Dr Faustus (2019/2020)

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"interactive, ridiculous,
and fun"

The Reviews Hub

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“It was engaging, exciting, playful! The students loved it… They have not stopped talking about it and want you back!!”

Karen Wallace-Jones, Creative Arts Lead,
Brookfields SEN School

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"A vast amount of skills displayed in a professional way for students to emulate."

Mark Oakshott, Head of Drama,
All Hallows Catholic School

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“A powerful example of how great theatre doesn't have to have amazing lighting or complex set.”

Phil Butterfield, Head of Drama,
Ryburn Valley High School

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"My students loved the performance and haven't stopped talking about it since! The style, use of multi-roling and episodic structure has provided students with so many examples to discuss as part of their theatre review."

Alex Weller, Subject Leader Drama
Plume Academy

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“Clear narrative and rich in stylistic features to pick apart with the pupils... Fresh ideas and approaches for devising work... we’re already seeing the influence in their work.”

Sam Martin, Head of Drama,
Kennet School

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“The pupils were hooked from beginning to end… the youngest never having seen anything like it before… touring theatre at its absolute best!”

Josie Downer, Head of Drama,
St Nicholas' School

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“Exactly what our students
needed to see.”

Rachel Curness, CL Performing Arts,
The Buckingham School

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“Brilliantly thought-provoking and entertaining in equal measure… Our students are genuinely excited when they know Splendid Productions are coming to visit - as are the staff!”

Emma Webb, Assistant Head,
Croydon High School

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“Not only did the performance meet expectations, it exceeded them... Clever adaptation with a high energy performance brought Marlowe into the 21st century with a bang!”

Philip Hindle, Theatre Manager,
Co-op Academy Manchester

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“We can see the impact immediately on students’ creativity and practical work.”

Laura Hutt, Assistant Head and Teacher of Drama,
Calder High School

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“A high quality Splendid-style performance that provided our students with the ability to access the live theatre component of their GCSE qualification to the highest levels.”

Julia Mallard, Head of Performing Arts,
Kettering Science Academy

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“Always fantastic but a particular masterpiece this year.”

Briony James, Subject Leader for Drama,
Dover Grammar School for Girls

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“The students will be using the performance as one of their Theatre Reviews for the written exam and having the DVD will be invaluable to refresh their memory closer to the exam.”

Jayne Taylor, Head of Drama and Theatre,
Esher Sixth Form College

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“Explaining Brechtian techniques is one thing, but seeing it so seamlessly implemented into a comedic and thought provoking piece was so useful for our students.”

Lyndsey Orr, Drama Teacher,
King Edwards VI Camp Hill School for Girls

Angry_Wagner
Backstory
Backstory_Wittenberg
Bad_Angel
Bad_Angel_Faustus
Beezlebub_Skittles
Clown
Clown_Wagner
Clown_Wagner_Angry
Clown_Wagner_Horn
Devil_Horn_Off
Devil_Never_Gets
Devil_Never_Gets_Lonely
Devil_Wife
Devil_Wife_Faustus
Devils
Duke&Duchess_Wagon
Duke_Wagon
Emperor
F&W_Strangle
Faustus_Arrogant
Faustus_Book
Faustus_Contract
Faustus_Crying
Faustus_End
Faustus_End_Ladder
Faustus_Fez_Waft
Faustus_In_Doubt
Faustus_Lucifer
Faustus_Meph
Faustus_Meph_2
Faustus_Pleading
Faustus_Pout
Faustus_Regret
Faustus_Wagner_Lean
Faustus_Wagon
Faustus_Wagon_End
Faustus_Wagon_Shame
G&B&Faustus
Good&Bad_Angel
Good_Angel
Hell_Button
Knight_Wagon
Lechery
Lifes_Good
Lucifer as Wagner
Lucifer as Wagner_2
Lucifer
Lucifer_Card
Lucifer_Recorder
Meph_Faustus
Meph_Faustus_Thunder_Tube
Meph_Titles
Mephistopheles
Mouth_Coil
Old_Man_smaller
Pope
Sloth
Wagner
Wagner_Noooooooo
Wagner_Only_God!
Wagon_End
Wagon_Fez_Tip
Wrath
Wrath_2
Wrath_3
Yeahhhhh

  Nick Crosbie, Grace Goulding and Tanya Muchanyuka in Splendid’s 2019 production of Dr Faustus (photos: Lewis Wileman)

Splendid Productions present a new creative adaptation of an all-time classic. The brilliant scholar Dr Faustus uses his fabulous intellect to summon the actual devil to grant his every wish! But the devil has a price: it will cost Faustus his soul. Is this the best deal in history – absolutely everything for absolutely nothing? Or… is it perhaps the other way round…?

Splendid’s devilish cast of three pack a timeless tale into a thrilling hour of laughter, music, magic and amazement. Morality meets mortality in this ingenious reinvention of an Elizabethan drama that couldn’t be more contemporary.

Theatre tour poster design: Ben Hales, photo: Ben Rose

Splendid Productions’ ‘Dr Faustus’
Toured Sept 2019 – March 2020
Written by: Christopher Marlowe
Adapted by: Kerry Frampton & Ben Hales
Directed by: Kerry Frampton, Matt Wilde
Songs by:  Ben Hales
Design by: Kerry Frampton
Costumes by: Kerry Frampton, Heather Castle-Rainsbury

Cast & Characters

Grace Goulding: Lucifer, Wagner, Good Angel, The Pope, Old Man
Tanya Muchanyuka: Mephistopheles, Clown, Evil Angel
Nick Crosbie: Dr Faustus, Beelzebub

with thanks to:
Matt Wilde, Lucy Cuthbertson, Ben Rose, The Halley Academy

More about Dr Faustus

click for more info

Dr Faustus
30-day stream
£7.50

click for more info

Dr Faustus
1-yr stream + optional DVD
£35

click for more info

Dr Faustus
Streaming Super Pack
£55

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Dr Faustus
Script
£15

click for more info

Dr Faustus
Education Pack
£12

“… innovative ideas for GCSE devised pieces, several of which our pupils have used in their examination work – vocal soundscaping; tickle and slap; audience participation; archetypal physicality…”
Jannette Bloor, Director of Performing Arts, The Grange School, Hartford

“Clear narrative and rich in stylistic features to pick apart with the pupils…Fresh ideas and approaches for devising work… we’re already seeing the influence in their work.”
Sam Martin, Head of Drama, Kennet School

read more…

“… innovative ideas for GCSE devised pieces, several of which our pupils have used in their examination work – vocal soundscaping; tickle and slap; audience participation; archetypal physicality…”
Jannette Bloor, Director of Performing Arts, The Grange School, Hartford

“Clear narrative and rich in stylistic features to pick apart with the pupils…Fresh ideas and approaches for devising work… we’re already seeing the influence in their work.”
Sam Martin, Head of Drama, Kennet School

“… with the amount of focus, energy and audience interaction, the pupils were hooked from beginning to end… the youngest never having seen anything like it before… touring theatre at its absolute best!”
Josie Downer, Head of Drama, St Nicholas’ School

“…vast amount of skills displayed in professional way for students to emulate.”
Mark Oakshott, Head of Drama, All Hallows Catholic School

“A powerful example of how great theatre doesn’t have to have amazing lighting or complex set.”
Phil Butterfield, Head of Drama, Ryburn Valley High School

“It was engaging, exciting, playful! The students loved it. They have not stopped talking about it and want you back!!”
Karen Wallace-Jones, Creative Arts Lead, Brookfields SEN School

“Exactly what our students needed to see.”
Rachel Curness, CL Performing Arts, The Buckingham School

“Brilliantly thought-provoking and entertaining in equal measure… Our students are genuinely excited when they know Splendid Productions are coming to visit – as are the staff!”
Emma Webb, Assistant Head, Croydon High School

“A great piece of theatre. A wonderfully fun but also socially conscious piece.”
James King, Associate Lecturer, Exeter College

