A group of veiled performers surges together at stage right as a strong beam of light cuts across the dark blue stage.

PATS Theatre, Stag Hill Campus, University of Surrey2023

Beasts and Beauties

The Production

Guildford School of Acting staged Carol Ann Duffy’s Beasts and Beauties, dramatised by Melly Still and Tim Supple, at PATS Theatre in December 2023. The production brought together GSA acting, musical theatre, theatre production and stage management students in a theatrical retelling of European fairy tales through song, movement and storytelling.

50 photographs in the curated edit

Director: Sabina Netherclift
Musical Director: Eamonn O'Dwyer
Lighting Design: Jack Hathaway
Set Design: Tara Usher
Costume Design: Anna Lewis
Sound Design: Joseff Harris
Commissioned by: Guildford School of Acting
Photography: Steve Gregson

An empty stage with illustrated forest panels is lit by a single overhead shaft cutting through haze.

A woman works close to a black-and-white illustrated scenic panel under cool blue backstage light.

A technician sits at a lighting control desk with monitors and stage equipment around him.

A large ensemble fills the stage in white and colourful costumes beneath blue and white theatrical lights.

A group of performers in white costumes bunch forward toward the audience against the illustrated set.

A woman in a white dress stands foreground while a masked man in blue and other performers wait behind her.

A young woman in white with red beads faces forward against the bold black-and-white scenic backdrop.

A masked man in blue holds a small prop near a startled young woman in a white dress.

Dancers sweep across the stage in a lively ensemble movement under red and white overhead lights.

A woman in a white dress stands alone in a narrow warm spotlight beside painted forest scenery.

Two performers stand isolated in a thin white spotlight on an otherwise dark stage.

Performers form a tiered group at centre stage, with one woman elevated above the others in green-blue light.

A masked man gestures from a bright circular spotlight while a group gathers on the opposite side of the stage.

Three performers lunge and counterbalance across the stage as others watch from the background.

Three performers stand tightly together facing forward, their expressions serious under cool stage light.

Four performers lean over a small table lit warmly from below in an intimate scene.

A performer leaps sideways across the stage while others move around the illustrated set.

A smiling performer holds a small stringed instrument while others bend low behind her.

A wide tableau shows performers arranged across the stage beneath red and white lights and haze.

A worried group clusters around a man holding a book, with hands reaching and faces turned outward.

A man kneels in the foreground while dancers behind him hold open fans in a blue-lit ensemble scene.

The ensemble spreads across the full stage in a balanced tableau beneath red, blue and amber lights.

A shaggy horned figure stands centre stage as a man watches from the foreground and others crouch behind.

Two young women hold a distressed man close in a tight, emotional grouping.

A young woman in a blue apron stands in the foreground while a ritual-like group forms behind her.

A shaggy horned figure stands beside a staged pyramid of performers holding books and raised arms.

A young woman reaches out with a yellow object toward a shaggy horned figure seated beside a wooden chair.

A shaggy horned figure presents a small puppet-like object to a young woman in a blue apron.

Couples and groups move in opposing directions across the stage in a lively dance scene.

A young woman stands still at centre while surrounding performers raise small objects around her.

A couple embraces in the foreground as seated performers arrange themselves in a formal tableau behind them.

A central performer in white is lifted or exalted by the surrounding ensemble under bright blue and magenta light.

A man in a pale suit strides toward the audience as the full ensemble rushes and reaches around him.

A young performer in a dark suit holds both hands raised, lit against a mostly dark background.

A bare-armed performer holds a crown above his head while another performer smiles from the side.

A colourful ensemble scene stretches across the stage with red haze and a small house-shaped set piece behind.

Two performers sit on the floor in front of a small house-shaped structure while a woman stands to the side.

A glowing white house-shaped structure contains a silhouetted figure on a dark blue stage.

A woman stands alone at the front while red light glows around silhouettes inside the small house set.

A seated man holds a bowl and spoon while a smiling woman stands close beside him.

A group carries a large blue-and-yellow bird puppet across the stage under blue and amber light.

Performers lift a large blue-and-yellow bird puppet high above their heads, its wings spread wide.

Veiled dancers in translucent blue fabric gather around a central figure reaching upward.

Blue-veiled performers sweep across the stage in flowing movement, their fabric catching the light.

A large group gathers around a long tablecloth stretched across the stage.

Performers crowd around a table in a chaotic scene with raised food, hands and startled expressions.

Two performers present a tall white tiered cake while veiled figures gather behind them.

A crowded ensemble lunges and reaches across the stage under warm and blue beams of light.

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