Into the street the Piper stept, Smiling first a little smile, As if he knew what magic slept, In his quiet pipe the while.
When a mysterious stranger comes to Hamelin promising to solve the town’s troubles, will the townsfolk hold up their end of the bargain?
This love letter to folk horror and cop dramas finds inspiration in the history and truths to be found in the swirling mystery of myth… join us for a wild ride through an impossible investigation!
Directed by Jenny Davies, produced by Soph Jacobs-Wyburn, with dramaturgy provided by Sam Kenyon Hamp and production photography by Chelsey Cliff. Full company details below, please get in touch with any questions.
Ensemble/Witness – Phoebe Bartlett
Lesley – Alma Bode
Ensemble/Farmer – Harry Burrows
Deputy TD – Liv Bush
Ensemble/Piper – Veronica Causey
Ensemble/Witness – Willow Fedor
Ensemble/Child – Gilah Hammond
Ensemble/Child – Daisy Jackson
Ensemble/Farmer – Fen Lack
Ensemble/Baker – Thomas Law
Beets – Jack Leemans
Ensemble/Chief – Campbell Maddox
Ensemble/Child – Dylan Minto
Ensemble/Mayor – Kieran Perry
Sam – Lily Poole
Ace Casefile – Sephy Priston
Ensemble/Witness – Ella Raynor
Jam – Rachael Shepard
Ensemble/Councillor – Jacobs Spence
Ensemble/Councillor – Eleanor Thomas
Ensemble/Baker – Sophie Wendover
Ensemble/Councillor – Imogen Willis
LX Op – Danny Connaire
Sound Op – Harry Francis King
ASM – Alex Hall
Production Assistant – Jamie Joseph Mason
Tech Swing – Oscar Legge
Costume Assistant – Isabella Marinelli
Production Assistant – Maximilian Ortiz Velilla
Production Assistant- Amy K. Pix
Costume Assistant – Lucy Wright
Director’s Notes
Most people are familiar with the folk tale of the Pied Pier of Hamelin, it’s a Grimm tale and one that has survived generations. When tasked with adapting this story for the stage we could have taken the (potentially easier) road in re-telling that classic story and bringing it to life, but with this particular group of young people that would have been a missed opportunity. When I met the cast, I was struck by their intelligence, curiosity and wicked sense of humour. We started with the story but very quickly, the questions the company had around the missing and conflicting evidence that surrounds the mystery started our journey. We found inspiration in 60s/70s cheesy crime dramas, folk horror and classic cult cop comedies, and Hamelin was reimagined into the twisty tale we present to you today. They have made this show with love and fearless determination and have supported each other every step of the way. I am so proud of what they have made together in a very short time. We hope you have as much fun watching it as we did making it.
Dramaturg’s Notes
When we began the devising process, our first step was to unravel the classic fairy tale. Early rehearsals were focused on the discussion and presentation of research. As we dove deeper we discovered the bizarre and often contradictory theories surrounding the Piper and what they represent. All we knew for sure was that 130 children did go missing in Hamelin all those years ago, and we wanted to uncover the truth.
Hamelin was born out of this research process, the idea of the detectives uncovering the truth, presenting their evidence and opposing each other’s theories is a reflection of the Company’s devising process. Each theory presented in Hamelin exists in the real world and my job was to translate these theories into Hamelin in a way that felt true to what we had created.
My Dramaturgical approach to Hamelin was focused on reaching a unified understanding of the rules and history within the world of the play. This allowed us to move forward with a central vision. One of the most enriching parts of the process was to question and be questioned by the Company, allowing us to craft a story that we all genuinely care about. To be able to facilitate the creativity of these young people and allow them to build something so unique and stylish and thought provoking is incredible. The Company has approached this project with such bravery and determination, through their interrogation of the classic tale they have constructed a narrative that’s both nostalgic and completely original. A play that feels like it could have only been made by these young people.
