London Premiere for Sung Play SPINACH at the King's Head Theatre

Spinach is not a musical.

It is not an opera.

It is a play where every word just happens to be sung.

SPINACH

A SUNG PLAY

Written & Directed by Janine Waters

Composer & Musical Director Simon Waters

Designer Kevin Freeman

Waking up tied together, Tom and Kate can’t remember a thing…. not about the last few days anyway. Everything is a total blank, except for a halloumi kebab and a double-decker bus. As piece by piece they unravel their memories, each step brings them closer to knowing their captors, closer to their terrifying fate… and closer to each other...

Spinach, written and directed by Janine Waters with music by Simon Waters, premiered at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre in 2011. It will get its London premiere at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington, from Tuesday 12 June - Saturday 7 July.

Press Night is Friday 15 June at 7.15 pm.

Ben Gerrard (Tom) became a household name after appearing for five years in C4’s Hollyoaks as Cameron Clarke, leaving to pursue a musical career.

Cassandra Compton (Kate) was a finalist in the very first series of The X Factor, lasting five weeks in the competition. In the West End she has played Eponine in Les Miserables; Elizabeth in Dirty Dancing; and Nessarose in Wicked.

Craig Whittaker originated the role of Darren in Spinach in Manchester in 2011.

Claire Greenaway (Maureen) was Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act at the London Palladium and appeared in Damon Albarn’s opera, Monkey - Journey to the West.

Janine Waters (Writer and Director) has worked in theatre for nearly 25 years. She originally trained and worked as an actress before moving into Theatre and Education and Applied Theatre.

Simon Waters (Composer and Musical Director) has worked for many years as a composer and facilitator in community and children’s theatre and was Musical Director of a youth theatre from 2003 until 2010.

In 2003, Janine & Simon began collaborating on community and youth theatre productions and together have written nine original pieces of work. In 2008 they began writing musical plays for conferences and events, around issues relating to diversity and community cohesion. In 2009, they wrote and directed Love Shift, an entirely sung play as part of the PUB season at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. In 2010, the Exchange invited them to create a second piece in this genre for a run in March 2011. Spinach, in association with the Royal Exchange, enjoyed playing to packed houses and received critical acclaim. Along with Dom Waters and Dan Jones, they make up the team of Waters Edge Arts, a production company based in Manchester who set up and now run their own theatre and arts centre, The Edge.

Designer Kevin Freeman is the Director of Renaissance Creative Design Ltd producing costumes and dressing for theatre, TV and events nationally and internationally. He has designed and produced for venues as diverse as the 02 and Brighton Pavilion and companies from the BBC to Graeae. Kevin specialises in the extravagant, the unusual and the avant-garde and was recently shortlisted for Designer of the Year by the Sussex Fashion Trust. Kevin designed Spinach for Waters Edge at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester.

Spinach is produced by Waters Edge

Spinach

King’s Head Theatre

115 Upper Street

London

N1 1QN

Tuesday 12 June - Saturday 7 July

Press Night: Friday 15 June at 7.15pm

Tuesday - Saturday at 7.15pm

Sunday matinee at 3.00pm

Tickets: £15.00 - 22.50

Previews:Tuesday 12 - Friday 15 June all seats £10.00