Close Knit Productions

Close Knit Productions (LLP) is a theatre, television and film production company founded in June 2005 by writer/director James Topham, a former winner of the Marlowe/Royal Shakespeare Company Other Prize, and actor Benjamin Deery, a former President of the prestigious Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club. It specialises in cultivating a pool of young and vibrant talent and boasts among its associate artists some of the most promising young actors, directors, technicians and producers in the UK.

Company Structure
The Board of Directors
Close Knit Productions is owned by a Board of Directors. The current list of Directors is as follows:
*Sarah Brocklehurst
*Benjamin Deery
*Majeed Neky
*James Topham
All of the current Directors are members of the company partnership.

The Executive Committee
The Company is run on a day-to-day basis by an Executive Committee. The original executive committee was Benjamin Deery as Company Director and James Topham as Artistic Director. In June 2006, Sarah Brocklehurst also joined the executive committee as Marketing and PR Director. Brocklehurst is, coincidentally, the current President of the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, having succeeded Deery in that position in March 2006.

Ethos
At the birth of Close Knit Productions, Artistic Director James Topham stipulated the aims and ethos of the company in its first press release:
:'Close Knit Production's purpose is to create dynamic, exciting theatre that draws upon the very best of fresh, up and coming talent.

:'All Close Knit productions satisfy two central artistic criteria - quality and innovation. Whether it be the best of new writing talent or the classics of World theatre presented with a cutting edge twist, Close Knit exists to bring together the most exciting, skillful and vital young theatre professionals with the aim of delivering stylish, slick and effecting drama. We welcome collaborators from all backgrounds and styles, although our bias is towards well-produced, artistically and commercially successful theatre.

:'What makes Close Knit so special as a production company is its repertory ethos. Unlike most companies that mount discrete, one-off productions, Close Knit has a permanent structure, the basis of which is our web of associate artists - an extended family of individual talents who form the reservoir of Close Knit's skill and experience. Actors, directors, producers, designers, technicians and writers are allowed to thrive under our umbrella and are the foundations of all our productions - big and small.'

Productions to Date
The Countess
Close Knit Productions' first offering was a presentation of James Topham's own play, The Countess, which Topham also directed. The play received an extremely positive review in the Cambridge University newspaper Varsity.

Duck Variations
Duck Variations, a two-hander comedy by acclaimed American playwright David Mamet, was mounted at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and starred Tom Secretan and Sam Kitchener, two of the most promising undergraduate actors at the University of Cambridge at that time. The show received extremely positive reviews in Fest and Three Weeks, and was well attended despite the extremely high level of competition for audiences during the festival each year.

The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor, also mounted at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, was a stand-up/sketch based comedy written and performed by Fred Crawley and Adam Terry. The show was well received by audience members and received critical acclaim.

Prometheus Bound
Close Knit's fourth production saw James Topham again working as writer and director, on this occasion adapting Aeschylus classic for a week run at the ADC Theatre in Cambridge. The play was infused with stunning poetry and thought-provoking christian motifs. Again, Topham's work received high praise from audience and critics alike, securing another extremely positive review from Varsity.

Brick Walls
Brick Walls, a tragi-comedy written, directed and performed by Thomas Eccleshare and Dan Mansell, was presented at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show was an incredible success, drawing a large audience and receiving glowing reviews in The Scotsman, The Stage, Three Weeks and on broadwaybaby.com.

Closer
Close Knit's sixth production saw then ADC President Sarah Brocklehurst directing Patrick Marber's Closer. The play ran from 10th-14 October 2006.

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