Bruised Sky Productions and Fledgling Theatre Company today announce full casting for their 2023 Vault Festival show Hummingbird. The production runs at The Vaults, 28 February to 5 March.
The cast includes Louise Beresford (Co-Artistic Director of Bruised Sky Productions, Magic Goes Wrong at The Apollo Theatre, The Fairytale Revolution) as Phoeb, Amit Shah (Faisal in Happy Valley) as Brian and Nancy Zamit (Mischief Co-Founder, BBC One’s The Goes Wrong Show) as Jude.
Hummingbird is written and directed by Christopher Neels, developed with Nic Sampson and Callum Cameron, and designed by Virginie Taylor.
Christopher Neels, Artistic Director of Fledgling Theatre today said “We are really excited to premier Hummingbird at London's iconic VAULT Festival. This production has been a long time in the making and we are excited for audiences to finally see it!”
Louise Beresford, Co-Artistic Director of Bruised Sky Productions said "It's been a fantastic experience collaborating with such a like-minded company. we cannot wait for people to see this poignant piece and thrilled to be welcoming back audiences at Vaults."
HUMMINGBIRD
Written and directed by Christopher Neels
Developed with Nic Sampson and Callum Cameron
Cast includes: Nancy Zamit, Louise Beresford and Amit Shah
Designed by: Virginie Taylor
Crescent, The Vaults, Leake Street, Waterloo, London SE1 7NN
28 Feb – 5 Mar | 21:00, 20:30, 14:45 (60 mins)
'Think about it, natural, straight from the teet banana milk. All natural flavoured milkshakes, from udder to glass.'
Time moves differently in the country. Brian and Jude have a farm they don’t want. Jude’s half-sister, Phoeb, turns up out of the blue following the disappearance of her husband Gavin.
But things begin to change around the farm the night Phoeb believes Gavin has returned. It’s just that Gavin isn’t exactly himself… Gavin is a hummingbird. As Phoeb attempts to build herself wings to join her bird-husband, the two reluctant famers are forced to confront their own lives, deal with the loss of a close friend and finally begin to move on.
Edward Albee’s ‘The Goat’ meets Michel Gondry’s ‘Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind’, Chris Neels’ play features banana milk, model spaceships, expectant sheep, and lost dreams. Hummingbird is a surreal and relatable exploration of grief, aspiration and dairy farming.
BIOGRAPHIES
Louise Beresford – ‘Phoeb’
Louise Beresford is an actor and writer from London. Having trained at Mountview Academy, Louise went on to write and perform as part of comedy troupe Lead Pencil, where she developed several critically acclaimed shows at the Edinburgh Festival and appeared on BBC Radio 4, Comedy Central and Funny or Die. Louise has since been commissioned by Theatre503 as a writer and performer developing shows such as The Fairytale Revolution which was awarded an Offie OnComm. She was also appointed Co-Artistic Director of theatre company Bruised Sky Productions earlier this year.
Theatre includes: Magic Goes Wrong (Apollo Theatre), The Fairytale Revolution (Theatre503 and Live-Streamed Globally); Feed (National tour); Wendy's Awfully Big Adventure (Writer/Actor, Theatre503); Victim (Soho Theatre); Cinderella and the Beanstalk (Theatre503); SORRY (Assembly Edinburgh Festival, Kings Head Theatre).
Film includes: Castoffs (Little Dot Productions); Crazy in Love (Dead Parrot).
Amit Shah – ‘Brian’
Amit has worked extensively in theatre, film and TV for the past 20 years. He trained at LAMDA. He has performed at The National Theatre on all stages and was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award for his role in The Alchemist. He recently filmed Pain Hustlers for Netflix, alongside Emily Blunt and appeared as Faisal in Happy Valley earlier this year.
Film includes: The Hundred Foot Journey (DreamWorks), Last Christmas (Universal), Johnny English 3 (Working Title).
TV includes: Crashing (Netflix), The Other One (BBC).
Theatre includes: Bombay Dreams (Really Useful Group), East is East (Trafalgar Studios), The Man of Mode (NT).
Nancy Zamit – ‘Jude’
Nancy is an actor and co founder of Mischief Theatre. She was recently nominated for Best Supporting Performer in a Female Identifying Role in a Play at the WOS Awards.
