| Admin History | The King of Prussia was written by Cornish playwright Nick Darke circa 1994-1995. It was first performed by Kneehigh in 1995 at The Acorn Theatre in Penzance on the 8th of December and went on to tour the UK until the 30th of March 1996, visiting community centres and schools such as Lostwithiel Community Centre and Gillingham School as well as the Donmar Warehouse Theatre in London (see below for full dates and cast). A second UK tour occurred in 1997 between the 28th of January and the 8th of March (see below for full dates and cast). Kneehigh also performed The King of Prussia for the 30th anniversary performances at Asylum in 2010 (see below for cast).
The play is set in and around 18th century Cornwall and follows the exploits of the free trading Carter family, led by John Carter, also known as the King of Prussia. Carter meets Mrs Stackhouse, a bored and well-connected housewife with a negligent husband who pays more attention to seaweed than to her. Together they scheme and combat against the revenue officer John Knill, in the end the stresses of 'liberating' brandy turns Eddie Carter to a life of fishing. The comedy makes a comment on modern day Cornwall, the black market and the growing industry of tourism (taken from Programme FCP12/A/29/3/1). The King of Prussia is a critique of modern capitalism as well as a representation of the rallying spirit of community evident in Cornwall.
The play is performed in one act with no intervals and is written in the Cornish dialect with many references to Cornwall. It was well recieved and brought Kneehigh to the attention of the London theatre scene. Benedict Nightingale of The Times said 'Let's hope they make another visit to the smoke very soon' and Paul Taylor of The Independent called the play a 'Unexpected delight'. Whilst overwhelming reviews were positive, Sarah Hemming of The Financial Times said 'The plays weak spot lies in the characterisation of the Stackhouses, which is fairly flimsy and monotone' but a critique of the portrayal of the Stackhouses cannot be found in other reviews. (Reviews from CPA1/789)
Cast for 1995-1996 tour:
John Carter, The King of Prussia: Tristan Sturrock
Harry Carter/John Stackhouse: Giles King
Bessie Bussow: Bec Applebee
Suzanne Stackhouse: Mary Woodvine
John Knill/Charlie Carter: Charlie Barnecut
Edward Carter: Carl Grose
Playwright and Assistant Director: Nick Darke
Director: Mike Shepherd
Designer: Bill Mitchell
Musical Director: Jim Carey
Additional singers on play-out version of The Lobster Song: Trevor and Pam Ternouth, Gary Mitchell, Geoff Pollard, John Pearce, Terry Truscott, Ron Hocking, Jack Rowe, Alison Hall and Nick Darke
Costume Maker: Sean Donohoe
Set Maker: John Voogd
Props Maker: Sue Hill
Set and Props Making: Natasha Buckley
Lighting and Stage Management: Allan Drake
Training: John Oram, Richard Bonehill and Emma Rice
Administration: Amanda Harris
Publicity: Jane Sutherland
Poster: Graphic Design and Sue Hill
Photography: Steve Tanner
Programme: Tony Crosby
Catering: Ali Firth, Trudi Stallard and Romer Robbins
Dates for 1995-1996 tour:
1995
Dec 8th-9th: Acorn, Penzance
Dec 12th: Forest of Dean College
Dec 13th: Herefordshire College of Art
Dec 14th: Guildhall Arts Centre, Gloucester
Dec 15th-16th: New Victoria Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Dec 19th: Wadebridge Town Hall
Dec 20th: Mevagissey Jubilee Hall
Dec 21st-22nd: Princess Pavilion, Falmouth
1996
Jan 10th-13th: City Hall, Truro
Jan 16th-17th: Tavistock Town Hall
Jan 18th-19th: Lostwithiel Community Centre
Jan 20th: The Plough, Torrington
Jan 23rd: The Corn Exchange, Dorchester
Jan 24th: Weymouth College
Jan 24th-27th: Queen Elizabeth Hall, Bristol
Jan 30th: Corfe Castle Village Hall, Dorset
Jan 31st: Gillingham School, Dorset
Feb 1st-2nd: The Brewhouse, Taunton
Feb 3rd: Crofthouse School, Shillingstone, Dorset
Feb 7th-8th: The Merlin Theatre, Frome
Feb 9th: Mullion School
Feb 10th: The Parkhouse, Bude
Feb 14th: St Lukes College, Exeter
Feb 15th: Bridport Arts Centre
Feb 16th-17th: The Acorn, Penzance
Feb 20th-21st: The Barn, Dartington, Totnes
Feb 22nd: Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham
Feb 23rd: The Corn Exchange, Newbury
Feb 27th: South Holland Centre, Spalding
Feb 28th: Trinity Arts Centre, Gainsborough
Feb 29th: Dearne High School, Thurnscoe
Mar 4th-9th: Donmar Warehouse, London
Mar 15th: Queens Hall, Narbeth
Mar 16th: Torch Theatre, Milford Haven
Mar 19th-30th: The Drum, Plymouth Theatre Royal
Cast for 1997 tour:
John Carter, The King of Prussia: Mike Shepherd
Harry Carter, John Stackhouse: Giles King
Bessie Bussow: Bec Applebee
Suzanne Stackhouse: Mary Woodvine
John Knill/Charlie Carter: Charlie Barnecut
Edward Carter: Carl Grose
Playwright and Assistant Director: Nick Darke
Director: Mike Shepherd
Designer: Bill Mitchell
Musical Director: Jim Carey
Additional singers on play-out version of The Lobster Song: Trevor and Pam Ternouth, Gary Mitchell, Geoff Pollard, John Pearce, Terry Truscott, Ron Hocking, Jack Rowe, Alison Hall and Nick Darke.
Costume Maker: Sean Donohoe
Set Maker: John Voogd
Props Maker: Sue Hill
Lighting and Stage Management: Allan Drake
Training: John Oram, Richard Bonehill and Emma Rice
Administration: Harry Garnham, Julie Smith and Jane Sutherland
Publicity: Jane Sutherland, Mike Gilmore, Fred Still and Becca Gregson
Poster: Graphic Design and Sue Hill
Photography: Steve Tanner
Programme: Tony Crosby
Catering: Ali Firth and Trudi Stallard
Dates for 1997 tour:
Jan 28th-Feb 8th: Plymouth Theatre Royal
Feb 13th-Feb 15th: Truro College
Feb 18th-Feb 22nd: Salisbury Playhouse
Feb 27th-Mar 1st: Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
Mar 4th-Mar 5th: Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
Mar 7th-Mar 8th: The Acorn, Penzance
Cast for Asylum 2010:
John Carter, The King of Prussia: Mike Shepherd
Harry Carter/John Stackhouse: Simon Harvey
Bessie Bussow: Bec Applebee
Suzanne Stackhouse: Mary Woodvine
John Knill/Charlie Carter: Charlie Barnecut
Edward Carter: Carl Grose
Musicians: Stu Barker and Ian Ross
Director: Mike Shepherd
Writer: Nick Darke
Composer: Jim Carey
Associate Designers: Tom Duggan and Ruth Shepherd
Lighting Designer: Malcolm Rippeth
Sound Designer: Simon Baker
Stage Manager: Sarah Wright
Lighting Operator: Ben Nichols
Sound Operator: Andy Graham
Producer: Paul Crewes |