Bruised Sky Productions Presents VILLAIN

Suddenly you've got someone who's other, not a person not someone who is there in front of you and you would try to reason with or help. Suddenly it's OK to unleash all the darkness all the horrible things people have deep in the back of their mind that should stay there...

Rachel is a woman who just wants to make a difference. Tired of her highly paid sales job, she makes a move into social work. Visiting Marcia, she seems like a good person whose naivety has led to an unfortunate series of relationships and children - but you'd never guess anything was the matter. Not until it's too late, and Rachel finds herself at the centre of a controversial case with a catastrophic conclusion. Trapped in the media's unforgiving gaze, she is hounded across social media with vitriol and blame - but is Rachel really the villain of the piece?

Bruised Sky Productions present the Martin Murphy's powerful solo show in its London premiere following a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year. Developed through interviews with social workers and research into real-life cases, Villain places a spotlight on the growing pressures on social care agencies with the growth of child poverty, and how social media allows the general public to be judge and jury through the safety of a screen.

Brutal, topical, and darkly funny, Villain follows Rachel through her twenties in a story that will be familiar to many. With echoes of cases like Baby P, Victoria Climbie and Liam Fee, Villain lets the social worker tell her side of the story in a devastating hour that questions whether we can still try to do good or if the risk to ourselves is just too high.

Maddie Rice trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Her theatre credits includes: Fleabag (UK tour), Henry V (MGC/West end), All My Sons (Regents Park Open Air Theatre), News Revue (Edinburgh, Pleasance), zazU: A Fete Worse Than Death (Soho Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth (Principal Theatre). Her television credits include: I Live With Models (Comedy Central), Call The Midwife and Who killed Laura Kitchens? (BBC). Maddie also writes and performs with comedy groups zazU and Lead Pencil.

Martin Murphy's plays include Worlds (VAULT Festival, 2017), Manor (Soho Theatre, 2009) and Barren (Old Vic Theatre, OVNV 24 Hour Plays, 2006). Martin also wrote the short film Poisoned and numerous other short plays at venues including the Liverpool Everyman Theatre and the Old Vic.

As a performer Martin is half of the musical comedy double act Pistol and Jack who have performed at a large number of venues including Secret GArden Party, Assembly Edinburgh, Nu:Write Festival Zagreb and Soho Theatre.

Bruised Sky Productions was founded by Artistic Director James Kermack in 2009 with Executive Director Martin Murphy appointed later that year. The company's first production Lads received a range of five and four star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before a London run at the Canal Cafe.

Bruised Sky most recently presented Worlds at VAULT Festival in January 2017, following the success of Villain at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016.

Bruised Sky's other works include Manor by Martin Murphy, which played at Soho Theatre before a three week run at Tristan Bates Theatre Covent Garden, and Animal Bordello written by David Scinto, writer of the Oscar nominated classic Sexy Beast.

www.bruisedskyproductions.com

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