There have been two private performances in schools in the last two months, and we now have threee new theatre performances. A number of venues and organisations are also working towards hosting the play. It is great to meet with such enthusiasm for the show.

Wednesday March 8th as part of York International Women’s Festival. The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse,  13-17 Coney Street, York, YO1 9QL 8pm  0871 902 5726  http://www.thebasementyork.co.uk/

Wednesday January 18th The Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High St, London NW1 7BU  7.30pm 020 7482 4857  £10 + online booking fee https://www.ticketea.co.uk/tickets-theatre-cleverest-thief-dementia/?published=true

Thursday January 12th 2017 Seven Arts, 31A Harrogate Road, Leeds LS7 3PD  8.00pm Box Office  0113 26 26 777    £8 in advance / £10 on the door http://www.sevenleeds.co.uk/event/smoke-tree-theatre-the-cleverest-thief-2/

Sunday November 13th Ackworth Quaker School (not a public performance)

Thursday October 13th Suffolk ONE Sixth Form College Ipswich (not a pubic performance)

If you would like to host a performance of the show, do please get in touch.

Summer 2016 has been a busy period. I performed in a preview performance of Macbrew, a short play based on the three witches from Macbeth, and performed bilingually in English and British Sign Language. This was an exciting accessible project and also enormous fun! Macbrew  is expected to tour various festivals during Summer 2017.

Then I also took part in After the Flood  a site specific piece about the Boxing Day floods in Leeds and the aftermath. There is a blog and some pictures of the show here https://commonchorus.co.uk/2016/11/08/after-the-flood-leeds-waterfront-festival/

And I also played a part in Different  a short film about COPD.

So it has been a busy, exciting and enjoyable summer. See above for news of The Cleverest Thief.

We have two shows already booked; more will be added as they are confirmed.

If you would like to arrange a performance in your locality or at a dementia awareness event, please get in touch.

Tuesday September 27th Pontefract Central Methodist Church Newgate ,Pontefract ,WF8 1NB 7.30pm.  No need to book tickets, pay what you choose. (It helps if you can send a message via the contact page to say that you are coming.)

Wednesday August 10th Hebden Bridge Little Theatre, Holme Street Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire HX7 8EE 2pm. No need to book tickets; pay what you choose.

The Cleverest Thief  has now been performed 19 times, in venues all over the UK, to appreciative audiences. They have laughed, cried, reminisced and wanted more shows.

The play will continue touring in Autumn 2016 and Spring and Summer 2017.

New venues will be posted on here, on the website for The Cleverest Thief  http://thecleverestthief.co.uk/the-tour/ and the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cleverestthief/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

These dates are now confirmed for performances of  “The Cleverest Thief”.

More dates are being discussed and will be added when they are confirmed.

Thursday 22 April 2016 Education Centre, West Suffolk Hospital Foundation Trust, Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 2QZ 2.30pm  For Booking contact:  Maggie Woodhouse  Email:     maggie.woodhouse@wsh.nhs.uk  Tel: 01284 713 847

Tuesday 17th May 2016 University of Huddersfield Queensgate HD1 3DH  WG/59, West Lecture Theatres, ground floor, room 59 at 5.30pm  Tickets are free, but please book here: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-cleverest-thief-by-smoke-tree-theatre-tickets-23161032271?aff=es2

Thursday 19th May 2016, DanceEast, Jerwood DanceHouse, Foundry Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk IP4 1DW 2pm  This performance is for an invited audience, but if you would like to come, please email Libbywattis@aol.com

Friday 20th May 2016 South Kirkby Miners Welfare Club, Stockingate, South Kirkby, Pontefract WF9 3DP 7.30 for 8pm Tickets £2 can be purchased in person from South Kirkby Welfare Association.  There will be a collection for the dementia charities.

The Spring performances have all gone really well: I have performed to audiences in Sheffield, Leeds, Broadstairs, Liverpool and at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden, London.

Summer dates for performances are beginning to be agreed. I will post them here as soon as they are definite.

Tuesday May 17th Huddersfield University (time to be confirmed).

Thursday 19th May Dance East in Ipswich for Suffolk Mind (time to be confirmed).

Here’s an update of the confirmed dates on the Spring section of the tour of  The Cleverest Thief . More dates are being added as soon as they are confirmed, so please check back to find out where you can see the show.

Sunday 24th January 1.30pm Sheffield Quaker Meeting House, 10 St James’ Street, Sheffield S1 2EW

Friday 29th January 8.00pm Seven Arts, 31A Harrogate Road, Leeds LS7 3PD                            Box Office  0113 26 26 777                                                                   http://www.sevenleeds.co.uk/event/smoke-tree-theatre-the-cleverest-thief/

Saturday 6th February 7.30pm Sarah Thorne Theatre, 14-16 St Peter’s Road, Broadstairs CT10 2BN   Box Office Telephone/Answerphone: 01843 863701  Manned: Mon – Fri 10.00am to 2.00pm http://intelligent-tickets.co.uk/index.php?th=st&pg=selectevent&start=1&sel=18

Friday February 12th 7.30pm  Lantern Theatre , 57 Blundell Street, Liverpool L1 0AJ         Box Office 01517 030 000                                                               http://www.lanterntheatreliverpool.co.uk/?post_type=events&p=1468

Monday February 22nd 2016 1pm and 7.30pm The Tristan Bates Theatre, 1A Tower St, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9NP      Box Office: 020 3841 6611  http://tristanbatestheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-cleverest-thief

The show now has its own website http://thecleverestthief.co.uk/ I hope to see you at one of the performances.

Anthony Robling of Lifestyle Photography took some great photographs of the performance of The Cleverest Thief at Wetherby Town Hall on 16th October 2015.

Wetherby Performance of The Cleverest Thief for W-iSE
Photography by Anthony Robling Lifestyle Photography

Wetherby Performance of The Cleverest Thief for W-iSE
Photography by Anthony Robling Lifestyle Photography

Wetherby Performance of The Cleverest Thief for W-iSE
Photography by Anthony Robling Lifestyle Photography

After an exciting time performing in ‘Ten Tiny Fingers and Nine Tiny Toes’ at the Theatre in the Mill in Bradford, I was asked to step in at short notice to one of ’10 x 10′ , an evening of 10 short pays at Seven Arts In Leeds. I was fortunate to be cast in an excellent play by Adam Hughes, and directed by Ruby Clarke.

Not only that, but a week later, I was also asked to step in at short notice to understudy in ‘Brief Encounters at Bradford Interchange’ written by Rav Sanghera and directed by Tom Wright.

Both of these last minute gigs were great fun, and I really enjoyed the challenge.

Lastly, today  it has been agreed in principle that there will be a performance of my solo show, ‘The Cleverest Thief’ at Huddersfield University,sometime in Spring 2016.

I have spent an exciting summer, firstly taking part in a summer intensive Meisner course with Scott Williams in London, which culminated in the performance of three plays; I played Mrs Penniman in ‘The Heiress’.

I am currently rehearsing for the end of year performances of the year long Meisner Course in Leeds, run by WYTN and M2M Acting. We are presenting two plays, ‘Colder Than Here’ by Laura Wade  and  ‘Ten Tiny Fingers and Nine Tiny Toes’ by Sue Townsend. These plays will be presented at the Theatre in the Mill, Bradford on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September.  https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/westyorkshiretheatrenetwork 

And lastly I’m delighted to confirm a performance of my solo show, ‘The Cleverest Thief’ at Jesus Lane Quaker Meeting House, Cambridge on Saturday 24th October at 7.30pm.