{{unreferenced, date=July 2011
''Prime Resident'' is a play by
Stella Duffy
Stella Frances Silas Duffy (born 1963) is a London-born writer and theatremaker. Born in London, she spent her childhood in New Zealand before returning to the UK.
Early life and education
Born in London in 1962 to a New Zealand father and an ...
, first performed in 2006 as part of the
National Youth Theatre
The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and registered charity in London. Its aim is to develop and nurture young people through creative arts and theatrical productions. Founded in 1956 as the world's first youth th ...
of
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
's Summer Sextet, marking the company's 50th anniversary. The sextet cycled though each of the decades the NYT has been in Britain's theatre, culminating with ''Prime Resident'', set in 2009.
''Prime Resident'' was performed at the Soho Theatre and Writers Centre ( West End) in repertoire from 4 August to 2 September 2006.
Written by Stella Duffy (''Improbable'', ''Spontaneous Combustion'', ''Immaculate Conceit''), ''Prime Resident'' offers a cynical view of a future Britain under the 'dictatorship' of a Prime Resident (played by Tom Williams) and his political allies, the Shadow Monistor and Home Secretary (Ben Fowler and Chloe Casselton), who are hell bent on returning citizens to their country of birth. Intertwined is the story of two lovers (Abidemi Oyediran and David Mumeni), the Three Conspiracy Theorists always on the lookout for the next plan (Sair Khan, Grant Black, and Christian Wassell), and the religious fundamentalists (Rosie Reynolds and Lauren Cooney). Throughout, the Grief Eaters (Kane Husbands, Philippa Hambly, and Petrina Sargent) provide comic interventions. The show reaches a dramatic climax when The Host (Stephen Johnston) leads "Repatriation! Repatriation!" and the lovers look as though they may be parted forever.
The show was described as an
ensemble
Ensemble may refer to:
Art
* Architectural ensemble
* ''Ensemble'' (album), Kendji Girac 2015 album
* Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary
* Ensemble cast (drama, comedy)
* Ensemble (musical theatre), also known as the chorus
* ''En ...
masterpiece by the ''
Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'', who said, "Director Juliet Knight drills her cast of 14 beautifully." The lighting design by David W. Kidd was also praised.
Credits
* Director: Juliet Knight (assisted by
Martin Stirling
Martin Stirling (born 17 June 1985) is a British writer and director working in film, television, and commercials. He is known for his contributions to socially committed advertising, writing and directing Save The Children ''Most Shocking Second ...
)
* Writer: Stella Duffy
* Cast: Grant Black, Chloe Castleton, Lauren Cooney, Ben Fowler, Philippa Hambly, Kane Husbands, Stephen Johnston, Sair Khan, David Mumeni, Abidemi Oyediran, Rosie Reynolds, Petrina Sargent, Christian Wassell, Tom Williams
* Designer: Mike Ozouf
* Costume design: Lotte Collett
* Lighting design: David W Kidd
* Sound Design: Roberto Raskovsky
* Stage Management: Nick Hill, Sam Orme, and Kirsty Robinson
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...