Casting Announced for Saxon Court at Southwark Playhouse this November, Featuring THE HOBBIT's Adam Brown

Made by Brick presents: SAXON COURT
by Daniel Andersen. Directed by Melanie Spencer.
Designed by Tom Paris. Lighting by Katharine Graham. Sound by Tom Hackley.
Run: Wednesday 19 November - Saturday 13 December 2014

Featuring Adam Brown (The Hobbit trilogy), John Pickard (2.4 Children, Hollyoaks), Sophie Ellerby (This Is England), Scott Hazell (Mudlarks), Alice Franklin (Sadie J) and Debra Baker (Phoneshop) as Donna Saxon.

"I'm the boss. I pay your wages. I can do what I like."

It's Christmas 2011 in the City at the height of the financial crisis. A bad time for bankers; a worse time for the poor and vulnerable. But the person who's having the worst day of her life is small-time businesswoman Donna Saxon of Saxon Court Financial Recruitment-to-Recruitment Services.

Someone has stolen Donna's phone and blocked the office toilet; her business partner has got cancer; her gold-plated golf clubs haven't arrived; and her useless staff seem blissfully unaware that the company is about to go under. In fact they're more interested in starting the office party. One of them will have to be fired.

To make matters worse, Occupy protesters have started gathering outside the office door. But as Donna starts swinging her axe inside, she discovers that she has more to fear from her mercenary brood of young employees than from anyone waiting on the street.

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Playwright Daniel Andersen is a new British playwright. He is currently under commission from Old Vic New Voices. Saxon Court is Daniel's professional debut.

Director Melanie Spencer studied at UEA and RADA. Other training includes the National Theatre Studio Director's course and Channel Four Screenwriter's initiative. She was Resident Assistant Director at HighTide and a Creative Associate at the Gate Theatre. Production credits as director include Responsible Other (Hampstead Theatre Downstairs), Chicken (Southwark Playhouse), Tender (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama) and Honest (George Tavern). Credits as assistant director include The Promise (Donmar Warehouse, Trafalgar Season) Bea (Soho Theatre), Souvenirs (Tamasha), Sunset Baby and Wittenberg (Gate).

Made By Brick make theatre about modern life. They seek to present contemporary voices that are rarely seen on stage, connecting audiences with compelling stories that might otherwise be overlooked. In 2013, Made By Brick staged the critically-acclaimed Responsible Other at Hampstead Theatre, which was developed in consultation with staff and patients at St Thomas' Hospital in London. The company is run by Melanie Spencer (Artistic Director) and Clemmie Forfar (Executive Producer). In 2014, Clemmie produced Housed for The Old Vic, a hugely ambitious community production, which involved a non-professional cast and team of over 100. Made By Brick are currently developing original projects with new playwrights in association with several arts institutions and non-arts collaborators including Bolton University, Breathe AHR, Freedom From Torture, The Refugee Council, The Wellcome Trust and National Theatre of Scotland.

Debra Baker plays Donna Saxon. Her theatre credits include Home Theatre (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Someone to Blame (Kings Head Theatre), Vincent River (Old Red Lion), Elephant 21 (Royal Court Theatre Local), Human Interest (New Players Theatre), Mercury Fur (Theatre Delicatessen). Television includes Coronation Street, Eastenders, Phoneshop, Fast Freddie, The Widow and Me, Birds of a Feather and Call The Midwife.

Adam Brown plays Mervyn. His theatre credits include The Perfect Wife Roadshow, Flamingo Flamingo Flamingo and The Reconditioned Wife Show (Plested and Brown/UK Tour), Heath and Stacey and Minor Spectacular (Pleasance Dome/UK Tour), The Ofsted Inspector (English Touring Theatre), Hot Pursuit (Pleasance Courtyard/UK and New Zealand Tour) and Carol Smillie Trashed My Room (Stephen Joseph Theatre). Film includes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies (directed by Peter Jackson for Warner Brothers).

Sophie Ellerby plays Nat. Her theatre credits includes Blithe Spirit (Nottingham Playhouse). Film includes This is England and The Perfect Silence

Alice Franklin plays Tash. Her theatre credits include The Frontline, Twelfth Night, Don Juan Comes Back From the War and Romeo & Juliet (Arts Educational Schools London), Treasure Island (Miskin Theatre) and Show Boat (Prince Edward Theatre). Television includes Sadie J (BBC). Film includes Teenage Hero and Tears of a Clown

Scott Hazell plays Noelle. His theatre credits include View From The Bridge (Liverpool Playhouse), Mudlarks (Bush Theatre), Days Of Significance (RSC), Junk (Broadway Theatre). Television includes Woody, Meet The Parents, New Tricks, Law and Order UK, Alive!, Waking The Dead and The Bill. Film includes Flyboys and Croc.

John Pickard plays Joey. His theatre credits include Guards (Greenwich Theatre), Abomination (Soho Theatre), To the End Of Love (Tristan Bates), Hamlet (St Andrews Crypt), Same Time Next Year (Ashcroft Theatre Croydon), Out In The Garden and Stroke Me (Finborough Theatre) Aphrodite Blues (New End Theatre), Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet (Stafford Shakespeare Festival) and Saved (Bolton Octagon). Television includes Hollyoaks (Channel 4), Mile High (SKY), The Bill (ITV), Casualty, 2 Point 4 Children, Family Affairs, The Bill, Sunburn, EastEnders and Grange Hill (BBC). Radio includes With A Little Help From My Friends, Head Over Heels, Together, Passionate Playing and Notes From The Orcahrd Farm (BBC). Film includes Rage (Granite Films), Run, For the Lifeboat (BBC), More Than Dreams (Bonafide Producitons) and Twin Suns (the flock of condor).

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