Two black-robed figures emerge from dense green and blue fog with their arms raised.

Bellairs Theatre2023

We Happy Few

The Production

Guildford School of Acting’s December 2023 BA Actor-Musician production of Imogen Stubbs’ We Happy Few was staged at the Bellairs Theatre. The actor-musician ensemble production follows an all-female wartime Shakespeare company touring Britain during the Second World War.

50 photographs in the curated edit

Director: Phyllida Crowley-Smith
Musical Director: Benjamin Bortone Page
Lighting Design: Brett Kasza
Set & Costume Design: Anna Toumanova
Sound Design: Mick Livermore
Commissioned by: Guildford School of Acting
Photography: Steve Gregson

A pale-faced figure peers out from a dark rectangular opening, hands resting on the ledge.

An empty stage is lit by hard white beams through haze, with furniture and clothing racks scattered across the space.

A lone performer stands in deep blue light holding a glowing lamp near a staircase.

A performer crouches low on the stage beside upturned chairs and draped fabric in smoky light.

A large ensemble fills the stage as a Union Jack flag is waved high under dramatic overhead beams.

A woman in a red dress sings beside a piano while another performer covers their ears.

A woman in blue sings at the front of the stage with a violinist, pianist and skull visible behind her.

A solitary performer in a cap stands on an elevated walkway beneath a row of stark overhead lights.

A wide split-level stage glows red as a lone figure stands above musicians and seated performers below.

A performer in a coat and cap reaches both hands upward, face lifted in a dramatic plea.

The ensemble dances across the stage in vivid red, blue and amber light.

A blue-lit ensemble surrounds two central performers standing still at the front of the stage.

A woman in a dark coat holds an umbrella and looks upward in cool blue light.

Two performers sit close together under a black umbrella, smiling warmly in low light.

Four performers huddle together, one holding a piece of paper as they look outward with concern.

A woman drinks from a glass in a strong white beam while other performers and musicians sit behind her.

A group of performers clusters on and around steps, facing forward in a tense tableau.

Figures gather in deep blue light as two bright handheld beams cut across the stage.

Three women in blue uniforms lean over a suitcase under warm red light.

An ensemble poses around a small stage vehicle under bright blue-white beams.

A woman in a blue uniform sits at a black piano with a skull and draped fabric on top.

A crowned performer in a ruff extends a blood-red hand toward the audience.

Performers in dark costume lunge and clash with sticks while others watch around the stage.

A young woman stands upright beside a double bass against a brick wall.

Several performers stride forward in bright white light, their shadows stretching across the stage.

A man with long hair stands beside a Union Jack flag and a clothing rail in blue haze.

A formal line of performers stands across the stage under cool white overhead beams.

A group of performers gathers tightly around a basket, smiling and reacting together.

Performers work around a large open trunk, with one person reaching inside in the foreground.

A tightly framed ensemble raises their hands and faces upward with excited expressions.

Two performers embrace and kiss cheeks while others smile around them.

A wide stage view shows performers spaced under cool beams in a large industrial set.

A lone woman in a pale nightdress stands in a dark, mostly empty stage space.

Two women sit close together, one touching the other’s shoulder in a quiet conversation.

A man gently kisses a woman’s hand while dancers and musicians blur behind them.

Two performers stand very close in warm light, their faces nearly touching.

A woman leans forward with arms spread wide, smiling intensely as she addresses someone off frame.

A performer in a bowler hat adjusts their hat beside a red piano in a strong yellow beam.

A woman embraces another distressed performer, holding her head against her shoulder.

A uniformed man grips a woman by the neck or chin as another performer watches behind them.

A uniformed performer sits by a piano in blue light while a bright flare shines across the stage.

A dancer bends backward with one arm lifted as musicians stand behind her in warm light.

Several performers crowd around a person lying on the floor in a tense stage scene.

Three performers hold black umbrellas aloft against a dark brick backdrop.

Musicians and performers gather as one seated figure raises a long prop high in the air.

A solitary dark figure stands beneath shafts of white light beside a clothing rack on an otherwise shadowed stage.

A smiling crew member or performer sits beside a bright stage light cutting through haze.

Two performers stand close together, one in a bowler hat and another in a pink cardigan, sharing a small emotional moment.

The full ensemble stands across the brightly lit stage in a curtain-call-like formation.

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Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts2023

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