“Haven’t you ever wanted to do something you know you
shouldn’t,
and didn’t it feel fantastic?!”
MOONSTONE
PRODUCTIONS
presents
ALL THUMBS
A new play by Lindsay J
Sedgwick
Starring Julie Lockey
A comedy about love... and thumbs
When Lena steals a thumb from the lab in which she works
as a cleaner, it seems only fair to grow him back into a (luscious) man and
then, well, to keep him safe. Hostage, like. But out of love. Entirely out of
love. She rescued him, you see. From being a thumb in a jar.
That’s love, see. Against all the odds. Of everything.
Running time: 40 minutes
The trailer
1st March 2016
The teaser was filmed during the dress rehearsal and after the first show on Monday 29th Feb by our wonderful and talented friends in StormLight
The run:
Feb 29th - March 12th 2016; total of 20 shows @ 1pm & 7pm.
International Bar Theatre, 23 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2
International Bar Theatre, 23 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2
Reviews for ALL THUMBS...
"...the overall performance is utterly engaging and charming. Like talking to a crazed stranger at a bus stop, the viewer is unsure whether to pull away or let Lena carry on with her crazed tale, afraid of where it might end up. Simply put, All Thumbs is quirky, light and fun, and that in itself deserves two thumbs up."
"...All Thumbs is filled with... positivity, laughter and humour that will get you through the rest of the day and beyond! Sedgwick’s easy to understand and to follow writing together with Lockey’s wonderful ability to portray a character in such a natural way makes this play easy to engage with and to enjoy....It’s a one woman show where one brilliant actress does an amazing job with the limited resources, stage wise, that she has. Going back to the basics of storytelling, Lockey’s charming and, at times, even saucy Lena will stick in your memory long after the play is over.
So, give All Thumbs a thumbs up! And don’t miss this little gem in the very heart of Dublin, running until March 12th.
"Julie Lockey gives Lena a good sense of comic timing, expressions that are knowing, and at times counter to Sedgwick's direct, well written lines. Comedy is something Locke does well, giving a serious, yet quirkiness, to Lena that makes sense; she talks to thumbs after all, and by the time it arrives, it doesn't feel odd. Watching Locke work, giving a feeling of odd Victoria Wood type characters, there was a sense that taking on a Willy Russell role might be an intriguing step."
Audience Feedback
Loved loved LOVED All Thumbs! Giggled and grinned like a loon throughout. – TG
Bonkers, utterly bonkers... LO'B
Weird, creepy, hilarious – SH
I laughed so much during All Thumbs that I thought the ushers would try to shush me or drag me out. - PG
Lindsay Jane Sedgwick has done it again! ALL THUMBS is hilarious with funny and fast-paced writing about an impossibly daft situation. Julie Lockey is perfect in the role of Lena - the woman who stole a thumb. It is definitely a must-see. I am still smiling, several hours later! Go and see it! - NL
A perfect little slice of madness... A M
Surreal and hilarious from start to finish, with a captivating performance. You'll never look at thumbs in the same way again...." - Sorcha Hegarty, Candlelit Tales
Are you in Dublin? Do you fancy a snappy, witty and maybe a bit kooky one-woman play during your lunch break or before you hit the pub? Then wait no more and go to the International Bar Theatre to attend a performance of All Thumbs Play! You won't regret it.– NC
My boss came to All Thumbs Play last night and giggled like a schoolboy all the way through. He was nearly human! - LL
Some random quotes...
“But maybe I wouldn’t have had the nerve. If it hadn’t been that the moon was all harvesty and new and him stuck in a basement with me and two dozen cleaning agents, three brands of rubber gloves and cleavage to beat the bubbles out of an oxygen tank and prevent asphyxiation.”
“He moved like a leopard, half way to Mulligan's before I could catch up; me in my Scooby Doo slippers and pjs that would play solo guitar to The Boss. And then he’s shouting the odds about being imprisoned by a lunatic. And I'm not. I know I'm not cos my mother was. You can't live with lunatics without knowing you will never be one."
The creative team...
JULIE LOCKEY (Lena).
Julie first
studied acting on her Grandma's carpet while watching Fred and Ginger films and
countless musicals. A native of Cheshire, she went to the University of
Salford, to study Media and Performance, before moving to London via an
adventure in Australia. Whilst in the big smoke she worked on a
number of short films, TV shows (both behind and in front of the camera) and
was lucky enough to work with The Barbican for You Me Bum Bum Train.
