Not Too Tame Theatre Co.
About- Productions
- Photos
- Condition Of The Working Class 2012
- The Team
- Twitterings
- Pavement Poets
- Working Class Voices
- Get in touch...
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About
- ABOUT US...
Goin’ to the theatre sound’s a posh sort of do…
Where our clothes ain't right and our humours too blue
But it’s all changed now and our stories are adored
And we’ll keep telling them, at a price you can afford;
Multi-faceted theatre is what we're graftin' to create
Performances you marvel at and subjects you'll debate.
Where you can have a pint as well as watch your play
And witness issues that aren't past, but important TODAY!
Subjects on the cusp of social change we will aim to catch
So you see us as entertainment - just like a footy match.
A theatre for everyone, this is our mission:
Passionate bold statements, and prejudice abolition!
To bring theatre back to the working class is our distinctive aim;
Theatre that’s real, a bit wild, and definitely Not Too Tame!
By Katherine Pearce
Not Too Tame Theatre Co. is forged from a core of actors who share the same beliefs about bringing theatre back to heart-on-sleeve, warts & all, working class storytelling.
"FAR FROM CRAZY PAVEMENTS
...THE TASTE OF SILVER SPOONS
A CLINICAL ARRANGEMENT
...ON A DIRTY AFTERNOON
WHERE THE FECAL GERMS OF MR. FREUD
...ARE RENDERED OBSOLETE
THE LEGAL TERM IS NULL AND VOID
IN THE CASE OF... BEASLEY STREET"
John Cooper Clarke.
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Productions
- 'Oi For England' By Trevor Griffiths
Edinburgh Fringe Festival & Cardiff Fringe Festival 2010
"Energetic and Fascinating Revival"
Theatre-Wales.
"A Fascinating choice for a young company to present in 2010"
Broadway baby.
"Brilliant play, very well acted. Well done to all involved!"Dave Flynn“Wow! Very gritty, real, Very much enjoyed."
Public response via EndinburghGuide.com
After talks with the playwright about his unique ideas for the Production, Artistic Director James was personally given the green light to move forward with 'Oi For England' as their first ever production.Written in response to the riots of the early 1980s, and to a worrying rise in neo-Nazism in the same period, Trevor Griffiths' Oi For England (ITV, tx. 17/4/1982) is arguably as relevant today as it was in 1982. The 1980s riots, in Bristol, Liverpool, Brixton and elsewhere, had disparate triggers, but all were fuelled by seething anger at mass youth unemployment, poverty, hopelessness, oppressive policing and racism, all of which were blamed on Thatcherite economics.
Set in Moss Side, Manchester - scene of its own riots in July 1981 -Griffiths' play gives voice to this tinderbox of disenfranchised youth in the form of four skinhead would-be musicians, who gather in a dusty basement to vent their frustration in violent, angry songs played on ripped-off instruments.
The Skinhead Punk band rehearse in the hope of getting their first gig. Tonight a stranger known as ‘The Man’ offers them one, but at a right wing rally. The lads are split – do they take the work – “That thing people used to do a lot of” or turn down the ‘Nazi!?’ And where did that money come from if there’s nothing up front?’ Will they play? Loyalties are tested. What’s more important Money, Music, Mates or Morality?
(See Photo/Video for show images.)
***2012 will see our next project 'Condition of the Working Class' - a Collaborative Production with 'INSIDE FILM'.***
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Photos
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Condition Of The Working Class 2012
- Condition Of The Working Class 2012Not Too Tame's Latest project:Condition of The Working Class 2012 will take place in Manchester through May and June and will be performed at The Edge Theatre, Manchester.If you would like to be involved in any capacity please feel free to contact us (you can click on the small envelope in the bottom right of your corner! )Don't forget to 'like' our Facebook Page where you can keep up-to-date with the Production:
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The Team
- The Team
Click on an image to view our Actor's Spotlight links.
