Firstly, it’s a bit of a late News update for the website but – just for the record – DONOR has won joint first place at the NODA awards for Best Play of 2018! We share our success with FOURBLOKES Theatre company and their production of Far from the Madding Crowd.
Sedondly, our Murder Mystery ‘A Love to Die For’ has been postponed and will return sometime in the future. It was a hard descision to make as rehearsals were underway but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
The Marde Hen Team are back in the rehearsal rooms for a brand new project… by Richard Platt – watch this space!
The Marde Hen Team would like to say a big thank you to all of our followers who came to see DONOR. It’s been great fun bringing this new play to the stage and to hear such encouraging feedback about the play itself.
We’ll be taking a bit of a break over the Christmas period but in the mean time, if you’re a writer and have a play you’d like to submit for consideration then please do get in touch. We’re looking for unperformed plays of any length, sketches, monologues… anything we can workshop. So get in touch. Until then – Happy Holidays.
Two couples, Mike and Elaine and Bex and Jess both want to start a family. Mike and Elaine are looking to cement their relationship but are having trouble conceiving however, when Elaine becomes pregnant with donated sperm the strength of their relationship is not as solid as it seemed.
Lesbian couple Bex and Jess take advantage of their friend Liam who wants to be more than just a Donor to help them achieve parenthood. This play will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions and explores their lives and the lives of the donor.
Written by Stephen Lee Rees (Late, Fish & Chips) and Directed by Richard Platt, DONOR will have it’s debut from Thursday 8th November to Saturday 10th November 2018. Starting from 7.30pm with a Saturday Matinee at 2.30. Tickets are £10 each with Concessions at £8. The production will be on at The Strutts Centre, Derby Road, Belper, DE56 1UU
Tickets are available here www.ticketsource.co.uk/mardehenproductions
Here at Marde Hen we have been busy auditioning for our next production of a full-length play. In the November slot we bring to you a fantastic new play by writer Stephen Lee Rees (Late, Fish & Chips) entitled ‘DONOR’. Over the next few months we’ll be dropping you little hints as to what you can expect from this production.
For now, we would like to introduce to you our amazing new cast: (L-R) Elaine Sellors, Veronica Jones, Kayleigh Jayne Winchester, Robert Peach, Jamie Brooks and Louise Jenkins.
We are searching for actors for their next production “Donor” with performances in November 2018, in Derbyshire.Mike and Elaine want to cement their marriage by having a family but are have difficulty conceiving. However, when Elaine becomes pregnant with donated sperm the strength of their relationship is not as solid as it seemed. Lesbian couple Bex and Jess take advantage of their friend Liam who wants to be more than just a Donor to help them achieve parenthood.
Jess – 30’s. Bex’s partner and friend of Liam. She is the peacekeeper in the relationship but less sure about her commitment to the sanctity of marriage when bringing up their soon to be newborn child.
Bex – 30’s. Partner of Jess and not really a friend of Liam! She is headstrong and knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to say it! Marriage is important to her by comparison.
Liam – 30’s. The “Donor” to Jess and Bex. Excited at the opportunity to help his friend Jess and of what might be his only chance to be a father.
Elaine – ages from 30 to 50. Married to Mike. Also needs the help of a ‘Donor” to achieve her longed-for baby. She goes ahead with her pregnancy despite it meaning that this causes a rift in her relationship with Mike resulting in her becoming a single mother.
Mike – ages the same as Elaine. He cannot accept his inability to father a child and chooses to walk away from bringing up a child which isn’t his.
One Versatile Actor to play – the Consultant, Old Lady, Judith (Jess’s Mum) and a Citizens Advice Bureaux Officer. These characters could be played by different actors if necessary.
AUDITIONS FOR THIS PLAY ARE WEDNESDAY 6th & 13th JUNE – Strutts Centre, Belper.
In the first week in May Marde Hen Productions held two separate readings of their next full-length play with a proposed November ’18 slot Thursday 8th – Saturday 10th. The idea was for the writer to hear the piece out loud and to gage their reactions so by the end of the sessions there was enough feedback to make the last changes for the final draft of DONOR before it went into production.
On the Monday (30th April) Gem Blake, Mik Horvath, Lou Jenkins, Andrew Barlow and Joey Riley get together to read the play along side Jeannie Jordan and Richard Platt. Whilst Wednesday (2nd May) we were joined by Alex Wrampling, Wayne Parkin and Yvonne Taylor feast their eyes upon the 3rd play by Stephen Lee Rees.
The Marde Hen Team would like to thank those actors for joining us in the read-through. It was lovely to see some fresh faces reading alongside some original Marde Hen Members.
The script has now been finalized and will be going into production in June.
If you would like to get involved in this production and fancy acting in something original and new… you can come along to audition!
Auditions for the play will be held at The Strutts Centre from 7:30pm on Wednesday 6th and 13th June. No need to prepare anything, just come along and sink your creative teeth into a few short characterful scenes and show us what you can bring!
