Sleepless Theatre Company specialises in highly visual and interactive ensemble work for both children and adults. We are a hugely strong advocate for equality in the arts, and will only produce work with at least a 50:50 male to female role ratio as well as lead female characters. We are also committed to increasing our diversity ratio in terms of ethnicity and working with D/deaf and disabled artists.
We especially enjoy international literary adaptations, physical theatre, puppetry and any other imaginative, story-telling theatrical techniques. There is so much one can do with this medium without investing thousands of pounds into technical wizardry, and as a company we are committed to creating magical effects and experiences with objects and techniques that one might call decidedly 'lo-tech'.
We believe that while theatre is a fantastic art form with which to question and challenge, the playfulness of live performance is to be cherished - a philosophy which we attempt to inject into all of our shows.
We love playing with the interaction between audience and performers, casting those watching as a role in the piece itself. Theatre does not exist without an audience, and we cherish this relationship, making it a backbone of every single piece.
Sleepless Theatre Company is based in London and has performed in various different locations around the UK.
Artistic Director:
Helena Jackson is a freelance theatre and opera director working in London, is Artistic Director of Sleepless Theatre Company and Co-artistic Director of the fledgling Opera On Location. She is the Winner of the University Women in the Arts Programme, and is receiving mentoring from leading female arts figures such as Lucy Kerbal, Tamara Rojo and Vicky Featherstone. She is currently working as an Assistant and Associate Director at the King's Head Theatre, having worked on pieces such as Five Guys Chillin (AP), Boy With Beer (AP), Pinocchio (AD), Madame Butterfly (AD), The Magic FLute (AD) and Tosca (Associate Director). She has collaborated with the ENO on a short, modern opera 'Dead Equal' and is working at the Lyric Hammersmith on a series of Open Mic Nights. She is currently Assistant Directing Max Hoehn on a collection of opera scenes to be brought to the Scottish Opera at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow.
Future plans include Nine Foot Nine, a feminist piece exploring power and physicality in gender relations and Masha and the Firebird, a children's play geared towards SEND audiences. Past work includes directing Around The World in 80 Days (2015, Winner of Best Production at the Buxton Fringe, C Venues), The Master and Margarita (in collaboration with Zoo Venues at the site-specific St. Cuthbert’s Church, 2016), Noises Off at the Oxford Playhouse, Carmen in a Pub and a host of other work in venues such as the Arcola Theatre, Shaftesbury Theatre, New Theatre Oxford, BT Studio and the Oxford Playhouse. She is also a member of the National Youth Theatre Stage Management section.
Above is a slideshow of photos from both outside and inside performances of Around the World in 80 Days in St John's Gardens and C South in Edinburgh (produced by Curious Grin Productions), along with photos from the production of Noises Off at the Oxford Playhouse (produced by Milk and Two Sugars), both directed by Helena Jackson.