Jimmy Fairhurst - Artistic DirectorJimmy wanted to create NTT to produce crucial work that would pass the litmus test of non-theatre audiences from the terraces, pubs and factory floors as well as dedicated theatre goers.James played the role of 'Landry' in our production of 'Oi For England'.
Hanna Jarman - Associate DirectorBilingual ‘Welshie’ of NTT. Eager to create exciting new bilingual theatre in the future. Awyddus i greu theatre ddwyiaethog safonol a chreadigol yn y dyfodol. Hanna was the Assistant Director for our production of ‘Oi For England’.
Katherine Pearce - Associate ArtistKatherine is a proud North-Western Merseysidian and currently studying her (BA)Acting degree at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She was awarded a writers bursary by Paul Abbott (Shameless, Clocking Off, State of Play) after he saw her performance of 'Round 'ere', a self written piece about growing up in the North-West. Katherine wrote four monologues which appeared in the RWCMD graduate showcase 2011.She is currently working on a stage play, whilst training to become an 'Acting Ninja', embarking on a long tour of competitions held across Japan. She is also said to posses one of the deadliest dramatic improvisation moves known to man.
Anthony Wright-WilsonNot Too Tame's own THOR, Anthony adds brawn (and brains) to the team. Although a particularly nice fella generally, his role of the man in 'Oi!' saw him "mutate into a maelstrom of menace" - Theatre Wales online. (He's a wimp really!) Anthony's desire to create honest, gritty, pull-no-punches work saw him join the team in it's early stages in 2010.Jack Brown - Musical DirectorJack played the character of 'Swells' in NTT's 'Oi for England' in Edinburgh. He also wrote a completely new score for the production which helped land him the role of NTT's Musical Director.With three years quality training from the Royal Welsh College under his belt, Jack is looking forward to what the future has to offer.
He has been dubbed as the next Dan Akroyd.....
Jess Hayles
Jess played 'Gloria' in NTT's first production of 'Oi for England' up in Edinburgh. After showing the rest of the team how to 'party as hard you work', Jess is now looking forward to up-and-coming projects for 2011:"I'm interested in getting all social classes and ages into theatre, because people don't realise what great theatre there is out there - so wer'e gunna show em! "
Stephen BislandThe token Scot of the group. Stephen played Finn in Not Too Tame's production of Oi For England, sacrificing his lucious locks for his art. Hailing from Glasgow's east end means that his life expectancy is significantly shorter than the rest of us, so he probably wont be with us for too long. He occasionally dips into the world of stand up comedy; people laugh at him but we are unsure whether this is a positive sign or not.
Clare DunneClare is the newest member of NTT. Clare has helped out with rehearsals, chipped in the odd opinion and lent her dulcet Irish tones to a bit of poetry in the studio for them...but she hopes to do much more in the future! She is currently performing at the National Theatre London. Clare has written and performed her own one woman show in Dublin and Cardiff and hopes to write again some day soon, maybe even for NTT...oh and play the piano, and save the world.
www.claredunne.ie
unitedagents.co.uk/clare-dunne
www.lisarichards.ie/actorsf/clare-dunne-actor
Dean FairhurstAssociate MusicianLead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar and Songwriter for Slydigs, Dean refers to himself as 'A full time Survivor'. His band have supported the likes of Pete Doherty, New York Dolls and The Fall and Dean has also collaborated with Artists such as Tricky from Massive Attack. His own style of fearless Rock'N'Roll and songwriting has helped appeared in various NTT projects and is now ready to put pen to paper and plectrum to riff for Conditions of the Working Class 2012.
