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Esther (Feb-March 2013, St John's College Chapel) Jean Racine's Esther, a three-act tragedy based on the Book of Esther, was first performed by an all-female cast in 1689. Centuries later, our female production revisits Racine's play in a brand new verse translation accompanied by original choral music in the magnificent setting of St John's College Chapel. |
CAST (in order of appearance) Esther - Lydie Sheehan Elise - Fay Lomas Mordecai - Rhiannon Kelly Haman - Clara-Laeïla Laudette Hydaspes - Pollyanna Marsden King Ahasuerus - Lucy Rayfield Asaph - Miriam Stoney Zares - Natalya Din-Kariuki Chorus of Israelites Sopranos: Katie Barron, Mary Magorrian, Nora Rouast, Lucy Taylor Altos: Nia Madden, Sarah Peyton Jones, Jennifer Rushworth Produced by Jennifer Rushworth Directed by Julia Caterina Hartley, assisted by Benjamin Schaper Translation by David Maskell Music by Matthew Salisbury Musical Direction - Matthew Salisbury Stage Manager - Kirsten Macfarlane Poster Design - Alan Rimmer |
With readings by
Sophie Ablett Oskar Cox Jensen Sam Elwin Julia Hartley Rhiannon Kelly Simon Park Gabriel Roberts Jennifer Rushworth Matthew Salisbury Directed by Julia Hartley |
Proust for Beginners (29th of May 2013, Blackwell's Bookshop)In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Swann’s Way
Synopsis Always wondered what was so great about the famous Marcel Proust, but felt too shy to approach his mammoth of a novel? This FREE event is the perfect solution for you: come and listen to some of Oxford's best young performers bring to life Marcel Proust's ever observant and over-sensitive Narrator, his barmy old aunts, the enigmatic Charles Swann, Charles Swann's alluring and infuriating mistress Odette and others! 'Proust for Beginners' is a dramatic reading of selected passages from 'Swann's Way', the opening volume of Marcel Proust's novel 'In search of lost time' which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, introduced by Professor Adam Watt. For those of you already acquainted with Proust's work, this is simply an occasion to hear something more exciting than your standard audiobook. Organised by Jennifer Rushworth and Julia Hartley. This was a very paired down and text centred performance, and yet one of our best attended ones: who knew Blackwell's café could fit 70 people, all there for Proust? We think Marcel would have been chuffed if he had seen their concentrated faces and heard their delighted applause. |
The Mountain Giants (October-November 2012)
Synopsis
Luigi Pirandello (author of ‘Six characters in search of an author’) had one last play in store for the world, one like nothing he had attempted before, and one he died writing. ‘The Mountain Giants’, perched somewhere between fairy-tale and bitter realism, is a story about the place of theatre, and by extension art and the human imagination, in an increasingly money-driven world. Characters, music, lighting, set, costumes, all was put to use in his “feast for the mind and the eyes”. 75 years after its first performance, students collaborate with Oxford University’s Italian Sub-faculty to bring you a play like no other: Pirandello’s testament to theatre in a brand new translation with a completed ending. Watch the complete last performance here
Pirandello's swan song is a great undertaking for any theatre company and we managed to make it work with a tight budget. 'The Mountain Giants' was performed in the Keble O'Reilly Theatre, featuring the biggest set and most ambitious sound, lighting and costume effects we have ever used. Pirandello's mad-cap stage directions, whether they called for an angel to appear or giant puppets to come to life, were followed through. Hartley furnished the script with an ending which faithful to Pirandello's trademark meta-theatre played with the spectator/performer divide by having the final action take place before a closed red curtain behind which a fictive audience heckled the Countess' company. The play was reviewed by Pirandello Studies, the Pirandello Society's journal, and Catherine Haines's performance and Julia Hartley's translation and directing were noted by a selector from the National Student Drama Festival. |
Photography by Masha Gindler
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PRODUCTION
Producer - Julia Hartley Translator and Director - Julia Hartley Costume Design - Naomi Hendy Light Design - Eli Keren Technical Consultant - Pilly Music and Sound - Nathan Klein Poster Artwork - Andy Hartley Blog - Victoria Weavil |
CAST
The Countess’ company Ilse, still known as the Countess - Catherine Haines The Count - Moritz Borrmann Diamante - Charlotte Norton Cromo - Matija Vlatkovic Spizzi - Nick Burns Battaglia - Olivia Madin Sacerdote - Sam Elwin |
The Scalognati Cotrone, known as the magician - Sam Young Quaquèo - Ben Currie Duccio Doccia - Sarah Jones Sgricia - Rhiannon Kelly Milordino - Ruth Munglani Mara-Mara - Carolin Kreuzer Magdalen - Sonia Jacobson |
Photography by Adam Levy
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Alceste & Juliet (summer 2012)Synopsis
Dans la langue de Molière Imaginez qu’Alceste, le misanthrope de Molière, tombe amoureux de la jeune Juliette shakespearienne... Et qu’arriverait-il si Philinte s’en mêlait ? Et si l’excentrique nourrice de Juliette lui donnait un coup de pouce? Alceste pourrait-il vaincre sa misanthropie ? Ou bien son rival, un certain Roméo, prendrait-il le dessus ? Le résultat est une love story déjantée qui rebondit sans cesse entre l’univers de Shakespeare et celui de Molière à un rythme effréné. In the language of Shakespeare What would happen if Alceste, Molière’s misanthrope, fell in love with Juliet, Shakespeare’s young lover? ‘Alceste & Juliet’ is a tongue-in-cheek comedy that brings French and British theatre into collision with the most unlikely of love affairs. 
