
Sam Shepard is America’s most adventurous and poetic living playwright. Here is a rare opportunity to experience his work through this unique roadshow.
This double bill includes:
The Holy Ghostly – over the shadows of a ghost-lit campfire in a lonely desert, a dying man struggles to connect with his estranged son. Haunted back-beats propel this raw-boned play to its apocalyptic climax.
The War in Heaven – a moving plea from both a fallen angel and a man struggling to be heard once more, this powerful piece was co-written with actor Joseph Chaikin.
On Fri 16 May there will be a workshop on the collaborative theatre of Sam Shepard and Joseph Chaikin, centred on a screening of a second film by Shirley Clarke – Tongues, led by director Simon Usher. Free to ticketholders, check with Box Office for details.
There are also post-show gigs by Herons!, who provide live music for the performances, on Tues 13 & Sat 17 in the café bar.
The Roadshow includes a second double bill featuring Savage/ Love and The Animal (You)
Sat 10 May | 8:00pm | |||
Tue 13 May | 2:45pm | |||
Wed 14 May | 8:00pm | |||
Thu 15 May | 8:00pm | |||
Sat 17 May | 2:45pm | Audio Described |
Beer, Burrito & Ticket: £15
Chorale is a rare opportunity for an insight into the work of Sam Shepard – America’s iconic, most adventurous and poetic playwright.
This unique roadshow incorporates two extraordinary double bills of his work, The Holy Ghostly & War in Heaven and Savage/Love & The Animal (You) to the accompaniment of live music from eclectic punk, folk classical, jazz and good old fashioned pop band, Herons!
For the full-on American road trip experience we are offering an exclusive deal, perfect for students – a Beer, Burrito & a Ticket for just £15.
This offer must be booked 24 hours in advance by phone or in person only.
Workshop
On Fri 16 May at 2pm there will be a workshop on the collaborative theatre of Sam Shepard and Joseph Chaikin, centred on a screening of a second film by Shirley Clarke – Tongues, led by director Simon Usher. Free to ticketholders, check with Box Office for details.
Phase One:
Ensemble exercises derived from Joseph Chaikin’s Open Theatre. These will demonstrate the power of acting from many levels of self and responding to the same in others.
Phase Two:
We will use extracts from Tongues and Savage Love to discover how many voices exist in one person:how they war and reconcile.
Phase Three:
Language.The Word. We will use Beckett’s What Is The Word, dedicated to Joseph Chaikin, to investigate the word as ‘experience’ and apply this to Tongues,Savage Love and The War in Heaven.
Phase Four:
We will separate into groups(led by members of the company) to devise monologues and short ensemble perfomances – physical or verbal-using the above influences as starting point and inspiration.

Chorale Rehearsal Photos
Here is a sneak peek into the behind scenes photos of the rehearsal of the upcoming production of Chorale. Read more