Artifice is a theatrical enterprise with a unique mission:
to take entertaining, relatable, accessible classic plays into heritage spaces
to combine characters, rooms and audiences
to provide a truly engaging experience…
We’ve played in a range of beautiful and inspiring places: guildhalls, stately homes, country houses, galleries and more.
Scroll down to see the full list.
Most recent Artifice shows:
Rotten Perfect by Claire Parker
**** ‘I would urge you to try and see this wonderful production wherever it might be performed next.’
Our latest production by local playwright and actor Claire Parker, was performed at Watts Gallery near Guildford. It was a new venue for us, and we were very pleased to be able to be a part of the Gallery’s Watts 200 celebrations.
We hadn’t played in a gallery space, so it was a new experience for us. Our unique way of blending the performance with the space and providing an immersive experience for the audience was a new experience for the gallery. It was a very successful experiment, however. We previewed the performances by providing pop-up scenes from the play during normal opening hours over Heritage Open Days weekend, and the full show played to full houses over three nights. Audiences loved it. To read a four-star review click here.
Austen’s Artifice by Kate Napier
**** ‘a hugely rewarding immersive theatrical experience’
This staple in our repertoire found a new audience in a new venue in June 2019. Along with two other LynchPin shows, Artifice performed as part of the Farnham Flash Festival. We performed this original piece in the beautiful council chamber of the Farnham Town Council offices, a Georgian-style space which perfectly complimented the characters from Austen’s work. To read a four-star review click here.
Audiences on Artifice:
‘Awesome production – superb acting, direction, humour.’
‘A new experience to follow the actors , not sit down and face the front.’
‘Innovative, extremely entertaining. Very professional and thoroughly enjoyable. Excellent.’
‘Very good, lively and engaging. The intimate atmosphere serves this piece to perfection, and the ‘direct contact’ made by the excellent cast serves to spice up the drawing room drama.’
Past Productions
Since 2010, Artifice’s productions have been seen at:
Chawton House Library, Alton
The Merchants’ Hall, Edinburgh
The Electric Theater, Guildford
Frensham Pond Hotel, Farnham
The Guildhall, Bath
Hatchlands Park, Guildford
Clandon Park, Guildford
The Masonic Hall, Bath
The Mill Studio, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
Camberley Theatre
The Mission Theatre, Bath
The University of Notre Dame, London
The Back Room at the Star Inn, Guildford
for the following organisations:
Chawton House Library
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Jane Austen Festival
The National Trust
“The What Signifies a Theatre?” conference series
“Pride and Prejudices” conference
Performers Together
The Jane Austen Society
The Guildford Fringe Festival
Productions:
The Way to Keep Him by Arthur Murphy
Austen’s Artifice by Kate Napier
Miss in Her Teens by David Garrick
An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde
A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde
Lovers’ Vows by Elizabeth Inchbald
Staging Lovers’ Vows by Elaine Gurr
Concert readings:
(still to be ‘upgraded’ to full Artifice productions!)
Animal Magnetism by Elizabeth Inchbald
Bon Ton by David Garrick
The Artifice Video
The Artifice promotional video was funded by a Crowdfunder UK campaign. We also had the generous support of Chawton House Library, who allowed us use of the house and grounds as our location and provided help during the shoot.
We would like to thank the following for their donations:
Margaret Ball, Tony Ball, Paul Bryant, Jane Bradford, Edie Campbell, Paul Chesterton, Jayne and Jacqui Chidgey-Clarke, Tracy Collier, Laura Dymock, Farnham Theatre Association, Gately Freeman, Judith Hawley, Andrew Hodson, Janet Gunn, Zelda and Brian Hunt, Jack Lynch, Sarah Martin, Joe Michel, Ray Murphy, Andrew Napier, Edward Napier, Robert Napier, Suzanne Parke, Mike Silver, Jaymes Sygrove, Elaine Thain and Marion Wynne-Davies.
We’d also like to thank Elaine Chalus of Bath Spa University for bringing her MA group to Chawton House Library, clearly for the sole purpose of providing us with an audience!
‘First rate – clever and amusing and beautifully acted.’
‘Beautiful venue. Fab acting.’
‘Marvellous poduction – Marvellous performances – Thank you.’