Gobstoppers is a montage of original solo vignettes specifically written and developed for streaming on screen. John Patterson, Artistic Director of Angel Theatre Company invited a team of writers and actors to collaborate with him on this unique project, which is now available to watch via Vimeo until 5th April 2021. Gobstoppers aims to be an experimental, entertaining and thought-provoking event for viewers to enjoy!
A series of unrelated scenes were commissioned from a pool of writers. Instructions were to create a piece of dialogue which specifically centred on the actor’s eyes, mouth or hands, the three primary tools available to the director/actor to communicate a character/narrative. Writers were encouraged to think “outside the box” and take risks in their choices, as well as to avoid the theme of Covid/lockdown…the aim of the project is to offer viewers some escapism from our current situation. These vignettes were then cast and rehearsed via zoom, each filmed on actor’s mobile phones, before being edited to create the whole.
Director, John Patterson, said, “As we are unable create live theatre, conceptually I wanted to develop something that was inherently theatrical in style but quite different in the way it was communicated to our audience. I feel streamed stage performances which were intended to be given live quite haunting to watch…it’s like watching the ghost of what we are all missing…and so I wanted to make Gobstoppers a bit different. It should offer the viewer a unique experience, something between theatre and film.” He added, “With such an eclectic mix of pieces, I am hoping there’s something in there for everyone to enjoy.”
All creatives involved in the project waived their usual fee in order that the piece may be used to raise funds for Acting for Others. Instead of charging a pay-per-view fee, Angel Theatre Company are asking viewers to make a donation to the charity, which is dedicated to offering financial and emotional support to all theatre workers in times of need. They ask that viewers give as much as their circumstances allow as their aim is to raise a minimum of £500 for this worthy cause. They hope money pledged will help their freelance industry colleagues who are suffering through lack of any form of government financial support during this pandemic.
Please note: Gobstoppers contains strong language and scenes of sexual suggestion. Angel Theatre Company recommends parental discretion for any viewers under the age of 16.
Gobstoppers is now available to watch online here.
Visit Angel Theatre Company’s JustGiving page to make your donation to Acting For Others