Theatre includes: The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess Theatre & Broadway Lyceum Theater), Magic Goes Wrong (Vaudeville & Apollo Theatre), Tasting Notes (Southwalk Playhouse), Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Apollo Theatre), The Comedy About A Bank Robbery (Criterion Theatre), Mischief Movie Night, Groan Ups (Vaudeville Theatre), Lights! Camera! Improvise! (Trafalgar Studios), Shadow Language (Theatre 503).
Film/TV includes: 'Annie' in The Goes Wrong Show (BBC1), Peter Pan Goes Wrong (BBC1), Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (BBC1), The Royal Variety Performance (2015 & 2019), 'Lois Duval' on Comic Relief (2019), Comic Relief (2022), Wilder (pilot), Welcome To Neverland, In Conversation With a Goddess (short film for Bloody Good Period), Brunch Bitches (Funny Or Die).
Christopher Neels – Writer & Director
Christopher Neels is a New Zealand born writer and director based in London. He trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and has a Masters in Acting (Contemporary). In 2018 his play The Seven Funerals of Charlie Morris won the peoples choice award three nights running in SLAM Soaps at The Arcola Theatre in London. His most recent show Neck or Nothing was an OFFIE finalist for ‘Best Company Ensemble’. He also was part of the directing team with Almeida Theatre’s Immersive production Lost Origin.
Directing credits include: The Terrific Tale of Tabatha Talmus (Basement Theatre), These are the Skeletons of Us (Basement Theatre/BATS), The Seven Funerals of Charlie Morris (Basement Studio/ Arcola Studio as part of SOAP SLAMS), Brogilantes (Wilton Garage), Leopard (Basement Theatre), Modern Jesus (Nursery Theatre London), Jericho Creek (Cockpit), Hunted (Colab Theatre), Neck or Nothing (Pleasance and Greenwich Theatre) and Fight Night (VAULTS and Latitude Festival), The Ballad of Copper County (Boomtown Festival)
Callum Cameron – Development
Callum is a screenwriter, producer and playwright based in London. His writing is searingly honest and beautifully observant, often using his sharp wit as a way into discussions around complex contemporary issues such as male mental health.
Last year, he wrote ENJOY, which starred Himesh Patel and premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival before winning ‘Best UK Short’ award at the 2021 Raindance Film Festival and British Short Film Awards. It is set to stream on Disney+ from Summer 2022. His scripts have been shortlisted for the Channel 4 Screenwriting Programme as well as the NETFLIX Stage to Screen Award.
His writing for the theatre includes Neck or Nothing which ran at the Pleasance and Greenwich theatre and was nominated for the 2020 Off West End Award for ‘Best Ensemble’, Celebrate which ran at the VAULT Festival and They Built It No One Came which had a sell-out run at the Pleasance Theatre before touring the UK. He’s a co-director of the Fledgling Theatre Company. Prior to his writing career Callum trained as an actor at Central School of Speech and Drama.
Nic Sampson - Development
Nic Sampson is a comedian, writer and actor originally from Wellington, New Zealand and now based in London.
Nic is one of the co-writers of comedy series Starstruck (BBC Three, HBO Max) created by and starring Rose Matafeo, and plays Jessie’s friend Steve in the show. In New Zealand he was co-creator of sitcom Golden Boy (Mediaworks), and has written for detective drama The Brokenwood Mysteries (South Pacific Pictures). Nic was a writer on the International Emmy Award-winning short form series Inside (Luminous Beast), and a writer/performer on sketch series Funny Girls (Mediaworks).
As a comedian, Nic won Best Newcomer at the 2014 NZ International Comedy Festival. In subsequent years he was nominated for the Billy T Award and the Fred Award for Best Show. He hosts improvised comedy show They Seem Nice, which has sold out two runs at Soho Theatre. Nic is also a member of acclaimed New Zealand improvised comedy collective SNORT, who were a smash hit at Edinburgh 2019.
As an actor, Nic portrayed ‘D.C. Sam Breen’ in seven seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries, which is one of New Zealand’s most exported TV shows, and regularly plays on UK Drama. Nic has appeared in NZ films The Breaker Upperers & Baby, Done (Piki Films), and played the ‘Yellow Power Ranger’ in Disney’s Power Rangers: Mystic Force in 2006.