Artwork by Matilde Cini
"C'est toujours drôle et vivant, c'est inventif et surprenant, c'est anglais et français!"
Billetsreduc sur 'Alceste & Juliet' à Paris The play was a celebration of the comic genius of both masters, as well as being a dynamic example of cultural exchange both on the level of the text and on the level of the cast and crew, who came from all over the world, from South Africa to Paris, from Switzerland to the UK. Taking Ionian Productions across the channel for the first time was not without its challenges, but we overcame all obstacles and would jump at the chance to return to the continent again! We had fantastic audiences, particularly in Brussels, where one audience member even wrote us a poem in response to her experience. CAST Alceste - Chris Young Philinte - Helen Reid Juliet - Sophie Ablett Nurse - Gianna Calvi Roméo - Etienne Galharague in Paris & Guy Leroy in Brussels Written by Helen Gush & Julia Hartley (with the kind assistance of William Shakespeare and Jean Baptiste Poquelin, known as Molière) Directed by Helen Gush & Julia Hartley |
Never Say Never (February 2012)Synopsis Valentin believes all married women are unfaithful, and therefore proposes to remain a happy bachelor. When his uncle praises to him the virtues of Mademoiselle de Mantes, who would make an ideal wife, Valentin proposes this wager : if, appearing under a false identity, he manages to seduce her, he has proven that women are not to be trusted. If she resists, however, he will marry her. What a scheme... were it not for the fact that Cécile is no fool. Back in the Burton Taylor Studio for the first time since 'Phèdre', our second show there had far more sophisticated lighting, set and costumes. The choice to translate and adapt Alfred de Musset's 'Il ne faut jurer de rien' into English with a 20s setting was bold but proved a great success: the Wodehousian charm of the production transported the 19th century French script across the channel making this comedy an ideal St Valentine's date. Encouraged by the audience's positive response, the company is already planning on showcasing more new translations.
