This November, we open our rehearsal process with 3 work-in-progress presentations at Riverside Studios, and invite your involvement.

Sunday 2nd November @ 1pm
Facilitated by Artistic Director, Neil Sheppeck, the Oliver Twist/
La Ronde ensemble present work fired and inspired by their rehearsal process, and relevant current affairs. Devised work fed by and in turn feeding the tour, that will conclude at Riverside Studios for three weeks in March 2009, where a developed form of this devised work will be presented.

Sunday 9th November @ 1pm
Jack Shepherd will lead a collection of regular Love&Madness actors, exploring Greek Theatre for a week, resulting in this presentation. The beginning of a process, that is leading towards a full performance of Sophocles' Ajax at Riverside Studios in May 2009.

Sunday 16th November @ 1pm
After the first week of rehearsals, the cast of Chantal Schaul's
Mirror Magic Market Tales will explore the interactive and imaginative challenges of prominade magic-realism theatre, presenting their work as part of preparing for a four-week festive run of the play at Riverside Studios in December 2008.

All presentations will last approx. 1hr and be followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

Please join us at Riverside Studios for these exciting afternoons.

Good fortune, Neil.

Last night, La Ronde opened to strong praise. I'm particularly happy with the humour that has grown in performance, and the dance sequences are astounding. As soon as we get a review, we'll let you know.

Check out the photos at the link above...

Good fortune, Neil.

Well, Oliver Twist is now up and running, and has had a nice review from the Kentish Times.

'slick...entertaining...grittiness'

Ellie Turner 'made a bolder Twist than any I have seen'

Simon Yadoo 'changing like a chameleon between his bullish Mr Bumble, terrifying Sikes and naive Mr Brownlow'

Lucia McAnespie 'extraordinary pathos during Nancy's ugly demise'

Cary Crankson 'whose transformation between the amiable and surprisingly loyal Dodger and the revolting Monks set him apart as a fine actor'

Preston Clare 'clearly comfortable in his role of Fagin'

'the cast clearly worked well as an ensemble, with some fascinatingly simplistic stage tricks ... and brilliant lighting effects designed by Mark Howland'

Check out the photos at the link above...

Good fortune, Neil.

Tomorrow we start rehearsals for our next season - Oliver Twist and La Ronde.

Every year, the new ensemble feels like the best to date, and I am so excited about this year's group of - Abigail Anderson (Director of Oliver Twist); Nicky Bunch (Set Designer); Preston Claire (Performer); Cary Crankston (Performer); Irene East (Casting Director); Mark Howland (Lighting Designer); Eyal Israil (Assistant Director); Nell Knudsen (Costume Designer); Matt Lee Newby (Technical Manager); Lucia McAnespie (Performer); Neil Sheppeck (Director of La Ronde); Jane Stanton (Movement Director for La Ronde); Kathy Taylor Jones (Composer for Oliver Twist); Ellie Turner (Performer); Simon Yadoo (Performer).

We are also in a celebratery mood, as we are now a fully registered charity! Hopefully we will have more money now to present you with a higher standard of production. Well done to our General Manager, Amy Taylor, for all her work.

Good fortune, Neil.

Tomorrow we open this year's London run of THE TEMPEST and FRANKENSTEIN at Riverside Studios, before transfering to Greenwich Theatre on 26th March.

This year will be our longest run in London, and we hope will attract a lot of interest about Love&Madness. If you haven't already, do come and support us, and perhaps join us for a drink afterwards in the bar.

Good fortune, Neil.

A huge welcome to Amy Taylor, our new General Manager, starting on Monday 18th March. Amy joins us from Riverside Studios, and promices to be a huge asset to Love&Madness.

Her appointment will help us to expand, with many exciting projects planned for the next twelve months. Check out our Forthcoming Shows.

Good fortune, Neil.

After a well earned Christmas break, we're gearing ourselves up for the Spring. After a week in the UK, we're off to Northern Ireland and Eire for six weeks. We always enjoy our visit across the water, and each year gets longer. Check out our dates.

Then from 18th March, we'll be in London for three weeks. This year's London run is being shared by Riverside Studios and Greenwich Theatre. We're really looking forward to performing at Riverside for our third year, and to our first visit to Greenwich.

During 2007, Love&Madness has continued to woo audiences, visiting some great venues - Sheffield Crucible, Oldham Coliseum, Ipswich New Wolsey, Stephen Joseph Scarborough - and performing to sell-out audiences. As we grow, it has become more and more necessary for a salaried General Manager to run the company. I shall still be steering the company, artistically, but we hope to appoint a General Manager in February to explore more fundraising opportunities, and to run the administration more efficiently.

So, a very exciting start to 2008 for us. If you haven't already caught us this year, I hope we'll see you during next.

Good fortune, Neil.

We're three weeks into rehearsal, and are having the time of our lives! The months of workshoping the script, and previewing it in Crawley has delivered a truly amazing script of Frankenstein. Catriona should be very proud. And Jack is working magic with The Tempest, each day bearing such fruit.

