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Spymonkey founded by Toby Park, Petra Massey and Aitor Basauri in 1997.
With their dark, edgy physical comedy rooted ‘somewhere between Monty Python, the Marx Brothers and Samuel Beckett’ (The Houston Chronicle), and a quartet of performers from Spain, Germany and England, Spymonkey have proved to be a truly international phenomenon, enjoyed by and accessible to a wide range of international audiences. They have created six shows to date:
Stiff (1998), a black comedy about undertakers, Total Theatre Award Winner, British Council Showcase of the best of British theatre in 2001, toured to Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Finland, Spain, France, USA, Canada, Mexico, Syria, Ireland, Romania, Czech Republic and Sweden.
Cooped (2001, mid-scale version 2005), a gothic romance directed by Cal McCrystal, international tours to Sydney Opera House, Just For Laughs Montreal, Toronto World Stages, Melbourne Comedy Festival, Brighton Festival, Edinburgh Festival.
Zumanity - Another Side of Cirque du Soleil (2003-05) resident show at New York New York Hotel Casino, Las Vegas. Spymonkey created the comedy content for this adult burlesque show, seen by half a million people.
Bless (2007), about the lives of the saints directed by Cal McCrystal, nominated for 3 Betty Mitchell Awards.
Spymonkey’s Moby Dick (2009) directed by Jos Houben & Rob Thirtle, which firmly established them as a mid-scale company, including a run at the Lyric Hammersmith, and toured internationally to Finland, Holland & Belgium.
Love In (2011) a self-help cabaret directed by Chris Green, winner Best Comedy Brighton Festival 2011, Udderbelly Southbank.
Current projects in development include: a collaboration with Lyric Hammersmith and Peepolykus recently seen in a scratch version at Latitude Festival; a stage adaptation of Jamie Rix’s ‘Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids’ for MENCAP; and a new show for the Folies Bergeres Paris with the haute couturist Manfred Mugler entitled ‘Mugler’s Follies’.
In 1997 Aitor, Petra and Toby meet while working with the Swiss action-theatre group Karl's Kühne Gassenschau in Zurich. With Paul Weilenmann (their former boss at KKG) the quartet conceives Spymonkey atop a French mountain. In December they work for a week with inspirational comedy writer/director Cal McCrystal at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
1998 'Stiff' is created with Cal and designer Lucy Bradridge over six weeks at the tiny Actors' Creative Training Studio in Brighton and premieres at the Komedia Theatre on December 14th. It briefly tours England and Switzerland before the company disperses to other projects in 1999.
2000 In April Stephan Kreiss replaces Paul as the fourth member of Spymonkey. A reworked version of 'Stiff' tours Switzerland, Austria and the UK. One of the major hits that year of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, it wins wide critical acclaim and a Total Theatre Award, and launches them onto the international festival and touring circuit.
2001 'Stiff' performs at the Purcell Room, South Bank Centre, as part of the London International Mime Festival; Riverside Studios London; the US Comedy Festival Aspen and Houston Texas (winner of the Houston Press Award, best touring show 2001); the British Council Showcase Edinburgh; tours to Hungary, Finland, Spain, Mexico, France, Ireland and Syria.'Cooped', created with the same creative team as 'Stiff', opens with a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe and tours UK.
2002 'Cooped' at the Purcell Room, in the London Mime Festival, at BAC London and tours Hungary and Finland. 'Stiff' tours to Canada, Taiwan, Romania, Czech Republic, Greece, France; Double Bill of 'Stiff' and 'Cooped' at the Paramount Comedy Festival, Brighton. Cirque du Soleil make their invitation to Cal and Spymonkey to create the comedy material for the adult cabaret they are producing in Las Vegas.
2003 Double Bill at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre, in the London Mime Festival; a tour of Switzerland. Rehearsals for 'Zumanity - Another side of Cirque du Soleil' in Montreal and Las Vegas; Shooting of Cirque Images' 'Solstrom' series for Bravo Cable Channel; 'Zumanity' opens in its purpose-built theatre at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, in August.
2004 'Zumanity' continues its run in Las Vegas. Cirque Images 'Solstrom' airs in Canada, USA and Australia.
2005 The feature-length documentary 'Lovesick', about the creation of 'Zumanity', by Emmy-Award-winner Lewis Cohen, is aired on Bravo Cable Channel in April. Spymonkey's last 'Zumanity' performance in August. The reworked version of 'Cooped' opens in October for a sell-out run, hosted by One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre in Calgary, Canada.
2006 'Cooped' tours to Athens, Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Comedy Festival, and is relaunched in the UK with sell-out performances at the Theatre Royal, Brighton Festival, and at the Edinburgh Fringe, with Glynis Henderson Productions becoming our management company. Development begins towards a Spymonkey comedy series for the BBC. Spymonkey TV appearances at the Melbourne Oxfam Gala, and on Granada's 'Comedy Cuts'. Work begins on the new show 'Bless' in Brighton.
2007 'Bless' previews in Switzerland, Brighton and Newbury and is nominated for 3 Betty Mitchell Awards in Calgary Canada. 'Cooped' at the Just For Laughs Festival Montreal, Southbank Centre, regional UK touring and Espoo Finland. TV appearances alongside George Lopez, William Shatner and Ardal O'Hanlon at the Just For Laughs galas. 'Stiff' at the Tron Theatre Glasgow in the Merchant City Festival.
2008 'Cooped' spring tour to Toronto World Stages Season and a 13-city tour of Holland and Belgium. Miss Behave's Variety Nighty at the Roundhouse London. 'Cooped' at the Leicester Square Theatre as part of Just For Laughs Live. Winter residency at Palazzo Amsterdam as MCs.
2009 Created with Jos Houben and Rob Thirtle 'Spymonkey's Moby Dick', which opens at the Royal & Derngate Northampton. Mid-scale tour of the UK including Liverpool Playhouse, Bristol Old Vic.
2010 Further touring of 'Spymonkey's Moby Dick' to Finland, Edinburgh Traverse and Lyric Hammersmith. First R&D on 'Jekyll & Hyde', a co-production with Lyric Hammersmith and Peepolykus.
2011 Dutch/Belgian tour of Moby Dick. Work is begun on Jamie Rix's 'Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids' a commission for MENCAP. Work begins on 'Oedipussy', directed by Emma Rice and written with Carl Grose. 'Love In', a self-help cabaret directed by Christopher Green, opens at Brighton Festival, wins Best Comedy Award, and runs at the Udderbelly Southbank. 'Jekyll & Hyde', a co-production with Lyric Hammersmith and Peepolykus, directed by Sean Holmes and based on a script by Joel Horwood, have an outing at Latitude Festival. Swedish tour of 'Love In'.
Unit 7B Level 3 North, New England House,
New England Street,
Brighton,
United Kingdom, BN1 4GH
tel:+44 (0)1273 670282
tobypark@spymonkey.co.uk
http://www.spymonkey.co.uk/index.html
Here are few videos reflect some of their work.