The Double Bill

Pilgrim Shadow returns to the stage for a three night run next week! The show will play alongside Ray Newell's A Recipe for Disaster at the Dugdale Centre in North London. Book your tickets now!

Reviews from Pilgrim Shadow's 2013 Camden Fringe debut:

★★★★ - 'Jordan carries on this seething, bubbling resentment and pathetic longing masterfully... (the cast) carry the comedy and characterisation off flawlessly... It's a classic contrast and one that the pair, all bluster and wide eyes respectively, work beautifully. As ever, if on TV ... their pairing I suspect would be seen as one of the greats.' - Views from the Gods. Full review here.

★★★★ - 'A hilarious, unusual Sci-Fi excursion... exciting and hilarious science fiction... the snappy interactions between Chapman and Joselyn bring a great atmosphere... a parody of a futuristic sci-fi blockbuster crammed into a 60 minute stage play and somehow this is achieved with rather a lot of brilliance!' - Remote Goat. Full review here.

'Terrific Fun... Cliff Chapman as Tyler and Adam Joselyn as Gary really embrace their roles – Tyler is all exaggerated patience and tragicomic dignity like Harold Steptoe... Gary bounces up and down with excitement like an ADHD rabbit... Here’s hoping there are more episodes coming our way ... these mini-sitcoms could be as good as anything on BBC3!' - Camden Fringe Voyeur.

'Had an excellent time... The acting was again top notch... The story worked well... It is a mark of a good play when it is only when it finishes you realise your chair has been pretty uncomfortable!' - Graeme Hurry, editor of KZINE and formerly Kimota.

'Pilgrim Shadow ... is ace. Fanboy humour and Bennett pathos as two outlaws try to get mitts on space booty.' - Dan Green, author of the bestselling Basher Science series.

'Like Black Books meets Bottom… laugh-out-loud funny... some strikingly clever moments.' - Annexe Magazine.

'Steve Jordan's new play combines elements of two of the best sitcoms of the last century – Blackadder and Red Dwarf... laughs throughout ... will make it impossible for anyone who sees it to describe Brokeback Mountain in a game of charades in any way other than how they do it here. ' - One Stop Arts.

'... brings together warp speed and witty one-liners in ways that are, well, out of this world... a lot of fun...' - A Younger Theatre.

Double Bill Cast Bios

The Cast

Cliff Chapman is a professional actor and voiceover artist,
represented by Meredith Westwood Management and London VO. Born in Leicester, brought up in the Isle of Man and escaping to London in 2009 to train, he has enjoyed a variety of roles across stage, screen and audio in the last five years, including a long standing association with Liar's League. He also writes and directs. He enjoyed working with Steve Jordan ever since he let him play an evil imaginary version of The Doctor in 2011 and looks forward to being a part of more adventures for Tyler and Gary. His website is www.cliff-chapman.com and please follow him on Twitter via @CliffChapman.

Adam Joselyn has been acting since the age of 12, when he joined Anna’s Management. He attended weekly acting workshops through this agency between the ages of 12 and 24, when he left to join a new agent. Aged 15, Adam landed a lead role in Who’s the Daddy Now, a pilot for Carlton television, where he acted alongside Lenny James. Aged 18, he got the part of Simon in the pilot episode of The Inbetweeners. Although much of the cast was later re-cast, E4 commissioned the first series of the popular show off the back of the pilot episode. More recently Adam appeared in a FilmFour short film My Song. In the last 12 months he has also featured in a promo for Play with a Legend as well as playing Rick in web-series The Takeaway, and James in Loophole.  In August 2014 Adam will made his feature film debut, playing Giles in The Inbetweeners 2. This is Adam’s fourth collaboration with writer/director Steve Jordan, after successful runs of Dead Static in 2012, Pilgrim Shadow in 2013 and The Probleming in 2014. Adam is represented by SEA Personal Management.

Robert Ashford trained at East 15 Acting school. Previous acting roles include; Physicist in Project X (Tradesecrets), Orlando in As you like it (fast and loose theatre company), Hamlet in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Enigma Theatre), and Greek Chorus in Timbre (TornApart Theatre). Short film roles include; Jack in The Tell-Tale Heart (Oxygen Productions) and Father John in Hidden War (Beyond Wrong). Most recently he performed in two operas, first as Toby the Mute in The Medium and Simon Booker in The Impresario (both with Opera Alegria). He is very excited to be performing in Recipe for Disaster, and has thoroughly enjoyed working with Bad Bat Productions.

New Pilgrim Shadow poster.