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Tweets
- Great session last night and really looking forward to tomorrow mornings session at Langworthy. @COTWC2012 #conditionsoftheworkingclass
- ….all those things fire you and can give you an edge, can give you an anger. Gary Oldman
- Growing up in a particular neighborhood, in a working-class family, not having money, ……
- Big thanks to @jackybrown89 and Becky Scott for their help on @COTWC2012 this week. If this is week 1?..well this could be the 'revolution'
- 3 sensational Workshops done and 1 more on Saturday to finish off the Week. @COTWC2012 …Lets end week1 on a high! #bethereorbesquare
- Another great workshop for #conditioniftheworkingclass. Hearing people talk of their own experiences of class is fascinating. #agreatcompany
- Tonight there was talk of 'CanTheatre change the world?' ….YES - is what we think and same goes for Film!…just ask @deeinsidefilm
- Thank you so much to everyone who attended, including @JackyBrown89 - I'm thinking we may be able to squeeze a few more in! #bringharibo
- …And we're off! The first meeting for #conditioniftheworkingclass with @deeinsidefilm went really well. The conversations were awesome.
- On my way to Manchester baby! @COTWC2012 let's me 'avin ya!(done in my best @jimmy_fairhurst voice) HJ
- Fruitful day with @deeinsidefilm Really looking forward to Sunday's meet&greet &the whole project of @COTWC2012 #conditioniftheworkingclass
- just awesome“@slydigsband: Slydigs Recent Review Radio Caroline - nice one brother !!http://www.radiocarolinetv.co.uk/slydigs-electric-love”
- @LouisaFaye89 cheers Louisa! And to be fair @deldridgewriter, you should! :) heard amazing things about 'In Basildon'.
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Posts
- Jan 30, 12Round ‘ereFallin’ out of pubsInto clubsDrinkin’ shotsNight’s forgot.Smokin’ potIf cocaine’s not cloggin’ up your noseAnd no-one knowsIf you’re Snortin’ or inhalin’, or impalin’ ourselves on boysOr toys…Trapped in the noiseThe constant drums and tribal beatThe Grippin’Rippin’Stretchin’ the blisters on the soles of your feetWhile the walls gyrate like the bowels of hellThe drippin’Slippin’Steamin’ smellThumpin’Pumpin’Bumpin’ and grindin’Hidin’ from our worriesWe ain’t in no hurry to grow upWe just live UPEven forty-year-old tarts with kidsSlash harsh colour across their eyelidsCackling velociraptors staggering down Th’high StreetWith 80’s stilettos on their feelChandeliers from their earsMouth like Leslie ashRed-hot gashExhaust their Dole money cashOn boys well hungHungry to feel youngDrunken words are sungTo songs younger than their kidsSpeakin’ of which, the Sixteen-year-old beauties are out,Floutin’ it allHeels on cobbles collapse and fallAnkles crack, ego’s an allSomeone’s daughter playin’ with his ‘wherewithal’In an alleyway, parading their anatomy to catch a thrillCatch a chillEnd up illNot on the pillNot even supposed to be there girlStumble out on a level, in your purse you hurlUp wkd vodka cherryTryna act like Katy PerryKissing girls so the boys will come on your face with a self-satisfied noise.This all happens, I seeI smell the stench of the red-hot wenchYou take round the back of 53This scally boyGio Goi wearin’Nobed – carved in the back of his headBroad heavy treadEyebrows gashedOnce if you’re hard, twice if your solidTanned something horridTuggin’, unzippin’, fumbling and sighingEyes are hazy, groanin’ and cryin’Elastic snaps, gasping, she scratchesWeak lazy limbs she can’t match his fightSo tightYour mates all told you sex was funNow you’re gaspin’ for breath under a tonOf fleshHis muscles coil his blood boilsAnd she toilsShe sees morning blue light above herThinks of her MotherWorryin’ under coversNot the romantic idea of ‘lovers’ she hadDon’t even want to think of her DadAnd I’ve got fuckin’ school tomorrow
