The police. The law. They know nothing of Chummy.
Someone out there is afraid. Afraid of becoming a murderer. Terrified of killing someone. Anyone. The phone calls keep coming from a pleading man desperate for help. A man desperate for someone to stop him killing.
Private investigator Jackie Striker is hired by an anonymous serial killer for the biggest case of her life. Paid to stop him murdering, Jackie must face the consequences of counselling the mysterious ‘Chummy’ on a dark journey that will push her to her limits.
BAFTA award-winning writer John Foster and critically acclaimed company Encompass Productions present the world premiere of Chummy: a dark and cinematic neo-noir thriller that promises to be an unforgettable theatrical experience.
Reviews and press for Encompass Productions:
‘A talented pool of writers, directors and actors.' ***** LondonTheatre1
‘Theatre, to the point.’ ***** West End Wilma
‘Brilliant, innovative. Extraordinary new talent.’ ***** London Unattached
***** EdFringe **** Official Theatre **** Everything Theatre
On Little Boy by John Foster, staged by Encompass Productions:
‘Haunts you to the core. Remarkable and unsettling.’ ***** Grumpy Gay Critic
‘Brilliant. A first-class performance.’ **** Theatre Bubble
On Stasis at the White Bear Theatre:
‘Incredible. Will strike a chord with any viewer. ’ **** LondonTheatre1
‘Takes theatre to a place it has not yet been.' **** The Upcoming
‘Superb…evocative. More like this for theatre please.’ **** Female Arts
‘Astonishing new writing. Inspiring, stirring, and gripping.' **** Grumpy Gay Critic
‘An excellent script and talented actors. Marvellous.’ A Younger Theatre
Directed by Alice Kornitzer
Written by John Foster
Music & Sound by Alex Burnett
Lighting by Owen Pritchard Smith
Produced by Sofi Berenger and Jonathan Woodhouse
Associate Producer: Róisín Walsh
@EncompassOnline
#Chummy
John Foster – Writer
John is Practitioner-in-Residence at the Faculty of Media and Communication at Bournemouth University, where he teaches screenwriting and playwriting. He has published fiction in the The Guardian and The Spectator, broadcast talks for BBC Radio 4, worked as a script editor, researcher and associate producer in television. His credits include episodic dramas for many television series, beginning with Z-Cars through to The Bill. He has written children’s’ serials, single dramas and dramatized documentaries, including a BAFTA award-winning BBC Omnibus on crime novelist Raymond Chandler. He scripted the Patrick Swayze movie Letters from a Killer and was contributor to the award-winning crime fiction collection, Mean Time. He is currently writing for theatre and has had a number of full-length and short plays produced, including hit production Shot at Dawn, HAP – A Comedy About Happiness and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Other work also includes contributions to Encompass’ new writing showcase Bare Essentials, Bierkeller Theatre’s New Writing Platform in Bristol, Page to Stage at the Battersea Arts Centre, Paperback Pictures’ A Foot in the Door at the Arts Theatre, London and the Nuffield Theatre’s showcase, Experiment. He is co-founder of Doppelganger Productions.
Alice Kornitzer – Director
Alice is a British-born director, who spent the beginnings of her career in theatre in Berlin and touring Europe extensively. Working in Germany, Austria, Scotland, England and the USA, Alice thrives in bringing new stories to audiences everywhere, and is delighted to be directing Chummy. She has directed numerous and well-reviewed plays across London, most recently at Theatre503, and Seven Dials Club in Covent Garden. Theatre credits include: Ibsen’s Peer Gynt (Berliner Ensemble, Berlin, Germany), Wallace Shawn’s The Fever (Theater Unterm Dach, Berlin, Germany), Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage (Landestheater Linz, Austria), Jules Horne’s Allotment (Edinburgh Fringe First winner 2011), Christopher O’Shaughnessy’s The Ruth Ellis Show (Goldsmith’s University of London), Eleanor Appleton’s The Terrace (NOC@Nooks, London, UK), and two short plays for Hidden Vice at Theatre N16; Gregor Collins' The Accidental Caregiver (Robert Moss Theatre, New York, US); David Shirreff's Broke Britannia (Bridewell Theatre, London). The short Cold Callers is premiering at the BFI at the end of March 2017, on which she worked as 1st AD. Current projects include collaborations with Heather Uprichard, Shakespeare in repertoire with Tales Retold, and Pokfulham Rd. Productions. Alice facilitates workshops for actors at ‘ActorsBootCamp’; and regularly directs for new writing workshops. She is also a writer and public speaker. Represented by Union Management.
