Dreamshed Theatre: Writers Block

Dreamshed Theatre, a stalwart of the Fringe Theatre movement, is celebrating its twenty-second year of existence!

Created by writer, actor and director Bill Cronshaw in 2023, Dreamshed aims to bring new and established productions to a variety of audiences in a range of settings and to create opportunities for both professional and amateur actors. To date, the company has staged over twenty original shows in venues across the UK.

Dreamshed has also developed drama workshops for organisations such as the Prince's Trust, the YHA and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust involving hundreds of young people in developing their performance skills.

In that time, Bill Cronshaw, Dreamshed's artistic director, has survived plague, storm, pestilence and dodgy knees in pursuit of his art. Dreamshed Theatre now returns with 'Writers' Block' performed by Bill and Dreamshed's associate director, John Martin Stevens.

This new show is a hopefully humorous, albeit somewhat desperate, look at the creative process. Following our previous productions we're now hoping that audiences might give us another chance.

Review:

‘Writer’s Block’ – delightfully witty

After 22 years, and with over twenty original shows under their belt, Dreamshed Theatre know a thing or two about the creative process. While I’m sure they’ve experienced the much-worshipped eureka moment, they have also, no doubt, experienced the drought of Writer’s Block.

And that is the basis of this show; two creators, performers and old friends, trying to come up with their next big Fringe Festival hit show. Write what you know, perhaps!

Bill Cronshaw (Dreamshed’s Creator and Artistic Director) and John Martin Stevens (Associate Director) are a delightfully witty (and somewhat grumbly) duo, bouncing off each other’s dry humour and scathing observations. There is a one-upmanship between the pair; trying to outdo each other’s ideas, pinch snippets of script, and bag the biggest role. They are an enjoyable watch and have a similar feel to classic comedy duos; ever exacerbated with each other, but loyal at heart.

Throughout the show, we are privy to fragments of performances from a range of scripts of varying quality as they try to make their minds up. There are cliches, questionable accents, and an attempt at adaptations as the pair are doing their best to decide what their next Fringe audience will enjoy.

Many creatives in the audience will be able to relate to – and appreciate – this agreeable portrayal of the artist’s struggle.

Full list of all Fringe Extra, Barnstaple, performances here.