Telling Tales

by Oladipo Agboluaje

Wed 8 Feb 2012 - Fri 10 Feb 2012

“I wish I could tell stories…”

Four children find themselves locked in their school gym and pass the time telling stories. Through their imagination they discover more about themselves than they bargained for.

Inspired by the themes of storytelling, captivity and the unseen authority figures in Federico García Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, this new play has been commissioned by the Almeida Theatre for ages 7 – 11.

Jamal Hue-Bonner (Ahmed). Photo Bridget Jones
Alannah Olivia (Anuradha) and Ellie Hope Herdman (Nancy). Photo Bridget Jones
Jamal Hue-Bonner (Ahmed). Photo Bridget Jones
Alex Austin (Darren). Photo Bridget Jones
Ellie Hope Herdman (Nancy) and Alex Austin (Darren). Photo Bridget Jones
Alannah Olivia (Anuradha) and Ellie Hope Herdman (Nancy). Photo Bridget Jones
more..

Each Almeida Projects Resource Pack aims to provide an insight into the process of taking the production from research stage to performance. We hope you will use it to extend and enrich the impact of your visit to the Almeida Theatre.

Download Telling Tales Resource Pack

Alex Austin | Telling Tales | Almeida Theatre, London

Alex Austin
Darren

Alex has just completed filming The Swarm, a short film directed by Tom Harper. Alex is Walthamstow born and bred and has recently finished his studies at sixth form. As a Young Friend of the Almeida, he appeared in John Donnelly's Encourage the Others, directed by Lu Kemp on the Almeida stage. Following that he played one of the leads in Ancient Greek (BBC Radio 4) also directed by Lu Kemp. Other professional credits include Undefeated (short film) and Feltham Project (Synergy Theatre Company).

Ellie Hope Herdman | Telling Tales | Almeida Theatre, London

Ellie Hope Herdman
Nancy

Ellie finished her A-Levels last year and is currently on a gap year, auditioning for drama school. She attended theatre school part-time playing roles including Annie and Lady Macbeth. Her most recent performance was in A Grimm Tale (Edinburgh Fringe). She has just been asked to narrate a children’s story book. Ellie enjoys being a member of the Young Friend of the Almeida scheme and also her voluntary work as a practitioner with Shed @ The Park, a Chickenshed outreach project.

Jamal Hue-Bonner | Telling Tales | Almeida Theatre, London

Jamal Hue-Bonner
Ahmed

Since graduating from BRIT School, Jamal has performed at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, National Student Drama Festival, Tricycle Theatre, in student films and for BBC London Radio. Jamal has also written a short play and aims to direct theatre in the future. Playing a variety of characters such as a Lawyer, East-End gangster, World War 2 soldier and a mime artist he aims to continue breaking the mould with the roles he plays.

Alannah Olivia | Telling Tales | Almeida Theatre, London

Alannah Olivia
Anuradha

Alannah trained at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and since her return has been involved in many projects with the Young Friend of the Almeida scheme. She is currently in rehearsals for the Young Friend of the Almeida LAB, to be performed in July at the Almeida. Alannah has also performed at the Roundhouse and Oval House. Last summer she was chosen as a ‘Young Actor to watch’ by the National Youth Film Academy after appearing in a short film premiered as part of the BFI’s Future Film programme. She is very excited to be involved in the cast of a piece of new writing as she is a young writer herself, currently writing with the BBC E20 writers’ school, and also been shortlisted for BBC Writersroom.

Writer Oladipo Agboluaje
Director Ellen McDougall
Assistant Director Jasmin Anderson

Oladipo Agboluaje
Writer

Plays include: God is a DJ; Knock Against My Heart (Theatre Centre); For One Night Only (PBAB); The Wish Collector; The Garbage King (Unicorn); British-ish (Talawa / New Wolsey); The Estate; Iya-Ile - The First Wife (Tiata Fahodzi); The Christ Of Coldharbour Lane (Soho Theatre); The Hounding of David Oluwale.

Oladipo Agboluaje was born in Hackney. He is currently teaching Gender, Race and Performance at Florida State University, London campus.

Ellen McDougall
Director

Ellen trained at the National Theatre Studio and Young Vic, and has worked as Assistant Director to Katie Mitchell, Bijan Sheibani, Marianne Elliott, Felix Barratt (Punchdrunk), and Joseph Alford. She was Director in Residence at the National Theatre Studio 2009, and is Associate Artist at ATC and an Associate Reader at Soho Theatre. She was awarded the Runner-Up Prize in the James Menzies-Kitchin Memorial Trust Award for Young Directors in 2008.

As a Director: Ivan and the Dogs (ATC / Soho Theatre, nominated for an Olivier Award 2011); Hot Mess (Latitude / Arcola Tent); Scarlett and the Silent Disco (Everyman Theatre); Am I Comforting You Now? (Theatre Cafe, Company of Angels); The Invisible Woman (Young Vic / ATC); Jerusalem (Burton Taylor Studio); Betting on the Dust Commander (Albany Theatre); A Kind of Alaska (BAC); Cymbeline (Bedlam Theatre).

Upcoming productions: Antigone; Philoctetes (Unicorn Theatre).

Jasmin Anderson
Assistant Director

Jasmin is an aspiring theatre director and has worked with the Young Vic as an assistant director. Whilst at the Young Vic she participated in their Introduction to Directing Course. The Almeida Theatre has played a prominent role within her creative journey. In 2010 she joined the Young Friend of Almeida’s creative board and is currently on the Artistic Leadership team. Jasmin has also explored other theatre roles including acting and writing.

As an actor she performed as part of the Young Friend of Almeida Theatre Touring Company in 2010 and with the Young Actors Company at Theatre Royal Stratford East in 2011. Whist with Theatre Royal Stratford East, she toured a piece written by Tanika Gupta and directed by Janet Steele around schools and community centres within the East End. She has had an extract of her first play Black? performed at the One Act Play Festival at The Almeida.

Performance dates Wed 8 - Fri 10 February

Morning performances 11am on Fri 10 Feb
Afternoon performances 2.30pm on Wed 8 & Thu 9

Running time is approximately 40 minutes. There will be no interval

Tickets £6

Please note that online bookings can be made for a maximum of 9 tickets.
If you would like to book for a group of 10 or more please call the Box Office on 020 7359 4404.

As part of the education package accompanying Telling Tales we are offering workshops that can be tailored to the ages and abilities of your students. An Educational Resource Pack is also available.
If you would like to find out more please call our Projects Team on 020 7288 4916 or mention to the Box Office when you book.