Meet the Crew!

The clock is ticking, the excitement is escalating and our team is buzzing with activity as we count down the days to the opening night of Theatre Giant's newest production of Nightmare: The Fright of Your Life.

We thought we would write a fun blog to introduce everyone to our hard working team of designers, directors and managers. Get comfortable as they let you into their deepest, darkest secrets....

  Director: Peter Snee

Creative Director of Theatre Giant, Peter Snee is very excited to bring this production of Roger Moss' Nightmare: The Fright of Your Life to The Space this Autumn. Peter graduated from Bath Spa University and as both producer and director he already has a huge amount of achievements under his belt, from London's West End to many other regional venues. His production of Stephen King's Misery last year was well received by both audiences and critics alike and this summer Peter directed Stuart Brennan's new comedy, Coffee Mornings in Stoke-on-Trent.

What is your favourite horror film/show?
I am a big fan of the thriller style horror and I am always mesmerized by actors that can take me on their journey.
I think a brilliant example of this is Silence of the Lambs, staring the incredible Anthony Hopkins.

Have you got any phobias?
I have an irrational phobia of  spiders; big, small, hairy or not, I can not stand them! But don't tell anybody.

What's the most frightening experience of your life?
The most frightening experience of my life has to be feeling a hand on my back when I was at our country house alone. When I turned around to see who was there; there was nobody to be seen.

Follow him on Twitter @PeterJSnee

Assistant Director: Suley Muhidin

Acting is a lot of fun, possibly even more thrilling than just being your regular old self. What’s more exciting than acting? In my opinion, directing. It’s like playing God. Only I don’t usually know where I want to end up but I always know when I get there. Relax, its only entertainment.

What is your favourite horror film/show? 
 My favourite horror film would have to be the Paranormal Activity series. Those films had me on edge! Yeah I know it’s not cool but I did jump once or twice, maybe a little more than just once or twice, my point is, your furniture flying across the house just isn’t an every day occurrence.

Have you got any phobias? 
 I think I can deal with most things, but snakes! You’ve got to be kidding me. They’re just awful.

What's the most frightening experience of your life?
 It was after midnight, I was making my way back to university from London. I was still in my first term of uni and I wasn’t too familiar with the route. There were server delays and I had just managed to hop on the last train to Birmingham. I had to change trains half way at a derelict train station. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I was desperate and I really had to go, I just couldn’t hold it. I went to use the public toilet and on my way out I realised that there was no door handle from the inside. To my dismay, I found myself locked in the public toilet for over an hour. I missed my train and I was stuck in a creepy village looking town for the night. I’m a city boy; I just can’t cope with country life. 

Follow him on Twitter @suleysauce

Sound Design: Tord 'THOOOORRR' Brudevoll 

Sound designer and classically trained musician studying at Rose Bruford College of Performing Arts. He flew over to England with hammer in hand from Norway shaking every theatre with epic orchestrations and designs. Notable works include Around the World with Bearded Kitten, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book and Jesus Christ Superstar.

What is your favourite horror film?
The Shinning

Have you got any phobias?
Fear of Slugs

What is the most frightening experience of your life?
2mm from falling off a 60 metre high cliff! 

Sound Design: Daffyd Gough

Sound designer and composer studying at Rose Bruford College of Performing Arts, hailing from the west midlands with nothing but a computer, a mircrophone and a noggin full of bizarre sound ideas. Notable works include Rock of Ages, Coffee Mornings, Around the World, H.I., Loves Oblique Lines and Maybe the Devil. 

What is your favourite horror film?
House on Haunted Hill

Have you got any phobias?
Being completely paralysed

What is the most frightening experience of your life?
Watching House on Haunted Hill, when a car crashed and exploded on my drive and a fireball came up to the window. I wet myself a little.  

Lighting Design: Marie Kearney

Parents always thought me and brother would be doctors/ lawyers. Kept them happy- right through to A Level psychology where 7 out of 8 of the projects i proposed for my final assessment were forbidden on ethical grounds. Went in search of an evil lair and ended up getting into theatre, now spend my days running around in the dark, sneaking up behind people and making things go bump.

What is your favourite horror film?
Bucket of Blood, House on Haunted Hill and It

Have you got any phobias?
Things crawling on me!

What is the most frightening experience of your life?
Almost dying in my sleep a few weeks ago, and my body deciding to wake me up by dreaming about being choked by a bald grey midget with my cousin's face. 

 

 

Set and Costume: Olivia Ward

Olivia graduated this summer from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts with a First Class Honours degree in Technical Theatre, specialising in design. Mountview design credits include: A Month In The Country, directed by Jake Murray, The Women, directed by Emma Gersch, Glengarry Glen Ross, directed by Jonathan Moore

Outside design credits:
The Devil Inside Him at The White Bear Theatre, The Picture House Musical at Edinburgh Fringe Festival/LOST Theatre Lambeth, Please Wait Patiently at The Tabard Theatre, Superstar at The Tristan Bates Theatre, Huis Clos at The Barons Court Theatre 

What is your favourite horror film?
The Orphan 

Have you got any phobias?
Masks

What's the most frightening experience of your life? 
Hearing movement in a stock room I knew was empty at work! We worked in a Grade 2 listed building which was rumoured to be haunted.  

