't booked tickets don't fret, the extra date is this Friday (24th) at 2:30.*

Come and catch Yaz as Eddie and Tom as Fred. Don't miss this 'hugely enjoyable' (Buxton Fringe Review 2009) production.

*If this is the same time as your dentist appointment cancel it!

Combination One of Play On Words Opens

2009-07-16T13:00:00.003+01:00

Play On Words opened last night in Buxton with Michael as Fred, Tom as Eddie, Yaz as Jonnie and of course Meriel Rosenkranz as Jen.

Usually 3C would relax a bit, but not with this production!

As you know the three lead male roles will switch each night, this means last nights performance was only the first of six first nights.

Over the next week (before the next performance on Tuesday 21st) 3C and Meriel will be re-rehearsing the other 5 combinations.

To let you know the combinations in Buxton will be:

Tuesday 21st - Fred: Tom Crawshaw, Eddie: Michael Grady-Hall and Jonnie: Yaz Al-Shaater
Wednesday 22nd - Fred: Yaz Al-Shaater, Eddie: Michael Grady-Hall and Jonnie: Tom Crawshaw
Saturday 25th - Fred: Michael Grady-Hall, Eddie: Yaz Al-Shaater and Jonnie: Tom Crawshaw

The Official Buxton Fringe Review said of the first night of Play On Words:

'Michael Grady-Hall and Tom Crawshaw were hugely entertaining in the lead roles last night and Meriel Rosenkranz supported with equal assurance as Jen.'

'The set is the best I've seen at this year's Fringe.'

'Put simply, if you've not seen Three's Company's Play On Words before, it's undoubtedly unmissable. If you have seen it before, well, you don't need me to tell you then...'

Comedy Trio Have Arrived!

2009-07-10T12:40:00.002+01:00

Three's Company opened their latest offering to the Buxton Fringe last night.

Comedy Trio struggled through their latest episode of Adventure Time with the help of a brilliant Buxton Audience, and an excellent impromptu performance from our latest 'guest star' Neyire Ashworth.

Just to let you know Neyire is performing in her new one-woman show in Buxton and Edinburgh. Don't miss the remarkable Stolen Voices. 'A truly commendable performance!' BUXTON FRINGE 2009

Adventure Time has a few more shows in Buxton, so don't miss out. Comedy Trio return to The Paupers Pit on 13th, 14th, 23rd and 26th.

The Official Buxton Fringe Review said:

'Three's Company were on top form!'

'The hard worked script was delivered at Mach 1 speed and left me breathless but smiling. It was full of innuendo, satire and word play... don't worry if you miss a gem or two, relax and you'll hear the next one.'

New Jens please

2009-07-01T13:34:00.002+01:00

New casting developments here at our Wimbledon studio - none of them related to the sudden increase of ball games in the SW19 area.

A series of unfortunate coincidences have lead to us having to recast our leading lady for the upcoming tour of Play On Words. We are therefore very pleased to announce that one Meriel Rosenkranz will be joining us in the role of Jen this year.

More information about this exciting young actress to follow.

WARNING: Comedy Trio descend on Buxton!

2009-05-08T18:31:00.003+01:00

Exciting news, as well as bringing Play On Words back to Buxton, Three's Company will be bringing two new episodes of their interactive-comedy-radio-show A Live Transmission of Adventure Time!

3C's alter-ego Comedy Trio attempt to record Episodes 3 and 4 of their spooftastic radio comedy, but a late actress, broken CDs, script malfunctions and a large dollop of over-ambition see the audience dragged in to save the day.

Join Tom, Yaz and I (as Jon, Jazz and Martin (playing Nigel, Ronnie and Archie)) with a special guest appearance from Buxton favourite Kayleigh McDonald.

Click here to book.

This summer, Noir is the new Black!

Announcement: Summer Tour 2009

2009-05-05T01:51:00.000+01:00

After a hard month of negotiations, we're very proud to announce confirmed plans for Three's Company's 2009 Summer Tour.

By popular demand, 2007's award-winning, sell-out hit Play On Words will return, starring all three of Michael Grady-Hall, Tom Crawshaw and Yaz Al-Shaater. We're over the moon to be performing a full show together again for the first time since 2005! In an act of reckless hubris, we have further decided to rotate the three male roles (Fred, Eddie & Jonnie) so we each play a different part each night.

