Musical drama San Domino first previewed to an enthusiastic audience at the Courtyard Theatre then played to a full house at the Arcola Theatre's Grimeborn Festival back in 2014.

Now the show is heading to the Tristan Bates Theatre where it will play from 5 to 30 June.

The story is based on Mussolini's persecution of homosexuals when men were sentenced to long periods of confinement for 'degeneracy' (there's an interesting article on the BBC website which explains the background).

The production is directed by Matthew Gould with book and lyrics by Tim Anfilogoff and music composed by Alan Whittaker.

The cast will comprise actor-musicians to describe an intimate tragi-comic world of love, loss and the struggle just to survive.

Synopsis

One night in 1939, Carlo, Claudio and friends are arrested in Catania.

Condemned without any trial, they arrive on San Domino: a prison island solely for gay men.

For all the indignity and squalor of prison life, men previously forced to live in the shadows now have no need to hide who they are.

But whatever kind of life they may be trying to build, in the background war is looming.

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Creative biographies

Tim Anfilogoff - Book & Lyrics

Tim and composer Alan Whittaker have been friends for many years, playing in a band together, and have been writing and producing musical theatre for the last five years.

Their work includes 'A Body to Diet For' which ran at the Edinburgh Fringe festival and 'The Golden Age' which was workshopped at the Etcetera Theatre.

They are currently working on a new musical 'The Truth about the Congo' in parallel with Tim's drama 'The man who killed Ota Benga.'

Tim has also written a follow up drama to San Domino entitled 'The Other Island' which was previewed at Camden's Etcetera Theatre.

Tim's comedy, 'The Meaning of Lunch' was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and a pilot for a comedy drama series 'With a Little Help from my Friends' was broadcast by the BBC.

Tim wrote the screenplay for the 'Down Flew the Doves' a film with songs by singer and composer Tim Prottey-Jones.

Alan Whittaker - Composer

Alan's musical theatre credits include 'A Body to Diet For' which ran at the Edinburgh Fringe festival and 'The Golden Age' which was workshopped at the Etcetera Theatre and 'Liberty City' (written by Amy Bilton) which workshopped at the Hen & Chickens Theatre.

He is currently working on a new musical 'The Truth about the Congo' with Tim.

In addition to working on musicals with Tim, Alan is a songwriter/composer who has released five studio albums, two with Sally Rivers, and has played in various bands over the years.

Matthew Gould - Director

Matthew has been directing plays, musicals and opera for a number of years.

Most recently he adapted comedienne Janice Day's book about getting over breast cancer for her one-woman show, which premiered at the Epsom Playhouse; directed the radio recording of Adolf Killed my Sweetheart for ALL FM radio and explored, at the King's Head, Shakespeare's hidden messages of love in the new play Pricked Out by Nicholas de Jongh; the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood at The Arts Theatre, London, a UK tour of the dark and moving musical The Secret Garden and the harrowing one man monologue The Anorak by Canadian writer Adam Kelly Morton.

He directed A Body to Diet For which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival along with the first UK production of the classic Azerbaijani play My Favourite Madman.

Matthew was at the 2013/14 and 2015 Arcola Theatre Grimeborn Festival in Dalston with the World Premiere of a new opera The Miller's Wife, the musical 13 Days and actor/musician musical San Domino.

This was followed by a season of new Asian writing for Yellow Earth and a season of News Revue at The Canal Café in Maida Vale, London and a run of a new play about the actress Valerie Hobson at Jermyn Street Theatre.

Hello, Norma Jeane ,The Glass Protégé and The Secondary Victim all had very successful runs at Park Theatre in London.

After a successful collaboration with producer Mitchell Green on the musical Pete n' Keely in 2017 Matthew is looking forward to directing the UK premiere of the play The Gulf.

James Cleeve - Musical Director & Arranger

Recent projects have included: MD'ing the European premiere of Yank! The Musical in Manchester and its transfer into the Charing Cross Theatre London, National Tours of The Sound of Music (Assistant MD) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (keys), and working as Music Director for the New Zealand Young Shakespeare Company at the Globe.

Other MD credits include: Elegies (Associate MD - Criterion West End), Ushers (Arts Theatre West End), The Lambeth Singing Festival (Royal Festival Hall), Avenue Q (Windsor Theatre Royal), A Class Act (The Landor), San Domino (Grimeborn Festival), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Arts Theatre West End), The Sound of Music and Oliver! (Windsor Theatre Royal), and numerous West End cabarets with performers including Christine Bovill, Dusty Limits, Rachel Tucker and Wendi Peters.

On keyboards/accordion, gigs include: Top Hat (Aldwych and National Tour), Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Charing Cross Theatre), Victor/Victoria (Southwark Playhouse), Singin' in the Rain (National Tour) and Cabaret (National Tour), as well as guest entertainer appearances with P&O.

Outside of theatre, James runs his own company leading community choirs and vocal workshops, and regularly works as a choral leader with the Southbank Centre, The Young Vic and leading national opera companies.

He is currently writing a new musical - more details available here.

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Cast

To be announced

Creatives

Author: Tim Anfilogoff

Composer: Alan Whittaker

Lyricist: Tim Anfilogoff

Director: Matthew Gould

Musical direction: James Cleeve

Production: TKD Productions & M. Green Productions

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Venue

Tristan Bates Theatre

1A Tower Street

Covent Garden

London WC2H 9NP

Dates

5 to 30 June 2018

Tickets

Previews:£12

Standard: £17.50; matinees £15

Earlybird - Tickets booked before 28 February: £15

VIP Ticket - Meet & Greet Cast and creatives, including welcome drink & program (Tu & Thur evening performances): £25

Concessions: £15

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Links

Tristan Bates Theatre

Production website

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