THE PLAYGROUND THEATRE, Lisa Forrell & Jackie Oudney present
Short Film Screening I: MADAME IDA & WHAT I AM
6 MAR | 7.30PM
Film Makers: Lisa Forrell and Jackie Oudney
Actors: Naomi Sorkin, Celia Imrie, Maryam D'Abo, Angélique Rivoux, Christine Bottomley, Anita Vetesse, Silvie Furneaux
“Madame Ida” A film by Lisa Forrell
Q&A after with Artists
(a short film shot in 35mm)
Star of the Ballet Russes opposite Nijinsky, Ida Rubinstein epitomised the Belle Epoque.
Stars Naomi Sorkin as IDA, Celia Imrie, Maryam D'Abo and Angélique Rivoux
Produced by Parkville Pictures
On the last day of her life infamous ballerina Ida Rubinstein is a frail, lonely and forgotten figure with only her three greedy and scheming servants in attendance. With one last supreme effort Ida reveals her ancient ballet shoes and begins to dance.
Naomi plays Ida Rubenstein, as first proposed to her by the late Bill Como, founder and editor of Dance Magazine. This short film was screened at the V&A museum, the London Short film Festival, the Capri festival, Brescia Dance Film Festival, Paris and most recently at the Theatre Museum of St Petersburg, where it now resides in their archive.
“What I Am” A Film by Jackie Oudney
Q&A after with Artists
A woman suffers amnesia after an accident at home, embarking on a journey of self-discovery that leads to the reclamation of her agency... but with a twist!
Writer/Director: Jackie Oudney Producer: Victoria Watson Actors: Christine Bottomley,
Anita Vetesse, Silvie Furneaux
What I Am won Best Actor in a Short Film at the Hamilton Film Festival, Canada in 2024 and has just been nominated for Best Actor at Beaufort International Film Festival, Beaufort, South Carolina, USA, March 2025.
"A Fascinating fusion of comedy and poignant pain that explores both class and gender." Festival Formula
BOOKING INFORMATION
Duration: 120 min
Interval: 20 min
Content Warnings: n/a
Accessibility: n/a
Recommended for 15+
Tickets (Unreserved)
General Admission £15
Senior Concession £12
Unemployed | Under 30 | Student £8
Access for All £11 (reserved)
Access for All Note: Please contact boxoffice@theplaygroundtheatre.org.uk for your complementary ticket for a career/companion/friend
This event is part of the Women's Voices Festival. Festival passes are available to see all events.
Lisa Forrell
Theatre directing credits include:
American Justice (Arts Theatre), Dark at the Top of the Stairs by William Inge (Belgrade Theatre Coventry), Love Exposed (cabaret at Pizza on the Park/Don’t Tell Mama New York) Rue Magique at the Kings Head (written and directed by Lisa) Tabloid Caligula (Arcola Theatre); Unsuspecting Susan with Celia Imrie (King’s Head Theatre and 59 E. 59 New York); Devised play The Corporate Witches for the Playground (Arts
Council grant); MMD new musical workshop of Espresso Trasho (Arts Theatre); Johnson is Leaving (Royal Shakespeare Company's Swan, Stratford); Best of Motives (Tricycle Theatre); Letters of a Portuguese Nun and Cartas (New York); Dragonslayer (a new Musical written by Molly Yeomans and Jack Lenz) (Toronto & New York); The Slow Drag, a musical with Kim Criswell (The Whitehall Theatre, West End); Doomsday Girl by Moira Boffini (Finborough); Abundance by Beth Henley (Riverside Studios); Time and the Room by Botho Strauss (Gate Theatre); Suzanna Andler with Susan Hamphire by Marguerite Duras (Battersea Arts); Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (Lyric Hammersmith and Plymouth Theatre Royal); Chekhov's Three Sisters (Chichester Festival Theatre); Look Back in Anger (Plymouth Theatre Royal); Total Eclipse by Christopher Hampton (Greenwich Theatre); A Day in the Death of Joe Egg with Clive Owen (Kings Head theatre); The Day You Love Me (Hampstead Theatre); Slow Dance on the Killing Ground (Greenwich Theatre); The Real World? by Michel Tremblay (Soho Theatre and in her own translation); A Shayna Maidel (Ambassador's Theatre, West End).
Film as writer:
Madame Ida (a short film shot in 35mm) with Celia Imrie and Maryam D’Abo shown in 15 festivals throughout the world with cinematic release in Paris. Written and directed by Lisa.
Films in development:
‘69’ in development with Parkville Pictures (UK) and HelenSerafinowicz.
TV Series:
“Seven Days in Rome” A seven-part drama tv series based on the German Occupation of Rome in 1943.
Translations: “le Vrai Monde?” By Michel Tremblay; ‘Les Soeurs’ by Marie-Laberge; ‘Les Grecs’ by Jean-Marie Besset and ‘Rue de Babylone’ (now Paris by Night) by Jean-Marie Besset.
Plays:
The 51 st Floor (produced by the London New Play Festival), The Best of Motives (with Marcel Berlins) produced at the Tricycle Theatre, Rue Magique, the Musical (at the Kings Head Theatre) Shrinks!; A Garden in Potsdam (in development).
Jackie Oudney: Award winning director honed her skills as a highly successful commercials director. Her micro-budget feature ‘French Film’ starring Hugh Bonneville and Anne-Marie Duff was recognised for its witty direction and ambition. It picked up two major awards at the Monte-Carlo Film Festival for Best Actor and Best Screenplay. In addition, her two short films, ‘Station' and ‘Vagabond Shoes’ with its powerful performance by Iain Glen have won a clutch of awards including the Kodak /BAFTA Short Film Showcase and two Scottish BAFTA nominations.