Hello! We are Hagstone Theatre, an emerging theatre company hailing from East 15’s Acting and Contemporary Theatre Course. We produce gutsy new writing focussing on fantastical settings rooted in raw, real, and relevant issues.
Through a shared love of the weird and wonderful, we seek to present our audiences with difficult or complex topics through an outlandish lens. Be this through puppetry, music, movement, or a variety of different genres and styles. We’ll continue to raid our toolbox to bring bold and original work to the stage.
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We founded Hagstone after graduating in 2023, having found great success working together during East 15’s Debut festival that same year. Konnie directed ‘Houston’s House’ (a technicolour descent into madness of a disgraced children’s TV host) written by Ford, and the pair starred together in ‘Adrift’ (a chilling sci-fi chamber piece) written by Kendall. Since then, ‘Adrift’ has been awarded the coveted Stella Wilkie award from the Kings Head Theatre, found great success at Camden fringe in August 2023, and went on to receive critical acclaim after its run at The Space Theatre in October 2023 where it was awarded an OffComm.
'Hagstone'
/haag-stohn/
A stone with a naturally occurring hole through it, said to be imbued with powerful magic allowing you to gaze upon reality and see through to the many worlds beyond.
I’m Alfie! Alfie Ford if you want to be specific, Alfie Jay Ford if you want to be overly forward. At the age of four, when I wasn't wandering around the village, I used to sit my family down at dinner to hear the short but exhilarating story of my life. In primary school I would bring puppets into class and write stories and plays, campaigning for the school to stage them. In secondary school I would write flowery poems and perform in every school production that would have me. Some would say I was a strange, sensitive, egomaniac of a child, I would say I simply had a calling.
Since then I have graduated from READ College and the East 15 Acting and Contemporary Theatre course, cementing this as not just a ‘hobby’ but a goddamn career. Both schools ingrained ensemble and devising work at the core of my creative process. Additionally, I have a strong affinity with improvisation and movement. I want the work I create to be surprising and entertaining but also hold a certain weight that makes you stop and reflect by the end of it. I believe there is magic to be found in even the most mundane of things life has to offer.
Hello there! My name’s Konnie. I’m a performer, writer and theatre maker from a small village in east Hampshire, and I love a good story. There is undeniable truth in fiction; it’s why it’s so compelling. Fantasy is just reality in a silly coat. I was raised on British classics like Red Dwarf, Monty Python, Hitchhiker's Guide and Blackadder all of which I’m sure informed my cynical yet farcical view of the world. I’ve always adored video games, too. Some of my earliest memories are of leading a revolution in City 17 and exploring the sweeping vistas of Cyrodiil. Games from developers like Quantic Dream, Telltale and ‘Life is Strange’ in particular hold frim in my mind as hugely influential in my view of the world and the choices we make. Which in turn led to a natural love of D&D and RPGs!
I’ve always loved performing, ever since holding concert at every family barbeque with a meticulously choreographed rendition of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face. I trained in classical singing throughout my childhood, taught myself guitar, and spent five years with my local Stagecoach Theatre school where I would stay on as a teacher! Music is present in everything I do. In the literal sense, but also in the musicality of a sentence, the percussion in a series of movements. Music is everywhere!
My time at East15 made me realise how much I love the process of bringing an idea to life. From neurons firing to curtain up. I want my work to be rich and steeped in narrative with a penchant for the dark and fantastical; holding up a funhouse mirror to reality and reflecting on its twisted shapes. With a good laugh or two thrown in for good measure.
