About Party:

Working out how to change the world can be difficult, but working out why can be almost impossible.

In a humble garden shed in deepest Suburbia, four young idealists have decided to form a new political party to save the world from itself. The new fifth member, Duncan, sets about saving the world from them.

Party is a new comic play about small minds tackling big issues - China, sex trafficking, cycle lanes, unfair trade coffee, whether to call the party ‘The Friendly Party’ or ‘Gladios’. And when, exactly, they should break to eat a cake.

Two years after he stormed the Edinburgh Fringe, picking up the if.comedy Best Newcomer award, a raft of glowing reviews and enjoying packed out shows, Tom Basden penned Party,  his beguiling and startlingly accomplished debut play.

Basden is joined by a cast of the boldest and most imaginative comics in the UK; Anna Crilly (British Comedy Awards Best Newcomer Nominee 2008, star of BBC2’s Lead Balloon), Tim Key (BBC4’s Cowards, We Need Answers, Screenwipe. BAFTA nominee) Katy Wix (Extras, Time Trumpet), Jonny Sweet (Writers Guild nominee) and Nick Mohammed, directed by Fringe First winner Phil Breen.

Tom Basden
Writer and Performer

Winner of the 2007 Edinburgh Comedy Award for his debut show; Tom Basden Won’t Say Anything, Tom Basden is one of the fastest rising stars in comedy. In 2007 he also won (with co-writer and co-star Tim Key) the Edinburgh Film Festival best short film for The One And Only Herb McGuire Plays Wallis Island. Herb... was also nominated for the 2008 BAFTA for best short. In 2009 Tom followed up his award-winning Edinburgh debut with Now That’s What I Call Musical Based Comedy, garnering a clutch of rave reviews in a consistently packed out house. Party is Tom’s debut play.

Phillip Breen
Director

Double Fringe First Award winner for Stefan Golaszewski Speaks About A Girl He Once Loved (2008) and Party (2009). In addition to a wealth of very successful ‘straight’ theatre work, Phillip Breen has long been a close cohort of the Cambridge Footlights peer group that includes Tim Key, Tom Basden, Stefan Golaszewski, Mark Watson and Alex Horne among others. His comedy work includesFootlights tour show 2001; Far Too Happy (nominated for the 2001 Perrier Edinburgh Comedy Award), Cowards 2005 & 2006 (consistent five star reviews before being transferred into two series with BBC Radio 4 and ultimately a series on BBC4), Stefan Golaszewski Speaks About A Girl He Once Loved 2008 (Fringe First Winner, The Stage Best Solo Performance Award nominee) and Stefan Golaszewski Is A Widower 2009 (Five Stars Independent, Five Stars Telegraph), as well as the Edinburgh production of Party.

Performer Biographies:

Anna Crilly

Anna has had two sell-out Edinburgh shows with comedy partner (and Party co-star) Katy Wix. Since 2006 she has performed the role of ‘Magda’ in the BBC sitcom Lead Balloon; a role that earned her a nomination for Best Female Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards.

Tim Key

Tim Key is the winner of the 2009 Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best New Show. The Slutcracker won Tim an invitation to perform at the Montreal, Toronto, and Chicago Just For Laughs Comedy Festivals. Tim is also performing The Slutcracker as part of the 2010 Sydney Festival program.

Tim is a founding member of comedy group Cowards, alongside writer Tom Basden. They have enjoyed two successful radio series, and subsequently a television series for BBC4. His comedy quiz show We Need Answers aired in late 2009 on BBC4, as did the third series for his critically acclaimed original comedy All Bar Luke.

He has recently had his second book published by The Invisible Dot to rave reviews; the succinctly titled Instructions, Guidelines, Tutelage, Suggestions, Other Suggestions and Examples Etc. An Attempted Book by Tim Key. (And Descriptions/Conversations/A Piece About A Moth)

Nick Mohammed

Nick recently performed as part of the lead ensemble cast in BBC comedy Reggie Perrin. His debut BBC Radio 4 series Quarters, based on his Edinburgh show, aired earlier this year to critical acclaim. Nick is currently writing a second series. He brought his all-new character comedy show Apollo 21 to this year’s Edinburgh Festival, following two sell-out shows and rave reviews for his work at the Festival over the previous three years.

Jonny Sweet

Jonny Sweet won the 2009 Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer with Mostly About Arthur. Jonny has written and performed comedy since studying at Cambridge University in 2003. He staged his first hour-long comedy show at the Edinburgh Festival in 2006 and was subsequently nominated for the Writers’ Guild Comedy Newcomer Award.

Katy Wix

Katy is a highly acclaimed comedian and actress. Katy, along with her comedy partner Anna Crilly (co-star in Party), has had two sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Festival and appeared in both series of Comedy Shuffle (BBC 3), Comedy Cuts (ITV) and Extras (BBC2). In 2009 she was seen as a regular performer on BBC One hit drama Torchwood, and as Tim Vine’s ditzy girlfriend Daisy in series three of the critically acclaimed BBC One sitcom Not Going Out.

The Invisible Dot Ltd

The Invisible Dot is a multi-award winning production and publishing company based in Camden, London.