- Jan 30, 12A long train ride home in the mist and rainEveryone in their twenties looks just the sameBig tired bags, two under their eyesMacbooks and laptops restin' on thighsSlumped silhouettes leaking texts and sighsEyes like saucers, plucky and wisePlugged in and shipped out, back home for a whileWith shoes that need mendin' and a big washin' pileBig woolly jumpers and coloured courderoysOver grown hair and headphones of noiseLads thinkin' of lassesAnd girls dreamin' of boysNo longer toysBarbie's and BatmanStreet fighter and Pac ManOr a sneak peak at the fat man.Now it's new clothes, and shiny shoesElectronics and boozeArguments and queuesAnd maybe a shag or twoOr a fight in the loos of the localWhere your loud vocal tones frequent each yearWarm breath in your ear from alumni you fearedWho's icy demeanor has been speared by the working worldThe cocky swagger damaged by that one brown eyed girlWith her hair in a twirlAnd her knickers in a twistAnd an over make-upped face to hide the shadow of his fist'But love he's in a BAND!' And you soon get the gistSlaggy little elves, and the Ho Ho Ho'sCan't get to the bar, for 'em stepping on your toesOld lovers stir stomachs as gin fills headsBut not much can be done in your old single bedA stones throw away from Aunt Brenda and Uncle TedWho crash every year for the consumerist eventWhere you don't hear what’s said, only what’s meant'The telly is shit''Sofas are on sale''The road is too icy''There's too much of a gale''Hope it don't bloody snow!'Everyone with colds, and the car won't goEvery shows got a special, spoilt rivalry in the barMoneys all gone, you came a cropper, got a scarThe bags are much worse on the long train backThe ones under their eyes, and on the rackA bright cold new year brings another stint in debtLiving off beans, damp walls and night regretsBut when watching Toy Story with your brother, and your dogBeing warm dry and sick from an overdose of Yule logWhen the crap joke in your cracker brings a blast from a childlike past
- Jan 30, 12I might
i might sing a song about politicians who wear thick coats under jelly hats
that jiggle and giggle as they slide from pavement to parliament and lords and all that
and all those and all them; houses of hate and being late and perpetual debate,
while real live lions roam the urban sprawl and leave nothing to chance or to fate.
i might read a book about shoemakers or poets or painters or the la lakers,
or darwin or dylan or some kinds of villain that die on the dancefloor at chasers.
and it's not that i'm rich or that i'm blind, i just like to appreciate
some other kinds of times in the landmark minefield in which we meditate.
i might make a cannonball jacket and blow old tunes from a beat up flute
as people walk past laughing at the misfortune of sailors on ships, destitute,
but little do they know about tides and it's really the waves that win
because they are what the breeze brings, like the aroma of flowers in spring.
i might wear my heart on my sleeve if it wasn't against the dress code,
strict rules about hope and no hope and they've banned dreams and rock n roll,
because they like the ant hill, termite mound and they like going round and round
in circles with silver and gold to fool the old, and they sell lies by the kilo not the pound.
i might meet a match made in a meat grinder or empty binder, a kind of
girl that smiles when she sees the sunrise. sooner or later i'll find her,
and i'll buy her a gift under a star and she'll smile and put it in her memory
and look back when i'm the ocean and she's the mountain, and grin and remember she loved me.
i might break the taboo and fly away like an eagle
soaring high as a predator, opportune, not scavenge like a seagull
as all these ten-a-penny, suit struck, all 'love bucks'
products of the modern blender. The whirlwind game that we never took.
i might recall a lost love onto pages and separate lines with long words
that all mean nothing except the sweet sound of birds
in the short mornings hush when dying madmen collect all their wrongs
and bury them in a briefcase filled with some other kinds of songs.
i might rise in a changing wind, the only solace that paranoia brings.
i might die in the gutter at the feet of my lover who owns a halo and wings.
i might be nothing in the new dawn, in the new light - squinting as it's too bright.