Caitlin Abbott trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2018. She was a finalist for the 2019 Naomi Wilkinson Award and Linbury Prize for Stage Design, and was an assistant Designer at the Royal Shakespeare Company 2019-2020. Recent designs include: Crimes on Centre Court (Theatre Royal Bath, UK Tour); Autumn Opera Scenes (Guildhall School of Music and Drama), Perspective, (National Theatre New Views, Dorfman Theatre), Chaos; Zero for the Young Dudes!; Basset and Changing Room (Bath Theatre Academy, The egg); Valentina Star Dreamer (Haste Theatre, The Place Online), Time and Tide (Park Theatre, Theatre Royal Norwich), Arabian Nights (TRB Summer Company, The egg), The Mullah of Downing Street (Chipping Norton), Cuttings (The Hope Theatre), Knitmas: A Winter Yarn (Greenwich Theatre Studio), The Elephant Man (Bristol Old Vic) Film Credits: The Last Union (Filmapalooza 2022, Best Costume Nomination); Leak (Ardvale Films), Life to the Full, Paradise Street (TenTen Productions), Itch (Seven Hills Films) As an assistant designer: Pride and Prejudice* (sort of) (Criterion), West Side Story Symphonic Dances, (Phoenix Dance Theatre, Opera North) The Windsors:Endgame (Prince of Wales)
Jenny Davies is a Bristol based Director and theatre maker. In 2019 she was awarded the prestigious Leverhulme Arts Scholarship through Bristol Old Vic. Jenny directed gig-theatre play Outlier by award winning poet Malaika Kegode in 2021, which will be returning to Bristol Old Vic in September 2022. She was Resident Assistant Director at Tobacco Factory Theatres 2018/19 where she was Assistant Director on A Midsummer Nights Dream directed by Mike Tweddle and assistant director on The Borrowers adapted by Bea Roberts, directed by Nik Partridge. In 2019 Jenny directed Papatango prize winning writer Samuel Bailey’s play The Waiting Room, at the egg, Theatre Royal Bath. At Christmas 2021 she directed a new play by Florence Espeut-Nickless, Miracle on 34 Seymour Street with original music from folk musician Gavin Osborn for Trowbridge Town Hall. She is the Associate Director of drag murder mystery hit Death Drop which toured the UK last year and is currently running at The Criterion Theatre in London’s West End. She is co-founder of Propolis Theatre, a company formed out of the Bristol Old Vic Made in Bristol scheme and an associate of Interval artists collective.
Lloyd Evans is a Bath-based lighting designer for theatre, dance, and live events whose recent work includes: Arabian Nights (Theatre Royal Bath Theatre School), Crimes On the Coast (New Old Friends), The Falcon’s Malteser (New Old Friends), King John (Hammerpuzzle Theatre), Vanity Fair, Hound of the Baskervilles, Sleepy Hollow (Theatre Royal Bath Theatre School) Sloe Pickers and the Arrivals, Four (Engage TRB) as well as associate lighting design for Finding Joy (Vamos Theatre) and Jason and the Argonauts (Hereford Courtyard).
Lloyd also works as a commercial and event photographer. Theatre production photography includes Rain Man (Bill Kenwright productions) Marie Antoinette (Bath College) and Crimes on the Coast (New Old Friends)
Lisa trained in Stage Management at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and has since worked extensively in theatre and on large scale events. After years of touring theatre and working in large fields across the country, Lisa began her career as a Production Manager and is proud to be back at The Egg working with the Theatre Royal Bath Theatre School. As well as working on a range of theatrical and outdoor productions, Lisa is a regular guest lecturer at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Mountview Theatre School, and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Productions include: Five Children & It, Squirrel, Rapunzel, Scarlet Pimpernel (Theatre Royal Bath Ltd), Betrayal and Oleanna as part of the Welcome Back Season (Theatre Royal Bath Productions), Romeo & Juliet, Hansel & Gretal, Thumbelina, The Nutcracker, The Snow Queen, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan (BBC cBeebies), Nora, Marie Antoinette, Spring Awakening and Dracula (Bath College Productions), Double Vision (Wales Millenium Centre), European Capital City of Culture Closing Ceremony (Aahus, Denmanrk), Roald Dahl’s City of The Unexpected (National Theatre of Wales), Our Town and Antigone (Bath Theatre Royal Young People’s Theatre), Kafka’s Dick, Little Hotel on the Side, This Happy Bread (Theatre Royal Bath Summer Seasons), Leonard Bernstein’s Mass (South Bank Centre), Peter Hall Season (Theatre Royal Bath Productions), Where There’s a Will, Uncle Vanya, The Changling, Mother Courage, and The Old Country (English Touring Theatre), Download, Live 8, Hyde Park Calling, Monsters of Rock, O2 Wireless Festival, Genesis Turn it on Again, Sterophonics, Foo Fighters, The Who, Route of Kings, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Live Nation), Betrayal, Romeo & Juliet, Dealer’s Choice, and TO Kill a Mockingbird (Clwyd Theatr Cymru), Carousel, Cinderella, Dick Wittington, Mouther Goose, Aladdin, and Peter Pan (UK Productions)
Alex is a musican, composer and sound designer based in Bristol. As a musician, he has toured nationally with companies such as Wise Children on their self titled first production, and the National Theatre with ‘Jane Eyre’ as well as performing in productions closer to home with ‘Rapunzel’ at the egg theatre in Bath and ‘100:Unearth’ with Cornish landscape theatre company, Wildworks. As a composer and sound designer his work focuses on the combination of acoustic and electronic sounds and combining field recordings and found sounds to create immersive natural textures. He releases music under his own name and also plays Bass for Rachael Dadd.
