The Devil and His Boy

by Anthony Horowitz | Adapted by Oliver Dawe

Michael Grandage Company / RIVE Productions

1.5 Week Development Workshop

London. January - 2018

Theatr Clwyd

2 Week Development Workshop

February - 2019

Cast:

Mimi Ndweni

Orlando James

Theo St Claire

Peter Clements

Iestyn Arwel

Michael Edwards

Lizzie Clarke

Jim Hooper

Mathew Wernham

Creative:

Director | Oliver Dawe

Set & Costume Design | Louie Whitemore

Movement Director | Jane Gibson

Sound Designer | Josh Spear

Producer | Zoe Robinson & Rebecca Durbin for RIVE Productions

Oliver’s adaptation of The Devil and His Boy is set in the dirty and dangerous world of 16th Century London and Elizabethan Theatre. The ultimate aim is to introduce young audiences to a new and exciting way of learning about history - through theatre.

Oliver read the book when he was ten years old. It thrilled him, bringing the dull facts and dates from daunting history lessons and breathing dynamic, exhilarating life into them. It introduced him to Shakespeare and to theatre. Horowitz’s dark and gory humour coupled with his beautifully drawn human characters made a far-away time relatable. Suddenly, he had access to a way of learning that challenged the intimidating world of tests, teachers and academia. His imagination was fed and history became an exciting tunnel of stories – it opened a door. 

twentysomething years on, Oliver is bringing The Devil and His Boy to life on stage and in doing so, blowing the dust of history, feeding imaginations and challenging the un-imaginative world of classroom learning for many young people. It will open doors.

The adaptation takes a young audience (target age: 6 - 12 years) through the rude, noisy, dirty and dangerous world of Elizabethan London populated by real historical figures, including Shakespeare himself, the reality of 16th Century life and introduce the young audience to a new and dynamic way of learning. It tells the coming of age story of Tom Falconer as he journeys from penniless orphan to heir of the throne of England in an epic voyage of discovery, both personal and historical. Elizabethan England was not the grand, tastefully illustrated world that history books would have you believe.

In January 2018 we started development on the adaptation with a weeklong workshop in London supported by a bursary from the Michael Grandage Company Futures and Arts Council England.

Oliver worked with Anthony Horowitz, movement director Jane Gibson, sound designer Josh Spear, set and costume designer Louie Whitemore and a company of 6 actors to test initial ideas and devise from the original text. From this workshop we then fleshed out and expanded our early experimentation with combining historical elements with recognisable and accessible modern influences, such as using historically accurate renaissance dances set to modern pop music and melding Elizabethan stagecraft with modern stage design - All culminating in an original, ambitious and above all relatable piece of theatre for young audiences. 

In February 2019, a further 1 week development workshop was held at Theatr Clwyd as part of their residency program.