Original Theatre Company’s recent critically acclaimed, innovative online production of Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’s best-selling novel Birdsong has spurred the company on to produce another online production while theatres remain closed to live performances. Watching Rosie is a specially commissioned short play by Louise Coulthard based on her debut play, Cockamamy, which won the Lustrum Award for Outstanding New Play at The Edinburgh Fringe 2017. The production will star BAFTA-winning actress Miriam Margolyes, Amit Shah and Louise Coulthard and will be directed by Michael Fentiman.
Watching Rosie is a tender portrayal of experiencing dementia in lockdown and the power of love to overcome it. This heartbreaking and hilarious film highlights the incredible bond between Alice (Miriam Margolyes) and her granddaughter Rosie (Louise Coulthard) as they face change, confusion and an unexpected arrival from Tesco.
Watching Rosie will be released free-of-charge at 7pm on Thursday 6 August at OriginalTheatreOnline.com and will be available until 30 September. Donations are encouraged in support of Dementia UK.
Original Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, Alastair Whatley, said, “We are thrilled to be announcing Watching Rosie today. I greatly admired the play on stage and have really enjoyed working with Louise and Mike [Fentiman] to develop it for online audiences. I am very proud of the Original Theatre team, who have kept working throughout lockdown, adapting and diversifying our work and, in so doing, reaching a brand new online audience which is extending all over the world.”
Miriam Margolyes said, “I wanted to be in this film for two reasons. I loved the script and liked the character I’m playing. And it’s a challenge to try a new way of doing things – Zoom is a challenge – and it’s good to be professionally challenged at 79.”
Watching Rosie will be directed by Michael Fentiman, edited by Tristan Shepherd, with music by Barnaby Race.
Because of the success of the online production of Birdsong, Original Theatre Company is delighted to announce a second limited release, for anyone who missed it the first time round, from 7pm on Thursday 16 July until 11.59pm on Sunday 19 July via OriginalTheatreOnline.com.
