A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO POPULISM
The residents of Little Middleton are up in arms about proposals that will spell the end of their village. Following the announcement of plans to create Middleton Garden City, Antonia Morgan takes on the cause of the villagers, not because she believes in their cause, she just thinks it will win her votes and guarantee her place in political history.
Things don't quite go to plan, but by the time she finally realises the damage and chaos that she's unleashed and tries to change course, it is too late. The cause had been hijacked by the local loud mouth Brian Barber, a man who everyone had previously thought was just the village idiot in love with the sound of his own voice .
After declaring independence for the village, he calls a motion of no confidence in the leader, and gets the angry villagers calling for her head on a plate, before removing her and installing himself as the leader of the village, willfully taking it into political isolation, food shortages and the collapse of the local economy, rather than have any outsiders have say in its future.
A Beginner's Guide To Populism is the dark comedy first produced in 2017 that now serves as a chillingly accurate prediction of what was to follow in the UK and the Conservative Party.
The play was previewed at Summerhall, Red Lecture Theatre, Edinburgh on 13 November 2017 before shows at The Old Hairdressers Studio, Glasgow on 15 November before it's official premiere at The Cockpit, London on 17 and 18 November for the 2017 Voila! Europe festival. In 2018 the play was nominated for the New Writing Award at Buxton Fringe and enjoyed a two week run with sell-out shows at Edinburgh Fringe. The script of the play is available on Amazon.
Reviews
'There is a plethora of political satire and critique being produced at the moment, and so finding a unique take on it is hard. ‘A Beginner’s Guide of Populism’ is able to take a fairly worn out topic and give it a fresh face, it’s incredibly refreshing and thought provoking, and somehow manages to be funny too! Part of the cleverness of this play was echoing the current political situation, but not copying it. In this way they are able to demonstrate the dangers without being clichéd.' Eleanor Gunn - EdFringe Review.com
'It is expertly conceived, written and executed by a team who plainly have an eye for the socio-political zeitgeist. Echoes of the present resonate throughout – references to sex pests, contempt for experts, the invitation to build a wall - all delivered with wry humour and witty lines. A thoroughly entertaining play, brilliantly executed and cleverly written.' Ian Hamilton - Buxton Fringe Review
'A timely production. It lampoons populism and its insular message with great verve, but without offering simple solutions. The writing is pointed and telling, and manages to note many of the strategies feeding the rise of populism without feeling didactic. The us-and-them divisions are nicely drawn, as what makes an outsider so becomes ever more ludicrously defined.' Stephen Walker - Fringe Guru
'Andy Moseley skewers everything that is troubling about politics today in a show as fresh as the day’s news, directed with pace and humour by David Wood. As Antonia Morgan, a gauche local authority councillor with much greater political ambitions, Isabel Palmstierna is consistently hilarious as she learns, obeys and breaks the new rules of power.' Louis Mazzini - LondonTheatre1.com
'A wonderfully acted piece that uses humour effectively to emphasise its dark message. A funny and occasionally deeply concerning hour which will leave you convinced that we need better politicians.' Agnes Carrington - Windo - Playstosee.com
'Well written, polished and perceptive: a haunting 1984 for the 2018 market.' - Buxton Pure magazine
Things don't quite go to plan, but by the time she finally realises the damage and chaos that she's unleashed and tries to change course, it is too late. The cause had been hijacked by the local loud mouth Brian Barber, a man who everyone had previously thought was just the village idiot in love with the sound of his own voice .
After declaring independence for the village, he calls a motion of no confidence in the leader, and gets the angry villagers calling for her head on a plate, before removing her and installing himself as the leader of the village, willfully taking it into political isolation, food shortages and the collapse of the local economy, rather than have any outsiders have say in its future.
A Beginner's Guide To Populism is the dark comedy first produced in 2017 that now serves as a chillingly accurate prediction of what was to follow in the UK and the Conservative Party.
The play was previewed at Summerhall, Red Lecture Theatre, Edinburgh on 13 November 2017 before shows at The Old Hairdressers Studio, Glasgow on 15 November before it's official premiere at The Cockpit, London on 17 and 18 November for the 2017 Voila! Europe festival. In 2018 the play was nominated for the New Writing Award at Buxton Fringe and enjoyed a two week run with sell-out shows at Edinburgh Fringe. The script of the play is available on Amazon.
Reviews
'There is a plethora of political satire and critique being produced at the moment, and so finding a unique take on it is hard. ‘A Beginner’s Guide of Populism’ is able to take a fairly worn out topic and give it a fresh face, it’s incredibly refreshing and thought provoking, and somehow manages to be funny too! Part of the cleverness of this play was echoing the current political situation, but not copying it. In this way they are able to demonstrate the dangers without being clichéd.' Eleanor Gunn - EdFringe Review.com
'It is expertly conceived, written and executed by a team who plainly have an eye for the socio-political zeitgeist. Echoes of the present resonate throughout – references to sex pests, contempt for experts, the invitation to build a wall - all delivered with wry humour and witty lines. A thoroughly entertaining play, brilliantly executed and cleverly written.' Ian Hamilton - Buxton Fringe Review
'A timely production. It lampoons populism and its insular message with great verve, but without offering simple solutions. The writing is pointed and telling, and manages to note many of the strategies feeding the rise of populism without feeling didactic. The us-and-them divisions are nicely drawn, as what makes an outsider so becomes ever more ludicrously defined.' Stephen Walker - Fringe Guru
'Andy Moseley skewers everything that is troubling about politics today in a show as fresh as the day’s news, directed with pace and humour by David Wood. As Antonia Morgan, a gauche local authority councillor with much greater political ambitions, Isabel Palmstierna is consistently hilarious as she learns, obeys and breaks the new rules of power.' Louis Mazzini - LondonTheatre1.com
'A wonderfully acted piece that uses humour effectively to emphasise its dark message. A funny and occasionally deeply concerning hour which will leave you convinced that we need better politicians.' Agnes Carrington - Windo - Playstosee.com
'Well written, polished and perceptive: a haunting 1984 for the 2018 market.' - Buxton Pure magazine
