Lydia Kay
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SUM - The Camden Fringe Festival

2/9/2015

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Lydia directed this second stage adaptation of the sci-fi play, as well as returning to her role as Carrie / Lan.
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"Have you ever spotted a hashtag and jumped all over it, being one of the many people who collectively make it trend? Well, you've apparently been part of a hive mind, according to playwright Susan Gray. Her latest work, SUM - The Play, explores the idea of group mentality in the modern age by connecting minds together and stripping each person of their individuality.

We first meet Sam (Rosie Akerman) chatting anxiously to Pi (Tess Hardy) about the process of joining the hive mind. Both are "singular" people and there does seem to be an element of choice in giving that up, but given how convinced Sam is that that the alternative is death, well, there's a certain inevitability that assimilation will take place. The united pair then attempt to recruit Carrie (Lydia Kay), who fights, however appears to have even less say in the process than Sam and Pi, having committed a crime. It turns out joining is optional for the curious and mandatory for those who can't be trusted to keep their thoughts to themselves. Although Carrie resists, it's the rebellious Syne (Melanie Crossey) who point blank refuses to join, much to the frustration of Law (Gray).


Although Gray refers to the chorus of Greek tragedy and the unified nature of social media, a more obvious comparison is to the Borg Collective from the Star Trek francise, most notably Voyager. Lan (also Kay) however is no cold Borg Queen, she's too uncertain of her role, struggling to deal with all the minds she's fused together. Unsurprisingly, when you bring together so many different strong personalities, including some which didn't want to be there in the first place, the background noise can be deafening. With Kay playing two parts, she has her work cut out for her, but she manages to glide between the two personalities with ease, keeping them distinct with shifts in mannerisms and accent.


The idea of sharing our every thought with another person without any filter, especially against our will, is a thoroughly terrifying one. Gray first approaches this with humour, with Sam and Pi stealing each other's lines, and then with the full horror as Syne explains why she can't bear it. Whilst some sign up for the collective voluntarily, we find it hard to understand why anyone could make that decision. It's also interesting to question whether a male hive mind or mixed hive mind would work in a similar way, or be substantially more or less effective.

The women are all dressed in similar loose fitting grey clothing, with their hair tied back in Dutch braids, giving them a sense of conformity, even before they join minds. Their hands have vibrant coloured bands looped around them, hinting at the technology aspect to the hive coupling. Reinforcing this are the different cables which are piled around the side of the stage and even wrapped around the front row. The detail is glossed over, but it's the concept of losing your own identity which is more important.

Some of the ideas have been done before, but with sci-fi, an element of recycling is hard to avoid. What Gray does succeed in doing is raising an interesting moral dilemma, which she and the other actresses - sorry, the rest of the hive - portray with conviction. An intriguing new play."

- views from the gods
You can read the full review on their website here.
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The London Dungeons

26/8/2015

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TWITTER
"Just been to @Dungeon_London for the first time. Totally recommend it. Excellent!"
- @CathyMaddison 

"Dungeon was amazing loved Jack the Ripper and the plague doctor/surgeon part would definitely recommend @Dungeon_London"
- @walters_siobhan 

"The actors @Dungeon_London give West End stars a run for their money - fact!"
- @kidratedlondon 

"I visited yesterday, had a great time! Actors were absolutely on point and got 'picked on' twice. Always a bonus! Thanks!"
- @PhilSloggett

"My bro & I visited @Dungeon_London today and can absolutely say it was a five star experience. Fun, scary and above all really interesting!"
- @anwilliams1992 

"best experience ever! Really worth it"
- @hardcandyM
"Hugely impressed with our @Dungeon_London experience today. #wheresjack"
- @Jacqueline_Gold 

"Jack The Ripper scene was so good, never jumped so much in my life"
- @graceh0p3 

"Just finished almost 2 hours of laughs & frights at @Dungeon_London with 18 live shows & 2 rides. A great experience."
- @ThemeParksUK

"One word "awesome!" Fantastic day out."
- @iainofficial

"enjoyed yesterday, thankyou so much... fantasic staff and actors. will come again soon !"
- @Katindabag

