About the Company
How we began...
Let's be honest. Have you ever been to a production of classical theatre and thought the following...
"Oh no! Another play with old men in dinner suits spouting long monologues..."
" I haven't got a clue what's going on... who was that guy in the mask again?" "I've got Heat/Taxi Driver/The Godfather on Dvd at home, I could be watching that instead.."
"Not A Midsummer Night's Dream again! Didn't anyone write any other plays?"
So, as members of the so-called MTV Generation with little attention span, we decided to change this. Periwig & Monkey Theatre was born as a reaction to the preconceptions of people in the past. We seek to prove by adapting classic texts or staging modern period interpretations that period productions can and should be relevant, accessible and entertaining to modern audiences, whilst remaining respectful to the realities of the past. We are all used to fast paced, action led, truthfully acted cinema and television - why shouldn't classical theatre be the same?
We also have a commitment to supporting women in the industry, as well as an interest in women's history itself. This includes providing roles for actresses of all sizes, ages and ethnic backgrounds and acknowledging the actuality of women in previous centuries.
Who we are ...
NATASHA DAWN
Natasha has a BA Honours in History from King's College London, with specialist focus in Early Modern Women and Gender. She also regularly works as a historical interpreter in London museums, playing women from the past and running history and drama workshops. Natasha adapts texts, directs and produces for Periwig & Monkey Theatre. Natasha worked as an actor for ten years before her career turned to directing. Her directing credits include 'The Libertine' by Stephen Jeffreys (two seperate productions - King's Head & Edinburgh Festival, & Greenwood Theatre, Southwark), 'A Debt to Pleasure' (Natasha's own theatrical adaptation of the poems of the Earl of Rochester, The Southwark Playhouse), 'The Rover' by Aphra Behn (Tabard Theatre & Edinburgh Festival), 'A Yorkshire Tragedy' attributed to Middleton (Natasha's own adaptation, The Albany Theatre, Deptford), 'Virtue' by Tim Slover (New writing, Arch 468) and assisting on 'The Bullet' by Joe Penhall (King's Head & Edinburgh Festival). Natasha also stage manages at Burlesque and Cabaret events in the West End and is currently working as an associate artist at The Southwark Playhouse.
TOM HUNTER
Tom trained as an actor with the National Youth Theatre, RADA and Mountview. His credits include The Earl of Rochester in both 'The Libertine' (King's Head Theatre & Edinburgh Festival) and 'A Debt to Pleasure' (Southwark Playhouse), Willmore in 'The Rover' (Tabard Theatre & Edinburgh Festival) for Periwig & Monkey, Billy Boy in 'The Poseidon' (New writing for Leicester Theatre), Abbot Cuno in 'Virtue' (New writing for Arch 468), Ferdinand in 'The Tempest' (Pentameters Theatre),Hugh de Moreville in 'Murder in the Cathedral' (Actor's Church, Covent Garden), Fedotik in 'The Three Sisters' (Cockpit Theatre) as well as many others. Film includes Hermes in the upcoming feature film 'The Legend of the Golden Fishcake', James Taylor in 'Blood on his Hands' for the UK Film Council and Frank in a music video for the band ' The Kills'. Tom has a BA Honours in English from King's College London and performs and produces for Periwig & Monkey Theatre.
ANNA WILLIAMS
Anna is the Production Manager for Periwig and Monkey Theatre. She has a MA in Comparative Literature, specialising in Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare, and a BA in English from Goldsmiths University. Anna has worked for The Globe Theatre and The King's Head Theatre and is involved in all aspects of production with Periwig and Monkey.
