The Strolling Theatricals is a British theatre company, located primarily in York.
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The Strolling Theatricals was founded in 2005 by brothers John and William Seaward. William, who was enjoying his gap-year in South America, suggested to his brother that they should take a sketch-show up to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. However, no sketches were ever written. Instead (along with friends Owen Sogelar, Daniel Quinn, and Adam Neil-Jones) they put together a production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot, and took it to Edinburgh, where it was named as an official sell out.
The following year William started a three year course at the University of York. He wanted to continue the success of The Strolling Theatricals and recruited some of his fellow students into his 2006 Edinburgh Fringe production, 'Bouncy Castle Hamlet', which also featured actors from York St John University and the National Youth Theatre. 'Bouncy Castle Hamlet' instantly became the centre of a media explosion, and was later hailed as a 'triumphant success' by The Guardian. In 2007 the company produced 'Bouncy Castle MacBeth', which was featured in The Times '100 Best Things to See at the Fringe', and later appeared on ITV's Britain's Got Talent. The Strolling Theatricals are scheduled to perform 'Bouncy Castle Dracula' at the 2008 Festival. In 2008 William Seaward and Becca Atkey officially became joint partners of the Strolling Theatricals.
Produced in 2005, this was The Strolling Theatricals' first production. Rather than performing this play in its usual sombre way, the company emphasised its comedic potential. The show was on for over two weeks, and was named as an Official Sell Out Production for the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. All members of the cast and crew for this show were under 20.
The concept for 'The Bouncy Castle Experiment' was devised by William Seaward. While staying with family in Argentina on his gap year he attended his cousin's birthday party, at which there was a bouncy castle. Still under the belief that 'The Strolling Theatricals' were to put on a sketch show at Edinburgh, William saw the bouncy castle and realised its comic potential. A year later he bought a bouncy castle, lavishly decorated it with skulls and turrets, and 'The Bouncy Castle Experiment' was born.
This was, as its name suggests, Hamlet, staged entirely on a Bouncy Castle. It was first of the Bouncy Castle shows, and was taken to the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the idea being that tragedy plus bouncy castle would equal hilarious physical farce. In this show few of Shakespeare's words were changed, giving the illusion of a 'serious' theatre company. Visual gags included a miniature bouncy castle for use as a stage in the famous 'play within a play' scene; the Ghost being played by an inflatable sex doll; and the use of other inflatables at every possible opportunity - most famously, Hamlet beating Polonius to death with an inflatable armchair. In practice, the original lines were supplemented by a great deal of Pantomime-style ad libbing. The show attracted a great deal of media attention, featuring several times on national television.
Again, this show kept to Shakespeare's original text, this time much edited. Memorable features of this production included Macbeth's 'dagger of the mind' being replaced with a giant bloodstained inflatable banana; Lady Macbeth being played by a man; and all the weaponry and armour being constructed entirely from modelling balloons. The sex doll, this time on a fishing line, made a comeback as Banquo, and the play began with an endorsement from the 'ghost of William Shakespeare', also made out of balloons. Birnham Wood was represented by several inflatable palm trees, with which Macbeth and Macduff went on to violently beat each other at the end of the play. There was also a bouncing Highland Fling. The show was performed at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, featured in The Times '100 Best things to see at the Fringe', was previewed in The Scotsman and later featured on the second series of ITV's Britain's Got Talent.
The first play in the Bouncy Castle series to veer away from Shakespeare, this production was devised by the cast and crew of the show. It was performed at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.