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 Sonning Eye, Oxfordshire, England
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20 OCTOBER
– 26 NOVEMBER 2011
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“I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars ...” The four million dollars is General Sternwood, an ailing old man. He has two beautiful sexy daughters – one a high-living gambler, the other a fast-living rebel. The General is being blackmailed, and to stop the malicious threats hires Phillip Marlowe, a Private Eye with a dislike for guns but a liking for smart dangerous women. Marlowe is soon immersed in a world of deceit and double-cross. And then he stumbles across the first corpse ... “Neither of the two people in the room paid any attention to the way I came in, although only one of them was dead.” Raymond Chandler’s famous novel, THE BIG SLEEP, one of the greatest crime stories ever told, makes its stage debut in this outstanding adaptation directed by award-winning Alvin Rakoff. A wonderful mix of wit and intrigue, of detectives and dolls, of crime – with and without punishment! A great night’s entertainment. Don’t miss it! Raymond
Chandler. Copyright © 2011
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SIMON
MERRELLS (Philip Marlowe) Theatre includes OEDIPUS at Liverpool
and Nottingham Playhouses (nominated Stage award), EMPEROR AND
GALILEAN, THE LIFE OF GALLILEO, SING YER HEART OUT FOR THE LADS,
CYRANO DE BERGERAC and MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA at the National;
COMEDY OF ERRORS and TWELTH NIGHT for the RSC; ON THE WATERFRONT,
West End (nominated Stage award); THE WHISKY TASTER at the Bush;
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM at Shakespeare’s Globe; MUCH ADO ABOUT
NOTHING at Liverpool Playhouse; FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR
DE LUNE at the Nuffield, Southampton; THE RETIREMENT OF TOM STEVENS
at the Lakeside, Nottingham; RITUAL IN BLOOD at Nottingham Playhouse;
GASPING at Basingstoke Haymarket; THE PROVOKED WIFE at Southwark
Playhouse; BURN THIS; CLOSER, and WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF
at the Dukes, Lancaster; A DOLL’S HOUSE at Salisbury Playhouse.
TV includes: ASHES TO ASHES; MERSEYBEAT; FAMILY AFFAIRS; LONDON’S
BURNING. Films include: THE WOLFMAN for Universal & INVISIBLE
EYES for Hide Films. |
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| SAMANTHA
COUGHLAN (Vivian and Agnes) Theatre: BLUE SURGE (Finborough
Theatre), THE CHILDREN’S HOUR (Comedy Theatre), RAIN MAN (Apollo
Theatre), DEATH OF A SALESMAN (Lyric Theatre), NATIONAL ANTHEMS
(The Old Vic), ORPHEUS DESCENDING (English Theatre of Berlin),
PROBLEM CHILD (New End), CLOSER (Havana Theatre, Vancouver) and
STEEL MAGNOLIAS (Octagon Theatre, Bolton). Film: THE BENDS, RABBIT
FEVER, LOVE SICK, THE GERMAN LULLABY, TRUE STORY, FOSTER, WAKE
UP and VIVA LIBERTY Television: SPOOKS (BBC), ABSOLUTE POWER (ITV),
DECKIES (Spice Factory), DEADMAN’S GUN (MGM) AND ABOVE SUSPICION
– SILENT SCREAM (ITV). Workshop: DREAMLAND (Lyric Theatre) Samantha
would also like to thank all her wonderful agents at Olivia Bell
Management. |
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ANNA
DOOLAN (Carmen & Mona) Anna trained at Guildford school of
acting graduating in 2009. Credits whilst training include Maria
in NAPOLI MILLIONARIA; Wendla in SPRING AWAKENING; Betty in DANGEROUS
CORNER; Camillo in THE WINTERS TALE and Stubbs in MOBY DICK-THE
MUSICAL. Since graduating Anna’s credits include Helen Scott in
AND A NIGHTINGALE SANG (New Vic, Oldham Coliseum, Stephen Joseph-Scarborough),
Willie in Tennessee Williams’ THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED (New
End Theatre/ Hackney Empire) and earlier this year appeared at
The Mill in JOKING APART. Anna has recently filmed a guest role
in THE HOUR for Kudos and the BBC. |
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| ELLIOT
HARPER (Carol, Brody, Policeman and others) Theatre: THE SILVER
TASSIE (Druid/Lincoln Center, NY), THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, TRAVEL’S
WITH MY AUNT, THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, A
MURDER HAS BEEN ARRANGED (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch), SHE STOOPS
TO CONQUER (Hampton Court Palace), TWELFTH NIGHT (Bellairs Playhouse).