Stage Manager: Will Collins

After starting his career as an actor, Will found himself working more and more behind the scenes, over the last couple of months he’s worked in places all over the UK and even abroad in Sweden. He’s just returned to London from working on 4 different shows up at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Upon finishing Nightmare: The Fright Of Your Life he will be travelling up to Stockport to take on the role of DSM for the well-known Pantomime Aladdin, for the Christmas season. 

What is your favourite horror film?
 Well I'm not really a horror fan because I get scared and can't hack it... I couldn't watch the whole of 'The Mummy' until I was about 14. So... Horror - Film: 1408 (John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson) and being that I don't like Horrors I haven't seen many Horror Plays... So I couldn't really comment sorry..

Have you got any phobias?
Not really a Phobia... but I don't like water... not like drinking water, and I'm not scared of water, I just don't like the Sea or Rivers or anything to do with it... I don't even eat fish. 

What's the most frightening experience of your life?  
An ongoing Nightmare from the age of 5 of things closing in on me. 

Make up and Special effects: Rosina Bunting

 Theatre and film has been a passion of mine since childhood. Over time I have become particularly fascinated by the horror genre, from classic B movies like Frankenstein and Dracula and to the modern quirky creations of Tim Burton.

I’ve studied Art+ Design, Theatre and Makeup/Special effects since leaving school. All of these things have influenced the career path I have decided to take. I have worked on diverse productions from Madame Butterfly at The Royal Albert Hall to short low budget films, but nothing quite beats creating a really gruesome zombie.

What is your favourite horror film/show?
Choosing a favourite horror film is almost impossible for me, but if I really had to it’d be the first horror I ever saw which was ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, purely for its tacky 80’s effects, tastelessness and cheesy one liners, it’s a classic.

Have you got any phobias?
Ship wrecks, Sharks and deep dark water...

What's the most frightening experience of your life?
Being stuck in a very old taxidermy museum in Malta with my sister, in the middle of a very violent thunder storm. We were the only people in the whole building...and the only member of staff was in a different building! The lights kept turning on and off and the windows kept shaking with plenty of beady eyes staring at us. We couldn’t leave because the lightening kept striking the surrounding buildings, so we had to make friends with a giant dead octopus in a tank of formaldehyde and wait for the storm to pass... not my favourite experience.

Make up and Special effects: Yvonne James

Having studied production and art  for  two years and came away with flying colours, not forgetting student of the year, i've worked on a few things like; the opening of the world skills at the O2, Madam Butterfly at the Royal Opra House, The Elephant Man at the Duke of Hamiiton, Magdeline players on Once Upon a Rhyme and makeup for a short film and a few more. So who am I?  I am a person who is determind to succeed in what ever I put my mind to. To some me up I can say I am very honest.

What is your favourite horror film/show?
I can't say I really have one but if I had to pick one I would have to say the Ring (the chinese version). 

 Have you got any phobias?

 I would say I am scared of failing  and as for my phobia, well just thinking of it gives me the chills lol, and that's heights (help) what a fear factor.  

 Make up and Special effects: Jessica Aflick

My name is Jessica and I have been drawn to make up, hair and anything arty since early childhood. I have resently finished studying Production Arts, a specialist subject in make up for performers at South Thames College. My previous work as a make up artist involved working for the popular make up brand MAC, several small theatre productions and a few short films.

What is your favourite horror film/show? 

 My favourite horror film, gosh, that is hard to say for the simple fact I'm quite easily scared and it may not be classed as horror!  But I do enjoy the Saw movies. The first is probably my favourite because I really wasn't expecting it to be so dark and cheesy at the same time. I remember watching Dawn of the Dead when I was young with my big brother, and it scared the life out of me! I swear I've never had so many nightmares, lol.

Have you got any phobias?

My biggest fear is to fall off a boat into cold water with all them sea creatures, like jelly fish! I hate them, and I am not a strong swimmer.

What's the most frightening experience of your life?
My biggest Phobia are wasps. I hate them simply because they scare the hell out of me buzzing around like that. I have been stung twice, its quite embarassing because I am always running away from them. I seem to attract them, but I have learnt to scream and get the hell out of there.

Follow Theatre Giant on:

www.facebook.com/TheatreGiant  
@Theatregiant

For some Nightmares, waking up is just the beginning...

Welcome to our first blog, and the first of many exciting blogs to come, dear readers!

Here in the office our excitement can hardly be contained as the count down begins. There are only 7 weeks until opening night of Nightmare: The Fright of Your Life at The Space in the Isle of Dogs, and we just wanted to let everyone know what a fantastic production Nightmare is going to be.

This week we have meetings with the set, lighting, sound, costume and make up designers. Everyone's creative juices are flowing, as we aim to make this the most scary thriller on the Off Westend circuit, and literally make you jump out of your skins!

 For those who have never witnessed Roger Moss' nail biting thriller performed you are in for a treat as Theatre Giant are bringing a terrifying production to London this October.

When soon to be married couple frank and Jenny find their dream home in a quiet, secluded village in the heart of the English countryside, they think that they have struck gold.

After returning from their honeymoon, they plan to begin married life in the old converted chapel they now call home. From day 1 they start to notice strange things happening with the house and their new neighbours but decide to put this down to village life.

The truth however is altogether more petrifying.

Frank and Jenny suddenly find themselves the focus point of a nightmare that begins to unfold around them. A nightmare with only 1 ending. And we hope you will be there to witness The Fright of Your Life!