i might never be what i always dreamed, but then again - i might. - Jan 30, 12HeroSometimes, when I’ve been away for too long, I can’t remember myself.My health is flaggin’My mind is Naggin’ me: ‘Lad, go home’I feel like I’m out on loanAlone, on my own, in this other place that’s nowt like home.Alien placeMy life packed up in one small caseThe sadness engrained in my weather beaten faceSo I have to head back, just to touch base.I start with a matchWatch the juggarnaughts throw and catchLike animals guarding their patchThey pound up and down and the crowd go mentalForgettin’ their sentimental selvesAnd begin to raise hellWe roar, our throats are soreBut we know what we’re there forThe passionThe driveThe hum of the wasps in this great hiveHome for a roastTo the pub for a boastWake up hangin’ to beans on toast.Lust in my chest, leather on my backThat guy over there’s lookin’ for a smackCrackWhack him on the back of the headTake some slag home back to my bedListen The MonkeysListen to The SmithsLay stupid broken dreams down in shitty little riffs.Tiffs with herTiffs with himCurse this clan I wound up inGet smashedGet trashedRun right out of cashBloody Black eyeMade her cryWho’s pryin in my business?What is this?A witch hunt?Which cunt is sayin’ I’m not a hero.You’re full of fear thoughYou little chicken shitYou’re fuckin’ full of itIf he doesn’t quitI’ll beat the shit out of himSlim chance of livin if you carry onThat’s it I’m goneAnd I have him.Next day, gotta go backBack to the SouthBack to the hell mouth for meBut the southern turf underneath my feet will always grow to some northern tree.
- Aug 03, 11To Blog, or not to Blog….That’s the question….Blogging is a medium completely alien to me. The reason I write plays (well one), bits of TV (that have never actually felt the sweet touch of an actor) and Monologues (…that aren’t bad actually, but they’re only 2-3 minutes) Is because I can make them up. I can create characters and make up scenarios. It’s what I’ve been doing since I discovered my love of Barbie’s. I had an entire vanity case of them, I saved every bit of pocket money to buy them and asked for them every Christmas and birthday, and yes, I would say I played with Barbie’s way beyond the age I should have. Mainly because my plots became so addictive that they would often result in spin-offs and double bill episodes on Sundays. At one point, I’m proud to say, we had 15 Barbie’s in one house for Ken’s 30th, which was a challenge but we got through it. Unfortunately dark times were just around the corner for the couple, in the form of adolescence, and also because in 2000 (episode 6, season 12) Barbie was to discover that Ken had been having an affair with Dentist Barbie that lived on the estate opposite, and she knew in that closing scene that things were never going to be the same. So you see readers, I have been destined for the entertainment world for a long time, but writing a blog, about a subject I can choose, about ‘what’s going on with me’ is all, well 1. A bit daunting 2. Full of unimaginable pressures and 3. Just a little bit difficult to be honest.See, even now you can probably tell I’m an amateur, I’ve rambled on about Barbie’s for half a blog. I’m sure Diablo Cody never did that (I.E. The immense coolness behind Juno) Diablo started as blogger, writing about her time as a secretary in Belarus, and then as a stripper in her debut memoir. From this, some incredibly smart producer was like ‘she’d be a great screenwriter’ BOOM – Juno = Academy Award. She is one of my inspirations as a writer, She writes so wonderfully weird and yet it’s completely real at the same time.To me, Blogging is very much like novel writing isn’t it? Something I have tried and failed (not properly like, I once thought: ‘Maybe I should…like..write something about….no, nah) Before even starting I’ve become completely daunted by the sheer SCALE of writing a friggin’ book, there’s no breaks! No interval, no action sequences, no emotionally charged pauses; That’s scary man! Then I start thinking of ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’ by my second writing inspiration, Harper Lee. This was and remains to be the best book I have ever read, and not many people I think can say that about a novel that was cleverly disguised and shoved at us brandishing the label ‘GCSE ENG LIT TEXT’. I think of how wonderful it was and how easy it was to see what she was seeing, and I cower at the challenge ahead. I still have my GCSE copy, full of scribbling’s and highlighted blocks of genius, all dog eared and fancy free. The amount