Loyalty – Postponed

With huge apologies – our play: Loyalty – Lady Montague and Lady Capulet, has had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances – we are so disappointed not to be bringing you this next week, but rest assured we will be putting it on later in the year.

Please keep an eye out for details.

Sending lots of Shakespeare love to you all in the meantime.

Loyalty – Brighton Fringe 2024

We’re back! Happy Fringe everyone!

We are thrilled to partner with Gin Palace Productions for our new production: “Loyalty – Lady Montague and Lady Capulet”.

What happens after ‘Romeo and Juliet’? Lady Montague waits for Lady Capulet – a long standing family rivalry hides a long forgotten friendship. What happened to them? What have they become? And is there any way through this minefield of feelings, trying to remember who they are, versus what is expected of them as wives and mothers?

A play about loyalty: to family, to your children, your partner – and most of all to yourself: what you know and feel to be right. A poignant, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic look at the lives of two women who we know so little about.

Features the magnificent Sam Nixon and the wonderful Suse Crosby.

Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 May, Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 June

6.45 – 1 hour

at Bar Broadway (off Broadway), Brighton, BN2 1TY

Ticket link here

Days at the Fringe – Meet the cast

Introducing Susanne Crosby, founder of Twilight Theatre, professional writer, director and actor to both critical and popular acclaim. Trained at A.C.T. she has won awards for both writing and directing, and is currently working on a variety of theatre and film projects. Susanne plays the single minded, intelligent yet eccentric leader of the team: Professor Stephanie Locke.

We’re back!

Fringe 2023 here we come.

It’s been a long time coming, but we’re back with something completely different. An eco thriller, with some comedy, set in the not too distant future, in a world running out of energy… watch this space for more…

Brighton Fringe Postponed

We were due to be at the Brighton Fringe this May, but sadly the Fringe has been postponed:

We are very sad that this has had to happen but of course we fully support the decision. We firmly anticipate bringing you our wonderful new play in the Autumn when the Fringe returns.

Until then, stay safe and look after yourselves and each other.

Suse

All’s Quiet on the Twilight Front – or..?

Yes we’ve gone quiet – I’ve not been taking a break so much as working intensely on other projects. I’ve fulfilled my childhood dream of directing two plays which I fell in love with at school aged 14: The Corn is Green, and Macbeth. I am hugely grateful to the Southwick Players who indulged my wanting to put on a play set in 1898 in Wales; and to Wick Theatre Company who indulged my Medieval vision of Macbeth in the round. Both were critical and popular hits: The Corn is Green won multiple Arts Council Awards and Macbeth received 4 stars from the Brighton Argus and “Wow!” from audience members.

I’ve also been in three other productions over the last 12 months: “Disappeared”, “The Tempest” and “Therese Raquin”. All three were fun and challenging (not necessarily in that order) and I’ve learned so much – as an actor, as a director, and producer.

Sometimes you have to step away in order to give yourself perspective. I have so many more theatrical ideas now to take Twilight Theatre forward through the year and plan for the future. So yes, we have been quiet, but the cogs are whirring. Check out more information, reviews and photos in the link below. Enjoy! Susanne

London Pickup for “Waiting for Curry”

When Susanne Crosby wrote and put on “Waiting for Curry” in the Brighton Fringe Festival, she had no idea that someone from the Kings Head Theatre in London would come to see it. The play was a surprise hit at the Festival earlier this year, enjoyed by audiences and critics alike, so much so that she was asked to put on extra performances.

“I was bowled over by the response during the Fringe” says Brighton resident Susanne who also plays one of the four characters in the play. “People really loved it. It’s amazing to have such great feedback from the audience.” The one act play is about two couples meeting up to have a take-away together, and while they wait for the Curry of the title, they enjoy rather too much wine and relax a little too much, which leads to all sorts of skeletons coming out of closets that perhaps should stay buried.

