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To Hell In a Handbag
The Secret Lives of Canon Chasuble and Miss Prism
Written and performed by Helen Norton and Jonathan White.
Touring 2017
“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from lack of imagination” – Oscar Wilde
While others are preoccupied with cucumber sandwiches and railway cloakrooms, two minor
characters from The Importance of Being Earnest are up to their necks in something else. A country
rector and a governess, models of Victorian propriety in public. But in private? This is the play behind
the play: a tale of blackmail, false identity … and money. A subversively funny new take on an Irish
theatrical classic.
Written and Performed by Helen Norton & Jonathan White
Director – Conor Hanratty
Set Design – Maree Kearns
Costume Design – Saileóg O’ Halloran
Originally produced as a Show in a Bag for Tiger Dublin Fringe 2016.
Show in a Bag is an artist development initiative of Dublin Fringe Festival, Fishamble: the New Play Company
and Irish Theatre Institute to resource theatre makers and actors.
Cast
Helen Norton
Helen has just finished playing Grumio in The Taming of the
Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe and will be seen this
Christmas in The Heiress at The Gate Theatre. Other theatre
includes Oedipus, The Comedy of Errors, Men to the Right,
Women to the Leftand Tarry Flynn (Abbey) As You Like
It (Gate and Druid) Wallflowering (Tall Tales) Miseryand The
Sunshine Boys (Civic Theatre) Slattery’s Sago Saga (
Performance Corporation) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Corn
Exchange) A Midsummer Nights Dream ( Barabbas) Talking
to Terrorists(Calypso) The Flamboyant Bird (Fringe Festival) Dancing at Lughnasa ( Northcott Theatre,
Exeter)Roman Fever and Ruby Tuesday (Bewley’s Cafe Theatre) Wired to the Moon (Fishamble)
and Red Noses, Fen, Don Juan and West (Pigsback).
TV and Film includes Penny Dreadful, The Borgias, Roy, Cracks, Dorothy, Paths to Freedom,Custer’s
Last Stand Up, Durango, A Love Divided, Angela’s Ashes, Maigret, The Old Curiosity Shop,Dillusc, Crisis
Eile and Fair City.
Helen has worked extensively on radio and has written and directed three short plays for children
based on paintings in The National Gallery of Ireland.
Jonathan White
Jonathan was born in Dublin, grew up in New York and began
his acting career while still a student at Trinity College,
Dublin. His theatre work includes No Escape, The Comedy of
Errors, Ladybag, Calvary, The
Resurrection, The
Quare
Fellow and Imeachtaí na Saoirse (Abbey)The Life of Galileo, I
Can’t Get Started, Lady Windermere’s Fan, Our Country’s
Good, Serious Money, No End of Blame and Victory (Rough
Magic) Richard
II,
Amadeus and Mutabilitie(Ouroboros/Theatreworks) Are
You
There,
Garth?
It’s
Me,
Margaret (Gaiety) Anglo: The Musical(BGET & Olympia) Comedians (Bickerstaffe) Massive
Damages (Passion Machine) and The Merchant of Venice, Othello, King Lear, Hamlet and As You Like
It (Second Age).
Films include Love Rosie, Noble, Happy Ever Afters, Cracks, Veronica Guerin and When Brendan Met
Trudy. Television credits include Ripper Street, Titanic: Blood & Steel, Betrayal of Trust, Honeymoon
for One, The Santa Incident, Wild Decembers, Whistleblower, The Tudors, On Home Ground, The
Ambassador, Nighthawks, A Song For Europe and Father Ted. Radio includes Scrap Saturday and The
Monica Moody Show as well as over 100 plays and series.
Critical Acclaim for To Hell In a Handbag
“Helen Norton and Jonathan White, have pulled off a coup with their enchanting visit to the outer
rim of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest… packs extraordinary amounts of plot and topnotch gags into a compact package”
★ ★ ★ ★ – The Irish Times
“Wickedly, side-splittingly funny, in a sophisticated, witty and elegant way…a joyous romp not to be
missed, a worthy homage to its master and progenitor”
- Sunday Independent
“Helen Norton plays a surprisingly devious Miss Prism while Jonathan White inhabits the bumbling
vicar to perfection”
- Sunday Times
“one of those unique events – an atmospheric piece which is a complete package”
– Meg.ie
Touring Details and Technical Requirements
To Hell in a Handbag is available for touring throughout 2017.
It is a two-hander of 60 minutes’ duration to be played without an interval.
Travelling company of four people.
One day get in and performance is possible.
Set Details:
This production is a single set consisting of free standing furniture and a rug that can be adjusted to
most stage dimensions.
Lighting Details:
The lighting design is very simple, with an upstage wash, a full stage wash and one special spotlight.
Required from Venue
1 – Lighting Pre Rig from provided plan
2 – Lighting operator
3 – 2 x Dressing Rooms
4 – Basic PA System
Contact:
Sara Cregan
Producer To Hell in a Handbag
Mobile: 087 9850848
Email: [email protected]
www.2hellinahandbag.com