Lie Back and Think of America 

beautifully-crafted WW2 drama about learning to love yourself 

Inspired by the documentary ‘Choc’late Soldiers from the USA’. 'Lie Back and Think of America' is a novelistic, funny, touching, one-woman play about one English family’s life during WW2 and their personal encounter with the effects of segregation and the Visiting Forces Act. Will Sarah find the courage to let GI Joseph know her true self?  And if she does, would he still want her? And will her little sister, Lucy, evacuated to Wales escape Mrs Allbright's sharp tongue? Written by Natalie Penn and performed by Natalie Wilcox (BBC's 'Doctors', Athlete's 'Black Swan Song'). 'Compelling and well written' - Soho Theatre 
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Interview with one of our performance venues.

Naomi Jones -  Director for 'Lie Back and Think of America' West End adaptation and tour
Naomi’s work as a director includes Bodies, Baking and Bunting by Danusia Iwaszko for LAMDA. Private Resistance by Ivan Cutting, Lincoln Road by Danusia Iwaszko, The Long Way Home by Charles Way and Return to Akenfield by Craig Taylor for Eastern Angles. Suddenly Last Summer and The Long Way Home, Hampstead Theatre Studio, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream Blenheim Palace Gardens, Philistines by Maxim Gorky (trans. Andrew Upton), Enemies by Maxim Gorky (trans. David Hare), Man of Mode by George Etherege and Machinal by Sophie Treadwell, all for Oxford School of Drama. Little Women the musical for Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts at Waterloo East Theatre. The Rover by Aphra Behn for Looking Glass House at the Southwark Playhouse. Flight Path by David Watson, and Sisters, Such Devoted Sisters by Russell Barr for Out of Joint and After Miss Julie for Gothenburg English Speaking Theatre, Sweden. Naomi was the assistant director for Out of Joint on Testing the Echo Tricycle Theatre (Dir. Matthew Dunster). King of Hearts by Alistair Beaton Hampstead Theatre, The Overwhelming by JT Rogers and The Permanent Way by David Hare, Royal National Theatre. O Go My Man and Duck by Stella Feehily, Talking to Terrorists by Robin Soans, Royal Court Theatre and the site specfic, promenade national and international tour of Macbeth. 

Jim Penn (MA) Company Manager/ Co-founder
Jim is an experienced stage manager having worked for several companies in his home town, Birmingham and in Manchester. Jim also had experience working in the fields of research and archiving in video libraries before working for Front Room Theatre.  He also researched much of the music and is responsible for our PPL and PRS obligations. Jim is a logistical genius and arranges our travel (always public transport so that we can reduce costs to our audience).
 

Professor Alan Rice/ Choc'late Soldiers
One of our productions, 'Lie Back and Think of America', was inspired by the documentary  'Choc'late Soldiers from the USA', a copy of which was given to our artistic director on a  train journey by Professor Alan Rice (University of Central Lancashire). We are very grateful for this meeting. Natalie would like to thank Professor Rice for taking the time to talk to her about the documentary and the journey that Front  Room Theatre has been on because of this chance meeting.

Natalie Wilcox: Actor of 'Lie Back and Think of America'
An experienced West End actress, Natalie's experience as an actor includes Shared Experience's Jane Eyre, roles in rep for Guildford Shakespeare Company and Playbox Theatre Company, and as actor/musician in two tours for Watford Palace.  She originated the role of Mia Nick Wood's play for the Nottingham Playhouse, and represented the Playhouse at an international theatre festival. Productions also include Hansel and Gretel (small scale tour for Kipper Tie, Romeo and Juliet  and Twelfth Night (for Shakespeare4Kidz), La Cage aux Folles (no. 1 UK tour, also covering Julie Goodyear)  Her most notable work can be seen in Mark Locke's beautifully-directed 'Black Swan Song' for the band Athlete. Other roles include Angela Clarke in BBC's Doctors, as well as idents and performing in front of green screen for Channel 4.  Natalie was also pleased to be featured in the film Suffragette  as a prisoner and as a dancer in Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things. She also performs in French. Natalie is the 'voice-of-the-virtual-room' at Birmingham's Back to Back Museum.

Rosie Tee: Designer
Rosie Tee designs our costumes, props and flyers.  Her experience includes tutoring by graphic designer Frode Sorenson and poster and flyer design for community theatre productions in Tamworth, London and Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  Her interest in WW2 fashions inspired the making of props and costumes for Lie Back and Think of America and she is delighted to see her designs being used on tour.


Thanks
Ian Redford (acting coach) has devoted many hours of his time to the company in its initial stages. Ian is an excellent coach and we cannot recommend him highly enough if you would like individual acting coaching from someone who is not only an excellent teacher but also an excellent, dedicated actor. You can contact Ian directly here: redfordepicurus{at}aol.com Thanks also  to Jim Penn, Tim Wales, Zelah Meyer, Paul Gilham,  Elizabeth Knowles, John and Phyllis Wilcox, Emma Blundell (and Out Of Order Theatre Company) for supplying props, Amber Semple, Elizabeth Knowles, Ed Lamberti, Lee Simpson and Improbable for mentoring, Petra Read, Ann Hall and Barry Hall, John and Mary Preen, colleagues at the LGiU including John Fowler, Andy Johnston, Laura Wilkes and Nick Bailey, Ian Redford and Naomi Jones (for their support in creating the West End version of 'Lie Back and Think of America' for the Tristan Bates Theatre at the Actors Centre, Equity, Spotlight and Chris Wolfe, (producer/writer/actor of solo show Generation 911). Special thanks also to Michael Lowe, Katherine Borrett and David (Dave) Smith and Brooke Gallagher and theSpace UK.

Natalie Wicox (Photo by Karen Bristoll)

Annabelle Green

Annabelle Green: collaborative artist: 'Lie Back and Think of America'
Annabelle has been performing for a number of years. She trained at The School of Physical Theatre London under the direction of Ron East and Arts Ed London. Since leaving Arts Ed Annabelle has performed for the Manchester Actors Company, at The Lost Theatre, The Greenwich Playhouse and The Leicester Square Theatre. She has also completed two short comedy films, one for the Virgin Media Shorts and the other for the Pepsi Shorts competition. Played Tina in a pilot episode for Capital Films Ltd production of 'The New Bromantics’. Annabelle has also worked internationally. Working for Spain’s leading theatre in education company as a performer and deviser. Most recently she has worked for Vervain Theatre Company, in their Greek Mask Production of Aeschylus ‘Libation Bearers’, and performed Dario Fo’s 'Medea'. Annabelle is a collaborative artist of Front Room Theatre and our movement director for 'Lie Back and Think of America'.