Fast Forward Theatre are currently working on 'Will Kempe and the Nine Days' Wonder', to be previewed at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival Aug 3-27 2007. Our venue is 234, understairs @EuroScot (The European in Scotland, 39, Palmerston Place, EH12 5AU). Our performance times: Week 1 (Aug 3-11) @ 12:15 and 20:05 and in Weeks 2/3 (Aug 12-27) @ 12:15. Please note there is no performance on Aug 20th.

'Will Kempe' will be previewed in Jersey at The Arts Centre on 10/07/07 @ 20:00.

Contact us for booking on any of those dates.

'Will Kempe and the Nine Days' Wonder' is a stage adaptation of the piece originally written by Will Kempe in 1600, shortly after leaving The Lord Chamberlain's Men. It is thought that there may have been a falling out between Kempe and the other leading light of the company, a certain Mr Shakespeare, due to Kempe's habit of improvising his own comic routines during stage performances. Kempe also may have felt that he was the star performer of the company owing to the success of his jigs and morris dances, performed at the end of the plays.

Fast Foward have taken Kempe's piece and interspersed it with extracts from the Shakespeare plays in which Kempe is thought to have had a leading role. Songs from the early plays of Shakespeare have been set to music by Richard Haighton, along with a liberal helping of Morris music and dancing!

The play will run for about an hour and requires very little in the way of set, and a very simple lighting plot. Some pre-recorded music is used, along with a tape of quotes from Hamlet's advice to The Players.

Richard Haighton is delighted to welcome Christopher Talbot, Clare Robinson and Alan Booth to Fast Forward Theatre for 'Will Kempe'.