This year's ensemble are: Nathan Brine(Actor); Nicky Bunch(Frankenstein Designer); Lucy Conway(Actor); Catriona Craig(Frankenstein Adaptor); Luciano Dodero(Actor); Irene East(Casting); Ben Gaule(Actor); Richard Godin(Lighting Designer); Doug Hayward(Sound Designer); Kelly Hogan(Tempest Designer); Nik Kempsey(Actor); Heather Rose(Technical Tour Manager); Jack Shepherd(Tempest Director); Neil Sheppeck(Actor & Frankenstein Director); Matt Sim(Actor); Sarah Straker(Actor); Craig Tonks(Actor);

Do check out our Autumn tour dates. If you can't visit us at any of them, we'll be in London and Ireland in Spring 08.

Good fortune, Neil.

Well, we did it! After 7 months of meetings and lots of work, including 5 workshops with our ever-ready ensemble, Catriona presented us with a final draft of Frankenstein. And what great shape it was in!

To test it out before this Autumn's tour, we presented last night, at The Hawth, Crawley, after only five days of rehearsal. The result was outstanding, earning much applause at the end of the night.

A huge thank you to the brave troup: Carl Prekopp, John Bullied, Maeve Rutten, Charity Reindorp, Patrick Regis, Arran Glass, Dave Sim, and, of course, David Brett. A personal thanks also to Nicky Bunch, Richard Godin, Doug Hayward, and Heather Rose, who put in sweat and tears to make it happen, and are still onboard for the main tour!

The aftershow chat with the audience was invaluable, and will help Catriona to shape the script ready for when rehearsals start in August. Here's to great year!

Good fortune, Neil.

Well, another season is over. Two great plays, and a fantastic company of actors. I hope you enjoyed Playboy and Henry as much as we did.

On to next year. Our work developing Frankenstein is gaining momentum. Catriona is doing a fantastic job adapting such a great novel, and I can't wait to direct it.

As for The Tempest, we welcome a new director to the company - Jack Shepherd. As an actor he has enjoyed a successful career at the Royal Court and National Theatre, as well as on the screen where he is best remembered for the series Blind Justice and Wycliffe. His may directing credits include The Honest Whore at the Globe; King Lear at Southwark Playhouse, and Measure for Measure at the Arcola Theatre. He is presently writing Holding Fire! for the Globe Theatre, after which we will be welcoming him with open arms into the Love&Madness fold.

Good fortune, Neil.

A new year, and a few new faces: Nik Wood-Jones has taken over the roles of Michael James in Playboy of the Western World, and Pistol/Canturbury/King of France in Henry V; whilst we also have a new Tour Technical Manager in Heather Rose. A huge welcome to both of them.

Tomorrow night is our opening night at Riverside Studios, and over the last few days the rehearsal studios have been buzzing with nerves and excitement. We have cut 20 minutes off Henry V, and added a new scene where Fluellen forces Pistol to eat a leek at gunpoint. There's a reason we're called Love&Madness. You'd be a fool to miss us.

Good fortune, Neil.

Sorry for the poor contact. This season has been so busy, with two great shows on the road. Henry V and Playboy of the Western World.

A great cast: David Baynes, Gerard Canning, Lucy Conway, Robert Dobson, Ben Gaule, Lucia McAnespie, Jack McGababhann, Victoria Porter, Owyn Stephens, Eleanor Turner, and myself, of course.

This autumn leg finishes at the end of the month, but before long it will be January and we'll be at the Riverside Studios again, before another visit to Ireland. The fun never stops!

Good fortune, Neil.

This year's tour is forming slowing. You'll be glad to hear we'll be returning to most of last year's venues. As soon as the schedule is finalised, you'll find it here first.

We've also moved offices to Hamilton House in Clapham. Our new address is 1c Hamilton House, Atherfold Road, London, SW9 9LL.

The phone number has also changed - 020 7642 0309, although the email remains the same.

Thank you for all the emails and letters about how you enjoyed Wuthering Heights and Twelfth Night. Keep sending them.

Good fortune, Neil.

New year, new cast members.

In saying goodbye to 2005 we also say goodbye to Mike Goodenough and Nicolas D. Blake, and give a huge welcome to Luke Shaw as Sir Toby Belch and Arran Glass as Sebastian in Twelfth Night and Linton in Wuthering Heights.

Our own Neil Sheppeck takes over the role of Lockwood in Wuthering Heights, whilst all other casting remains the same.

So come down to Riverside Studios and check out the new cast.

Much love, Irene.

Exclusively for our Riverside Studios dates, we will
be joined by actor/musician David Laughton during
performances of Twelfth Night to enhance the music
throughout the piece.

Both Twelfth Night and Wuthering Heights will be
performed in traverse. With audience on both sides
of the stage, the action will be more intimate, making
the drama of Wuthering Heights more intense and the
comedy of Twelfth Night more immediate.

Good fortune, Neil.

Click here for Irish dates for Twelfth Night / Wuthering
Heights tour

Good fortune, Neil.

Welcome to our fresh new website.

As well as bringing the site visually up to date,
we can now offer more information on previous
and forthcoming productions and education work.
This news feature will allow us to let you know of
developments for the company, and enable company
members to report what's happening whilst on tour.

I'm sure you'll find this new site both interesting and
informative and hope you'll be able to visit us at The
Riverside Studios in January.

Good fortune, Neil.