Our Autumn Season of classic plays, performed by students on our BA (Hons) Acting and BA (Hons) Actor Musicianship programmes, concludes with The Mandate by Nikolai Erdman translated by Declan Donnellan.

Director  Annie Fitzmaurice
Lighting Designer  Daisy Grindrod  
Designer Tereza Hudáková
Sound Designer  Hope Brennan

Choreographer Caleb Russell
Music composed and arranged by Jo Eaton-Kent and company

In this wild, anarchic farce, we observe the Guliachkin family reeling from the fallout of the Russian revolution:  they urgently need some authentic working-class relatives and some officials to bribe or they’ll lose their house. In times like this, how is Nadejda to marry off her daughter – especially when her cook is mistaken for the lost Romanov Princess Anastasia, or for a prostitute, depending on what she’s wearing?   Annie Fitzmaurice, associate artist of renowned physical theatre company Told by an Idiot, brings that company’s verve and inventiveness to Erdman’s satirical masterpiece.  

Please be advised that this performance contains some nudity and scenes which may cause offence. The recommended audience age is 16 years and over. 

Performances
Thursday 23 November – 7pm
Friday 24 November – 2.30pm & 7pm
Saturday 25 November –  4pm

Ticket prices:
Standard – £7
Concessions (Over 65s, Students) – £5
Rose Bruford College Students – £1.50

Cast

Daniel Takefusa
Pavel Sergeevich Guliachkin, a young man

Ella Rides
Nadejda Petrovna Guliachkin, Pavel’s mother

Rachel Benson
Varvara Sergeevna Guliachkina, her daughter

Jordan Laidley
Ivan Ivanovich Shironkin, their lodger  

Benjamin Mowbray  
An organ grinder

Fanta Barrie
Nastia (Anastasia Nikolaevna), their cook

Conley Wehner  
Tamara Leopoldovna & Ilyinkin 

Jake Beltran  
Olymp Valerianovich Smetanich
 
Josh Macgregor  
Valerian, his elder son

Alex Ayliffe 
Analtoly, his younger son

Harry Clarke  
Autonom Sygizmundovich

Tomi Ogbaro
M Agafangel, a servant, former soldier  
Ariadna Pavlinovna Zarkhina, his wife

Owen Alun  
Stepan Stepanovich

Jo Eaton Kent  
Felitsiata, his wife Krantic Narkis Smarkagdovich

Caleb Russell  
Ilyinkina & Siusia

Julia Grogan  
Zarkhin & woman with parrot

Benjamin Mowbray 
Tosia

 

Production Team

Production
Production Manager Matt Mortimer
Technical Manager Stephen Carter
Head of Lighting Rhodri Morris
Head of Sound George Hartop

Stage Management
Stage Manager Emily Walters
Deputy Stage Manager Victoria Lewis
Assistant Stage Manager Samuel Arencibia
Assistant Stage Manager Thomas Webb
Assistant Stage Manager Faisa Ibrahim

Technical
Production Electrician Johnny Myers
Production Sound Engineer Christopher Atkins
Lighting Operator/Programmer Stephen Carter
Sound Operator Ieuan Newman
Assistant Lighting Designer Natalya Fineron

Scenic
Ellie Jones
Bex Nicholson
Jay Bassett

Costume
Costume Supervisor Grace Taylor-Shaw
Costume Assistant Zoe Brown
Costume Assistant Amy Kettridge
Costume Assistant Millie Ross

Visit our Autumn Season page to book tickets for our other productions.