The Original Theatre Company

About

Formed in 2004 by Creative Director Alastair Whatley, The Original Theatre Company is an acclaimed touring company based in the market town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. We have built up an ever increasing reputation, performing both classical and contemporary texts with our own brand of daring innovation and bloody minded determination.

From our early days playing in often unconventional locations (cliff tops, stately homes and football grounds) in often unconventional weather (rain, hail and flooding), we have gone on to produce ten touring shows, travelling over 220,000 miles up and down the length and breadth of the UK, playing to hundreds of thousands of people in some of the classic repertory venues. We have gained a reputation for work that is carefully conceived, crystal clear, challenging and always entertaining.

Touring theatre is at the heart and soul of everything we do, taking diverse and engaging theatre of the highest quality to as much of the UK as possible. We passionately believe that great theatre does not have to be elitist and that people everywhere expect and deserve the best. We like to think that our work is characterised by its vitality, honesty and humour alongside a dynamic and dedicated approach by everyone both in front of and behind the curtain.

The People

Alastair Whatley - Creative Director

Director, actor and producer, Alastair graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London. Directing credits for the company include the national tours of Dancing at Lughnasa (2011), The Madness of George III (2010), Journey’s End (2010), Shakespeare’s R&J (2008), The Taming of the Shrew (2006), Midsummer Night's Dream (2006) and Twelfth Night (2005). Other Directing credits include The Merry Wives of Windsor (2006), Henry V (2007) for South Hill Park Arts Centre and the rehearsed readings of Mallard and Beneath the Marble Palace. In 2007 Alastair also worked as the Director in Residence at The Powell Theatre in Sherborne where he directed Twelfth Night for the second time. His acting credits include: Journey’s End (National Tour), Vincent in Brixton (National Tour) Henry V (RSC), Romeo and Juliet, Robin Hood, Twelfth Night (National Tour), Henry V (South Hill Park) A Midsummer Night's Dream (Harrogate Sun Pavilion and National Tour), A Desire to Kill on Tip of The Tongue (Edinburgh Festival) and touring internationally with the one man show The Importance of Being Oscar. As a producer he has worked on all the Company's past shows. He is the recipient of The Max Cary Award for innovation from The University of London and in 2010 was awarded The Stage One Bursary for young producers presented by The Society of London Theatre.

Chris Harper - Associate Artist

Chris trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and played Stanhope in Original Theatre's production of Journey's End. Most recently he worked as our Associate Director and Education Officer on Dancing at Lughnasa. He has worked extensively as an actor, everywhere from The Royal Exchange to Broadway and presently is making preparations for his directorial debut with See How They Run, a play which he has been in on two previous occasions.

Alan Valentine - Associate Lighting Designer

Alan is Technical Manager at South Hill Park Arts Centre and an Associate Designer for Original Theatre. Touring productions for us include: Dancing at Lughnasa, Journey’s End, Vincent in Brixton, Shakespeare’s R&J, The Importance of Being Oscar and Mallard; Misery and The Cherry Orchard for Blackeyed Theatre; The Madness of George III for Wilde Enterprises and Apollo/Dionysus for thedead. As resident Lighting Designer at South Hill Park, he has lit Brassed Off, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Tempest, Wizard of Oz, House and Garden, Oliver! and Henry V; Twelve Angry Men and Road for The Castle for Wellingborough; Gilgamesh for Jersey Youth Theatre and a workshop production of a new version of The Beggar’s Opera and the premiere of Loserville the Musical for Youth Music Theatre UK. Christmas shows include: Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Dick Whittington for South Hill Park. Other productions include: Wildefire, a celebratory arts event in the grounds of South Hill Park (producer Simon Chatterton); The UK premiere of Solitary Animals at The Hackney Empire Studio Theatre and Never Knowingly Understood at the Bloomsbury Theatre.

Victoria Spearing - Associate Designer

Victoria graduated from Bretton Hall in 2001. She is an Associate Designer for Original Theatre and has worked as a freelance theatre designer and maker. Theatre work includes: The Queen and I, Bugsy Malone, BFG, Whistle Down the Wind, When We Were Married, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Norfolk’s Rose, The Caretaker, Around the World in 80 days, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Blue Remembered Hills, Summer Holiday, House and Garden, The Adventures of Mr Toad, Henry V, Oliver!, Fantastic Mr Fox, Brassed Off, all for South Hill Park and the world premiere of Loserville the Musical for Youth Music Theatre UK. Touring work includes The Caretaker, Art, Misery, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Oedipus, Oh What a Lovely War!, The Cherry Orchard, Alfie and The Caucasian Chalk Circle, all for Blackeyed Theatre; Dancing at Lughnasa, Shakespeare’s R&J, The Importance of Being Oscar, Mallard and Journey’s End for Original Theatre and The Madness of George III for Wilde Enterprises. She has also designed South Hill Park’s most successful pantomimes: Dick Whittington, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan. In addition she has designed and made props for use in educational productions in most of the major London Museums, the National Youth Theatre and the award winning one man show Tom Crean. Other projects have included installation art at festivals, model making and various theatre and art workshops. Victoria is resident designer at South Hill Park.

Tom Hackney - Administrator

Tom hails from Uppingham but trained as an actor at Cygnet Drama School in Exeter. He has toured extensively and worked for Original Theatre in Shakespeare’s R&J and Journey’s End. Most recently he played Gus in the acclaimed Bike Shed Theatre Production of The Dumb Waiter. Tom currently balances life as an actor with putting our tours together and fielding calls. When he gets a spare minute he also works as a producer for Creative Cow Theatre Company where he has put together tours of Look Back in Anger and Hard Times. As a side note, Tom’s parents run the lovely Garden Hotel in Uppingham which has provided refuge and shelter for our actors on many occasions over the past few years!