“Great as always. Particularly popular with students – many saying it was the best Splendid play they’d ever seen! … Really clear story and message and lots of fun with some exceptional characterisation.”
Michelle Sinclair, Drama teacher, McAuley Catholic High School

“Not only did the performance meet expectations, it exceeded them…. Clever adaptation with a high energy performance brought Marlowe into the 21st Century with a bang!”
Philip Hindle, Theatre Manager, Co-op Academy Manchester

“We can see the impact immediately on students creativity and practical work.”
Laura Hutt, Assistant Head and Teacher of Drama, Calder High School

“A high quality Splendid-style performance that provided our students with the ability to access the live theatre component of their GCSE qualification to the highest levels.”
Julia Mallard, Head of Performing Arts, Kettering Science Academy

“Always fantastic but a particular masterpiece this year.”
Briony James, Subject Leader for Drama, Dover Grammar School for Girls

“The students will be using the performance as one of their Theatre Reviews for the written exam and having the DVD will be invaluable to refresh their memory closer to the exam.”
Jayne Taylor, Head of Drama and Theatre, Esher Sixth Form College

“…outstanding. My students loved the performance and haven’t stopped talking about it since! The style, use of multi-roling and episodic structure has provided students with so many examples to discuss as part of their theatre review. I feel that this will allow them to have more options and points for discussion in their review, than if they saw a naturalistic performance, for example.

The post-show talk exceeded my expectations as my students had not experienced a post-show discussion or intimate performance before and I was unsure how they would handle this. However, the actors supported my students so much with their questioning which encouraged more and more students to get involved. The got so much out of this section and also loved speaking with professional working actors and enquiring about their rehearsal process, as well as the show.

The teachers pack provided was invaluable. It has, without a doubt, helped us to prepare PowerPoints and theatre review booklets for the students. The booklets have also allowed us to effectively prompt students with questions, that we as teaching staff now confidently know the answer to. Having access to the DVD will also allow for staff and students to re-watch the performance for revision purposes.

I also wanted to show my students what you could do in our performance space, with a small cast and minimal set,props and costume. It was eye-opening for them and I am confident will have a positive impact on their devising next year as well as their theatre review.”
Alex Weller, Subject Leader Drama, Plume Academy

“As usual a very high level of skill and originality. Very funny and accessible for the students… I was great for the Year 10 students to learn about the characters and themes within the play in a practical way as they will be writing about it in their exam. I have used the company several times before and I know that we always get a quality performance.”
Fiona Hamill, Drama teacher, Loreto Grammar School

“Thank you so much for inspiring our students (and me!) with your enthusiastic approach to performance and devising. Your fuss free approach to visits makes organisation easy and manageable.”
Danielle Deveney, Head of Drama, Cardinal Newman Catholic School

“Explaining Brechtian techniques is one thing, but seeing it so seamlessly implemented into a comedic and thought provoking piece was so useful for our students.”
Lyndsey Orr, Drama Teacher, King Edwards VI Camp Hill School for Girls

“It gave me some new teaching ideas when delivering Brecht including a simple way to teach gestus, which I’ve struggled with in the past.”
Lucy Whelan, Drama teacher, St Richard’s Catholic College

“You brought a complex difficult text to life with your adaptation and it was inspirational for the pupils.”
Andrea Asbury, Head of Drama, Hull Collegiate School

“All the students were inspired by what they had seen and have started to use Splendid style in their devised pieces.”
Rhianne Kent, Stokesley School

“The theatre performance nailed every aspect of Brecht and Component 1 reinterpretation of a Text using a theory for Eduqas … the students loved the chance to speak to the actors and see a piece of theatre that’s didn’t have a thousand and one black outs…It was so engaging, professional and challenging. It provoked the students and inspired them. Thank you.”
Claire Hullock, Teacher of Drama, New College

“It was an amazing showpiece of skills and techniques, applied to a classic and always relevant story… I have been with Splendid since day one and I adore everything they do. As a teacher, they are consistently the best example of excellence and dedication that I can put in front of my students…. And fun too!!!!”
Berj Tekerian, Learning Leader – Drama and English, Amersham School

