Taking the Stage 2022 - Tapestry | The Play's the Thing Theatre Company

Our headlining piece for Taking The Stage.

The Palace Community Centre “Talk and Sew” has been bringing laughter, empowerment and sanctuary to older women sewers Doris, Jan and Mich for the last 25 years. But when their discovery that the local authority is closing the centre coincides with the arrival of a vulnerable young woman to their group, they must work together to confront the truth of what their community group really means to them, and how prepared they are to fight for it to continue. A fierce, funny and tender new play about female friendship that asks - what is the price of community?

Chloe Todd Fordham

Chloe is an award-winning writer from London. Her work explores intimate human relationships and big global stories in the same breath and calls for change by exposing broken systems with stories with heart. Her play Sound Of Silence won a Bruntwood Prize Judges Award. Her play The Next Generation was shortlisted for the Writers in Theatre Award and her play Land’s End was shortlisted for Theatre503’s Playwriting Award. Her audio play Rage was produced in 2020 by Small Truth Theatre’s Digital Caravan season, which won 3 Oncomm Awards and was an Offie Series finalist. She is co-founder of Where’s My Vagina?, an inclusive feminist theatre collective, which has created work for Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of Women of the World Festival (VAGINA LAUNCH) as well as digitally (The Unviable Cabaret). Chloe’s short plays include: Centre Ground (Kensington Karavan), The Nightclub (Hampstead Theatre; published in Women Centre Stage) and Elexion (Theatre503). She is one of Sphinx Theatre’s seed-commissioned Sphinx30 writers

Yasmeen Arden

Yasmeen Arden - Director Yasmeen Arden is Artistic Director of Small Truth Theatre, The Caravan Theatre, founder of the Kensington Karavan theatre festival and the treble OnComm winning Digital Caravan Theatre series. Her production of Caterpillar at Theatre503 and Stephen Joseph Theatre gained an Offie Award nomination and was Reader’s Favourite of 2018 in The Guardian. Directing credits include: The award winning The Three Sillies Arcola Theatre/Tour, Casey & Corey by Chris Hogg, Nest by Katy Warner Vault Festival, Poking The Bear by Chris Bush, Elexion by Chloe Todd Fordham Theatre503, Over The Hill There’s Something Better by Sharon Clarke New Diorama, Dead Yard by Matthew Turner (Playwrought/LAB) Arcola, We are Beautiful by Brian Eley Catalyst Festival. Sight specific work such as On The Line by Aled Pedrick Ivy House/Platform Southwark and The Unfortunates for Watford Palace Theatre. Yasmeen was Associate Director on Sticky Door by Katie Arnstein at The Pleasance and is Community Coordinator for Bricks by Emma Dennis-Edwards.