Santa in Rehab!
A legendary figure has signed into the GROTTO for some out-of-season rehab. Is he the real thing, or another otherwise unemployed actor between Santa gigs? That’s the set up for a brand-new award-winning character stand-up by the critically acclaimed writer and performer Terry Victor – a jolly, white-bearded, fat man who has definitely seen the GROTTO from the dark side.
GROTTO won the Chugger Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Fest 2023.
Here's a 5/5 review from The Audience Club of a performance at the PEN Theatre in South London in early October 2023:
"We loved it, so funny from beginning to end, would highly recommend seeing it... The performance was dynamic and made us feel part of something exciting and special."
At heart GROTTO is a powerful, comic celebration of diversity; a stockingful of juicy namedrops, super-salacious Santa secrets and Xmas rapping, dragged up with a bijou touch of gorgeous zhoush. We all know that there can only be one Santa but as more and more diverse personalities escape into the GROTTO it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas will never be the same again.
One thing is certain: this is not a show for kids. The strap line is: UNSEASONABLE UNREASONABLE AND UNSUITABLE FOR BRATS.
the story so far-
Notional Theatre has existed as an informal occasional company since 1986, as a small umbrella to shelter a variety of projects initiated by Terry Victor.
Over the years Notional Theatre has presented contemporary political theatre, including: No Offence (2008) and the Welsh premiere of Caryl Churchillís Seven Jewish Children (2010); children's theatre, including: Jacko's Jiggumbob (1989-2005) and Grimms' Hans, My Hedgehog (1993); stage adaptations drawn from literature: Tolstoy's Memoirs of a Lunatic (1986) and Anissia (1990); interactive museum interpretation: The Butler & the Housekeeper at Tredegar House (1998-2006); at Newport Museum, various interactive pieces and themed characters (2003-6).
In September 2011, following advice from ACW, Notional Theatre was reconstituted as a formal enterprise in order to develop and tour FRAGMENTS OF ASH which had just enjoyed a critically acclaimed run on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
In November 2011 the beginnings of AWKWARD TURTLE FLIPS THE BIRD were shown as part of the WMC's Incubator and in March 2012 an 'instant performance' of Liu Xiaobo's YOU WAIT FOR ME WITH DUST was staged in the foyer of the Sherman Theatre. In May and June 2012, FRAGMENTS OF ASH toured to great reviews. AWKWARD TURTLE FLIPS THE BIRD took up much of 2013 and that project is still ongoing - so watch this space.
2014 was very experimental in tone and much concerned with responding to visual art. TWO OLD CORINTHIANS was created and performed for, and in front of, an untitled canvas by Helen Bur as a part of the Solve et Coagula exhibition which opened the Abacus gallery in Cardiff. THE GOSPEL OF NULLIFIDIAN was created with comic book artist Mike Collins and performed at Chapter as a script in development - this explored the possibilities of graphic novels as a theatrical form. The third piece in this triptych was WHAAM! a short radio play by Terry Victor which responded to Roy Lichtenstein's painting of the same title - the play was commissioned for Arts Council Wales and Radio Cardiff. After which Notional Theatre was back at the Abacus for the Worldwide Reading for Edward Snowden.
2016: Notional Theatre is 30 years old and celebrating its 5th birthday. There was some talk of developing a site-specific piece developing the ideas touched upon in the short film AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES, and having a party. So far neither of those has happened, but one story inspired by Fairyland nearly did. Then didn't. So, the day arrived for a show that has been bubbling away on the back boiler, not for the first time, Notional Theatre is being WELL THUMBED but this time it's a leaner and meaner one man performance.
CLARISSA! - a one woman show - was at Chapter in Cardiff in December 2018.This dramatic, cultural review of the 20th century, hinged on Picasso's painting Guernica. WELL THUMBED continued to tour throughout 2019.
2020, we presented a digital story telling on You Tube:
