Jamie Lloyd’s third production for Trafalgar Transformed is the multi award-winning The Pride, written by Alexi Kaye Campbell.
Starring Hayley Atwell (Captain America, Life of Crime, The Faith Machine, A View from the Bridge) as Sylvia, Harry Hadden-Paton (Posh, She Stoops to Conquer, Flare Path) as Philip, Al Weaver (Inadmissible Evidence, Coram Boy, Hamlet) as Oliver and Mathew Horne (Gavin and Stacey, Bad Education, Charley’s Aunt) as The Man/Peter/The Doctor, The Pride follows the critically acclaimed The Hothouse, starring Simon Russell Beale and John Simm, which continues at the Trafalgar Studios until 3 August 2013 and Macbeth with James McAvoy.
Directed by Jamie Lloyd (Donmar’s Passion, Old Vic’s The Duchess of Malfi, National Theatre’s She Stoops to Conquer) with design by Soutra Gilmour, winner of the 2012 Evening Standard award for Best Design for Inadmissible Evidence at the Donmar Warehouse, The Pride runs from 8 August until 9 November with press night on Tuesday 13 August 2013.
Jamie Lloyd said “My hope is that each production in the Trafalgar Transformed season engages directly with the world outside the theatre’s walls. Entering into the advancing debate about equal marriage, I am thrilled to announce the third production in the season – the West End premiere of Alexi Kaye Campbell’s modern masterpiece, The Pride. The production features an outstanding quartet of young, British acting talent. I am delighted to be reunited with three actors I have had the good fortune of working with before – Hayley Atwell (The Faith Machine), Harry Hadden-Paton (She Stoops To Conquer) and Al Weaver (Inadmissible Evidence). They will be joined by the brilliant Mathew Horne.
Only 85 people a night got the chance to see The Pride during a very short run when Alexi and I premiered the play Upstairs at the Royal Court in 2008, so I am very excited that a bigger, more diverse London audience will now get the chance to see the play in this brand-new production.
As ever at Trafalgar Transformed, the production will be accompanied by an eclectic mini-festival of extra events, which will, this time, explore and analyse contemporary gay life and the history of gay theatre.”
What is the point of this stupid, painful life if not to be honest? If not to stand up for what you are in the core of your being?
Philip, Oliver and Sylvia exist in a complex love triangle, which spans over half a century, living and loving simultaneously in 1958 and the present against a background of changing attitudes towards homosexuality. Past and present worlds grind together and melt apart, yet the future and its promise of sexual liberation remains ever elusive, as societal repression gives way to self-deception.
The Pride is Alexi Kaye Campbell’s hilarious and heart-felt landmark play about courage, compassion and the fear of loneliness in life’s journey towards self-discovery.
Hayley Atwell was last on stage in Alexi’s The Faith Machine at the Royal Court, also directed by Jamie Lloyd. Previous stage credits include A View from The Bridge at the Duke of York’s Theatre (for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress), Major Barbara at the National Theatre (for which she received an Ian Charleson Commendation in 2009) and Women Beware Women for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Hayley’s television credits include Life of Crime (for which she was nominated for a Best Actress Award at the TV Choice Awards), Black Mirror – series two, Be Right Back, Restless, Falcon: The Blindman of Seville and The Silent and the Damned, Any Human Heart, Pillars of the Earth (Nominated for Best Actress in a Mini Series, Golden Globe Awards 2011, Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini Series, Gemini Awards 2011), The Prisoner, Mansfield Park and Ruby in the Smoke. Her film credits include All Is By My Side, The Man, The Sweeney, Captain America – The First Avenger, The Duchess (Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, British Independent Film Awards 2008, Nominated for ALFS Award for British Supporting Actress of the Year, London Critics Circle Film Awards 2008) Brideshead Revisited, How About You and Cassandra’s Dream.
Harry Hadden-Paton’s stage credits include The Changeling at the Young Vic, She Stoops to Conquer at the National Theatre, No Naughty Bits at Hampstead Theatre, Flarepath at the Haymarket Theatre, The Prince of Hamburg at the Donmar Warehouse, Posh at the Royal Court Theatre, The Rivals at Southwark Playhouse and The Importance of Being Earnest at Bath Theatre Royal/National Tour/West End. Harry’s television credits include Drifters, Silk, Richard II, Waking the Dead and The Amazing Mrs Pritchard and his film credits include About Time, Having You, The Deep Blue Sea, In the Loop and La Vie En Rose.
