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Apocalypse Wow: Spymonkey ride out as the New Horse-people of the Apocalypse
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Dinosaurs in Space: touring show for children & families
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C’mon Tiger: an absurd musical comedy about grief, big cats and way too much egg
They’re back. In celebration of 30 years of Spymonkey’s fearless cavorting to the uproarious delight of audiences around the world, Spymonkey’s Apocalypse Wow sees founder members Aitor Basauri, Petra Massey and Toby Park reunited for the first time in eight years for a life-affirmative, clownesque antidote to apocalyptic despair…
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APOCALYPSE WOW!
Death is having a bad day.
The other three Horsemen of the Apocalypse still strike terror to most of the world. But Death has a niggling worry that they’re not getting the market penetration they used to. There’s always a smug bunch of First World arseholes who, no matter how hard the Horsemen try, seem to be insulated from the fear of imminent apocalyptic doom. He needs to think outside the box.
Death picks up the phone.
And so, barely credibly, whether through corporate mis-communication, or some crazy spin of the LinkedIn algorithm, Spymonkey get the call that is going to change everything: a chance to audition as a bevy of new supervillains to make War, Famine and Pestilence quake in their boots. Yes, ripped from your deepest, darkest fears, and clamouring to be let loose upon the world:
Meet the New Horsepeople of the Apocalypse!
AI, Conspiracy and Global Warning (plus the competition – Apathy, Tech-Bro, Pornbrain, The Totalitarian and every other totemic terror that the audience supply) are chomping at the byte and saddling up. Prep all you like, you’re bound to be entertained by their cabaret of catastrophe, including a troupe of avant garde Medieval Mystery Players, Lady Godiva, the Four Horses and their surprisingly successful 1970s prog rock off-shoot, and the ultimate revenge of Gaia the Earth Goddess (with unlikely ventriloquism).
Yes! It’s finally here! The End of the World! And it’s happening in a theatre near you! The party to end all parties, and you’re invited.
Join Spymonkey and a whole gymkhana of trusty steeds for the show to end all shows.
The end is NEIGH!
Performed by Aitor Basauri, Petra Massey & Toby Park
Written by Carl Grose & Spymonkey
Directed by Kyla Goodey
Designed by Lucy Bradridge
Original Music by Toby Park
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DINOSAURS IN SPACE
In collaboration with illustrator extraordinaire Chris Riddell.
A new piece of original theatre for children aged 4-9 years and their families, from the team behind Spymonkey’s Hairy. This laugh-out-loud show will introduce children to the wonders of high-quality, physical comedy in line with Spymonkey’s 25+ years experience in creating internationally acclaimed touring productions.
Three dinosaur tech-bros have spotted a massive meteor heading straight for earth! The sky is literally falling on their heads! Quickly assembling their madcap escape craft, they attempt to blast off on a journey of discovery.
In collaboration with illustrator Chris Riddell and designed by Spymonkey’s Lucy Bradridge, audience’s will be catapulted into an absurd, silly and colourful world, brought to life by some very funny dinosaurs as they embark on an adventure to escape the planet before they become extinct. How will they fit into their space helmets? What happens when you lay eggs in Zero-G? And what will they think as they look back on their precious planet? This show will take them – and their audience of fellow astro-saurs – on unexpected twists & turns, accompanied by catchy songs that you’ll be singing long after the show has finished.
Devised and directed by Toby Park & Aitor Basauri
Original songs and music by Toby Park
Designed by Lucy Bradridge
Performing ensemble: 3 multi-skilled performers / actor-musicians
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C’MON TIGER
An absurd musical comedy about grief
After huge success bringing our distinctive Theatre of the Funny aesthetic to the world of opera, Spymonkey are again forging new territory in the world of musical theatre.
Artistic Director Toby Park and writer and poet John Luke Roberts, renowned on the stand-up circuit for his deliciously surreal one-man shows (and collaborator on Spymonkey’s Hairy), are in development for C’MON TIGER, an absurd musical comedy about grief, and the strange things it does to us.
Set in the church hall home of a bereavement counselling group called Good Grief, it centres on three characters. Therapist Liz has a dark secret: she feels like a fraud because she has never known anyone close to her die. Newcomer Max tells the group that he recently lost his father, who had terminal cancer. No, no, he explains, he didn’t die of cancer. He was killed by a tiger. You see, Max was testing out a new form of therapy for terminally ill patients, by bringing a live tiger into the ward, so that they could look death squarely in the face. And who better to try it out on than his father. Unfortunately on this particular day the tiger handler had a heart attack, and the tiger escaped. So Max can’t bear the sight of tigers.
Into the group walks his worst nightmare – Ada, who is mourning her wife – ‘Big’ Cat Studebaker, known in wrestling circles as ‘The Tiger’ – and wears her totemic tiger paraphernalia proudly. Things come to a head when it turns out that Ada’s wife was the tiger handler in question. And Ada holds Max entirely responsible for her wife’s untimely demise.
C’MON TIGER asks what happens when people need to grieve, and those needs are at loggerheads with each other.
Book by John Luke Roberts
Music by Toby Park
Written for a cast of 6 musical theatre performers.
And starring Spymonkey’s Aitor Basauri as The Tiger
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Timescales & More Info
Timelines for each production are subject to partnerships and availability but we have R&D’s in 2026 for each project with a view to realising them between 2027-2029.
If you’re interested in finding out more about any of these production, get in touch with our Exec Producer Emily Coleman on emilycoleman@spymonkey.co.uk
Head here to see the last few years of Spymonkey’s large-scale theatre and opera, our first hit show for children and a retelling of an Aristophanes classic with community cast & integrated BSL.