New Pilgrim Shadow poster - we love this one! Can you afford to miss it? Click HERE for full high res version!

Bad Bat at FantasyCon 2014

Steve Jordan and Ellen Gallagher will be attending FantasyCon in York this weekend, the annual convention of the British Fantasy Society. This will be our 1st FantasyCon as Bad Bat Productions.

Ellen will be taking part in a couple of scheduled events over the weekend, including interviewing the Media Guest of Honour, Toby Whithouse.

Saturday 6th 

10.00am – From Page to Screen 

What’s different about books and film and how can you 

make your book/script/pitch saleable? 

Tony Venables (m), Toby Whithouse, Joanne Harris, 

 Ellen Gallagher, Maura McHugh, Sean Hogan 

Sunday 7th 

10.00am – Toby Whithouse in Conversation 

Our Media Guest of Honour is interviewed by Ellen Gallagher

Pilgrim Shadow / A Recipe for Disaster - Comedy Double Bill - Tickets available now!

The Future Boys are back! This Autumn will see the return of PILGRIM SHADOW, Steve Jordan's acclaimed science fiction comedy play from last year's Camden Fringe Festival. Join Tyler and Gary, the Future Boys, as they embark on a quest for a lost treasure haul in the far reaches of the galaxy.

The show will run as part of a double bill with Ray Newell's A RECIPE FOR DISASTER, with both plays starring Cliff Chapman and Adam Joselyn. So, even if you've seen Pilgrim Shadow before, there's a whole new play as part of the bargain!

The show will run for three nights, 20th, 21st and 22nd November 2014, at the Dugdale Centre in Enfield, North London as part of a joint production between Bad Bat and the Enfield Theatre Co-Op. And guess what? Tickets are on sale NOW.

The Probleming Reviews.

A huge thank you to all of you who came to see THE PROBLEMING this week. We're thrilled that our debut production as Bad Bat was such a success, and we're hugely grateful of all your support. A massive thank you to our amazing cast members, Emma Stirling, Adam Joselyn and Ellen Gallagher, our lighting designer and technician Tom Bexon, the Tristan Bates Theatre for having us and the Camden Fringe for making it all possible.

★★★★ '...the quality of Jordan's writing has always been in his characterisation, ensuring each is given just as a particularly well-crafted arc as the plot. Here, the trio are unravelled in just three, well-considered and tightly-crafted scenes that do justice to the whole piece... Just round the corner, you could plonk your cash down for (Jeremy Dyson's) Ghost Stories. Yet if the audience on my evening is anything to go by, you could save a good £30 a ticket. The laughs come thick and fast, in all different varieties. Whether you love the cheesey, slightly nerdy references Jordan seems to revel in or the swears intelligently placed like landmines across the place, this has 'em all... Jordan cares for his characters, well-evidenced throughout, and juggling a trio well. Scripts are, frankly, impeccable... it's this continued attention to detail that makes Jordan's writing such a great investment at any level.' - Views From the Gods.

'Steve Jordan's best play yet. A diverting blend of comedy and horror, with a nice line in really foul-mouthed profanity.' - Andrew Cartmel, novelist and screenwriter.

'The chemistry between Gallagher and Stirling is rather like French and Saunders in the days of old or if you prefer a sitcom example, like Baldrick and Blackadder... Joselyn is note perfect as the socially-awkward Dave, whose cheerful demeanour is offset by his strange behaviour. The best thing about The Probleming though is the characterisation of all three parts. None feel underdeveloped and all have their moments to shine. Some of the biggest surprises come from unexpected moments of pathos that creep up on you between the laughs.' - Female Arts

'Atmospheric... Adam Joselyn as Dave is spot on with a combination of social awkwardness and ambiguity and comes with a childlike enthusiasm about his passion. Emma Stirling as Cynthia is sarcastic and cynical and her superiority complex shows through. And the cheerful and naive Nicole, played by Ellen Gallagher is positively infectious.' - The Public Reviews

The Probleming Clips!

Some selected highlights from THE PROBLEMING's barnstorming finale at the Tristan Bates Theatre. Enjoy!

One week to go!

One week to go until THE PROBLEMING arrives! Performing nightly at the Tristan Bates Theatre, a great venue deep in the heart of London's West End, from Monday 28th July to Saturday 2nd August at 7.45pm. Part of this year's Camden Fringe Festival. Don't miss out - BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW PEEPS!

