Lie Back and Think of America
Lie Back and Think of America previewed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (with direction from Nathan James) and London’s Tristan Bates Theatre, with acting tuition from Ian Redford and direction from Naomi Jones. We now have a new version of the play available for touring, directed by Nathan James. The plot: The Smiths of Bethnal Green. Since our Edinburgh stint, the play has been re-written and rehearsed again with new sound design. Sarah Smith dreams of romance, while little-sister-Lucy, evacuee-with-attitude descends on Wales. As Joe and all things American enter into Sarah's life, so do the effects of the Visiting Forces Act of 1942, the repercussions of which change their lives forever. Inspired by the documentary ‘Choc’late Soldiers from the USA’. Thanks to all who contributed letters and photos from their past and entrants in our writing competition.
Nathan James: Director of 2016-2017 tour
Nathan's experience as a director includes assisting on Front Room Theatre's production of 'A Christmas Carol' and experience as a one to one acting coach and career adviser for actors. He uses a mixture of Stanislavski and Brecht to create theatre that is both moving and polemic. He also assisted on 'Maya and Natalie's Marvellous Mishmash of Musicals' and directed the preview of 'Lie Back and Think of America' at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has taken the show from the capable hands of Naomi Jones who directed it previously, in order to give it a fresh look for our forthcoming tour.
Natalie Penn: Writer and Producer
Natalie has worked in many different industries and has been writing plays for a number of years. She creates by physical improvisation in a theatre space and also by sitting in front of a computer and typing! She finds she writes best while travelling on public transport. She also writes Haikus and other poems and composes songs, having completed a course at Berklee College. Her experience also includes working in French and English as a storyteller and workshop leader. Natalie is a logistical genius and arranges our travel, books the venues and creates the press packs and tour packs.
Natalie Wilcox: Actor Theatre includes A Brush with Death for Masquerade, Downfall Abbey for Murder Mystery Events, Maya and Natalie's Marvellous Mishmash of Musicals, A Christmas Carol and Lie Back and Think of America for Front Room Theatre, Shared Experience’s Jane Eyre, no.1 UK tours of Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night: Shakespeare4Kidz, Bless The Bride: King’s Head, no. 1 UK tour of La Cage aux Folles, Mia: Nottingham Playhouse, also representing the Playhouse at Dresden’s international theatre festival, Hansel and Gretel: Kipper Tie, Modern Major General: Proteus, Playbox’s Macbeth, Watford Theatre: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Lysistrata. Comedy of Errors, As You Like It: Guildford Shakespeare Company, Fireworks: Valerie Jack/Camden Etcetera, Project Opera: Central St Martins. Experience also includes idents and voice-over for Channel 4 and animation characters for Central St Martins. Natalie is the Voice-of-the-Virtual-Room at Birmingham’s Back to Back Museum and regularly gigs as a singer. Screen experience includes Fry’s Bright Young Things, BBC’s Doctors, Black Swan Song directed by Mark Locke. Natalie also performs in French: European Theatre Company & Freshwater Theatre Co.
Annabelle Green: Movement Director/Stage Manager Annabelle has been performing for a number of years. She trained at The School of Physical Theatre London under the direction of Ron East and Arts Ed London. Experience includes the Manchester Actors Company, The Lost Theatre, Greenwich Playhouse and Leicester Square Theatre, Vervain Theatre Company in ‘Libation Bearers’, and Medea. She appeared in two short comedy films for Virgin Media Shorts and Pepsi Shorts competitions and played Tina in a Pilot The New Bromantics for Capital Shorts and Pepsi Shorts competition and played Tina in a Pilot ‘The New Bromantics’ for Capital Films Ltd. Annabelle has also worked internationally, including Spain’s leading theatre in education company as a performer and deviser. Annabelle is also trained in stage management and shared that role with Jim Penn during rehearsals.
Jim Penn: Company Stage Manager and Researcher Jim is an experienced stage manager having worked for several companies in his home town, Birmingham and in Manchester, and has worked on previous incarnations of Lie Back and Think of America in workshop performances, a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a performance at the Tristan Bates Theatre. Jim also had experience working in the fields of research and archiving in video libraries before working for Front Room Theatre. He also researched much of the music and is responsible for our PPL and PRS obligations.