Some of her credits include: for television: Emmerdale, Hollyoaks,
Panorama; theatre: Lady McDuff inMacBeth for the Lowry, Salford, The Witch in
EduPlay's Jack and the Beanstalk (touring), Mab in The Voyage of Bran (Westport theatre festival); feature
film: Poison Pen (director Lorna Fitzsimons) and short
film: Queensbury Rules (Boxfilms), The Power of Attraction (dir. Hugh O'Donoghue), Love is... (dir. Lorna Fitzsimons). She is
represented by Fraser Models and Actors' Agency.
LINDSAY J SEDGWICK, Writer.
An award-winning
screenwriter and former journalist, whose nine hours of TV and film
credits include the creation of the ground-breaking award-winning TV series,
PUNKY. Previous plays have been staged
in the Focus Theatre, Smock Alley Theatre, Theatre Upstairs, the Waterside
(Derry), Cork Arts Theatre and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. (www.lindsayjsedgwick.com). She is
currently working on the fourth of this series of one woman plays (Salt on her
Skin (2013), Fried Eggs (2015), All Thumbs (2016) and Benjamin.)
TAMAR KEANE
A recent graduate of DIT's Conservatory of
Music and Drama with a BA in Drama (Performance), Tamar Keane has being doing
any kind of drama she could get her hands on since her pre-teens. Tamar is creating her own theatre as a founding
member of SQUAD Theatre Company and produced their debut production
REMOVED. She has also worked with
Intensive Purposes Theatre Company, producing their debut production
LYRICS, as part of the Smock Allies: Seen + Heard Festival 2016.
Opening night : 29 Feb 2016
1st March 2016
First night last night in the International Bar and the place was full - about 25% of the house found us online on one of the 'what's on' websites, which is fantastic and bodes well. But even better was the laughter. From a few seconds in, it was just there, spilling through the space.
 |
| Some of the audience in the bar downstairs after the show. Julie is second from the right. |
I am so lucky to have found Julie Lockey for this piece. She has such brilliant comic timing and instinct that she took the material and the audience and wrapped them round her... thumb, I guess!
But before it all kicked off, StormLight were in the venue. Directors Donogh MacCarthy-Morrogh and Lochlainn McKenna spent the afternoon shooting scenes from the play, all sorts of angles and attitudes were assumed and eyebrows and thumbs were wriggled suggestively. The purpose - a short promo for which vox pops were gathered at the end of the show.
We should have that online tomorrow, if not tonight! Can't wait to see it.
As for Julie, I think - though she may be still asleep at the moment I'm writing this - that she can't wait to get back up on the stage in the International Bar and perform again!
Some pic follow of the afternoon's filmshoot. The show runs every night Monday to Friday until the 11th March at 7pm sharp. (The Comedy Cellar are in after us so we have to be prompt.) It's also on lunchtimes at 1pm from tomorrow Weds 2nd to Sat 5th and from the 7th to the 12th March (Mon to Sat) all next week. Bookings can be made by phone +353 86 166 3363/ allthumbsplay@gmail.com. Tickets cost 10 Euro. (Concession 8 euro)
 |
| Lochlainn and a closeup of Julie's thumb. She's out of camera to keep Lena's most gloriously hideous jumper hidden |
 |
| Donogh and Lochlainn set up. |
 |
| Lena through the viewfinder. |
One Week to opening
21st Feb 2016
 |
| Poster design by Pam Lockey |
A slightly twisted comedy about love... and thumbs.
One particular thumb.
One particular thumb.
A very particular thumb.
In a jar.
And Lena, she was minding her own business.
In a jar.
And Lena, she was minding her own business.
She had work to do, cleaning the lab, night after night....
But love stories never begin the way you expect them to...
... and Lena was never one to waste an opportunity...
My new play, ALL THUMBS opens in the International Bar, 23 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2
on Feb 29th, running until March 12th. It's the story of a under-appreciated, hot blooded
woman who steals a thumb from a lab, grows a man and keeps him hostage.
Like I said. A love story.
Small wonder many of my friends and associates wonder about me!
It runs on a variety of dates:
29 Feb - 4th March and 7th March - 11th March (ie Monday to Friday ) at 7pm....
And from 2-5th March (Weds to Sat) and 7 - 12th March (Mon to Sat) at 1pm.
The International Bar itself is listed as one of the top ten pubs in the whole of
Dublin... great atmosphere; a deeply historic and unspoilt pub. There will be special
deals such as soup and a sandwich for a fiver for those attending the show.
 |
| Photo by Barbara Henkes |
And this is the amazing Julie Lockey who has taken hold of
my script, throttled it kindly, won it over - it was hers from
the minute she read it - and who, from Feb 29th at 7pm, will
bring my lovely Lena to life. Facebook/allthumbsplay; on twitter @allthumbsplay or #allthumbsplay.
