Artist's Statement
"Whilst I wear many hats, the work I create in all media has one motivating factor in common- the exploration and advancement of the human spirit. I believe we are all connected- with each other, with the world, with everything within and beyond this world, and there is no better art to explore and strengthen that connection than theatre. With the simplest of arrangements- an actor, a space, an audience- we can create worlds in which to know ourselves better."- Emily Carding, 2021
Richard III (a one person show)
Brite Theater, Directed by Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir
Pushing the boundaries of Shakespearean performance, Brite Theater have re-imagined Richard III as a bold and engaging solo show. The fourth wall has been utterly obliterated, as the audience take on the roles of all the other characters at Richard's party in this intimate, exciting, and moving production. Let Richard entertain you…but will you survive?
Richard III (A One Person Show) was created by director Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir and performer Emily Carding during a theatre residency in Reykjavik, Iceland in November 2014, and premiered at Prague Fringe in May 2015, winning every single award – unprecedented in the history of Prague Fringe. It then went on to win the coveted ‘Bobby’ award at Edinburgh Fringe.
Since then Richard III (A One Person Show) has toured throughout the UK and internationally, including Rome, Verona, Iceland, Slovakia, Romania, Pakistan, St Petersburg, Kansas City, South Korea and New York, all to high praise.
*Audience participation is gentle, consensual and non verbal (unless you choose to speak, which is also welcomed!)
“Emily Carding and Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir’s adaptation of Richard III is a smart, sparse, stripped back version of the text built around Carding’s utterly compelling performance.” **** The Stage
"an extraordinary performance from Emily Carding, a female Richard as bitter, damaged, ingenious and irresistible as any I’ve ever seen."- **** Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman
“Emily Carding’s portrayal of the king who murders his way to the English throne is in a league of its own.” ***** Broadway Baby
‘Coolly psychotic’ **** New York Times
Hamlet (an experience)
Brite Theater, Directed by Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir
After breaking new ground with their award-winning Richard III (A One Woman Show), Brite Theater are once again reinventing Shakespearean performance with their adaptation of Hamlet directed by Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir. Emily Carding plays Hamlet and you, the audience, are the players arriving at Elsinore. Hamlet needs your help to take on the roles of his friends and family and resolve the great questions of life. Journey through the play together and become immersed in the story like never before. Hamlet has the questions. Do you have the answers?
Nominated for several awards at Prague and Edinburgh Fringe, Hamlet (an experience) was one of the winners of the Fringe Encore Series and had a successful run at the Soho Playhouse off-Broadway in November 2018. Emily Carding won the best actress award for their performance as Hamlet at BABELfast 2019 in Romania.
‘Sigfusdottir’s adaptation and Carding’s sensitive interpretation provide a shortcut to the empathy that many Hamlets crave but seldom achieve.’
**** The Stage
‘This is an intimate journey that will leave you feeling closer and more empathetic to Hamlet than ever before.’ ***** Front Row Center, NY
‘…encounter Shakespeare's most iconic story from the inside’ **** Fringe Guru
Quintessence
Double Barrel productions
directed by Susan Luciani (with additional direction
by Dominique Gerrard)
Quintessence
A combination of cataclysmic events results in the extinction of the human race, leaving behind an AI being programmed to recreate humanity when the time is right, with the complete works of Shakespeare as a guide to the human spirit. Humanity must thrive... but at what cost?
This original sci-fi storytelling show was inspired by Mary Shelley's ‘Frankenstein’, and will leave you wondering who the real monster is.
Originally created in collaboration with the London Science Museum, written and performed by award-winning actor Emily Carding (‘Richard III (a one person show)’), now available in an enhanced version with stunning projection by director Susan Luciani
‘Outstanding Theatre’ award-winner, Brighton Fringe 2019
“Jaw-droppingly assured…there’s a superb cliff-edge to this outstanding production”- Fringe Review
"Emily Carding is one of the UK’s leading Shakespearean actors"- The Stage
Caliban's Codex
Fetch Theatre, Directed by John Knowles
Caliban’s Codex
"There is no welcome here for you, your kind, Mankind, for there is nothing kind in man."
Caliban's Codex is a new solo show by Hastings-based writer John Knowles, created with award-winning actor Emily Carding (Richard III (a one woman show), Hamlet (an experience) - Brite Theater). It is an intense and personal post-script to Shakespeare’s the Tempest, giving the events of the play from Caliban’s perspective and looking at his life alone on the island once everyone else has left.
In the twelve years since Prospero's departure, Caliban has painstakingly sifted through the ashes of the books of magic, slowly piecing together a way to save his island from mankind's abuse. By turns both magical and disturbing, Caliban’s Codex gives you an insight into one of Shakespeare’s most mysterious characters and shows him to be much more than the much-maligned monster he is often taken for.
Nominated for several awards of Prague Fringe 2018, including best performance. A filmed version was nominated in 2023 for both best director and best lead performance by Scenesaver.
Caliban's Codex is ideal for outdoor venues and is also available as an atmospheric filmed performance for online festivals.
“…for excellent storytelling, exquisite writing and an abundance of magic, loss and despair, this performance really hit its mark” Broadway Baby ****
For more information or to book any of these shows
for your venue please email using the contact form
© Copyright Emily Carding 2021. All rights reserved.
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