 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Roland Muldoon (born 1942) is an English playwright and actor.
| This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Roland Muldoon (born 1942) is an English playwright and actor.
Muldoon was born, in between air-raid warnings, in 1941 in Weybridge, Surrey. He left school in 1956 and worked in various jobs, ranging from city clerk to labourer, Brixham fish sorter to chainman on the new Victoria line. He studied stage management at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. It was in this city that he teamed up with life-time partner/wife, Claire.
In 1963 they joined London's Unity Theatre before setting up the underground political theatre group CAST (Cartoon Archetypical Slogan Theatre). Their debut was at the Peanuts Club off Liverpool Street set up by Jeff Nuttall. They claimed their work was Agit-Prop, frequently performing on the still-existing folk club circuit.
Their short fast-moving plays would feature Muggins characters who invariable are trying to make sense of the capitalist world. Their anti-Vietnam play John D Muggins is dead played in the Festival Hall and appeared in Peter Brooks U. S at the Roundhouse. CAST took Trials of Horatio Muggins and Mr Oligarchy's Circus to the Nancy Festival in 1969 they played student and factory occupations s.
In 1970, the group split. One half left and set up the Kartoon Klowns and later were the drive behind Rock against Racism. Claire and Roland reformed CAST, rehearsing every evening while in the day time Roland helped set up C.I.S Counter Information Services where they exposed the goings on of major global companies.
In 1976, CAST won an annual Arts Council Grant and they began a ten-year period of writing two plays a year; the most toured being The Return of Sam The Man M.P, a comic tragedy of the decline of the Labour Party.
In 1980, Roland received a Village Voice Obie award for his one-man play, Confessions of a Socialist.
In 1981, CAST set down a marker for the emerging comedy scene with its Sedition 81, a cabaret which executed the Monarchy, leading trade unionist amongst others, Roland gave a joint to the audience as a rebate from the state anticipating the arts cuts that the Tories planned in 1982, CAST created the New Variety circuit in London promoting a new wave of alternative comedy. Which went on to receive support from the Greater London Council, enabling it to run eight venues throughout London and establish the first modern comedy circuit? With performers such as Paul Merton the Joeys, Harry Enfield, Jo Brand Julian Clary and others, too many to mention.
In 1986, Roland, Claire and others from CAST took over the Hackney Empire variety theatre. Setting about modernising and restoring this jewel in the crown of the East End. The 1,300-seat Hackney Empire became a permanent base for their operations and ambitions. Roland became theatre director and the building was re-opened on 9 December 1986. It went on to establish itself as one of the leading comedy venues in Britain, where many of today's top comedians got their first break. Notably through the pivotal national comedy and new variety competition The Hackney Empire New Act of the Year (NATY)
Roland went on to co-star in the US movie Bucharest Express.
When they parted company with the Empire in 2005, Roland and Claire left behind a fully refurbished theatre. Their company CAST Presentations took over the Cock Tavern in London's Kilburn High Road and presented nights of comedy, music and new variety. The cocks logo was designed and donated to the company by the artist Ralph Steadman.
He has written and self-published his first novel, a political detective story The White Van Papers and in March 2013 published with Just Press his Hackney Empire memoirs, Taking on the Empire (How we saved the Hackney Empire for Popular Theatre), A rollicking, revealing tale of a rare phenomenon in arts history: how politically-inspired theatre group CAST saved an iconic East End building and held out for 20 years against the odds, presenting a unique program from new variety to Jamaican farce via opera and Hackney Hamlet. In this comically sharp account, Muldoon tells you everything you ever wanted to know about how to run a multicultural popular theatre in the face of pressure from the establishment, funders and the local council.
He has in collaboration with his partner Claire alongside ex-Hackney Empire colleagues Frank Sweeney and Tony Goodrick, established the entertainment company New Variety Lives which produces and promotes the annual national comedy competition 'The New Acts of The Year' (The NATYS)
Claire and Roland have two children, Laura Jane and Alison Claire, and have two grandchildren, Ruby, Lucia and Silvia. They live in London and escape to Buckinghamshire accompanied by their Balloon Juggling Dog Sid Russell.
Sean Carl Roland Pertwee is an English actor, narrator and producer. His credits include Chancer (1990), Leon the Pig Farmer (1992), Cadfael (1994), Bodyguards (1997), Event Horizon (1997), Stiff Upper Lips (1998), Soldier (1998), Cleopatra (1999), Love, Honour and Obey (2000), Dog Soldiers (2002), Julius Caesar (2003), Ancient Rome–The Rise And Fall of an Empire: Caesar (2006), Doomsday (2008), Honest (2008), Devil's Playground (2010), Four (2011), Wild Bill (2011), Elementary (2013–2014), Howl (2015), Gotham (2014-2019), Agatha Christie's The Pale Horse (2020), You (2023), Silent Witness (2024), and The Night Caller (2024).
Alternative comedy is a term coined in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era. The phrase has had different connotations in different contexts: in the UK, it was used to describe content that was an "alternative" to the mainstream stand-up of the day which took place in working men's clubs, and was characterised by unoriginal gags often containing elements of sexism and racism. In other contexts, it is the nature of the form that is "alternative", avoiding reliance on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt has defined it as "comedy where the audience has no pre-set expectations about the crowd, and vice versa. In comedy clubs, there tends to be a certain vibe—alternative comedy explores different types of material."