Rehearsals have been full of mirth and professionalism. The UK horror community has been talking about us. We have over 500 followers on twitter and very nearly 100 likes on Facebook. We have released three HD video trailers. All we've got to do now is DO the thing, and we sincerely hope you'll be in attendance when we do DO it. This play will make you laugh, and then freak you out, but in a cool way, not in a 'oh I thought it was something scary but it's actually next door's cat WAIT WHAT'S THAT BEHIND NEXT DOOR'S CAT IT'S A VAMPIRE' kind of way. You know what we mean. Think THE SHINING meets BLACK BOOKS. Yeah, now you're gettin' it! THE PROBLEMING is a good time for all. See you soon!

The Probleming - Trailer 3 - Dave.

The third, final, and perhaps most disturbing of our three trailers for THE PROBLEMING (less than 2 weeks, by the way). Give it a view, and watch Dave play the chess game of his life...

The Probleming - Trailer 2 - Cynthia.

The second of three trailers for THE PROBLEMING, coming to Camden Fringe in 2 weeks! This one features the character of Cynthia, played by Emma Stirling. Enjoy!


In other news, we were thrilled to be featured by Starburst Magazine last week. They previewed our new horror comedy play ahead of our week long run at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden, 28th July - 2nd August (tickets available now!) What they don't know is that the magazine will actually serve as a prop in the play itself! That's meta for you.

The Probleming - Trailer 1 - Nicole.

The first of three trailers for THE PROBLEMING, coming to Camden Fringe in just over 2 weeks! This one features the character of Nicole, played by Ellen Gallagher. Enjoy!

The Probleming Cast Bios.

The CAST

Emma Stirling (Cynthia) studied at the University of Bristol, graduating with a degree in Drama, a course that covered the whole spectrum of performance, from film and television through to theatre. She performed for years prior to this but having honed her skills there, she began performing professionally just over a year ago. Since then, she has been thrilled to work on several wide-ranging projects including First Date, an independent short film that is touring film festivals this year; Ball Talk, a short drama currently in post-production; and 82 to North Finchley, part of the City Shorts collection of short plays commissioned by London Grey & Green Theatre and performed at the Rosemary Branch. She is also an accomplished voice actor having recorded The Lost and Found, a radio drama with Roundhouse Radio, and at the moment, she is excited to be recording content for the monthly podcast, The Bunker. She is passionate about new writing, often seeking out emerging writers to collaborate with and she has enjoyed performing in rehearsed readings and scratch nights as part of the Genesis New Writing night. Emma is delighted to be making her debut for Bad Bat by joining the team for The Probleming.

Adam Joselyn (Dave) has been acting since the age of 12, when he joined Anna’s Management. He attended weekly acting workshops through this agency between the ages of 12 and 24, when he left to join a new agent. Aged 15, Adam landed a lead role in Who’s the Daddy Now, a pilot for Carlton television, where he acted alongside Lenny James. Aged 18, he got the part of Simon in the pilot episode of The Inbetweeners. Although much of the cast was later re-cast, E4 commissioned the first series of the popular show off the back of the pilot episode. More recently Adam appeared in a FilmFour short film My Song. In the last eighteen months, he has also completed still photography and commercials for EA Sports, Skype and Pot Noodle as well as playing Tick in the web series The Takeaway. In August 2014 Adam will make his feature debut, playing Giles in The Inbetweeners 2. The Probleming is Adam’s third collaboration with writer/director Steve Jordan, after successful runs ofDead Static in 2012 and Pilgrim Shadow in 2013. Adam is represented by SEA Personal Management.

Ellen Gallagher (Nicole) is a former session and backing vocalist with a background in musical theatre and comedy. She has taken to the role of Nicole like a duck to water, meaning ‘with a lot of noise and flapping’. Also one of Bad Bat’s producers, Ellen is excited to be involved in a horror comedy production, being a big fan of the horror genre. In the past, she worked at Hammer Horror, including a stint in the production office of recent release The Quiet Ones. Her IMDb page features at least one credit that has nothing to do with her, but she’s not telling which. By day, Ellen works with screenwriters, but by night… well, you’ll just have to watch The Probleming to find out…

Terror Tales.

Can't wait for your dose of horror this summer at THE PROBLEMING? Well fear not - at least, not yet ...

Steve Jordan, writer and director of THE PROBLEMING, has recently been published as part of TERROR TALES OF WALES, the latest instalment of the TERROR TALES series - a collection of regional British horror anthologies edited by best selling author Paul Finch. The series is crammed with fantastic short stories from some of Horror's biggest names and rising stars. You can buy the book now on Amazon.