Soph is a champion of innate creativity, a theatre-maker and an advocate for creating professional art work with and for all.
A graduate of RCSSD and currently the Head of Community Theatre at TRB, Soph is responsible for the Theatre School and TRB’s extensive training and outreach program. Exceptionally fortunate when in training to be encouraged by teachers and mentors to explore many forms and styles of artistic expression, Soph is now dedicated to encouraging the same individual exploration of creativity.
Firmly believing in serious playfulness, and playful solemnity, Sophie specialises in puppetry, theatrical anarchy, and joyful pushing of the boundaries.
Previous directing credits include; ROUTES (The Egg Assembly), Hamlet, Arabian Nights, Folk Lore, Boudica (The Egg – TRBTS), Who Me (WGYTC), Aurora (The Egg), Giovanni (Silent Opera), The Gingerbread Man (Rainbow Collectors). In 2017 Sophie was awarded a Leverhulme Arts Scholarship, working on Medea at Bristol Old Vic.
Sam Kenyon Hamp is a Creative Writing and English Literature (BA) graduate from Brighton University. Sam is a writer and dramaturg, obsessed with incorporating landscape and history into his work. Recent work Includes:
Assistant Script supervisor, Squirrel (The Egg), Dramaturg, Ghosts Stories at the Grapes (The Grapes Bath). Future projects include assistant directing Theatre Royal Bath Theatre School’s Summer Company production of Blood Wedding.
He is the current creative learning coordinator for the Egg Theatre in Bath.
After studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, James now works as a stage manager in and around the South West. In addition to stage managing Hamelin, he has also led the backstage students this term, some of whom are working on the show today. Theatre credits include several productions with Insane Root, such as Hansel and Gretel at Arnos Vale Cemetery, Rumpelstiltskin, and Romeo and Juliet at Eastville Park Swimming Pool. Other credits include What Remains of Us at Bristol Old Vic, Arabian Nights with Theatre Royal Bath Theatre School, and Muckers with the egg. James enjoys working with students and has previously worked with the TRBTS summer company, as well as Bath Theatre Academy.
Theatre Royal Bath Theatre School aims to offer an inclusive program of training and workshops, that cover all disciplines of theatre-making and are open to any young person aged 5 to 25 years old.
Each week we run over 17 hours of sessions – working directly with young theatre-makers to develop their skills, mentor their artistic growth and support their creative drives. This includes our Backstage program, unique in the South West, offering a dedicated weekly space to learn technical and design led disciplines, as well as the opportunity to apply their skill-set to Theatre School productions wherever possible.
Our curriculum offers structured development of valuable skill-sets, which could be applied across a wide range of life experiences. We also promote an ethos of respect, daring, and self-identity throughout, fostering a sense of community and strong roots to support their growing creativity.
We aim to empower young artists and theatre makers to explore their own unique, capable, and persuasive voices. But we also hope to witness the development of life-long friendships, communities of peers offering support, and building enduring memories.
Bath Theatre Academy offers cutting edge Performing & Production Arts training based in The Egg Theatre. We work with industry professionals and experts to teach the course and the results are extraordinary.
Our Course centres around practically exploring all aspects of making theatre; over two years, students on our level 3 course learn about everything from lighting design to stage combat, producing to acting for screen.
Each year, we present a season of work in May; what better way to find out what we do, than to see our shows?
Come along to see Bath Theatre Academy in action in their home theatre, or find information about joining the course below –
Theatre Royal Bath, Sawclose, Bath BA1 1ET.
Theatre Royal Bath is a registered charity no. 277723
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