Syndrome to premiere at Tristan Bates Theatre

Tuesday 19 November 2019

Tina Jay's new play will get its premiere next February at Tristan Bates Theatre, and marks the directorial debut of actor Jack Brett Anderson.

Image courtesy Tristan Bates Theatre

Syndrome is a new play that examines the social, physical and mental relationship between four men stationed together in the desert during the Gulf War.

Created by award winning writer Tina Jay and directed by actor and producer Jack Brett Anderson, the play comes to the stage in association with Jack's production company Mont-Dore Media Ltd.

Syndrome will premiere at the Tristan Bates Theatre at The Actors Centre, Covent Garden during a two week run from 18 to 29 February 2020.

Jack and Tina first worked together when Jack played the two lead roles of Jamie and Fynn in the premiere of Tina's two act interlinking prison play, Held at Tristan Bates Theatre in June 2017, and are delighted to be working together again for this new premiere production.

A Q and A session will follow the performance on 18 February with the cast, director and writer, hosted by poet, actor and mental health activist Hussain Manawer.

More listings information and synopsis below.

About the writer

Tina Jay is the winner of the Kenneth Branagh Award for New Drama Writing for her play WALKING, one of the two interlinking prison plays in HELD, and also The International Student Playscript Competition (judged by Sir Alan Ayckbourn) for ROTTEN APPLES, performed at The Royal Exchange, Manchester.

Additional theatre credits include LONDON BOYS and BACK (Greenwich Theatre), BLUE (The Park), LETHAL COMBINATION (Rich Mix), AGAINST THE LAW (Baron's Court Theatre), DOG CITY (Lost Theatre) and CANDYMAN (Tristan Bates Theatre).

In addition to playwriting, Tina is also developing a number of TV and Film projects, having recently completed her MA in TV Scriptwriting for which she obtained a distinction and two additional prize awards, including Best Project for a new five part TV series.

She was selected from BBC Writersroom 10 as one of 40 writers from over 3500 entries, and for the Holby City Shadow Scheme.

About the director

Jack Brett Anderson has played a wide variety of leading roles in TV, Film and Theatre, in addition to running his own production company Mont-Dore Media Ltd.

His TV roles include playing lead role MATEI for two series of the BAFTA award winning BBC show WOLFBLOOD, and Gery Pieret in National Geographic's Emmy Award Winning show GENIUS: PICASSO, starring Antonio Banderas.

Film roles include lead role RABBIT in ACCEPTABLE DAMAGE, a British feature focussing on teenagers with autism and bullying, FRITZ NELLER in INTRIGO - SAMARIA directed by Daniel Alfredson, and JEFF MOSLEY in DON'T' HANG UP, alongside Sienna Guillory.

Jack also starred in Wolf Alice's music video DON'T DELETE THE KISSES, and recently filmed the lead role in Film4 horror project FALSE INDIGO, alongside Morgane Polanski (who takes on the role of associate producer on Syndrome).

Theatre roles include playing leads JAMIE and FYNN in HELD, and EDWARD III/PRINCE EDWARD in EDWARD II.

Synopsis

Deno, Ray, Matt and Gabe are four young British soldiers on combat duty in Saudi Arabia in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm.

Waiting to move to the front and facing the feared release of chemical and biological weapons, the men spend their long heated days in scheduled military preparation undergoing a 'protective' barrage of vaccines, sprays and pills.

Mounting tension is relieved only by their friendly rivalry and humorous banter.

The action builds to a devastating and shocking discovery and then jumps to five years after the war when the guys are reunited but are no longer the 'lads' of the past.

Far from battling the known enemy, they are struggling against the unseen war on their own bodies, debilitating consequences known as Gulf War Syndrome.

As the symptoms continue to manifest, each of the men's relationships come under fire, with desperate and destructive consequences.