Thomas Henry Sargent, known professionally by his stage name Max Miller and billed as The Cheeky Chappie, was an English comedian often considered the greatest stand-up of his generation. He came from humble beginnings and left school at the age of twelve. At the outbreak of the First World War, he volunteered for the army. During his time in the forces, he started a troupe concert party. On leaving the army, he took up work as a light comedian, dancer, and singer. He toured extensively, appearing in variety, revues and by the early 1930s reached the top of the bill in the large music halls including the London Palladium.
Hugh Michael Horace Dancy is an English actor who rose to prominence for his role as the title character in the television film adaptation of David Copperfield (2000) as well as for roles in feature films as Kurt Schmid in Black Hawk Down (2001) and Prince Charmont in Ella Enchanted (2004). Other film roles include Joe Conner in Shooting Dogs (2005), Grigg Harris in The Jane Austen Book Club (2007), Luke Brandon in Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), Adam Raki in Adam (2009) and Ted in Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011). On television, he portrayed criminal profiler Will Graham in the NBC television series Hannibal (2013–2015), Cal Roberts in the Hulu original series The Path (2016–2018) and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in the Channel 4 miniseries Elizabeth I (2005); the latter role earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Dancy currently portrays Senior Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price on NBC's revival of the original Law & Order (2022–present).
Eric Blore Sr. was an English actor and writer. His early stage career, mostly in the West End of London, centred on revue and musical comedy, but also included straight plays. He wrote sketches for and appeared in variety.
Francesca Annis is an English actress. She is known for television roles in Reckless (1998), Wives and Daughters (1999), Deceit (2000), and Cranford (2007). A six-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won the 1979 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the ITV serial Lillie. Her film appearances include Krull (1983), Dune (1984), The Debt Collector (1999), and The Libertine (2004).
Veronica "Ronni" Jane Ancona is a British actress, comedian, impressionist and writer best known for The Big Impression, which she co-wrote and starred in and was, for four years, one of BBC One's top-rated comedy programmes, winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003. Ancona also starred in the first series of the BAFTA-winning ITV series The Sketch Show. Ancona has appeared in the BAFTA-winning Last Tango in Halifax since its creation in 2012. She is a co-director, alongside Sally Phillips and Nick Hamson, of the production company Captain Dolly.
Ra-Ra Zoo was an English-based contemporary circus theatre company, active, a seminal group who created self devised physical theatre performance for theatres using comedy and circus skills. Founded by Sue Broadway, Stephen Kent, David Spathaky and Sue Bradley while they were all working and staying together at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 1984.
Robin Mark Askwith is an English actor and singer who has appeared in a number of film, television and stage productions.
Sharon Delores Clarke is an English actress and singer. She is a three-time Olivier Award winner, and is best known to television audiences for her role as Lola Griffin in the medical drama Holby City, and as Grace O'Brien in Doctor Who. Clarke has also played lead roles in many West End musicals, and originated the roles of the Killer Queen in We Will Rock You and Oda Mae Brown in Ghost the Musical.
Angie Le Mar is a British comedian, actor, writer, director, presenter and producer.
Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by The Guardian as "the most beautiful theatre in London" it is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.
Moss Empires was a company formed in Edinburgh in 1899, from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss, Richard Thornton and Sir Oswald Stoll. This created the largest chain of variety theatres and music halls in the United Kingdom. The business was successful, with major variety theatres in almost every city in the UK and Ireland, and was advertised as the largest group in the world.
Clive Carter is a British actor and singer, best known for his role of "Claude Elliott and others" in the original London cast of Come From Away, for which he received an Olivier Award nomination. He studied at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Roland Jaquarello, born 14 December 1945, is a British Theatre Director and Radio Director/Producer. He started his career in Dublin Theatre Festival after graduating from Trinity College Dublin in 1968. Since then he has directed over 80 theatre and 60 radio productions in the UK and Ireland.
Fergus Craig is a British stand-up comic and actor in theatre, television and radio. He studied at the University of Manchester. Craig is one half of the double act Colin & Fergus, with actor and writer Colin Hoult.
Jonathan Stuart Bailey is an English actor. He is known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen. He is the recipient of a Peabody Award, Laurence Olivier Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, as well as a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Kate Smurthwaite is a British comedian and political activist. She has appeared on British television and radio as a pundit, offering opinion and comment on subjects ranging from politics to religion.
The NATYS: New Acts of The Year Showcase, previously known as The Hackney Empire New Act of the Year, is an annual industry showcase that promotes new waves of emerging Comedy and Variety acts. It ran at the Hackney Empire Theatre from 1988 until 2010. Since then it has toured round London theatres and performance spaces, playing the Barbican Theatre, Stratford Circus, Bloomsbury Theatre, Leicester Square Theatre and The Bernie Grant Arts Centre.
Richard David-Caine is an English actor, writer and voiceover artist. Between 2013 and 2019 he played the character of Line in the CBeebies series Swashbuckle. He is also part of the key ensembles in the BBC comedies Horrible Histories and Class Dismissed; for the latter he was nominated in the 2017 and 2019 RTS Awards for Best Performance in a Comedy. In 2020, he co-created, wrote and starred in Big Fat Like, a comedy sketch show pastiching the Internet.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