Musical Theatre: CINDERELLA, THE MUSICAL (Theatre Royal, Brighton),
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (West End), LES MISERABLES (West End),
THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY (UK Tour), JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (UK Tour).
Elliot is delighted to be making his Mill Debut in THE BIG SLEEP. |
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MICHAEL
PERCIVAL (Geiger. Gen Sternwood, Stranger (bookshop) and others)
This is Michael’s ninth play at the Mill, but his first since
2003 when he appeared in WRITE ME A MURDER, which he also directed.
Best known in this country as the amiable but dim MI-5 agent Dexter
in THE PIGLET FILES, he’s made more than 100 TV appearances, ranging
from the impossibly nice Mr. Mitchell in GRANGE HILL to the sinister
and dangerous Peter Crew in THE SCULPTRESS. More than 300 plays
in the theatre, both as actor and director. Ten plays in London
(one nomination for Best Supporting Actor), two in New York and
two in Sydney. Long stints with the RSC and Prospect Theatre Company,
during which he was paid to travel most of the world. Quite a
lot of movies, but most recently on television he appeared as
The Inspector in DOCTOR WHO. |
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| MARTYN
STANBRIDGE (Norris, Bernie Ohls, Canino and others) Trained:
The Drama Centre, London. Plays around the country and abroad
include: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, PEER GYNT, CHIPS WITH EVERYTHING,
THE WHITE DEVIL, MACBETH, TRANSLATIONS, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, SALONIKA,
WILD OATS, THE SHAUGHRAUN, LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES, DEATHTRAP,
THE MAINTENANCE MAN, TWELVE ANGRY MEN, ROMANTIC COMEDY, THE CONSTANT
COUPLE, BRIEF ENCOUNTER, MURDER BY MISADVENTURE, ALPHABETICAL
ORDER, DONKEYS’ YEARS, THE ODD COUPLE, THE GRADUATE (UK tour),
REBECCA (UK tour), DANGEROUS OBSESSION (UK tour), BUSYBODY (UK
tour). In London: VENICE PRESERVED RNT, THE VORTEX Garrick Theatre,
BERENICE The Lyric Hammersmith, THE MILLIONAIRESS and THE THREE
SISTERS, The Greenwich Theatre, THE VERGE Orange Tree, Richmond,
THE CASTLE SPECTRE Croydon Warehouse. Television: GOOD AND BAD
AT GAMES, A POCKETFUL OF RYE, PARADISE POSTPONED, MURROW, A.D.,
THE DAY AFTER THE FAIR, HEDGEHOG WEDDING, PARTNERS LOVERS SPIES
(NBC USA) , THE GOOD GUYS, THE BILL, DOCTOR FINLAY, McLIBEL, DOCTORS,
EASTENDERS. |
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ALVIN
RAKOFF (Director) Alvin Rakoff was born in Toronto, Canada,
and has worked in France, Spain, Germany and America but the bulk
of his career has been spent here in the UK where he has directed
more than 100 TV plays and a dozen feature films. Actors he has
directed range from A for Ava Gardner to Z for Zoe Wanamaker.
He is also known for kick-starting the careers of Sean Connery,
Alan Rickman and many more. A former President of the Directors
Guild of Gt Britain he is twice winner in New York of the International
Emmy Awards for CALL ME DADDY (Donald Pleasance) and A VOYAGE
ROUND MY FATHER (Laurence Olivier, Jane Asher). His first novel
& GILLIAN was translated into 10 languages. He is a member of
the BAFTA Council. “It’s a pleasure to be back at The Mill, a
theatre that uniquely exists without taking a penny of taxpayer’s
money. These days that’s something. And as for the views from
the backstage door – across the Thames, on a sunlit day – among
the prettiest in the world,” he says. “That sort of grandeur puts
any director in his place.” |
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| EILEEN
DISS (Set Designer) Eileen Diss’s many designs for television
include PORTERHOUSE BLUE, A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME, LONGITUDE
and the JEEVES AND WOOSTER series. Feature films include BETRAYAL,
84 CHARING CROSS ROAD, A HANDFUL OF DUST and AUGUST. She has designed
most of Simon Gray’s plays for the West End from BUTLEY to THE
OLD MASTERS, also TAKING SIDES, THE HOTHOUSE, OLEANNA and TWELVE
ANGRY MEN, all directed by Harold Pinter. For the National Theatre
designs include MEASURE FOR MEASURE, THE CARETAKER and NO MAN’S
LAND. She has also designed PINTER and BECKETT seasons originating
at the Almeida and Dublin Gate theatres and taken to the Lincoln
Centre in New York. Previous designs for The Mill were TOO MARVELOUS
FOR WORDS, SEPARATE TABLES, ALPHABETICAL ORDER and THAT OLD FEELING.