We are particularly pleased to announce that the show has been chosen to appear at the Pleasance Dome at the Edinburgh Fringe - a venue which has hosted such internationally famous acts as Cheek By Jowl, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The League Of Gentlemen, Bill Bailey, and The Mighty Boosh. We'll be there, as part of the world's biggest arts festival, every day from 5th - 31st August.

Of course we'll be bringing the show home to the Buxton Fringe in July as well - where we'll also be running a cracking line up at Underground Venues - and to London in June (venue tbc). There also plans to take the show further after Edinburgh.

We're very proud to welcome Mariam Bell (who you may have seen in our mini-play Dreams May Come) who will be taking the role of Jen for the tour.

This does not, however, mean that our other work on Adventure Time and the development of Auditorium has been put on hold. Workshops will continue over the next few months - so look for announcements soon!

Finally, our thanks to all those in our all-new Support Scheme - who have made, and continue to make, this work possible.

He's Been Through This Before

2009-04-16T14:34:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow night, Michael will be performing 'I've Been Through This Before' - the patter song from 3C's Plane Of Existence - as part of a concert at the National Theatre. It's all to raise money for artists living and working in countries where they can be imprisoned for writing or saying anything which the regime doesn't like.

He will be joined by the cast of Burnt By The Sun in what should be an exciting event and hopefully raise a lot of money. Head to the National by about 10pm (when BBTS finishes) to catch Mic in action.

And while, we're here, congratulations to Michael who will then turn 22 the day after. You can now write the ages of all of 3C without using anything but a number 2.

The Lost Work of Tom Crawshaw

2009-04-10T14:36:00.006+01:00

This Tuesday (14th April) at 7:30 a rehearsed reading of Tom Crawshaw's play Still Life will be performed at the Jackson Lane Theatre.Well to be honest, sections of the play will be read, so don't worry, you won't find out the full story until it is launched as a fully fledged production.

If you've been missing some of Tom's more conventional writing (and by this I mean, not directly linked to Three's Company's inter-reactive work... Tom's writing is never exactly conventional) then this is the perfect night for you.

Tom began work on Still Life in 2007 just after finishing his first draft of Play On Words, and whilst writing Auditorium and Adventure Time he has been re-shaping and honing this brilliant new play. Tuesday sees Still Life's first public outing of any kind. So come along to the Jackson Lane Theatre and see Tom's most recent play and two other new works in Artists Anonymous Theatre Network's Page to Stage. And it's only £3.50! Find out more at http:/artists-anonymous.org

(No geographical errors in this post! MGH)

Highland Word Play

2009-03-29T22:52:00.002+01:00

Tom's award winning play is to be performed again outside of Three's Company. After productions in London, Oxford, Texas and others Play On Words is to be performed by LTS Productions in Carlisle. After winning the Cameron Mackintosh New Writing Award, Tom's play has garnered interest across the globe.

After Three's Company's 2006 production, many companies have been interested in reproducing the work. If you want to see the play before it gets too expensive get along to the LTS Production!

The production runs in Carlisle on the 2nd & 3rd of April, so get along to The Green Room Theatre and see a bit of 'Stoppard for the Gondry generation'.

PS. Although I would have loved to, I have not been able to add a Macbeth joke in this blog post, I've reread the whole thing and couldn't find a thing, not even in the obvious Porter and Tomorrow speeches... but go see Play on Words.

Update 2/4/09: Michael intentionally hid a rather major geographic misconception in the above post. If you can spot it, you could win a cool prize! -3C

Audience To The Rescue In Sci-fi Adventure

2009-03-23T11:36:00.003Z

Adventure Time: Episode #2 at the Tristan Bates

Thanks to everyone who came down to see A Live Transmission of 'Adventure Time' Episode #II: Attack of the Grabons and filled the house at the Midnight Matinees on Saturday. The show was a huge success and that's mostly thanks to the audience! For those of you that didn't, we got a video and two recordings, so you'll be able take a look and listen, and quietly sob over what you missed. A helpful chap on the front row took some photos with Yaz's camera, so you can also see photos of the show in our gallery, or check out our Adventure Time collection on flickr. Finally, we'll be blogging soon about the theory behind A Live Transmission of Adventure Time, and the experiments it's designed to show. Look out for that soon!