"Absolutely loved @Dungeon_London with @melissameek1!!!! It was hilarious!! The actors were so good!! Screaming good fun!!!!"
- @Vintage_Spikes
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My Bloody Valentine Horror Maze - Fright Nights 2013

19/11/2013

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"My Bloody Valentine was billed as the Park's 5 star attraction for this year's event, supposedly the scariest of all the attractions for 2013. Many have subsequently reported this maze (housed in the ex-Experiment 10 building) to be a disappointment, particularly compared to what stood before it - but my experience was conversely impressive. Gone were the solitary confinement cupboards from Experiment 10, but in was realistic mine-shaft themeing and a intimidating threat in the form of Harry Warden, the murderous miner from the film. The maze was nicely set up by a tour guide telling the group that Harry had long since died, so everyone's safety was assured - only for Harry and his pickaxe to appear from the corner and chase everyone into the main maze itself.
The maze worked because of the ever-building anticipation that an actor was about to jump out at you, and the many places the maze afforded actors to hide and conceal themselves. Here, less was more as the lack of audio actually served to heighten the tension. The old solitary confinement cupboards particularly produced a labyrinth of passageways (most that resulted in dead-ends) for guests to find themselves confused by. There were some nice scenes replicated from the film, including the hospital and forest, and towards the end of the maze there was again a nervous anticipation, when walking alone through the exit, that Harry Warden would suddenly reappear. True to expectation - the finale involved Harry appearing from nowhere, turning his headlight on into guests eyes, and running at them, banging his pickaxe against the walls."

- totalthorpepark.co.uk

"My Bloody Valentine has been built in the temporary containers that used to hold Experiment 10 but you wouldn't know it from the outside as the external theming completely hides this fact.
Once inside the scenes may seem a bit random if you haven't seen the film (ie the bodies in the hospital) but once inside the dark mine, the scares and effects are plentiful and the attention to detail in some of the scenes is impressive.
The trick solitary confinement doors of Experiment 10 have been removed but being a free flow maze people are still encouraged to go in different directions at times, and once again our group got split up with most of us walking through the rest of the show virtually on our own.
There were lots of actors through the maze but what felt missing was the use of the iconic Harry Warden character - we only saw him once on our run through, with most of the other actors being either his victims or more regular looking miners. Perhaps a few more instances of Harry in that gas mask would have given us the impression that he really was an unstoppable force out to get us.
In summary - a well themed maze with some effective scares."

- scaretouruk.com

"We then ventured into the maze and got told to be careful about driving home due to the storm before being told the story of Harry Warden. I’ve seen the remake of this film so kind of knew what to expect but other people in my group were a bit freaked by the first scene. We keep checking all the dark corners and actors made use of these very well. This was the only maze which made me scream (due to actors jumping out of darkness and right into my face). We escaped harry and carried on with our day."
- thorpeparkmania.com

"We've just got out of My bloody Valentine, an first impressions were impressive.
Themeing again was very good, lots of actors and a fair bit of segregation from the group."

- live.thorpenerd.com
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TWITTER
"Thorpe park was incredible! However, getting held hostage alone in my bloody valentine was the scariest experience of my life"
- @amyblackall96

"@THORPEPARK #frightnight #mybloodyvalentine was frightfully fantastic xxx"
- @XHarmonyReignsX

"My bloody valenting is still the best maze at Thorpe park.. It was so much scarier today"
- @StephGaga

"My bloody valentine at thorpe park nearly had me in tears omgggg"
- @amelia_cx

"Awesome day at @THORPEPARK with @ScareTOUR lost count of how many mazes/rides I did! My bloody valentine was my fav - very very intense!"
- @TPE_Chris

"'My bloody valentine' Thorpe park was the scariest thing I have ever experienced"
- @PoyntersWhore

"Long but sick day at #grightnights - My Bloody Valentine killed the mazes! Certainly pushing the boundaries!"
- @robbie_s_uk

"Never been so scared as I was in the my bloody valentine maze yesterday at thorpe park #soskatty"
- @emilywbu2
"Queueing for the 'my bloody valentine' maze at thorpe park. People are screaming and running out the exit... Why am I doing this to myself?!"
- @gina_louisew

