“I lend my full and unqualified
support to the talented and outrageously creative Shady Dolls…
their fierce dedication to the theatre is a voice that should be
heard.” - Lillian Anne Slugocki:
Author, The Erotica Project
To
the victor go… The Spoils
Following the success of Homestead - hailed as a “triumph” by
London critics, the Shady Dolls embark on their second
collaboration with Steven Dykes with what promises to be their
most provocative show to date.
“Men stand in the storm of the front ranks. Women do their
duty quietly…”
A young man in a foreign land; a minor official in an occupying
army is assigned the task of translating the interrogations of
secretaries and orderlies, the clerical staff of a defeated
regime, young women, considered a low priority in the
‘rehabilitation’ of the native population.
The boy has artistic ambitions beyond his military duty and a
romantic’s faith in the transcendent power of music. His boyish
idealism is tested to the limit by his interviewees: women,
whose survival has been, and will be, determined by their
willingness to compromise...
The Spoils, a musical play commissioned by Shady Dolls
Theatre Company, reunites Paul Englishby and Steven Dykes, who
over the last fifteen years have worked together on an
impressive range of projects for stage and screen. Dykes
provided lyrics for Englishby’s BBC ‘Sound on Films’ Pictures On
A Piano, The Score and oratorio, The Flood, recorded by the
Tallis Chamber Choir. Musical Theatre productions include
amnesia and other means of escape (Young Vic) and Visitation
(Oval House.
Shady Dolls exploded on to the London stage in 2005 with the
controversial Erotica Project, stunning audiences and critics
with their provocative style, and representing a new approach to
the notion of femininity. In 2006, Homestead proved that Shady
Dolls’ unique imagination could capture a diverse West End
audience. “A triumph… This play deserves to be seen. I predict
great things to come from this lot.” The Stage.
Shady Dolls Theatre Company
The Shady Dolls are
Marina Burton, Laura Churchill, Polly Henson & Rebecca Pollock
Established in 2004, Shady Dolls Theatre Company comprises four
female graduates of the American Theatre Arts degree programme
at Rose Bruford College. Our artistic policy is informed by the
ensemble’s desire to challenge the idea of a single “feminine
perspective” by producing unusual, contrary and witty theatre
that draws on the great diversity of women’s experiences. We
wish to nurture new work and re-examine the classics, and to
share a sense of adventure with as wide an audience as possible.
The company’s shows to date have included the European premiere
of Erin Cressida Wilson and Lillian Anne Slugocki’s The Erotica
Project at The Greenwich Playhouse in 2005 and Steve Dykes’
Homestead at the Courtyard at Covent Garden in 2006. Following
its enormous success the company is planning a regional tour of
Homestead in spring 2008.
The Spoils will be Shady Dolls’ second collaboration with writer
Steven Dykes, which in turn reunites him with long-term
collaborator, Paul Englishby – the acclaimed composer of the
RSC’s recent hit musical The Merry Wives of Windsor.
In addition to professional theatre productions Shady Dolls are
committed to their Outreach programme. They are currently
contributing to The Canonbury Project (part of Islington Youth
People’s Services). As Shady Dolls is an Islington based company
they feel it is important to forge relationships within the
local community and focus on helping young people in the area.
Amongst these varied activities, the Shady Dolls are also a
professional cabaret troupe, producing shows for London venues
such as The Albany and the Old Queen’s Head, and events
including the Danson Festival. They shall be taking their
tantalising 1940s tailored cabaret to the festival to perform
alongside the show.
Past Reviews
‘A Light Gathering of Dust’:
“Dykes’ script smacks of dark Milan Kundera and Englishby’s fine
piano and cello score evokes a sadly waltzing atmosphere”
- THE SCOTSMAN
‘Homestead’:
“Shady Dolls' impressive productions raise a significant
question for London - why is a theatre producing such high
quality new writing about to close, while the West End continues
to churn out luke warm tourist-pleasers which add so little to
the cultural life of the nation?” - BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
“**** FOUR STARS! An evening that rivals the starrier houses
roundabout” - EVENING STANDARD
‘The Erotica Project’:
“Stunning young actresses… all six temptresses are as equally
entertaining as they are provocative.” -
INDIE LONDON
“[Homestead] is a triumph… I can’t really find
anything to fault, except perhaps the length of the run - too
short. This play deserves to be seen. I predict great things to
come from this lot.” - THE STAGE
“**** A diamond in the rough … an evening that rivals the
starrier houses roundabout” - EVENING STANDARD
“Has the National re-located to Covent Garden? Dykes' own
production of Homestead is ripe for a no-expenses-spared
reincarnation in one of the loftier spaces on the South Bank.”
- BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
"[The Erotica Project] is vibrantly written and buoyantly
performed… six brave actresses tackle their explicit material
with a gleeful verve … Tough-minded and (always a bonus)
impressively supple." - SUNDAY TIMES
"Superbly performed and well-directed… Well-written and
insightful, whether you approve or not” - THE MORNING STAR
Click Map For Directions To
The Venue The Spoils @C Venue, Chambers Street - Edinburgh
To
the victor go… The Spoils 