Mistero Buffo

Performer + additional writing

Julian Spooner is a multi- award winning actor, director, writer, and co- artistic director of Rhum and Clay Theatre Company. He studied Drama at the University of Bristol before training for two years at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris where he co- founded Rhum and Clay Theatre Company.

Since 2010 he has acted as co-artistic director of the company and has co-created all of their productions. Most notably he co-directed and performed in the critical smash hit 64 Squares, directed the multi-award winning Testosterone which has since toured across the world. In 2018, Julian made his solo performance debut in Dario Fo’s Mistero Buffo in Edinburgh, where he won The Stage Award for acting excellence, and the show transferred to the main house at Arcola Theatre.

In 2019 he co-created and co-directed The War of the Worlds which ran at the New Diorama for 5 sold out weeks, and was a smash hit at the Fringe 2019. The production went on a midscale tour of the UK and the US in 2021. He also recently collaborated with Shon Dale-Jones & Hoilopolloi on The Ladder, created in Australia and toured the UK. Julian is developing multiple projects for screen including two feature film screenplays. His comedy short film Toby was selected for film festivals across the globe, winning various awards. His work has been performed in China, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Europe, Australia, Brazil, Venezuela, Canada & USA.

Director + additional writing

Nicholas Pitt is a freelance director specialising in new work with a strong historical, political and performance focus. He is Artistic Director and co-founder of No Stone Theatre, who’s audio drama Seeds, starring Nina Sosyana, was released in 2020 as response to the Pandemic to critical acclaim.

Nicholas was resident director at the Birmingham REP from 2014 to 2015, and returned to work as associate director for the national tour of Of Mice and Men in 2016. In 2018 he directed Rhum and Clay’s Stage award winning Mistero Buffo. He was previously creative associate of Idle Motion and recent directing credits include Don’t Look Away by NOAVE Theatre. He was also head of strategy for The Public Campaign for The Arts.

Lighting Design

Geoff Hense was Head of Production at Arcola Theatre and has worked as Lighting Designer with Rhum and Clay since 2013. Lighting Design Credits include: Kill Climate Deniers (Pleasance), Sitting (Arcola), Keith (Arcola), Byron: Angel and Outcast (Cadogan Hall/Kazakhstan), The Daughter-In-Law (Arcola), Spun (Arcola), Secret Life of Humans (New Diorama/Edinburgh Festival), Testosterone (Edinburgh Festival/International Tour), 64 Squares (New Diorama/Edinburgh Festival), Richard II (Arcola/UK Parliament)

Sound Design

Jonathan Ouin has composed soundtracks for numerous theatre productions including Mayfly (Orange Tree Theatre), Don’t Look Away (Novae Theatre) and Flux (Smoking Apples). He has written music for BBC Radio 4 dramas such as Tumanbay, The Chosen One and School Drama, as well as for television programmes such as Abducted – Elizabeth I’s Child Actors (BBC Four), Back in Time For The Weekend (BBC 2) and Art 50 (Sky Arts). Other recent work has included writing and presenting a Russian-themed music documentary for BBC World Service Yevgeny Murzin – Master of the Synthesiser. Jon was a member of the band Stornoway

Costume Design

Emily Bates is a London based Set and Costume designer. She is a graduate of the MA Design for Performance course at RWCMD, a National Theatre (UK) Linbury Prize Finalist 2017, and a recipient of the Royal Opera House bursary for 2018. Design credits include Set Design for Danish National Opera’s touring production of Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, directed by Philipp Kochheim. Emily also designed the set for Sunset Boulevard in 2020 and Inkognito Royale in 2021, both for Danish National Opera. She is one of three designers commissioned to make work as part of the London Symphony Orchestra and ORA Singer’s ‘Design Series’ at LSO St Luke’s.

Writer

Dario Fo (born March 24, 1926, Leggiuno-Sangiano, Italy—died October 13, 2016, Milan), Italian avant-garde playwright, manager-director, and actor-mime who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997 though he often faced government censure as a theatrical caricaturist with a flair for social agitation.

Translation

Ed Emery (born 1946) is an ethnomusicologist, writer, translator and political activist. In the 1970s, he was involved in political activist group Big Flame, and was one of the early organisers of the UK-based Ford Workers’ Group.[1] In 1976, he founded radical publisher Red Notes. He has translated key works by Italian playwright Dario Fo and political theorist Antonio Negri.