of times I came out of class to be greeted by my peers singing huge exclamations of ‘Lord of the Flies make’s me wanna die’ and ‘It would be cooler if there were mice as well as men’ made me sad face.Maybe it was the syllabus, maybe it was the teachers, maybe it was the inhumane raking through every word for meaning and symbolism that ruined Steinbeck, Golding, Shakespeare, Miller, Shelley, Priestly for us GCSE-ers, to name but an incredible few. Luckily, I had one of the best English teachers ever, who not only managed to make getting an A at English GCSE a soak in the bath, but she also managed to… hone…something in all of us, which would ultimately make us better people. A well read person, is a…much...better person. Get a load of that paragraph concluder.My last and most prominent writing inspiration is my life, If it wasn’t for the things that people in my life say everyday I’d have nothing at all to write about ever; my auntie talking about a new style of pegs which are apparently groundbreaking, my brother trying to argue the reasons why I can’t eat three Pepperami’s in one go, or the slags falling down the stairs in Halo. The best inspiration is in conversations you hear everyday, start with the truth and then make it watchable.I was supposed to blog about something intelligent and theatre-esqu (sorry Jim). But lets take this one as a test blog, a ‘heat’ if you will (those awful things you had to do to determine who would race in sports day, ergh…maybe I could get another blog out of my hate for sports day?) But, I promise next time to write about something other than Barbie’s, Juno, GCSE’s and pegs, honest to blog.KAT
- May 09, 11
In December 2010 I had the pleasure of being Directed by James Grieve (Paines Plough) in 'Pornography' by Simon Stephens. Simon very kindly came to see the show and also gave a question and answer session at the RWCMD, along side the very talented Lyric AD, Sean Holmes.
Simon has a unique way at looking at British Theatre and I believe this shows in his work, but what seems more idiosyncratic to his writing is a ravenous exploration of the idea of 'home'. This is what intrigues me as an individual, and also strikes chords with us a theatre company in the sense that we believe heavily in being proud of where you're from - your own 'home'; whatever that may mean to you. Bands such as 'Elbow' constantly root there lyrics in their Greater Manchester home life, and because of the truthfulness in their storytelling - their concept of home resonates in millions of ears across the world. I defy anybody to listen to the track 'Station Approach' without running beautiful, personal films of 'home' in their head.
Simon's appetite for new and exciting work is inspiring. As a theatre company in it's infant stages, the following article feeds our ambitions even more than most; but this is still vital reading for all-bar-none!
Enjoy!... we certainly did!
'Skyding-Blindfolded' by Simon Stephens
By
James Fairhurst - Aug 02, 11Hello! 'Ow Doo! Bonjour!This is our first Blog article on our new website and we thought it best to let you all in on what we plan to with this part of the website for the future. Every couple of weeks one of our team will write up a blog article with an argument that they wish to put to you or a response to something they've seen, heard, read or been a part of.We thought that this method of responding to something, the way Victorian poets likes Keats and Wilde would articulated an artistic reply to what had influenced them, would prompt further debate and/or creative work. And, if like this week, we find ourselves particularly busy, we will give you a link to an article that we have found to be fascinating, intruiging and, as we found the following piece, important!We at Not Too Tame also think that is vital to continually promote other work and voices that are striving to create stronger, more positive and more truthful storytelling through the streets, pubs and theatres of the U.K. So please feel free to send us anything you think that may be of interest to us, and be sure to add us on Facebook and Twitter via the links on the left and lets lets get people properly talking again! English is a lost art!
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Tracks
- 4 tracks (06:26)We wanted to play around with Working class voices from around the world and this is a very raw, very early example of what we're doing - using covers of The Bard of Salford, Punk Poet, John Cooper Clarke's work as examples before we move onto our own Poesy from Writers such as Katherine Pearce.