“It’s a little family comedy drama that packs a punch” says Susanne who founded Twilight Theatre to specialise in new and innovative work. “I’m interested in real lives, not being quirky or clever for the sake of it. What spoke to people about the play is that they recognised the situation these couples are in, and many came and spoke to me after the show about similar things that they had experienced.”

In today’s world where people have different relationships through their lives and often stay friends with their ex partners, attitudes towards each others’ past relationships can be tricky. “People have all sorts of insecurities, and sometimes jealousy of the past can destroy the present. Also, sometimes we look back on point in the past with such rose tinted glasses, and wishing we’d still been with someone else, which can also be so destructive” says Susanne.

Susanne has written 16 plays over the last 20 years, 13 of which have been performed to popular and critical success all over Sussex. Her play “Magpies” won a national award with the Royal Project in 2010. “Brighton is such a wonderful vibrant place to live and be creative, and performing in London is a dream come true” she says. “I always hoped more people would notice and enjoy my stories.” And when she received an invitation from the Kings Head Theatre for Twilight Theatre to put “Waiting for Curry” on there in January she was “ecstatic”. The rest of the cast were equally excited to be taking this hit to a prestigious London theatre whose reputation precedes it. “I was going over my lines again on Christmas Day” says Susanne, “but I was so excited!”

“Waiting for Curry” plays at the Kings Head Theatre 13 and 14 January 2019 7.00-8.00 pm. Tickets are available from the Theatre box office: 0207 226 8561 and on the website www.kingsheadtheatre.com.

Ready for Curry?

So we’re very excited about our next play, “Waiting for Curry”, which opens on 14 May and runs until 20 May, as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival.

This play premiered at the Hove Grown Festival in 2017 for two nights and was a big hit (see “Waiting for Curry” previous productions tab). It was sold out with people queuing for returns on the last night and people turned away because there was no room. Fringe Review called it “an excellent play” and classed it as “Highly Recommended”. So this year, with the support of the lovely people at Sweet Venues, we have a longer run in the hope that everyone who wants to see it can get in!

One of the bits of feedback we received over the premiere was that when the audience were packed out, it was harder for people at the back to see what was going on when the characters were sitting down. So, we have a new set. It’s set in two of the four character’s home, so we’ve imagined a breakfast bar situation, where everyone is on higher breakfast bar stools in advance of the curry that they are waiting to take delivery of. We know this staging will make sure that everyone, no matter where you sit, will be able to see everything.

But putting this together has not been without its challenges! All four of the original cast were asked to reprise their roles for this production and all of them agreed. However, with a seven night run, and a lot of rehearsals scheduled, it was becoming increasingly difficult for the two actresses to be part of it, due to family and other commitments. Then one of the actresses landed a role in a shorter run play but one that has the likelihood of becoming mainstream in West End – so both actresses in the end had to sadly pull out. Then, just before rehearsals were due to start, it was clear from being committed to 4 other productions, one of the original male members of the cast would not be able to perform in this either. We miss them and wish them all the luck in the world for their next ventures and no doubt (unless superstardom awaits) we will be working with them again.

Did this send us into a panic? Well, perhaps a little. But there brilliant thing about Twilight Theatre is the amount of talented actors and actresses that we already know and love, ones we know would be perfect for the roles, ones we can call on to ask could they possibly be available for a 7 night run for a brilliant play in the middle of the Brighton Fringe? Yes was the answer. With the writer / director filling the last remaining female role, cast, with 5 weeks to opening night, was set.

Of course with the writer / director (who is also an actress) now being in the play, someone else had to be brought in to co-direct, for perspective and assistance with portraying the overall vision. This is in the shape of the writer / director’s husband, himself an actor / writer / director, and this team is putting together a superb show with very talented actors.

(L to R) Susanne Crosby, Matt Grief, Alex Louise, Alexander Bond

Although as Susanne said: “It’s very odd being directed by your husband to play the role of another man’s wife…”

Waiting for Curry.

14-20 May.

www.brightonfringe.org for tickets.

See you there!