Lie Back and Think of America previewed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (with direction from Nathan James) and London’s Tristan Bates Theatre, with acting tuition from Ian Redford and direction from Naomi Jones. We now have a new version of the play available for touring, directed by Nathan James. The plot: The Smiths of Bethnal Green. Since our Edinburgh stint, the play has been re-written and rehearsed again with new sound design. Sarah Smith dreams of romance, while little-sister-Lucy, evacuee-with-attitude descends on Wales. As Joe and all things American enter into Sarah's life, so do the effects of the Visiting Forces Act of 1942, the repercussions of which change their lives forever. Inspired by the documentary ‘Choc’late Soldiers from the USA’. Thanks to all who contributed letters and photos from their past and entrants in our writing competition.
Nathan James: Director of 2016-2017 tour
Nathan's experience as a director includes assisting on Front Room Theatre's production of 'A Christmas Carol' and experience as a one to one acting coach and career adviser for actors. He uses a mixture of Stanislavski and Brecht to create theatre that is both moving and polemic. He also assisted on 'Maya and Natalie's Marvellous Mishmash of Musicals' and directed the preview of 'Lie Back and Think of America' at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has taken the show from the capable hands of Naomi Jones who directed it previously, in order to give it a fresh look for our forthcoming tour.
Natalie Penn: Writer and Producer
Natalie has worked in many different industries and has been writing plays for a number of years. She creates by physical improvisation in a theatre space and also by sitting in front of a computer and typing! She finds she writes best while travelling on public transport. She also writes Haikus and other poems and composes songs, having completed a course at Berklee College. Her experience also includes working in French and English as a storyteller and workshop leader. Natalie is a logistical genius and arranges our travel, books the venues and creates the press packs and tour packs.
Natalie Wilcox: Actor Theatre includes A Brush with Death for Masquerade, Downfall Abbey for Murder Mystery Events, Maya and Natalie's Marvellous Mishmash of Musicals, A Christmas Carol and Lie Back and Think of America for Front Room Theatre, Shared Experience’s Jane Eyre, no.1 UK tours of Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night: Shakespeare4Kidz, Bless The Bride: King’s Head, no. 1 UK tour of La Cage aux Folles, Mia: Nottingham Playhouse, also representing the Playhouse at Dresden’s international theatre festival, Hansel and Gretel: Kipper Tie, Modern Major General: Proteus, Playbox’s Macbeth, Watford Theatre: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Lysistrata. Comedy of Errors, As You Like It: Guildford Shakespeare Company, Fireworks: Valerie Jack/Camden Etcetera, Project Opera: Central St Martins. Experience also includes idents and voice-over for Channel 4 and animation characters for Central St Martins. Natalie is the Voice-of-the-Virtual-Room at Birmingham’s Back to Back Museum and regularly gigs as a singer. Screen experience includes Fry’s Bright Young Things, BBC’s Doctors, Black Swan Song directed by Mark Locke. Natalie also performs in French: European Theatre Company & Freshwater Theatre Co.
Annabelle Green: Movement Director/Stage Manager Annabelle has been performing for a number of years. She trained at The School of Physical Theatre London under the direction of Ron East and Arts Ed London. Experience includes the Manchester Actors Company, The Lost Theatre, Greenwich Playhouse and Leicester Square Theatre, Vervain Theatre Company in ‘Libation Bearers’, and Medea. She appeared in two short comedy films for Virgin Media Shorts and Pepsi Shorts competitions and played Tina in a Pilot The New Bromantics for Capital Shorts and Pepsi Shorts competition and played Tina in a Pilot ‘The New Bromantics’ for Capital Films Ltd. Annabelle has also worked internationally, including Spain’s leading theatre in education company as a performer and deviser. Annabelle is also trained in stage management and shared that role with Jim Penn during rehearsals.
Jim Penn: Company Stage Manager and Researcher Jim is an experienced stage manager having worked for several companies in his home town, Birmingham and in Manchester, and has worked on previous incarnations of Lie Back and Think of America in workshop performances, a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a performance at the Tristan Bates Theatre. Jim also had experience working in the fields of research and archiving in video libraries before working for Front Room Theatre. He also researched much of the music and is responsible for our PPL and PRS obligations.