Old Trunk

Who are we?

Old Trunk is a two-woman theatrical operation.

Artistic Directors & Producers: Sadie Hasler (Playwright/Actor)  &  Sarah Mayhew (Director/Actor) – proud working class Essex feminists.

What do we do?

We are dedicated to creating strong roles for women, in plays about women, driven by women.

Like what?

Our first two-hander, PRAMKICKER, an unrelentingly sharp comedy about what it means to be a modern woman, published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama – premiered at the Marlborough Theatre, Brighton in 2015, went on to Latitude Festival, Assembly Edinburgh 2015, then was invited to be part of the King’s Head Theatre‘s 40 year anniversary celebration of new writing. It then toured the UK and was invited back to both the Marlborough and the King’s Head, ran at Camden People’s Theatre as part of Camden Fringe Festival in 2017, and had a sell-out run at Vault Festival London in 2019. Latitude Festival loved it so much they asked for us to return in 2019, this time in the big Cabaret Theatre. Pramkicker has also enjoyed international success, being produced by some cool companies in Washington DC, Chicago, Sydney, and Melbourne to amazing reviews, and was translated into Italian for productions in Rome, Milan, Asti, and Gualtieri.

Swift on the heels of Pramkicker came our ferocious punk play FRAN & LENI – also published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama – which premiered at Latitude 2016 and went on to an acclaimed run at Assembly Edinburgh 2016, toured the UK with assistance from Arts Council England, and had a big London finale as part of the King’s Head Theatre’s Queer Season 2017. 

Since then we’ve been touring both plays, running our successful storytelling night Damn Write, and curating the inaugural weekend of new writing event Outer Limits, in partnership with Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch with support from the Clothworkers’ Foundation.

We are about to hurl ourselves into developing a new piece of work.

 

Our journey in some logos… (Keep scrolling for Mentors, Patrons, associated artists, & previous shows)

                

   

    

     

           

     

           

                   

           

             

                             

                    

        

 

PREVIOUS TO PRAMKICKER & FRAN & LENI

Old Trunk’s first play THE BASTARD CHILDREN OF REMINGTON STEELE premiered at Camden People’s Theatre, sold out a run at the Leicester Square Theatre, then appeared to critical acclaim with its prequel THE SECRET WIVES OF ANDY WILLIAMS at Underbelly Edinburgh 2014. They then presented a scratch performance of BLAZED at Pulse Festival 2015.

 

OTHER THEATRICAL SHENANIGANS

Old Trunk featured in an Observer spread as pick of the fringe, appeared at the Storytellers Club at Latitude 2014, appeared in The Sunday Times Magazine as a company “making waves”, were selected for Escalator East To Edinburgh in 2014, curated Old Trunk theatre tent for Metal’s Village Green Festival 2013, represented the Arts at the House of Commons, continue to run the successful storytelling night Tales & Ales, and toured a two-woman adaptation of Hasler’s one-woman show Lady Bones around the UK.

 

PATRONS, MENTORS, & ASSOCIATE ARTISTS

PATRONS: Deborah Frances-White, Phill Jupitus, & Jenny Eclair.

MENTORED BY: Douglas Rintoul, Artistic Director of Queens Theatre Hornchurch, Anthony Roberts, Director of Colchester Arts Centre, & Arts organisation Metal

RESIDENT ARTISTS AT: E15 Drama School’s Clifftown Theatre

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR: Douglas Rintoul

SUPPORTED BY: Arts Council England (four times in as many years)

 

AWESOME PEOPLE WE’VE WORKED WITH

ACTORS: 

FRAN & LENI: (V/O): Phill Jupitus, Lizzie Roper, Ricky Champ, Alan Cox, Marc Mollica  

BASTARDS/SECRET WIVES:  Charlie Platt, Edward Mitchell

ORIGINAL FRAN & LENI MUSIC BY: Fi & Dave Dulake of the Tuppenny Bunters, with lyrics by Sadie Hasler

FILM DIRECTOR/PHOTOGRAPHER: Andy Delaney

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Sarah Georgeson

TECHNICAL BRILLIANCE: Tom Doman, Liam Pike, George Galkin, Benjy Adams

SET DESIGNERS: Re-Scape

PHOTOGRAPHER: Simon Fowler

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: GSM Design