Wales – ‘Land of my Fathers’, cradle of poetry, song and mythic rural splendour. But also a scene of oppression and tragedy, where angry spirits stalk castle and coal mine alike, death-knells sound amid fogbound peaks, and dragons stir in bottomless pools … 

 
The headless spectre of Kidwelly 
The sea terror off Anglesey 
The soul stealer of Porthcawl 
The blood rites at Abergavenny 
The fatal fruit of Criccieth 
The dark serpent of Bodalog 
The Christmas slaughter at Llanfabon 

 And many more chilling tales by Stephen Volk, Tim Lebbon, Simon Clark, Priya Sharma, John Llewellyn Probert and other award-winning masters and mistresses of the macabre.

We hope you enjoy it! So, have you got your tickets for THE PROBLEMING yet?

Character posters for THE PROBLEMING.

Emma Stirling as Cynthia (left), Ellen Gallagher as Nicole (right) and Adam Joselyn as Dave (bottom). Enjoy!

Horror press.

News of our debut production, THE PROBLEMING, is spreading fast. This week we were talked about on some of the most visited horror websites in the UK. We're thrilled that the production is being talked about by horror fans across the country and we can't wait to see some of you in 5 weeks time!

'The Probleming comes to Camden

Bad Bat Productions are unleashing their new play The Probleming on the Camden Fringe Festival. The play will run at the Tristan Bates Theatre from 28 July until 2 August. The one hour comedy-horror was written by Steve Jordan, a veteran of the British horror scene. For more information and for tickets, head over to the Bat Bad Productions website.' taken from thisishorror.co.uk

We were mentioned by ukhorrorscene.com's Andy Deen as part of the site's ongoing coverage of all things horror. We were also featured on this week's thisishorror.co.uk news round up by Dan Howarth, and we also got a shout out from promotehorror.com on their twitter and Facebook. Many thanks to all! 

We'll be posting some awesome new characters posters in the next few days, but if you can't wait until then (calm down), then you can head over to our Facebook page to view them right now, ahead of all the underling. Enjoy!

LOL'd into a false sense of security.

Connect with us!

Good news! You can now connect with Bad Bat Productions via our Facebook page and our twitter account.

To keep up to date with all our latest news, when we're open for submissions, casting calls and to see whose talking about us, follow us on twitter - @BadBatUK

You can also connect with us via our Facebook page, where you'll be able to see all the latest from our theatre productions, including exclusive images from our forthcoming horror comedy - THE PROBLEMING. Visit our page and give us a 'like'.

Speaking of THE PROBLEMING, we hope you're planning on joining us during our week long run at the Tristan Bates Theatre at the end of July. If you are, why not let us know on the Facebook events page? It's always good to hear about those planning to come along and enjoy the show. Obvs.

Or, if you just want to get in touch or ask us a question, our email address is badbatproductions@hotmail.co.uk. But no robots please, we're not interested in hearing from them.

Download Steve Jordan's DEAD STATIC for free!

Promotion for our debut production, THE PROBLEMING, is now in full swing. We're in the midst of inviting reviewers, handing out flyers and generally telling as many people as we can about our fantastic comedy horror. We've got a real treat in store for you this summer, so we hope you'll join the fun!

Following that, Bad Bat will begin work on the new run of Steve Jordan's science fiction comedy PILGRIM SHADOW, back by popular demand. The show, which debuted at 2013's Camden Fringe, and will return to theatres in November of this year as part of a double bill with Ray Newell's A RECIPE FOR DISASTER at the Dugdale Centre in Enfield.

PILGRIM SHADOW is about two criminals, Tyler (Cliff Chapman) and Gary (Adam Joselyn), 'The Future Boys' on the run from the law and in search of a mythical lost treasure hidden somewhere in deep space. But until November, why not acquaint yourself with the Future Boys' first adventure, DEAD STATIC? Described as having 'the makings of a classic series' by Snipe London during its theatrical run, it's the perfect way to get yourself in the mood for our comedy treats this summer. Download for FREE here!

Interview with The New Current.

Writer & director Steve Jordan recently spoke with The New Current about Bad Bat's upcoming debut production, THE PROBLEMING.

'Was it challenging writing a horror comedy play?

While writing my style of comedy has always come naturally to me because I grew up on classic British sitcoms, the horror aspect is more challenging. I think there’s a lot more funny comedy out there than genuinely scary horror, so we want to make sure we don’t short-change our audiences with something half-heartedly spooky. When the play moves into horror, expect edge of your seat stuff.