“Splendid are the best company that tour to schools! Students were able to see the standard of performance that could be achieved in their own studio space and get ideas to copy in their own devised work.”
Jessica Gill, Head of Drama, St Mary’s Catholic School

“A fantastic, well devised and expertly executed piece of work. The workshop and post-show discussion are such valuable tools for learning, they allow our pupils to consolidate and understand what they have seen on stage and to verbalise their thoughts and reactions. The opportunity to ask questions helps our pupils prepare for their Live Theatre exam question and we find it so useful… We have Splendid in year on year and they never disappoint, We had two full mark answers based on your performance last year!”
Ellie Hemsley, Head of Drama, Palmers Green High School

Press on Dr Faustus

… interactive, ridiculous, and fun”
The Reviews HubRead the whole review…
Dr Faustus, The Lowry Quays Theatre, Salford, 20 November 2019
Reviewed by The Reviews Hub


Splendid Productions have a mission; to entertain and educate, and on the basis of tonight’s performance and judging by the reaction of the mainly teenage audience, they did both.

Taking the near 450-year-old play The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, writers Kerry Frampton and Ben Hales have created an interactive, ridiculous, and fun show. The company first began staging the production 10 years ago and have now brought it back for 2019/2020 tour.

Telling the story of the brilliant, yet arrogant Dr Faustus, a man who seemingly has everything but wants more. One evening, Faustus decides to summon the devil in a bid to have his every wish granted, however, the price of this is Faustus’ soul. This is the ultimate morality tale that teaches us the lesson to be careful what we wish for, as it may just come true, whilst highlighting the seven deadly sins, and showing how it only takes one to lead to our demise.

Think Horrible Histories, meets the Edinburgh Fringe and you’re on the right track: there are songs, jokes, magic tricks and some audience participation. The cast of three, Grace Goulding, Tanya Muchanyuka and Nick Crosbie play various roles complete with some outrageous accents, and comedy disguises that include Faustus, his servant, Wagner, Knights and of course three omnipotent devils. The three work like any comedic partnership, with Goulding as the group’s leader, Muchanyuka mainly playing it straight with a deadpan delivery and finally Crosbie as the ‘fall guy’ of the group. They all show a knack for comedy that was perfect for building a connection with the audience which is just what a show like this needs.

Clearly, I’m not the target audience for a show of this nature, but the mainly teenage crowd in attendance loved the show and went with it. This was an hour of fun, silliness, all with some much-needed life lessons. Splendid Productions certainly know how to make education fun!

Dr Faustus (2020)

‘Dr Faustus’ running time: 65 mins
Extras: 28 min rehearsal documentary, audio commentary from adaptor/director Kerry Frampton and composer and adaptor Ben Hales.

Optional DVD (available with 1-yr stream only)
Format: PAL DVD Standard Definition
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 widescreen
Region information: no region restriction

Multiple 1yr stream/DVD discount

There’s a discount for buying multiple 1yr streams/DVDs in a single order – add more to your cart and save more!

1 title: £35
2 titles: £60
3 titles: £85
4 titles: £110
5 titles: £140
6 titles: £160
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8 titles: £195
9 titles: £210
10 titles: £230
11 titles: £245

The discount applies to all production titles, and will be calculated automatically when you check out.

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Dr Faustus Script (2020)

by Christopher Marlowe
adapted by Kerry Frampton & Ben Hales
Published by Splendid Productions
60 pages, spiral-bound A5 size, monochrome
includes introduction, notes and production photos

Dr Faustus Education Pack (2020)

Adaptator’s Note / Director’s Note / Synopsis & Scene-by-Scene Analysis/ Influential Practitioner Quotes / Brechtian Terminology Glossary / Character Breakdown / Rehearsal Notes / Rehearsal Diary / Set & Costume Design / Biography of Christopher Marlowe / Literary Background to Dr Faustus

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