Al Weaver’s stage credits include Inadmissible Evidence at the Donmar Warehouse, The Seagull at the Arcola Theatre, The House of Games at the Almeida Theatre, How to Curse at the Bush Theatre, Coram Boy at the National Theatre, and Hamlet at the Old Vic. Al’s television credits include Southcliffe, The Frontier, Secret State, Sherlock – The Blind Banker, Survivors, Personal Affairs and The Devils Whore. His film credits include Honeymooner, Powder, Me and Orson Welles, Marie Antoinette and The Merchant of Venice.
Mathew Horne’s stage credits include Charley’s Aunt (Menier Chocolate Factory) and Entertaining Mr Sloane at Trafalgar Studios. He is best known on screen for his regular roles in Gavin & Stacey, Bad Education and The Catherine Tate Show. Other television credits include Hey Diddly Dee, Death in Paradise, Sinbad, Marple, Worried about the Boy, Horne and Corden, Roman’s Empire, Teachers, 20 Things to do Before you’re 30 and The Proposal.
Alexi Kaye-Campbell’s first play was The Pride, staged at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, directed by Jamie Lloyd, and the winner of an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an affiliate theatre, a Critic’s Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright and the John Whiting award for Best New Play. Alexi’s second play, Apologia was staged at The Bush Theatre and was short listed for The John Whiting Award and nominated for Best Play at the Writers Guild Awards 2009. His fourth play, The Faith Machine, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre and his current play, Bracken Moor (for Shared Experience) is currently running at the Tricycle Theatre. He is currently working on his first feature film, Woman in Gold, with Simon Curtis for BBC Films and Origin Pictures.
Jamie Lloyd has previously directed The Hothouse and Macbeth (Olivier nomination for Best Revival) as part of his season for Trafalgar Transformed. Other theatre credits include: Cyrano de Bergerac (Roundabout Theatre Company; American Airlines Theatre, Broadway); The Duchess of Malfi (Old Vic); She Stoops to Conquer (National, Olivier; Whatsonstage nomination for Best Revival); The Faith Machine, The Pride (Royal Court; Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for The Pride), Inadmissible Evidence, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Passion, Polar Bears (Donmar; Evening Standard Award for Best Musical for Passion), Piaf (Donmar, also Vaudeville/Teatro Liceo, Buenos Aires/Nuevo Teatro Alcala, Madrid; Olivier nomination for Best Musical Revival, Hugo Award for Best Director, Clarin Award for Best Musical Production, ADEET Award for Best Production); The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick), Three Days of Rain (Apollo; Olivier nomination for Best Revival, Whatsonstage nomination for Best Revival), The Lover and The Collection (Comedy) and Elegies: a Song Cycle (Arts) in the West End; The School for Scandal (Theatre Royal, Bath); Salome (Headlong); Eric’s (Liverpool Everyman) and The Caretaker (Sheffield Crucible and Tricycle). Jamie has also directed plays as a part of the Old Vic 24 Hour Plays and the Royal Court International Residencies. Jamie was Associate Director of the Donmar from 2008 to 2011 and Associate Artist of Headlong. Future projects include: The Commitments (Palace).
Sir Howard Panter is a key figure in the Arts and Entertainment industry – topping The Stage 100 four times consecutively, from 2010 to 2013, alongside his wife and business partner, Rosemary Squire OBE. In 2013, Howard received a Knighthood in The Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to theatre. As co-founder, Joint CEO and Creative Director of the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) Howard has worked on productions throughout the world and has produced and co-produced musicals, dance and drama. He has been responsible for nurturing the talents of some of the brightest lights from film and television in the theatrical world, from Damian Lewis and Simon Callow, to Keira Knightley and Ewan McGregor, as well as commissioning many writers, some first time to the theatre, including Peter Ackroyd and Jonathan Bate. Howard is the stimulus behind some of the most important production companies in the West End, UK regions and Broadway, including Sonia Friedman Productions, Theatre Royal Brighton Productions and Jamie Lloyd Productions. With over forty years’ experience, Howard has worked with world-renowned organisations such as The Royal Court Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company and Michael Codron Ltd.
As part of the Trafalgar Transformed season all tickets will be £15 on Mondays. Half of these will be made available through a special outreach scheme led by the Ambassador Theatre Group Creative Learning Department, targeted towards schools and first-time theatregoers. The other half will be released monthly to the public on the first day of each month for 24 hours, starting on 1 August 2013*, and will be available online or at Trafalgar Studios box office. Additionally, day seats will be available at £10 for all performances, Tuesday through Saturday.
* In September, the tickets will be released on Monday 2 September, as the first day of the month falls on a Sunday.
Jamie Lloyd Productions is a partnership with Jamie Lloyd and Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG).
