Simple8

Simple8 is a London-based theatre company formed in 2004 by professional actors, writers and directors. They aim to produce innovative ensemble theatre that is ecologically sustainable.[1][2]

Not to be confused with Super8.

Simple8
Formation2004 (2004)
TypeTheatre group
PurposeEnsemble theatre
Location
Websitewww.simple8.co.uk

Productions and reception

In 2006, Simple8 staged an adaptation of Les Enfants du Paradis. The Times gave it five stars and said that it was "A superb production and a new (newish) company possessing the skills, intelligence and dedication to create such a wonder". It was adapted by company members Dudley Hinton and Sebastian Armesto (Armesto also directed).[1][3]

In 2008, Simple8 presented The Living Unknown Soldier about a soldier left an amnesiac at the end of the Great War. It was based on the book by historian Jean-Yves Le Naour.[4]

In 2011 the company adapted William Hogarth's engravings The Four Stages of Cruelty in collaboration with the playwright Adam Brace.[5][6][7]

In 2013 Simple8 staged productions of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Moby-Dick.[8][9][10] In a review of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari for The Evening Standard, critic Fiona Montford wrote that "What Simple8 are most decidedly not doing is slavishly recreating the work onstage but rather spinning an increasingly Kafka-esque yarn that has a low-fi yet chilled atmosphere...The eight-strong cast throw themselves into writer/director Sebastian Armesto and Dudley Hinton's surreally-tinged nightmare with gusto, doubling roles, playing instruments and at one cherishable moment forming themselves into the inner mechanisms of a large municipal clock."[11]

In 2016 the company adapted Don't Sleep There Are Snakes by Dan Everett at the Park Theatre in London.[12][13] Their 2018 production of E. M. Forster's novel A Passage to India was well received by critics.[14][15]

Sustainability

Produced by Strawberry Vale, Simple8's The Living Unknown Soldier was the first show at the Arcola Theatre in London to be powered by the venue's hydrogen fuel cell.[16] Peak power consumption for lighting was said to be 4.5 kW, or "up to 60 percent less than comparable lighting installations".[16] The set for their 2013 production of Moby Dick was built out of reclaimed materials.[17]

Awards

In 2013 Simple8 won the Off West End Theatre Ensemble Award for their productions of Moby Dick and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.[18] That same year the company also won the Peter Brook/Equity Ensemble Award.[19]

References
  1. "Les Enfants". The Times. 2006. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  2. "Act now: can theatre help with climate change?". The Guardian. 19 May 2011. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  3. Taylor, Paul (29 December 2006). "Les Enfants Du Paradis, Arcola Theatre, London". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  4. Giorgetti, Sandra (2008). "The Living Unknown Soldier". British Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  5. Loxton, Howard. "The Four Stages of Cruelty". British Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  6. Costa, Maddy (2 June 2011). "The Four Stages of Cruelty – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  7. "The Four Stages of Cruelty". Time Out. 6 June 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  8. Pringle, Stewart (14 February 2013). "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari". Time Out. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  9. Bowie Sell, Daisy (19 February 2013). "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Simple8, Arcola Theatre, review". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  10. Gardner, Lyn (9 April 2013). "Moby-Dick – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  11. Montford, Fiona (20 February 2013). "Simple new slant on a masterpiece: THEATRE THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI Arcola, E8". The Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via ProQuest.
  12. Coveney, Michael (24 March 2016). "Reviews Don't Sleep There Are Snakes (Park Theatre)". WhatsOnStage. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  13. Loxton, Howard (2016). "Don't Sleep There Are Snakes". British Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  14. Mountford, Fiona (28 February 2018). "A Passage to India review: Skilled production of Forster's masterpiece". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  15. Marlowe, Sam (18 January 2018). "Theatre review: A Passage to India at the Royal Theatre, Northampton". The Times. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  16. "Arcola Theatre Now Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered". Stage Directions. April 2008. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via ProQuest.
  17. "A bold new adaptation of classic novel Moby-Dick..." Ilford Recorder. 28 March 2013. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via ProQuest.
  18. "2013: Full Run: Ensemble – Moby Dick / The Cabinet of Dr Caligari". The Offies. 2013. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  19. Shenton, Mark (5 November 2013). "National Theatre's The Shed Wins 2013 Empty Space Peter Brook Award". Playbill. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2023.

Official site

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