STEPHEN Fry’s directorial debut Bright Young Things has a lot to answer for.

So obsessed did Daniel Richards and Charlotte Bister become with the movie’s singular brand of comedy that it seeped into every aspect of their lives - not to mention work.

You see, in the movie a landlady forever forgetting her tenants’ names takes to calling one man of them Mr Owdyado. The joke caught on and they took to referring to each other Mr and Mrs Owdyado. Eventually, when they formed their own theatre company, they had no choice but to name it Owdyado.

“In the film, there’s a Cockney landlady who owns the hotel in which the main character lives. She can never remember names so she calls people things like “Lord whatshisface” and at one point she calls one of the characters Mr Owdyado,” explains Daniel. “We adore the name of the company. And we liked that it worked on different levels; How do you do, the greeting, and the idea of ‘How do you do’ theatre.”

The duo have shifted their focus slightly towards drama, since they formed Owdyado in 2010, but comedy remains the starting point of their third venture, Above Bored – a two-hander starring and written by the pair.

A murder mystery with a difference, the play follows the aftermath of the brutal killing (he was bludgeoned to death with his own name plaque) of Graham White, regional manager of glue company EvaBond Adhesive Supplies.

As employees are questioned by the police, two sales and distribution coordinators Jean and Jenny, emerge as the prime suspects. Under questioning, their protestations of job satisfaction and unwavering loyalty to EvaBond begin to unstick, along with their ambitions, principles and even the reality of the interrogation room itself.

Inspired by Genet’s The Maids with influences from Harold Pinter and Martin Mcdonagh the black comedy uncovers the despair at the heart of the corporate hamster wheel and imagines how far people will go to escape it.

“One of our mission statements is to create unexpected work. We wanted the audience to be interested in the murder mystery but we also wanted to move beyond that and get them interested in why these people may have committed this crime,” adds Daniel. “As the play goes on it becomes more about the characters, their life choices, and less about the murder mystery.”

Their most ambitious work to date, Above Bored went through no fewer than 23 drafts.

“It has gone through many incarnations. This is our third play and we are getting more confident as writers; our ideas are becoming more complex. It’s the best script I’ve been involved with in terms of writing. I’m very proud of it.”

Above Bored will be at the Arts Centre on Thursday, March 19 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12, concessions are £10. To book call 01793 524481 or visit

STEPHEN Fry’s directorial debut Bright Young Things has a lot to answer for.

So obsessed did Daniel Richards and Charlotte Bister become with the movie’s singular brand of comedy that it seeped into every aspect of their lives - not to mention work.

You see, in the movie a landlady forever forgetting her tenants’ names takes to calling one man of them Mr Owdyado. The joke caught on and they took to referring to each other Mr and Mrs Owdyado. Eventually, when they formed their own theatre company, they had no choice but to name it Owdyado.

“In the film, there’s a Cockney landlady who owns the hotel in which the main character lives. She can never remember names so she calls people things like “Lord whatshisface” and at one point she calls one of the characters Mr Owdyado,” explains Daniel. “We adore the name of the company. And we liked that it worked on different levels; How do you do, the greeting, and the idea of ‘How do you do’ theatre.”

The duo have shifted their focus slightly towards drama, since they formed Owdyado in 2010, but comedy remains the starting point of their third venture, Above Bored – a two-hander starring and written by the pair.

A murder mystery with a difference, the play follows the aftermath of the brutal killing (he was bludgeoned to death with his own name plaque) of Graham White, regional manager of glue company EvaBond Adhesive Supplies.

As employees are questioned by the police, two sales and distribution coordinators  Jean and Jenny, emerge as the prime suspects. Under questioning, their protestations of job satisfaction and unwavering loyalty to EvaBond begin to unstick, along with their ambitions, principles and even the reality of the interrogation room itself.

Inspired by Genet’s The Maids with influences from Harold Pinter and Martin Mcdonagh the black comedy uncovers the despair at the heart of the corporate hamster wheel and imagines how far people will go to escape it.

“One of our mission statements is to create unexpected work. We wanted the audience to be interested in the murder mystery but we also wanted to move beyond that and get them interested in why these people may have committed this crime,” adds Daniel. “As the play goes on it becomes more about the characters, their life choices, and less about the murder mystery.”

Their most ambitious work to date, Above Bored went through no fewer than 23 drafts.

“It has gone through many incarnations. This is our third play and we are getting more confident as writers; our ideas are becoming more complex. It’s the best script I’ve been involved with in terms of writing. I’m very proud of it.”

Above Bored will be at the Arts Centre on Thursday, March 19 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12, concessions are £10. To book call 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk.

 

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