The play

Written in a mix of accessible modern blank verse and prose, King Arthur moulds the Shakespearean form for our time. Frustrated by outmoded customs that limit himself and his people both personally and politically, the King tries to impose democracy throughout his Kingdom. This bold decision begins a chain of events with repercussions for his wife Guinevere, his son Mordred, and his closest allies – and it will seal the fate of all his people.

Spectacular modern take on a legend
Edinburgh Evening News

The debates raised by this bold piece of theatre will linger with you long after the play has ended
The List

Politicians should be made to see this play
Richard Demarco CBE, Demarco European Art Foundation

Theatre Performance

The productions

The play has had two theatrical productions so far: one I produced in collaboration with Edinburgh-based theatre company Siege Perilous at the Edinburgh Festival, and another by Siege Perilous in association with the Demarco European Art Foundation, as a promenade performance in the grounds of Craigcook Castle. Over 30 actors – ranging in experience from established West End professionals to promising newcomers – have taken part in the productions.

Full of tragic betrayal, raw emotion and slick performances…a traditional play reinvented with a topical twist.
Laura Webb, Three Weeks

An inspired piece of writing…a progressive and interesting take on classic tale…enjoy.
Barry Gordon, Edinburgh Evening News

My use of blank verse in a modern work has led to an involvement in education, as well as generating academic interest. Read more here.

Promenade performance

Since medieval times the stories about King Arthur have been the most well-known of all English myths. Rewriting them in blank verse is a temptingly traditional way to transform familiar stories into modern drama. All too easily, it can become regrettably ponderous, a pseudo-Shakespearean pattern of speech. That temptation is avoided beautifully and effortlessly throughout in King Arthur. In this modernised version, we are made to adapt our expectations from what we recall of the legend. Instead we focus on the modernity of the problem, where Arthur proposes to democratise his court. The twists this version of the myth sets out contrast intriguingly with our usual conclusions about the Camelot story. As a modern dramatic recasting of one of the oldest and most popular of British legends, it makes the ancient myth thoroughly modern.
Professor Andrew Gurr, chief academic advisor to the project to rebuild the Globe Theatre in London, and best known for his books on Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

The play

At the height of his success, moving into his new mansion with his new wife, media tycoon John is dwelling on his past and how he will be judged by future generations. In an attempt to control his legacy, he persuades his younger brother to write his biography. But when John revives his wife’s career by embroiling his TV presenter neighbour in a scandal, long-buried tensions between the brothers threaten to topple his empire. Can John keep control of the players in his game?

The more I reflect on this play, the more I’m convinced it brings a fresh perspective to the human dilemma.
Fringe Guru

First performed at Brighton Fringe Festival, where it was well-received by audiences and critics, the play is about storytelling – the high-value stories that generate clicks and sell papers, and the ones we tell ourselves to make sense of our lives. Featuring a film-within-a-play, and with characters involved in biography, film, acting, social media, TV shows, newspapers, and even poetry, the play shows that although the media industry gets most of the blame for distorting facts, every method of presenting a story to an audience can involve manipulation or lead to misunderstanding.

360 Immersive Film

The play works on stage in front of a live audience. But there is another possible format for this story, that fully delves into its theme and allows the audience into the narrative and become aware of their effect on it. Filming the story as an immersive 360 film was an intriguing choice as a medium with the potential to add another layer and draw people further in.

In collaboration with Fusebox – a hub for digital innovators and creative entrepreneurs in Brighton – we filmed the first section of the play with a 360 camera. I experimented with new methods of writing for this immersive medium, adding a framing device to the plot while keeping the central part of play intact.

The experienced actors – Justin Hayward, John Locke, Jenny Knight and Kirsten Callaghan – were keen to investigate the exciting possibilities of 360 film, and adapted their performances style to suit. Chris Chowen and Chandler Dagg from Fusebox helped to capture and edit the footage.

The viewer wears a VR helmet to watch the edited scene, with the ability to experience everything going on around them. Although they are still essentially an observer, at times they are spoken to by the actors, and gradually come to realise that they are in fact a character central to the action of the story and its outcome.

The play can continue to be produced as it is, on stage, while there are possibilities for a full immersive 360 film version, viewed either as a full film or with each scene as a separate episode.