Following two acclaimed runs at the King’s Head Theatre and the White Bear Theatre, The Diary of a Nobody returns for a limited three-week run this November. 4 male actors, 45 mix gender roles, a stage full of props, a party, a brawl, a broken engagement and a lot of bad puns. This is a comedy of lovingly controlled chaos.
Evelyn Waugh called The Diary of a Nobody ‘the funniest book in the world’. First published in the 1800s, it tells the story of a self-important but tender-hearted Victorian office-worker. Mr. Pooter never loses his sense of humour as he is made to deal with the trials of everyday life - a wayward son, trouble at the office, house hold improvements gone wrong and the annoyance of catching your foot in the mat whilst trying to leave the room in silent dignity.
This cult Victorian novel is transformed into an uproarious comedy through inventive and imaginative staging.
Balancing moments of wild humour against the insightful depiction of an ordinary life and happy marriage, this is a show with a surreal comic flair and a strongly beating emotional heart. It is directed by Mary Franklin who graduated from the King’s Head Theatre’s award-winning Resident Trainee Director’s Scheme in 2012.
THE DIARY OF A NOBODY
Tuesday 31 October – Saturday 18 November 2017 (full schedule below)
The King’s Head Theatre. 115 Upper Street. London. N1 1QN.
Running time 2 hours including interval
Tickets: £10 - £25 (£15, £18 concessions) Book online at www.kingsheadtheatre.com
Social media: @KingsHeadThtr @RoughHaired
Director Mary Franklin is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Rough Haired Pointer. She trained at Oxford University. Directing credits include Christie In Love (King’s Head Theatre), The Young Visitors (Tabard and Hen and Chickens Theatres), Noonday Demons (King’s Head Theatre), Murder On The Trading Floor (Tabard Theatre), Madame Manet (Tabard Theatre), The Diary Of A Nobody (White Bear and King's Head Theatre), Fred and Madge (Hope Theatre), Marco Polo? (Hen and Chickens), The Boy Who Cried (Hope and Tabard Theatre), and Cleopatra (King’s Head and Hope Theatre),. Assistant directing includes Tosca (Soho Theatre and tour), Quasimodo (King’s Head Theatre), Filter (Sadler’s Wells), Arab Nights (Soho Theatre) and The Invention of Love (Oxford Playhouse).
Designer Christopher Hone’s theatre credits include The Fall (Criterion Theatre, London), Orpheus of the Underworld (Teatru Manoel, Valletta), Big Time! (Theatre Royal, Stratford), Gatsby (Arts Theatre, London), Second Person Narrative (Ambassadors Theatre, London), Carmen and Tosca (Soho Theatre, London), Christie in Love, Noonday Demons, The Great Gatsby, A Tale of Two Cities and Two Caravans (King’s Head Theatre), Weald, Coyote Ugly and The Time of Your Life (Finborough), The Lesson, Vincent in Brixton, A Taste of Honey, Hamlet, Hedda Gabler and Othello (International Tour), One Minute (Courtyard Theatre), Radiance, The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, Cinderella, The Young Visitors and Stiffed! (Tabard), Dorian Gray, Romeo and Juliet (Leicester Square), Gilbert is Dead (Hoxton Hall). Television includes The complete studio re-design of QVC, Big Brother, Phillip Schofield’s 24 Live TV Marathon for Text Santa, Children In Need, 60 Minute Makeover, Cowboy Builders and Bodge Jobs. He is currently Art Director on ITV’s This Morning.
Jake Curran | Playing Various
Jake trained at Drama Centre London. Theatre credits include Christie In Love, Noonday Demons and The Diary of a Nobody (King's Head Theatre), Marco Polo? (Hen and Chickens Theatre), Fred and Madge (Hope Theatre) and The Boy Who Cried (Hope Theatre & Tabard Theatre). Television credits include Whitechapel, Murder on The Homefront, May Day, Lewis, Labyrinth, Waking the Dead and Spotless. He has just completed filming Maze Runner: The Death Cure and Journey’s End, both of which will be released later this year.
Jordan Mallory-Skinner | Playing Various
Jordan is an interdisciplinary artist, working as a composer, sound designer and actor. He graduated with a Bmus (Hons) degree in Music from Goldsmiths, University of London, and makes his own music under the moniker Rocheman. Theatre credits include Noonday Demons, The Diary of a Nobody and Christie In Love (King's Head Theatre), Fred and Madge (Hope Theatre), Marco Polo? (Hen and Chickens Theatre), The Young Visitors (Tabard Theatre), Ivy (The Rug Factory, Southwark Playhouse), My Body Welsh (Pontio Arts Centre, Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre). He also composes for short films, and creates sound-based installations in cymatics and interactive sound sculpture for exhibition spaces, including a recent installation at the Southbank Centre.
Geordie Naylor-Leyland | Playing Various
Theatre credits include The Young Visitors (Tabard Theatre), Marco Polo? (Hen and Chickens Theatre), Fred and Madge (Hope Theatre), King Arthur and Mordred in Rex Futurus (Edinburgh Festival), Alex in Meat (C Venues). Film credits include The Diary of Tuffnell Cobb and Drifter.
The King’s Head Theatre was established in 1970. The most ethically and socially responsible fringe theatre in the UK, we are known for our challenging work and support of young artists. Last year 87,031 audience members saw a show of ours: 43,857 at our 110-seater home on Upper Street and 43,174 on tour. At our home in Islington we had 861 performances last year of 84 different shows. We are committed to fighting prejudice through the work we stage, the artists and staff we work with and by producing work for minority audience groups. We believe in fair pay for all on the fringe and create accessible routes for early career artists to stage their work; work we are passionate about. This year we announced the theatre is on the move. In 2018, subject to a fundraising campaign, the King’s Head Theatre will move into a custom-built space in the heart of Islington Square, directly behind its current home securing the future of the venue for generations to come.
Overall Performance Schedule
Tuesday 31 October at 7pm (preview)
Wednesday 1 November at 7pm (preview)
Thursday 2 November at 7pm (press performance)
Friday 3 November at 7pm
Saturday 4 November at 3pm and 7pm
Sunday 5 November at 3pm
Tuesday 7 November at 7pm (captioned performance)
Wednesday 8 November at 7pm
Thursday 9 November at 7pm
Friday 10 November at 7pm
Saturday 11 November at 3pm and 7pm
Sunday 12 November at 3pm
Tuesday 14 November at 7pm
Wednesday 15 November at 7pm
Thursday 16 November at 7pm
Friday 17 November at 7pm
Saturday 18 November at 3pm and 7pm
