Shady Dolls Theatre Company presents...

AN ORNERY TALE

By Shady Dolls

Marking a major development in our approach to creating new material, An Ornery Tale is a constantly evolving work which draws on the full range of the company’s skills and those of artists in the fields of Multi-Media, Improvisation and Cabaret.

Fascinated with the grotesque, and employing a keen sense of the perverse, Shady Dolls conjure a world of distorted images: of femininity, of history, of lullabies and legends... 
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CAST & CREW

Laura Churchill : : Shady Doll

As a close ensemble we are equally committed to the development and direction of Shady Dolls; my duty as Artistic Director is to oversee the creative and administrative organisation, pulling together the different facets of the business to ensure an overall coherent, productive and innovative theatre company. In addition to this, utilising my skills as a fine artist I manage the design aspects of Shady Dolls such as publicity, website, costume, set and image.

In addition to producing, designing and promoting theatre each Doll is a talented performer and being on stage is where we all belong! I perform regularly in the Shady Dolls’ notorious Cabarets, and played ‘Loti’ in The Spoils, ‘Mara Lee’ in Homestead and various characters including ‘Mary Magdalene’ and ‘Intern’ in The Erotica Project.   

Polly Henson : : Shady Doll

As Marketing Officer I work closely with press on enhancing Shady Dolls' public profile. Other responsibilities include liaising with venues and suppliers, advertising, market research and forming relationships with companies that provide Shady Dolls with the ability to function smoothly and productively. I am also the Shady Dolls’ Outreach Officer and currently run a series of drama workshops at a local youth club (details on this can be found on our Outreach page).

But of course this is all in addition to being an actor (my favourite role) within the company! So far with the ‘Dolls’ I have played at the Edinburgh Festival as ‘Dobra’ in The Spoils, London’s West-End as ‘Adele’ in Homestead, various characters in The Erotica Project and have performed many songs at our popular cabarets. There are juicy roles on the horizon….and the best thing is we don’t have to audition for a single one!

Rebecca Pollock : : Shady Doll

As Shady Dolls Theatre Company has become a closer unit, so have a number of our roles developed and amalgamated. As a Press Officer, I work to provide promotion for shows which involves writing press releases, liaising with journalists and securing media coverage for all Shady Dolls’ projects.

In my position as Education Officer, I am steadily working towards the construction and promotion of our schools and universities workshops which, I am pleased to say, are becoming increasingly popular. Alongside this work, I still perform my duties as Company Secretary; controlling the company’s finances and providing a stable foundation from which the company and our sponsors can operate at a professional and productive level.

My roles to date have included ‘Tala’ in The Spoils, ‘Agnes’ in Homestead and various characters in The Erotica Project.  

Clare Baker : : Stage Manager

Victoria Johnstone : : Designer

Victoria Johnstone’s designs for theatre include Involution by Rachel Welch (Mokita Productions dir. Emily Agnew: Pacific Playhouse London), HOTEL MEDEA (Zecora Ura/Para Active: Aurora Nova, Edinburgh International Festival), The Dilemma of a Ghost by Ama Ata Aidoo (Border Crossings/National Theatre of Ghana: National tour – co-set designer), The Cow Play by Ed Harris (dir. Andrea Brooks: Nightingale Theatre, Brighton and regional tour), Torn by Femi Oguns (Arcola), Heiner Müller's The Man in The Elevator/Hamletmachine (Imploding Fictions: BAC/International tour), Vincent River by Philip Ridley, A Mother by Dario Fo and Franca Rame, and Amir Reza Koohestani’s Amid the Clouds (all BAC).  She has also worked as a prop-maker and design assistant with companies such as Scarlet, Punchdrunk and Soho Theatre.  She has a first class honours degree in Theatre Design from Rose Bruford College and is based in South London.

Rachel Nicholson : : Lighting Design

Chris Goode : : Facilitator