Most recent theatre design was THE CARETAKER with Jonathan Pryce,
soon to open in San Francisco and New York. |
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JANE
KIDD (Costume Designer) Jane, who is our Resident Costume
Designer, trained in Fashion Design at Berkshire College of Art.
She freelanced in knitwear and dress design for five years before
joining The Mill as Wardrobe Mistress, and enjoys making a variety
of both period and modern costumes of which she has made many
whilst at the Mill. |
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| MATTHEW
BISS (Lighting Designer) Matthew is currently working as Technical
Manager at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts in Maidenhead and is
delighted to be invited back to The Mill to light A SENTIMENTAL
JOURNEY. A few of his numerous previous designs at The Mill include
SEPARATE TABLES, THE ODD COUPLE, THAT OLD FEELING, WE’LL ALWAYS
HAVE PARIS, LOVE FROM A STRANGER, I OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES, SPRING
AND PORT WINE, JOKING APART, SPECIAL OCCASIONS, GUILTY SECRET
and WIFE BEGINS AT FORTY. |
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SALLY
HUGHES (Artistic Director) Sally spent her early years in
Venezuela and Argentina. On returning to England, graduated from
Webber Douglas Academy and was first employed as an actress in
COMING OF AGE (National Tour); ARE YOU NOW? (Bush); CATCHPENNY
TWIST (King’s Head) etc. In 1984 she took over as Artistic Director
of The Mill. Productions she directed here include: THE RAINMAKER,
STEPPING OUT, FRENCH WITHOUT TEARS and many more. Also directed
PASTIMES (National Tour); BAREFOOT IN THE PARK (Jermyn Street
Theatre). As a performer she appeared in The Mill’s productions
of: DAMES AT SEA (Royal Gala); A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY – The Story
of Doris Day (also at Wilton’s, London); TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS
(director, Alvin Rakoff); ALPHABETICAL ORDER and THE HEIRESS (director
Anthony Valentine) etc. TV appearances include KEEPING UP APPEARANCES,
LAURA AND DISORDER, LATE EXPECTATIONS, MULBERRY, BRUSH STROKES,
DON’T WAIT UP, KIDNAPPED ABROAD, etc. She became Managing Director
of The Mill in 2002. |
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| JOHN
D. RAKOFF (Playwright) After university John began his career
in Los Angeles as a runner in the big Hollywood studios. Returning
to the UK, John swapped film for TV and took on the demanding
role of Assistant Director in a number of costume dramas including,
MOSLEY (Ch4), DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME (Ch4), SHARPE (ITV) before
working in comedy for Paramount on UNATURAL ACTS. Turning his
hand to comedy, John worked closely with Yorkshire’s much loved
playwright, Alan Bennett, as his Assistant and Rehearsal manager
on the award winning, TALKING HEADS 2. Inspired by this, 2011
sees John stepping out in theatre for the first time with his
and Alvin’s stage collaboration of Raymond Chandler’s classic
novel, THE BIG SLEEP. 2011 promises to be a busy and productive
year for John, who is completing a screenplay, DEXTER’S INFLUENCE,
and a first novel, the enigmatically titled G.G.C.B. |
| Production: | |
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Production Manager -
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Joan Farnese |
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Stage
Manager -
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James Neal |
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Chief
Electrician -
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Nathan Caples |
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Wardrobe
Mistress -
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Jane Kidd |
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Deputy
Stage Managers -
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Karen Brown & Lottie Cousins |
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Technical
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Johanne Stevens |
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Scenic
Artist -
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Tony Eden |
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Technical
Assistant -
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Simon Graves |
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Wardrobe
Assistant -
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Evelyn Fidler |
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Dressers
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Ann
Baker, Lynn Hinton, Catherine Bristow, Terry Bartholomew, Karen Vass |