In a land where dinosaurs still roam the Earth, where the nights are stormy and the 3G slow, a grandson stays up with his grandfather as the old man prepares to pass on to the next life. Except this isn’t your usual grandparent/grandchild relationship. Throw in an immortality myth, some psychological bullying and the grotesque treatment of a pickled egg and you’ll start to get a bit closer to the twisted world of Jellyfish. Written by Drama finalist and Royal Court writing programme alumnus Reece Connolly, the play will be heading to the London Student Drama Festival (LSDF) on 5th March.
Reece is a prolific playwright within the QM community, having put on five plays since starting his degree in 2013, including selling out multiple nights at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe with QMTC venture A Fistful of Hunny. Emily Collins (English and Drama finalist and Associate Director at Theatre N16) directs, following on from successes at The Old Red Lion, Theatre N16 and Camden Fringe. With stellar performances from Jack Ridley and Sam Woodyatt, and technical and production help from Patrick Balcombe and Georgia Moorhouse, this strong team are hoping to triumph at this year’s LSDF.
Founded in 2013, LSDF is an annual event that brings together student plays from across London’s universities and aims to shed light on the wealth of theatrical talent amongst students in the capital. Jellyfish will be representing Queen Mary at this year’s event, competing for the chance of being invited to perform at The Pleasance a week later. Various prizes will be up for grabs, with the winners decided by the theatre professionals that make up the judging panel.
According to Reece, Jellyfish is the ideal representative of QM theatre to take to LSDF. ‘It’s classic QMTC in a miniature, crystallised form – darkly comic, traditional yet subversive, a little daring, a bit sweaty, and a lot sweary.’
‘I think its strength lies in its subtlety – it’s a real time straight-through locked room piece about two people talking, elevated by great performances and inspired direction, so it’s giving us a real chance to shine, gimmick-free.’
After a sellout preview in the Pinter Studio, the team would love to get the same strong support as they move away from QM turf. Follow the link below to grab tickets and make sure you book for the Saturday. The Jellyfish returns. You don’t want to miss it.
https://www.studentcentral.london/activities/londonstudentdramafestival/