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On the eve of Gay Pride, Jamie and Nigel celebrate their 10 year relationship with special treat. What happens over the next 24 hours changes the rules... and their lives, forever.
WHO’S WHO
Jamie lives with Nigel, his boyfriend of 10 years, in a stylishly comfy flat – Habitat rather than Hoppen - in Battersea. He’s in his early thirties and likes to go out to a bar or club every now and then. But he’s beginning to wonder that maybe he’s getting just a little too old for the scene these days. Jamie’s solid. When Nigel was out of work, Jamie paid the mortgage, when Nigel gets so off his face in Fire that he can’t get home on his own, Jamie scoops him up in a cab. He’s not a doormat. He’s just loves Nigel, a lot.
Nigel is a few years older than Jamie. He’s a party animal. He loves Jamie but loves the pubs and clubs too. He’s got a good job in PR, which allows him to schmooze the Great, and the Gay. He enjoys his work, but really he just lives for the weekend and spends a lot of time and money making sure he’s looking buff.
Mark is 17, and hot. He’s just coming out and has the world at his feet, or at least at his gaydar profile.
HISTORY
Blowing Whistles is a black comedy about the problems that contemporary gay culture can provide gay men with.
It originally started life at Tim McArthur and Katherine Ives’ gay drama group at Lauderdale House, Highgate. After a difficult relationship break-up, Matthew wrote a scene about a gay couple having a row on gay pride day. The scene was performed as part of an evening for the 2002 Mardi Gras Arts Festival. That evening Tim and Katherine asked Matthew to develop the scene into a full-length play.
In July 2003, Blowing Whistles was work shopped as a one act play as part of the ‘Hearts, Heaven and Hard Words’ season at Jermyn St Theatre. At this point the play still revolved around Jamie and Nigel’s big row on gay pride day. Jamie was played by Ian Bass, Nigel by Patrick Ross and Mark by Tom Sawyer. Trilby productions (Tim McArthur and Katherine Ives) produced and Stephen Henry directed. The play, with its questioning of contemporary depoliticised gay culture, seemed to hit a nerve and performances sold out within days.
Shortly after this, acclaimed director Phil Wilmott read the play and worked with Matthew to bring it to the Warehouse Theatre, Croydon for a full six week run in June 2005. In this version, the gay pride scene was lost altogether and the play extended to a full two act two hour-long piece. Neil Henry played Jamie, Peter McNicholl played Mark and Joe Fredericks played Nigel.
The production was a huge success and gained overwhelmingly positive reviews from a diverse array of publications.
In 2006, the production then transferred to the Sound Theatre, Wardour Street, London for a five week run.
Since then there have been productions of Blowing Whistles in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fire Island (New York), Boston, and Fort Lauderdale (Florida).
Australian producers Pete Nettell and Alice Livingstone of Focus Theatre in Sydney produced a stage reading in Sydney in 2007 and after an overwhelming reaction, mounted a full Australian production – relocated and set in Sydney – in February 2008, the centrepiece theatrical production of Sydney Mardi Gras. In this production Neil Phipps played Jamie, Lindsay Moss played Nigel and Lindsay Farris played Mark. The production was an overnight sensation, selling out its entire run.
British agent and producer Jonathan Altaras saw this production in Sydney and decided to produce the play in London 2008 with Pete Nettell directing and a brand new cast.
Current or forthcoming Blowing Whistles productions:-
Sydney, Australia
Darlinghurst Theatre
www.darlinghursttheatre.com
2 October – 15 November 2008
Adelaide, Australia
Bakehouse Theatre
www.bakehousetheatre.com
18 – 23 November 2008
Cast: Lachlan Mantell, Neil Phipps and Lindsay Moss. Directed by Pete Netell.
London, UK
Leicester Square Theatre
www.leicestersquaretheatre.com
23 October – 29 November
Cast: Daniel Finn, Paul Keating and Stuart Laing. Directed by Pete Nettell.
Fort Lauderdale, USA
Sol Theatre productions
www.soltheatre.com
Currently playing an open ended run
Cast: David Tarryn-Grae, Ross Cardon and Kyle Garcia. Directed by Robert Hooker
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