Directors Showcase Double Bill at Orange Tree Theatre

Directors Showcase Double Bill at The Orange Tree Theatre, in Richmond south London: Tom's A Cold / The Ruffian on the Stair, from 2 to 19 June 2010.

The two shows are directed by trainee directors Emma Faulkner and Lora Davies, as part of the Orange Tree Theatre's trainee director scheme, which has been in operation since 1986.

TOM'S A COLD by David Egan, directed by Lora Davies. Cast includes Christopher Heyward and Luke Trebilcock. Based on Franklin's disastrous polar expedition. In 1845, HMS Terror and HMS Erebus set sail from England seeking the Northwest Passage through the Arctic. Neither ship was ever seen again.Three years later, two men sit in a lifeboat. Ravaged by hunger, and haunted by their memories, they must confront truths they can no longer hide.

THE RUFFIAN ON THE STAIR by Joe Orton, directed by Emma Faulkner. Cast includes Emma Beattie, John Paul Connolly, Carl Prekopp. London 1964. Joyce and Mike's flat is under watch. A threatening young man turns up one day when Joyce is alone. He knows about their lives and their pasts. There is a score to settle and a wish to be fulfilled at any cost.