Profiles

Mark Whiteley and The Hard Graft Theatre Company have made a name for pioneering new ways of engaging people with peformance art.

Hard Graft were the first company to bring you A National Tour of Living Rooms and A National Tour of Charity Shops. Now Mark's gone a couple of steps further - he's just sold a performance of one of his plays on E-Bay. That's not all - he's a busy man. He's also trying to turn another of his plays into a TV sitcom.

For this latest adventure he's joined forces with Kenneth Alan Taylor (the man behind panto at the Nottingham Playhouse). The two of them have been chatting to BBC Radio Nottingham's Alan Clifford. In the audio interview, which you can listen to in two parts by clicking on the audio links in the top right hand corner of the page, he talks about...

Burt 'n' Joyce : Which one's Kenneth?

The TV pilot

Burt 'n' Joyce, the play that Mark took on a tour of charity shops in 2004, was filmed in front of a live audience at London Studios at the end of January. Mark managed to persuade Kenneth Alan Taylor to play Burt. He's hoping that the pilot will be taken up and made into a TV sit-com. Apparently, the pilot went down a storm.

Burt 'n' Joyce is the story about two Nottinghamshire charity workers, who discover more than they bargained for when they turn up for an ordinary day at work.

Thick as Theives

The E-Bay auction

Thick As Thieves is the play that Hard Graft took on a tour of living rooms in 2002. Now he's just sold a performance of the hit comedy on E-Bay. It was snapped up for £99 by someone in Wembley!

Thick As Thieves tells the story of two inexperienced thieves whose discovery of a murdered budgie is just the beginning of a disturbing night's work.

The conventional set-up

However, at the same time Mark is also doing a more conventional tour of theatres, with his production of Thick As Thieves, starting with the Lakeside Arts Centre in Nottingham this February.

Thick As Thieves is at the Nottingham Lakeside Arts Centre on Friday, 25th and Saturday, 26th February 2005. For more information ring the box office on 0115 846 7777.

To listen to our full interview with Mark Whiteley and Kenneth Alan Taylor click on the audio links in the top right hand corner of this page. To find out more about Mark's latest adventures visit the Hard Graft Theatre Company website (you'll also find this link in the top right hand corner of the page).