Bookings : 086 1663363 or allthumbsplay@gmail.com
REVIEWS FOR PAST PLAYS BY Lindsay Jane Sedgwick
A bit about me. Determined to be a playwright from a young age. First really really bad play written when I was 16. Since then, things have improved. Now officially an award-winning playwright and screenwriter with 13 productions of stage plays that include the Focus Theatre, Smock Alley, Theatre Upstairs, Waterside (Derry), Cork Arts Theatre and BBC Radio 4.
Possibly best known in the screenwriting field of the creation of PUNKY, an animation series which broke new ground globally simply because the main character was a child with Down's syndrome. (Played wonderfully by Aimee Richardson)
Possibly best known in the screenwriting field of the creation of PUNKY, an animation series which broke new ground globally simply because the main character was a child with Down's syndrome. (Played wonderfully by Aimee Richardson)
FRIED EGGS: Theatre Upstairs; Aug 11-22nd 2015
"The two characters are portrayed with remarkable skill by Karen Connell, who conveys
the neurotic core of Eloise and the sensuous indulgence of Lulu with beautiful understatement.
A lot of credit must go to the careful staging, directed by the author, Lindsay Jane Sedgwick."
- Michael Moffatt, The Irish Mail on Sunday
"Sedgwick’s script plays with the fragility of the human psyche whilst also engaging the
audience for its 60 minute running time. This is, beneath the surface, a complex tale of
how we either consciously or unconsciously deal with trauma and the impact it can have
on our lives."
- David Keane, The Public Reviews
"This slow-paced, deeply emotional and very organic play tells us a story of “two selves”.
The last piece of the season is surely going to be one of the most memorable ones."
- Yana Patrakova, Unforgettable Lines
"The writing is powerful, the subject matter gripping, and the performance by Karen
Connell is winsome and compulsive. A brave and engaging piece of theatre, do yourself
a favour and take some time to see it."
- Caroline Farrell, The Librarian's Cellar
SALT ON OUR SKIN: Feb/Mar 2013 in Smock Alley Theatre
Audience feedback:
“Excellent, exciting, beautiful new piece of writing.”
“Absolutely brilliant.... Gut wrenching.”
“Great show, beautifully written and performed. Lindsay’s writing is poetic and I found
myself smiling aloud...”
myself smiling aloud...”
“A beautifully crafted little gem. Mesmerizing. Deserves a longer run.”
BY MR FARQUHAR: Sept 2013, Waterside Theatre, Derry.
Audience feedback:
“BY MR FARQUHAR was a complete and utter joy to watch."
"[We were} totally and and utterly captivated throughout."
"Truly beautiful... A privilege to see it. It deserves to be seen by many, many more
audiences "
"[We were} totally and and utterly captivated throughout."
"Truly beautiful... A privilege to see it. It deserves to be seen by many, many more
audiences "
FUR DOESN’T HURT Cork Arts Theatre and tour 1997
Brilliantly written play...Fascinating… language which is rich and full of
powerful imagery.”
powerful imagery.”
- The Examiner, Oct 1997;
“Magnetic...a masterpiece of unusual, highly dramatic yet entertaining theatre
that will live long in our memories.”
that will live long in our memories.”
- East Cork newspaper, Nov 1997
TRADE ME A DREAM:
Focus Theatre, Dublin, 1997.
“Gripping psychological drama… a startlingly good piece of writing.”
Focus Theatre, Dublin, 1997.
“Gripping psychological drama… a startlingly good piece of writing.”
- Emer O’Kelly, Sunday Independent
Cork Arts Theatre, 1996
Cork Arts Theatre, 1996
“A terrifying piece of theatre. I have a feeling this is not the last time we will see
this play. It deserves to be done again and again.”
this play. It deserves to be done again and again.”
- Don McMullin, Adjudicating Judge
“An absolutely superb thriller. The writing was very tight, very intense.”
- June McCarthy, Judge, Ibid.
Save the Date!
4th Dec 2015 |
| all thumbs, the first read through today! |
all thumbs is a mad play, really. It's a love story about a woman who steals a thumb from a lab, grows a man from it and then keeps that man hostage....
Yes.
It stars the wonderful comic actress Julie Lockey. The first time I heard her read an early version, I nearly wept. She is that good.
So put the date in your diary. It's a central venue - the International Bar Theatre, Wicklow Street.
No comments:
Post a Comment