"I still can't believe I practically ran out of my bloody valentine maze at Thorpe Park screaming ha"
- @cholewitcombexo

"You lot killed it in my bloddy valentine! Was quality :D"
- @DanCypriot

"The My Bloody Valentine horror maze at Thorpe Park was the scariest thing of my life"
- @_KarinaWilliams

"If anyone's going to Thorpe Park Fright night, make sure you go through My Bloody Valentine! The best and scariest maze by far!"
- @harryjudge_

"Can't believe I came out of my bloody valentine screaming & crying omg #frightnight"
- @millieturner_x

"Crying through the my bloody valentine maze was definitely the highlight of my day"
- @Daisymq

"I will be honest my bloody valentine Horror maze terrified me #frightnights"
- @WETHH
INSTAGRAM
"OMG I got the directors cut thing which had all the mazes, I went on my bloody valentine with my to mates, and OMG it was so chlostraphobic I didn't get the bit with the like giant balloons oh they scared me so much and it was without a doubt the best maze! SO scary though"
- @kyle9_7
"Just thought Id say you all looked amazing on Saturday evening- I was there for my Hen party and went home terrified! Brilliant night! X"
- @rubyhurst
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My Bloody Valentine Horror Maze - Fright Nights 2013 (Personal Reviews)

21/10/2013

1 Comment

 
What an incredible personal review to receive!

"massive, oodles of kudos to you, lovely. Some of the best scareactor crowd work this weekend I've seen in my years on the scene
...
on Saturday eve, between yourself & the cute guy with curly hair: the best queue scare work I've seen in the UK. Hands down
...
just WISH I could have caught a run with you in the maze. Hope you're enjoying it all!"

- @scoutthehorizon (Twitter)
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"you were a great actor at thorpe park this year. One of the best thorpe park has ever had in my opinion :) well done, keep it up, hopefully see you next year?"
- @thorpeparkfan (Instagram)

"yes you was the super scary one! You were so good! ... was the best maze there! Being scared before I went in was just what I needed :)"
- @beckylouisex_x (Twitter)

"You were brilliant in #MyBloodyValentine! Scared me silly!! #FrightNights"
- @McCleany237 (Twitter)
1 Comment

The Curse Horror Maze - Fright Nights 2012

4/11/2012

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"Now this was more like it. Having been consistently the worst maze of the last three Fright Nights, The Curse skyrocketed to the top this year. It really was excellent. Actors were EVERYWHERE. They were well-hidden, organised and absolutely determined to make you remember them. I literally had a good nine or ten seperate actors individually trail and torment me through the maze. The guy who sets about your legs from the floor as you try to avoid another actor made everyone hysterical in their own separate way. I was laughing all the way through, as is my response to these kind of attractions, but it was definitely a good thing. 9.5/10"
- Thorpe Park Mania

"The Curse is now the second oldest maze in the park but fortunately shows no sign of ageing gracefully! This year, the whole maze was extremely dark, filled with fog throughout and crawling with lively actors that just seemed to keep appearing out of nowhere. If anything, it was too dark in places, as it was impossible to see some of the well themed rooms throughout but then, when the scares are coming this thick and fast - that's a minor gripe."
- scaretouruk.com

"Conversely, The Curse this year re-established itself as a worthwhile attraction in the Fright Nights lineup. Often criticised (by this website, for one) for feeling too temporary, too cheap, too gimmicky, this year The Curse introduced an excess of smoke (borrowed from The Asylum, perhaps?) and a rather lively cast to great effect. For the first time ever, it was hard to see your way around The Curse, which created many new scare opportunities from the cast jumping out of nowhere in your face. The actors also made better use of the many portholes placed around the set as places to jump out of or lean through and scare guests unexpectedly.
The Curse still needs a showstopper ending, but to its credit generated more scares this year than any other. Can we have abundant smoke in both Asylum and Curse next year, though?"