Alex Burnett – Music & Sound
Alex is a composer for film, television, theatre and game. A regular Encompass collaborator, Alex has composed the critically acclaimed scores for Encompass Productions’ Stasis (White Bear Theatre); This is Not a Christmas Play (Top Secret Comedy Club) and What It Feels Like (New Wimbledon Theatre) amongst others. He has written music and designed sound for a variety of media including stage plays, films, corporate videos, dance productions, documentaries and video games. His clients to date include Channel 4's award-winning The Last Leg, Panasonic, ZSL London Zoo and Icon Films. Currently, he is working on a number of video game projects including PC strategy game Spy Agency Tycoon, and most recently his music was featured in two documentaries on Channel 4 (Never Seen A Doctor and Bodyshockers).
Owen Pritchard-Smith – Lighting Design
Owen Pritchard-Smith (Spirit Design) works as a lighting designer across a wide variety of productions. Working on concert touring, theatre and live events allows him to approach designs from sometimes unusual angles, as well as having studied film at degree level which gives a cinematic feel to his stage lighting. Owen has operated and designed for numerous Brit and Grammy award artists including Sam Smith, Old Crow Medicine Show and De La Soul. He recently designed Stasis (White Bear Theatre), and is currently designing a new show for DJ Shadow.
Sofi Berenger – Co-Producer
Sofi is an Australian producer working in film and theatre production. In addition to her work for Encompass Productions Sofi is also the General Manager at Iris Theatre which has recently won an Off West End award for their production of Treasure Island in 2016 and produces London's Free Open Air Theatre Season at The Scoop at City Hall. For Iris Theatre, Sofi has produced Much Ado About Nothing, Treasure Island and Xmas Factor as well as running their new musical theatre showcase opportunities Workin Process. This year they will produce Macbeth and Hansel & Gretel. Independent credits include: Quentin Crisp : Naked Hope, The Silence of Snow, Noa : Live in Concert (Arts Theatre), An Evening of Webborn and Finn (St James' Theatre), Happy Ending (Arcola Theatre), Romance/Romance (Landor Theatre) and Macbeth (Greenwich Theatre). As a film producer, Sofi has produced award-winning short films such as The Suitcase and The Rusted Heart and produced work for Cornetto, HSBC, World Vision, Live Nation, Top Shop and London's ZSL Zoo.
Jonathan Woodhouse – Co-Producer
Jonathan is a London-based producer, director and actor. He works as a freelance creative, recently producing shows at the Arcola Theatre and Park Theatre. He was formerly the marketing manager for the award-winning White Bear Theatre and previously worked at the Theatre Royal Stratford East coordinating Open Stage. He is a masters graduate of Royal Holloway, University of London. Recent credits include: Out There on Fried Meat Ridge Rd for Pacific Resident Theatre; Men from the Ministry for the White Bear Theatre; Lena for Mihara Donegan Productions, How to Murder Someone and Make Sure They’re Absolutely, Definitely Dead for Encompass Productions (Seven Dials Club); No Broken Bones for Encompass Productions (Take Courage Theatre): The Divided Lang for Cabinet of Cynics (Arcola Theatre); SLAMAGEDDON: Underground Battleground for In(ep)trepid (The Vaults); Good King Richard for Golden Age Theatre Company (White Bear Theatre); Pieces by Spare Parts Theatre Company (Rosemary Branch Theatre); Stasis for Encompass Productions (White Bear Theatre); Contact.com for Spellbound Productions (Park Theatre).
Róisín Walsh – Associate Producer
Róisín is a Rose Bruford graduate hailing from Derby. She worked at the Battersea Arts Centre for a year and a half, working for the Outreach and Producing department. Róisín is currently part of the Battersea Arts Centre’s Young Producer’s Programme, working to curate a cross-arts festival taking over the building this April. Alongside this, Róisín most recently produced The COLAB Factory this year, selling out the run of The Harrowing (2017). Other credits include: Female Intuition by Original Impact Theatre Company (Blue Elephant Theatre); Shadow Play (Short Film – 2017).
Production Artwork by Grant Kempster
