Pleasance Below, Pleasance Courtyard Wednesday 31 July – Monday 26 August 2013 (Not Monday 12) @ 3.25pm Tickets: Range from £8 – £11 (Previews – £6.50)
On an isolated industrial compound in a distant land, three men lie, cheat and abuse one another in this hilariously dark and absurd play about the pettiness of men at work…
Ham-on-Why proudly presents the UK premiere of Below the Belt, by Richard Dresser.
Set in the intensely bureaucratic world of an isolated industrial compound in the desert of a distant land, where unseen creatures prowl the fences outside, the play follows the arrival of eager newcomer Dobbitt, his tortured colleague Hanrahan and their calculating boss Merkin, as they lie and cheat one another to vie for status, friendship and escape.
Starring Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee Mike Wozniak, Tom Golding (Anna & Katy, The Ministry of Curious Stuff, Dr. Who) and Chortle Award nominee Graham Dickson (Austentatious). Directed by Hamish MacDougall.
Below the Belt is by Richard Dresser – a prolific and popular contemporary playwright from the United States. The play premiered at the Humana Festival in 1995 followed in 1996 by an Off Broadway production, named by the Wall Street Journal as the “best new American play of the season.”
Cast: Mike Wozniak: Mike is a renowned stand-up comedian who has been nominated for an Edinburgh comedy award and won the Time Out Comedy Newcomer award. On TV he has appeared in ‘The Kevin Eldon Show’, ‘Dawson Brothers Funtime’ and is about to star in the new sitcom by Greg Davies (all BBC). In theatre Mike recently appeared in ‘Celebrity Night At Cafe Red’ (Trafalgar Studios)Tom Golding: Theatre includes ‘Rozencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead’ (Chichester Festival Theatre/ Theatre Royal Haymarket) ‘Too Small To Be A Planet’ (Company Of Angels) ‘Year 10’ (BAC/ Tour of France) ‘Future Me’ (UK Tour). Also a renowned comedy performer his TV credits include, ‘The Cariad Lloyd Show’, ‘Ministry Of Curious Stuff’, ‘Dr. Who’ (BBC), ‘Anna and Katy’ (Channel 4) Graham Dickson: Graham is a co-founder of ‘Austentatious’, who are returning to Edinburgh after their hugely successful run in 2012 (HHHHH Chortle, The Skinny, EdFestMagazine). His Theatre credits include ‘The Pride’ (BeMe Theatre, Munich) ‘The Messiah’ (Dalston Bunker) ‘The Lights’ (Spring Warehouse Vauxhall) ‘She Stoops To Conquer’ (Hoxton Hall). TV credits include the upcoming ‘Anti-Social Network’ (Channel 4)
Creative Team; Hamish MacDougall (Director): Hamish is an Associate Director of Omnibus and The Kings Head Theatre. He is also an Associate Artist of The National Youth Theatre. Directing includes the world premiere of ‘I Never Get Dressed Till After Dark On Sundays’ by Tennessee Williams, ‘The Under Room’ by Edward Bond (Cock Tavern Theatre) ‘The Lights’ by Howard Korder (Spring Warehouse, Vauxhall) ‘The 24 Hour Plays’, ‘Shuffling Off’ by Gregory Skulknick (Old Vic New Voices) ‘Happiness’ by Murray Watts (Kings Head Theatre). Assistant Directing includes ‘The Master And Margarita’ (Complicite/Barbican) ‘Celebrity 24 Hour Plays’ (Old Vic Theatre) ‘The House Of Cards’ (Coney/Kensington Palace)Holly Pigott (Designer): Holly is currently the Resident Assistant Designer at the RSC. Her design credits include ‘The Prophet’ (Gate Theatre) ‘Sex With A Stranger’ (Trafalgar Studios) ‘Lean’ (Tristam Bates Theatre) ‘Sound Of A Voice/Hotel Dreams’ (Grimeborne/Arcola Theatre) ‘Hitchcock Blonde’ (Royal Welsh). Holly will design ‘The Island’ the JMK winning show at The Young Vic and Dry Writes new show in Edinburgh. Max Pappenheim (Sound Designer): Composing and Sound Design Credits include, ‘Being Tommy Cooper’ (UK Tour) ‘The Hospital At The Time Of The Revolution’, ‘I Didn’t Always Live Here’, ‘Facts’, ‘Somersaults’, ‘Hindle Wakes’, ‘The Barrow Hill’ (Finborough Theatre) ‘Word Play’ (Bolton Octogan) ‘Feathers In The Snow’ (Southwark Playhouse) Jonathan Monkhouse (Lighting Designer): Lighting & Design credits include ‘Sara Pascoe: The Musical’ (Edinburgh, Assembly Rooms), ‘The Freewheeling Cariad Lloyd’ (Edinburgh, Pleasance), ‘Austentatious’ & ‘Showstopper: The Improvised Musical’ Zoe Robinson (Producer): Winner of the Methuen Emerging Producers Award 2011. Zoe has produced ‘The Overcoat’ (UK Tour) ‘Believers Anonymous’ (Rosemary Branch) ‘Lean’ (Tristan Bates Theatre) ‘The Messiah’ (Dalston Bunker)Graham Dickson (Producer): Graham is the founder of Ham-on-Why. This is the company’s debut production.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