- totalthorpepark.co.uk

"Now The Curse... I've heard a lot of negative reviews about this, my expectations were pretty low. I was blown away! I led the maze and there were actors round every corner, I liked that some actors didn't just run at you, but just sat there at the end of a corridor looking at you, this creeped me out because I had to slowly walk towards them! The strobe scene was effective because it was short and messed up my vision, I was then caught off guard by the classic running actor. The maze seemed to last a long time and being in there you wouldn't think your in a tent. The woman dangling from the ceiling terrified me and in the end I was pushed into her because I hesitated."
- thorpeparkmania.co.uk

"Dare I say it, The Curse was easily the best maze of the night! The structure/theming seemed pretty solid, there was a decent use of effects and the acting was fab A great team of actors that worked together really well to get scares out of each group three or four times. Really good job on The Curse this year."
- forum.maniahub.com
TWITTER
“Still mad at Talía for making me go in The Curse at Thorpe Park.. Scared me to the very depths of my soul”
- @emmadobrzynski

“Throat hurts so much from The Curse!! Never screamed so much in my entire life #frightnight #stilltraumatised”
- @KaylaLii

"Literally just sobbed and had to leave The Curse at thorpe park. I am so embarrassed”
- @_JaydeAllen

“Just came out of the curse ..wow that was scary !!!! 😱😖#scared #frightnight”
- @aim_w

“Went fright night again,so glad I went in the curse:D wanna go a 3rd time:(“ 
- @MollyMeager

“@THORPEPARK omg the curse was freaky as, we're just in the que for saw maze now , so hyped #frightnight!”
- @Georgie438
“Can't believe how scary The Curse was! Had someone breathing down my neck for half the maze!! #ThorpePark#frightnight”
- @ConorMoran96

“I've never sworn so much in my entire life. The Curse got beyond TERRIFYING. Someone call me an ambulance. #FrightNights @THORPEPARK”
- @sayhellotorich

“The Curse thorpepark with @Blew_Bear. Fright night was one of the best experiences ever! #terrifying”
- @chocobear29

“The curse is the best maze at thorpe park”

- @harrisonlaw

“Amazing Night #FrightNight #ThorpePark LOVED Curse :3 #Fantastic :D <3”
- @laurabailey96

“the curse has to be the best maze at Thorpe park”
- @SCimplicity
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The Curse of Asatira

23/5/2011

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Clifftown Theatre, Southend-on-Sea
13th May 2011

"‘The Curse of Asatira’ is an interesting play which looks at the core human nature within us and how people try to adapt in times of desperation and tradition, set in a fantasy land where a curse has been laid on the citizens, the poor struggle to get by whilst the rich seem to face their own problems. Revolution is in the air and it’s a matter of time before something happens to unbalance the fragile situation in the land.. The play cleverly intertwines the stories and personal feelings of eight characters to really offer a broad scope of the world; it offers a deep insight into the struggles of the character.
The drumming and dance scenes fit seamlessly in with the play, adding heightened drama and intensity it was choreographed very professionally. Also there were a few combat scenes which were pretty convincing and also well-choreographed which were energetically preformed. Performances were convincing and endearing at times. Overall it was a success and as a viewer I enjoyed it and would recommend it."

- Sarah Doyle

The Drill Hall, London
16th May 2011

"The story narrative was both well paced and gripping, holding the attention of the audience throughout the entire length of the play.
The attention to astute casting was evident, with performances that showed both a striking depth of drama contrasted with light comedic touches.
The broad spectrum of disciplines on display, encompassing dance, stage combat and individual percussion work, provided the perfect stage for the range of versatile abilities of those involved.
Individual cast members may have had the opportunity to explore the complexities of their characters had it been possible for the production to have played further performances, however, this did not in any way detract from the overriding sense of professionalism associated with every aspect of this highly original piece of work."

- Gill Buckmaster

"The tightly controlled narrative created dramatic tension and nicely drawn characters. The performances elicited empathy and expectation from the audience. The piece included various well researched elements of international techniques and musical interludes. Overall this was an exciting and original piece of theatre demonstrating the dramatic knowledge and talent of the cast."
-  Stephanie Sampson
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