Bare Boards is a loose association of theatre professionals with experience in the theatre, television, film and sound.

We believe theatre must re-define itself in terms of what makes it unique - Bare Boards…. and a passion. We aim to bring the craft of seasoned  professionals to each production.

Increasingly the theatre is expected to supply the pyrotechnics that the electronic media does so much better. More and more is asked of it. More and more is spent on packaging rather than on the development of the actor and his/her relationship with the audience.

Bare Boards will seek to ensure that all its enterprises will raise expectations of value for money entertainment by targeting its resources, achieving the highest standards in creation and performance and by developing an ongoing relationship with its audience both in London venues and on the touring circuit.

Bare Boards will mount productions of new work or little known works of contemporary relevance.

We recognises that some groups and individuals experience disadvantage and discrimination both at a personal and an institutional level and will redress such discrimination in all its endeavours.

Bare Boards strives to be an equal opportunities employer and operates an integrated casting policy. We especially welcome scripts and submissions from black / Asian / multicultural actors.

All profits from Bare Boards will be invested in future productions.

Artistic Director - Chrys Salt.  Finance Director – Richard Macfarlane  
149 Chamberlayne Road, NW10 3NT.
Tel: 0181 969 9221
Fax: 0181 964 2416
email:   
44 High Street,
Gatehouse of Fleet, DG7 2HP
Tel:01557 814196

Bare Boards….and a passion in association with Out of Bounds will produce The World Premier of  Laughing in the Dark by Graeme Messer at the Tristan Bates Theatre for a ‘try-out’ week beginning April 28th 2008. Starring Graeme Messer and ‘Otto’. Chrys Salt directs.

Address: The Tristan Bates Theatre, 1a Tower Street, London WC2
Tel: 0207 240 3940

Click here to view a map.

Augusta, a new play by Alan Franks is in development.

 
The Prisoner’s Pumpkin by Alan McMurtrie (Yvonne Antrobus and Carl Forgione) The Chelsea Centre Theatre (Best New Play Award/ New Play Festival 1992)

The Witlings by Fanny Burney – adapted by Chrys Salt (Annette Badland, Delia Lindsay, Simon Cox, Karin Fernald, Michael Deacon) Tristan Bates

The Last Obit by Peter Tinniswood (Angela Pleasence)  - The Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival, Southern Scotland tour (in association with Pleasence/Salt Productions) (Fringe First)

On the Whole It’s Been Jolly Good by Peter Tinniswood (Leslie Phillips) – The Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival, tour and The Hampstead Theatre, London

Viva La Diva by Chris Ballance (Jean Boht and Ian Angus Wilkie) – The Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival and The Swallow Theatre

Aphrodite Blues by Robert Hamilton (John Pickard, Jacqueline Pearce) New End Theatre (In association with ArtiZan)

The Chicken Show ( Eryl Maynard) – The Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival, The Swallow Theatre. Radio 4 (‘Pick of the week’ and the play audiences most wanted to hear again in 2003). Tour planned.

 
On The Whole It’s Been Jolly Good

‘Perfect’ - Sunday Times

‘Engrossing’ - Sunday Telegraph

‘Beguiling’ - The  Guardian

‘Everyone should see it. Leslie Phillips is superb’ - Daily Express

The Last Obit

‘The combination of Tinniswood’s words and Pleasence’s performance show depths in the writing which will come as a surprise to many and makes this tragi-comedy of almost unbearable intensity… The paper awarded it a Fringe First Award.’ - The Scotsman

‘Angela Pleasance gives a riveting and moving performance.’ - The Stage

Viva La Diva

'Chris Balance's new play is a loving salute to Jenkins' grand folly, and a delightful vehicle for popular television actress Jean Boht. In their hands, and those of sensitive director Chrys Salt, Jenkins is shown to be a woman  infectiously happy in her delusion…'

‘Like Foster Jenkins, Boht knows how to be a star on stage and her performance here is excellent and affectingly sympathetic, whilst Ian Angus Wilkie shows glimpses of a real talent for biting comedy’ - EdinburghGuide.com

'In a brilliant transcendental touch, a genuine opera singer's recording overtakes her performance and she stares out wistfully as the sound she thought she made floats by the haunt her.' Daily Mail
 

Aphrodite Blues 

‘…completing the cast is the marvellous Jacqueline Pearce in a portrayal worth crossing London to see as the crop-haired, man chasing character with a jolly hockey-sticks accent that turns even her simplest lines such as ‘Golly how wonderful’ into high comedy.’ - The Stage

'Was this going to be a post-feminist romp, a bitchy diatribe on men, or a lot of knob jokes, each of which would have been a disappointment and a waste of the talent available.  Fortunately, it’s all three.' - www.rainbownetwork.com

'…the play is an hilarious romp, with all the saucy double-entendres you might have expected from Sid James and co in Carry on Aphrodite.' - Evening Standard

 
The Prisoner's Pumpkin (winner of the Best New Play Award at the London New Play Festival in 1992)

'Chrys Salt's direction renders the two hander very easy on the eyes, elegantly arranging the couple's frequent displacement activity within Andrea Carr's neat set. Forgione and Antrobus do this difficult new play proud. A challenging and invigorating evening.' - Time Out

'Alan McMurtie's superbly crafted, poignant play, The Prisoner's Pumpkin is being performed by the recently launched theatre group, Bare Boards...and a passion, dedicated to staging exceptional new or little known works of contemporary relevance.' - West Africa

'Bare Boards decision to revive the play is a wise one. It succeeds as a useful reminder of life under apartheid and as a powerful and touching study of the difficulties of truly understanding other people.'

'Carl Forgione and Yvonne Antrobus give superb performances as husband and wife.' - The Stage

'McMurtie has raised fascinating questions which he addresses with multi-layered perceptiveness.' - What's On


The Witlings

‘One missing face among the crowd of 18th century female wits that hit the stage with the rediscovery of Aphra Behn and co was that of Fanny Burney - once best selling novelist, darling of Dr Johnson and reluctant Keeper of the Robes to Queen Charlotte. Ever since the lovely show that Karin Fernald assembled from her diary in the 1980s I have nourished theatrical hopes for this amazing woman’.

‘The Witlings is not just an exciting and important 'find' but a wonderful piece of theatre which richly deserves a full production’. - Irving Wardle, The Independent

 
There will be opportunities to invest in the Company's major productions on the basis of an Investment Agreement. If you wish to register an interest in making an investment please email Richard Macfarlane, Finance Director at

Website by Alistair Pope IT.