I think SHAUN OF THE DEAD and SCREAM are two excellent examples of of the genre, though SCREAM is often billed as a straight-forward slasher, I see it more as a incredible parody of one (in a good way) - there's a reason why the two genres are such common bedfellows. In my mind, they can both fold seemlessly into the other.'

Read the entire interview on their website, HERE. Tickets for the PROBLEMING are on sale now.

The Probleming Poster - Tickets on sale now!

Tickets are on sale NOW from the Tristan Bates Website.

The Speculative Analysis Society.

Cast photo for our new horror comedy play, THE PROBLEMING, debuting at the Tristan Bates Theatre, 28th July - 2nd August 2014, as part of the Camden Fringe Festival. Pictured left to right, Adam Joselyn as Dave, Emma Stirling as Cynthia and Ellen Gallagher as Nicole.

Tickets go on sale on the 1st June 2014.

Pilgrim Shadow / A Recipe for Disaster - A Comedy Double Bill at the Enfield Dugdale Centre.

Bad Bat Productions are delighted to announce that later this year we will be partnering with Enfield Theatre Co-Op to produce a comedy double bill at the Enfield Dugdale Theatre, running from Thursday 20th November to Saturday 22nd November 2014. 

The Future Boys are back! The double bill will feature the second run of Steve Jordan's science fiction comedy 'PILGRIM SHADOW' (★★★★ - Views from the Gods, ★★★★ - Remote Goat) and the debut of Ray Newell's hilarious farce comedy 'A RECIPE FOR DISASTER'. Both productions will be directed by Steve Jordan and star Cliff Chapman and Adam Joselyn.

Further details will be released later in the year, and tickets should go on sale in the Autumn. In the meantime, check out our 'past productions' page to learn more about PILGRIM SHADOW and read some of the great reviews from its debut run at the Tristan Bates Theatre last summer as part of the Camden Fringe Festival.

The Probleming - Tristan Bates Theatre, 28th July - 2nd August 2014. 7.45pm.

Bad Bad Productions is delighted to announce that our next theatrical production will be THE PROBLEMING, a horror comedy by Steve Jordan. The show will run at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden for six evening performances, from Monday 28th July to Saturday 2nd August 2014 at 7.45pm. The show will be part of this year's Camden Fringe Festival, and will star Emma Stirling as 'Cynthia', Adam Joselyn as 'Dave' and Ellen Gallagher as 'Nicole'.

Cynthia's university life is a nightmare. She hates her peers, her campus and she's beginning to hate herself. Her only ‘friend’ is Nicole - a scatterbrained party girl, desperate for popularity. In an effort to move up the social ladder, they join the only student society that appeals - the Speculative Analysis Society (Spec Anal for short) - a group on a quest to prove the existence of the paranormal. As it turns out, it’s not a group at all; just a bloke in a bow-tie called Dave, a lone ghost enthusiast who believes that the isolated rural campus of Trent Park University is haunted by the spirits of witches that were burnt on the grounds of the campus. Despite Cynthia's cynicism, the trio venture out into the seemingly endless fields at night. A harmless bit of fun? Or a night of terror they must fight to survive? Behold, the Probleming.

This will be Bad Bat's first Camden Fringe run, though the team have had years of success at the Fringe as part of ManMoth Productions. This will be the team's second run at the wonderful Tristan Bates Theatre, a lovely theatre in the heart of London's West End. We're delighted to be opening the Camden Fringe at the Tristan Bates as their first show of the festival. We aim to be a tough act to follow. Expect laughs, scares and a whole bunch of fun.

Tickets will be £10, and go on sale on the 1st of June 2014. Check back soon for details on how to book and more info about Bad Bat productions!

The Cast.

We're delighted to announce the cast of our new comedy-horror play THE PROBLEMING as Emma Stirling, Adam Joselyn and Ellen Gallagher, playing the parts of Cynthia, Dave and Nicole respectively. The production will be taking place this summer as part of the Camden Fringe festival.

Emma Stirling (left) is an accomplished performer who wowed us at auditions - we're thrilled to have such a brilliant talent as our lead.  Those familiar with Steve's other plays may recognise Adam Joselyn, who was incredible in the role of Gary in science fiction comedies DEAD STATIC and PILGRIM SHADOW. Bad Bat's own Ellen Gallagher (right) will return to stage with her first role since her show-stealing performance in Steve's A HERO'S JOURNEY.

Dates, venue and more details of the show will be announced very soon, and tickets will go on sale on 1st June 2014. Expect the Bad Bat marketing machine will go into full swing soon after!