PRODUCTION Producer & Marketing Director - Diana Greenwald Translator & Director - Julia Hartley Stage Manager - Elanor Banks Lighting Design - Alison Gocke Costume Design - Lara Bellenghi Poster Design - Adam Levy Trailer - Declan Clowry CAST Valentin - Orowa Sikder Van Buck - Himanshu Kaul Cécile - Sophie Ablett Baroness - Katie Ebner-Landy Priest - Sam Young Dance Teacher - Vinny Cochrane Waiter - Chris Young Inn Keeper - Edward Still MUSIC Composed by Alex Baxter Recorded and arranged by Oli Steadman with Haewon Song on piano Nathan Klein on trumpet Michael Dunne on muted trumpet Chris Young on saxophone Ruth Jenkins on trombone Oli Steadman on double-bass and drums |
Photography by Adam Levy
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Photography by Palmyre Manivet - Design by Matilde Cini
Himanshu Kaul and Julia Hartley as Tom and Camille
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Counting Syllables (August 2011)Synopsis
Richard, self-proclaimed poet and womanizer (or just a thirty-something university lecturer), is sleeping with Camille, a bright and talented student ten years his junior. For Richard she is just the latest conquest in a long line of pretty young things, but for his colleague and flat-mate Thomas, Camille is different from all the others 'Counting Syllables' is a story about the two sides of love: the one we read about in books and the one we experience first-hand. Written, directed and performed by an international cast of students from Oxford University, in this bittersweet portrayal of relationships among academics, poetry is just another pretentious façade concealing basic human instinct. Written by Julia Hartley and directed by Fiamma Mazzocchi Alemanni, this was our first appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe. As poor students we had to decline our offer at C Venues, but didn't regret our decision to take advantage of the up and coming Free Fringe. The staff at the Phoenix Bar were friendly and helpful, and we had brilliant international audiences who were keen to share their reactions. PRODUCTION Director - Fiamma Mazzocchi Alemanni Producer - Polly Akhurst Assistant Producer - Julia Hartley CAST Richard - Christopher Hinchcliffe Thomas - Himanshu Kaul Camille - Julia Hartley Razeen - Orowa Sikder Girl - Iante Roach & Charlotte Lennon |
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The Red and the Black (February 2011)
Synopsis Young Julien Sorel is ambitious, but ever since the fall of Napoleon the only true weapon in France is hypocrisy. Come witness our protagonist fight his way to the very top of society using only a bit of Bible latin, a pair of irresistible eyes and a more than intrusive narrator. Observe in turn this cocky narrator lead us from one situation to another and switch accents and costumes with as much confidence as he maps out destinies... that is, until the events escape his control. Work out for yourselves when our characters cease to be Stendhal's puppets to become painfully real... and where the boundary lies between comedy and tragedy. Back in Oxford for the year 2010-2011 it was time for Ionian Productions to regroup. Hartley chose to direct a piece of new writing this time: an adaptation of Stendhal's novel The Red and the Black by Oxford student and thespian Tara Isabella Burton. The adaptation was extremely fast paced, made up of many short scenes flowing seamlessly from one to the next with the presence of a narrator – doubling up as minor characters to assure overall unity – who literally nudged the audience into attention when a particular detail deserved picking up on. On a financial level this was Ionian Productions' most ambitious project, featuring costumes from the National Theatre in London and renting Mansfield College Chapel as the venue. The actors were all new, but Baxter returned to compose a soundtrack worthy of the best period drama and 'Phèdre' actors James Balfour and Helen Gush joined the production team. PRODUCTION Producer - Helen Gush Director - Julia Hartley Composer - Alex Baxter Wardrobe Manager - Nouran Koriem Marketing Manager - James Balfour CAST Stendhal - Jordan Waller Julien Sorel - Michael Brooks Mme de Rênal - Abi Rees M. de Rênal - Charles MacRae Elisa - Jessica Norman the Abbé Pirard - Brian McMahon Mathilde de la Mole - Becky Moore the Marquis de la Mole - Max Gill Norbert de la Mole - Charles MacRae |
   Photography by Palmyre Manivet |
 Poster by Adam Levy  Helen Gush and Tom Besant in the roles of Aricie and Hippolyte |
Phèdre (June 2009)
This play was an unusual choice for the Oxford thespian scene due to the fact that it was in French, but Hartley and Akhurst succeeded in securing funding from Oxford colleges as well as a venue, the Burton Taylor Studio theatre, arguing that the show would sell if anything because it would attract a great number of French students. When it came to performance in June, the show was a sell-out and even non-French speaking audience members, aided by a detailed synopsis breaking down the plot act by act, were able to enjoy the performance.
Modern Languages students naturally gravitated towards the auditions and this resulted in a cast and production team whose enthusiasm proved more effective than any experience of the Oxford drama scene. The show thus stood out for the foreign language and the new faces on the stage, but also for its tailor-made costumes by Risha Kumar and original soundtrack by Alex Baxter. The set also featured two Ionian-style columns handmade by Akhurst, which gave the company its name. PRODUCTION Producer - Polly Akhurst Director - Julia Hartley Composer - Alex Baxter Costume Design - Risha Kumar Marketing - Hannah McGrath & Alix Fontaine CAST Phèdre - Farha Quadri Oenone - Jennifer Hargrave Hippolyte - Tom Besant Théramène - Michaël Roy Aricie - Helen Gush Ismène - Marine Debray Thésée - James Balfour Panope - Alex Baxter |
