Burton Taylor
Tuesday 8th – Saturday 12th June; 7.30pm
“Although not without flaws Network does everything it seeks to achieve, with many moments of comedy not holding back a plot which touches on a number of prominent issues.” Jonathan Edwards
“is Network a dystopia?  Is it a romance?  Is it a comedy?   Although this is an impressive piece of new writing, Network raises a lot of questions which it never quite gets around to answering – presumably sidetracked by a quiz or two on Facebook.” Simon Thomas

Written and directed by A.J. Stanley
Interview and blog by Jonathan Edwards
Interview with A.J. Stanley: “Jake is quite destructive but is based on my brother who is quite into this sort of thing, so I like him for that reason. Evelyn is supposed to be this massive computer expert, but you only see her actually use the computer for about ten seconds. I’m a big fan of Dr Who and looking back I think she was subconsciously based on him in a lot of ways.”
Rehearsal blog: “In context the mysterious sequences I …

Oriel, 2nd quad
Saturday 5th June, 5p.m.
“this was certainly the strangest performance I’ve had the pleasure to see while in Oxford.” Jonathan Edwards

Burton Taylor
Tuesday 1st – Saturday 5th June; 9.30pm
“writer Tom Garton’s ‘big idea’ was not lost among the witticisms and the actors achieved what had been demanded of them in rehearsal: a balance between playing their lines for laughs and bringing across the subtleties of their characters.” Edlyn Livesey
“The interplay between the very different characters is particularly funny, but possibly the funniest moments of all come when we get insights into their private minds, such as watching Jacob have trouble drafting a love letter to his stripper.” Francesca Wade

“What I wanted to say when I wrote the play was that most men are kind of – deluded – about women. I think women are a lot more straightforward than men – they see things more clearly. But men are always looking for some kind of ideal.”
Edlyn Livesey interviews Tom Garton, the writer and director of Fourtissimo.
After the rehearsal the actors move through to the bar leaving playwright Tom Garton and me behind in the drama studio. Tom is sitting back on a table, relaxed. Like Harry Potter, Tom …

Edlyn Livesey
“from what I have seen so far, playwright Tom Garton’s enthusiasm for improvisation epitomises his attitude towards his text. He is very generous with his creation and far from guarding jealously the play which he has written” (8 days to go…)
“Today I was treated to a full run-through with music and props. Seeing the play from start to finish I realise that what Tom Garton has produced is not just funny but also structured towards a clear point.” (6 days to go…)
Monday 24th May  (8 days to go until …

Oxford Playhouse’s top room
Saturday 22nd May, 5p.m.
Reviewed by Imogen Sarre
Wall or Nothing: “the high quality of the script’s ideas, plot, and character construction, became increasingly evident as the actors got into their stride.”
Jump, don’t jump: “It was not exactly credible, but there was an attempt to make it so, and with more time it might have been achieved.”
Parrot Guy: “it was quite remarkable that either Turner or his counterpart Brown could remember such lengthy tongue twisters, let alone reel them off with such aplomb and articulacy.”
Volcanic Ash: …

Review by Edlyn Livesey
Friday 21st – Saturday 22nd May
“While two groups have already left to start rehearsing, one of those remaining seems geared towards a group composition, perhaps based on improvisation, while the other group is able to give me a complete summary of their plot already”
“This 24 hour play malarkey actually does work!” I think to myself in amazement as I see what was last night nothing more than a chat on the college lawns metamorphosed into complete plays with scripts and a clear vision.”
“All four plays were full …

OUDS PRESENTS 24 HOUR PLAYS
Performance details: Saturday 22nd May, 5 – 7.30pm
Top Room, Oxford Playhouse, Beaumont Street, Oxford
Tickets: £3, with wine available for £1 per glass
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=126066824071009
Come and watch the ‘in thing’ in the Oxford Drama Scene

Synopsis: There will be four plays, written, rehearsed, and performed in the space of 24 hours by the following groups:
VOLCANIC ASH: Ella Evans – Writer, Matthew McKenna – Director
WALL OR NOTHING: Ed Baranski – Writer, Roland Singer-Kingsmith – Director
Actors: Matt Gavan, James Corrigan, Ollo Clark, Rebecca Adams, Charlie Mulliner
JUMP, DON’T JUMP: Andrew Johnson – …

Burton Taylor
Tuesday 18th – Saturday 22nd May, 7.30p.m.
“the cast certainly manage to do justice to a script that relies entirely on character portrayal.” Jonathan Edwards
“the sense of confusion gave way to an awareness of the genuine maturity and sophistication of the script, its lack of pretension and careful avoidance of the melodrama contained within the occasional premonition or inevitable ghost story.” Olivia Reilly
Click here for more information about the production