THREE CHAIRS & A HAT
'A production company packed with talent, fresh ideas and innovative approaches'—Dr Chris Laoutaris, The Shakespeare Institute
Minimum set, maximum imagination: that's the principle at the heart of Three Chairs and a Hat, the theatre company I founded to stage my small-scale musicals.
A massively talented group of performers and backstage magicians makes up the Three Chairs team, performing in theatres, fringe festivals and online; and our output has extended to animation, digital drama and a major Shakespeare video project. Scroll down for more details about our productions …
STAGE SHOWS
EVANGELINE
EVANGELINE is a showbiz survivor. Our brand new musical traces her rocky career, from her discovery in a cardboard box to her West End rise and fall. Guy Brigg plays Ms Teeth 'n' Tits herself, as well as every other character who plays a role in her rollercoaster life, as we take a closer look at the back-story of a character he first created in MELODY (see below).
EVANGELINE makes her Oxford debut at the Burton Taylor Studio, 15—17 April 2026, before heading for the Brighton Fringe and a week's run at The Lantern Theatre (4—8 May).
MRS PACK
MRS PACK is about a real woman - a wet-nurse who suckled a prince, spied for a queen, and turned the Stuart court upside down. After a great response to its première run at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe, we revived Mrs Pack at the 2024 Camden Fringe, giving four shows at the Etcetera Theatre to some great feedback. Videos of the Edinburgh and Camden productions are available on Scenesaver and our YouTube channel, and the Edinburgh filmed performance was nominated for the 2024 Montreal Women Film Festival.
We'll be staging MRS PACK again soon in a fresh new production — watch this space for details …
'A gem of a show... this musical should have global audiences' — FringeBiscuit ⭐️⭐️⭐️
'A Delightful Piece of Stoytelling' — London Pub Theatre Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
'Humour and Poignancy' — LouReviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
'Beautiful … Bright and lively but Very Moving' — FairyPowered Productions ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
VERITY and DEXTER
These companion shows tell two sides of one marriage. VERITY first told her tale of being jilted at the altar at Oxford's Old Fire Station Theatre, before a successful Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2019.
Four years later — having won BEST MUSICAL in the 2022 Scenesaver Birthday Honours awards — she was back in Edinburgh, playing alternate nights with DEXTER, the groom's story, creating a quirky world of aunts and cousins, social media, mysterious Moira Day and a herd of Moroccan donkeys at theSpace at Symposium Hall (The Annexe). We had lovely feedback from audiences and reviewers, and filmed versions of the Fringe shows are available on Scenesaver.
Both shows were semi-finalists in the Edinburgh Film Awards 2024.
'Fantastically clever ... ticks over at an excellent pace ... The dialogue is snappy, inherently human, and all the songs are great'— The Mumble (2023) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Sharp and witty ... buzz with ambition ...' —LouReviews
'More than a Hint of Sondheim' — 2nd From Bottom
''...a veritable modern masterpiece'... 'an extremely talented bunch' ... .'Nia ... rhymes like a rapper'... 'A fabulous piece on so many levels' -The Mumble (2019) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
MELODY
MELODY is a one-act musical with a cast of two creating a world of characters. Melody Smart, a cheerful hotel receptionist, wins a singing lesson in the staff raffle-and finds her carefully constructed life unravelling to reveal secrets, passions, and more than a few buttered digestives. MELODY has played in theatres in Oxford, Abingdon and Ross-on-Wye.
'A Really compelling piece of theatre … Nia Williams is a gifted and imaginative Storyteller' — Oxfordshire Classical Music
DADDY'S GIRLS
Three half-sisters meet to clear out their late father's cottage, and attempt to untangle the mess of his past and their own relationships. Meanwhile, has anyone seen Sister Dora? Our first staged musical played to full houses at the Old Fire Station and Burton Taylor theatres in Oxford, featuring Rebecca Allison, Jane Hainsworth and Sarah Leatherbarrow, with a surprise cameo from Dennis Garret …
'Humour and pathos … wonderful moments, upbeat and philosophical' — The Oxford Mail
SMOKE & MIRRORS
In this verse play based around songs by Kurt Weill, Rebecca Martin played twin sisters from birth to old age, in their very different journeys through Berlin, Paris and America during the most turbulent years of the 20th century. She sang in English, German and French and was moving, funny and altogether brilliant. We performed Smoke & Mirrors at the Old Fire Station in Oxford and at Kennington Hall.
'A tour de force' — Oxfordshire Limited Edition
DIGITAL SHOWS
SHAKESPEARE (She/Her)
A talented cast of 15 women, directed and filmed by Wayne T Brown, brings Shakespeare's female characters into contemporary contexts in this 35-video project. Launching with a video a day on international theatre platform Scenesaver, Shakespeare (She/Her) already had great reviews from the Edinburgh and Brighton online fringe festivals, and in 2022 was showcased at the Equality Shakespeare Festival, a digital initiative from The Shakespeare Institute and University College London to foster equality across race, gender and class.
Semi-finalist, Best TV/Web Pilot, Paris Lady MovieMakers Film Festival 2024
'An insightful piece of theatre... powerful .. style and feisty passion' — Broadway Baby ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
'Simple snapshots going straight to the heart of each of the women' — LouReviews
'Fresh, innovative ...a fast-paced production that is sure to keep viewers on their toes'-Theatre Weekly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
'Witty, arresting, poignant and powerful... be prepared to see Shakespeare's women in a completely new light' — Dr Chris Laoutaris, The Shakespeare Institute
PETER
Our animated musical about Peter the Great's astonishing life is currently streamed in three episodes: Homecoming, Trouble and Foundations.
The fourth and final part, Legacy, is due for completion in 2026, and a full-length version is planned, bringing all four episodes together.
Best Animation, Berlin Women Cinema Festival 2024
Semi-finalist, Glasgow Film Awards 2025
Semi-finalist, Melbourne Independent Film Festival 2025
Semi-Finalist, Edinburgh Film Awards, 2026
LADY M
Lady M is the life coach you ignore at your peril in this animated musical inspired by one of Shakespeare's most memorable women. Released in three episodes — Midday Hags, Mr King and Banksy — Lady M is also available as a full-length video, and has won a number of awards in international film festivals.
Semi-finalist, Glasgow Film Awards 2025
Winner, Best Short Animation, Paris Lady MovieMakers Film Festival 2024
Selected for the Berlin International Art Film Festival 2022
Semi-finalist, Palm Springs Shorts Film Festival 2022
MIDDAY HAGS: Selected as part of the Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival, 2021
Semi-Finalist, International Cosmopolitan Film Festival of Tokyo, 2022
MR KING: Finalist, Toronto Independent Film Festival of Cift, 2021
Semi-Finalist, Stockholm Short Film Festival, 2021
Award of Distinction, Canada Shorts Film Festival, 2021
HAUNTED
Do you believe in ghosts? This dramatised version of my short story about isolation and obsession was created during Lockdown and first broadcast as part of the Online Fringe.
'A strong script and imaginative use of technology make "Haunted" compelling viewing'—British Theatre Guide
'Nia Williams deploys a poetic knack for helping the audience visualise the frantic, whirling colours of her character's fixations'—Broadway Baby
'Lyrical in spades ... Williams' presence alone is enough to ensnare viewers'-The Wee Review
Honorable Mention, Best Mobile Short, Independent Shorts Awards, Los Angeles 2021
Semi-Finalist, Indie Short Fest April 2021
THREE STAGES
An exploration of loss, love and friendship in verse and song; featuring Matthew Allison, and streamed as part of the Online @TheSpaceUK.
'Poetic, musical meditations on the experiences of loss and ageing, they are meditative and honest.' — Donna Kaye Speaks
'Evocative, reflecting the confusion and sense of life's fragility... a gentle sense of rueful regret and puzzlement... very moving' —British Theatre Guide
'Simple yet hauntingly wonderful ... tremendously well performed... a trio of softly spoken yet deep and meaningful pieces of art' —Fringe Review
PAMELA DRYSDALE'S LOCKDOWN
Three Chairs performer Jane Hainsworth demonstrates her writing talents in this one-woman comedy of errors about the unintended consequences of Lockdown on a naughty weekend away.
The quirky approach makes going for a walk on the wild side with Pamela worthwhile' —British Theatre Guide