Biography

EMMA KING-FARLOW
Writer, Director, Producer & Actor
The Artistic Director of Shadow Road Productions, a small but experienced independent theatre company, and Festival Director of mixed arts mental health awareness festival and Short Film Prize UNBROKEN, Emma is also a traditionally published children’s author (Uncle Alonzo’s Beard, Meadowside Children’s Books), former trustee of the OSO Arts Centre in London, and a professional member of Stage Directors UK and The Society of Authors.
With Shadow Road, Emma specialises in bringing thrilling pieces of theatre for all ages and occasions to unusual venues and spaces in creative new ways. The company has performed everywhere from churches, cancer centres and firelit drawing rooms, to back gardens, bell tents and traditional theatre spaces, and has partnered with such organisations as the National Trust, Armed Forces charity Combat Stress, Barnes Children’s Literature Festival, WWT London Wetland Centre, Strawberry Hill House, the Society of Authors, and many more. 

 Shadow Road provides a wide range of entertainment options, from full-scale theatre productions to their four-person Fireside Folktales shows, in which Emma retells various myths, legends, and classic tales for all ages and occasions; from hilarious murder mystery dinners or cabaret events to interactive quizzes, workshops, and teambuilding events; and, finally, bespoke productions, created from scratch in accordance with whatever brief they are given.
Emma has directed casts ranging in size from fifty-one down to one and in age from seven up to eighty-plus, both for Shadow Road, and for other companies, working freelance.  She has also run a number of writing and theatre workshops for both adults and children, and consulted on various live events and productions. Her work has been performed in a wide range of venues, from the West End to the Fringe. Credits include Dreams From The Pit (Palace Theatre), Robin Hood (London Wetland Centre), Californian Lives (King’s Head Theatre & OSO Arts Centre) and all the plays in the ‘Fireside Folktales’ collection (National Trust; Southside House; Teenage Cancer Trust, and others).

Having completed an intensive filmmaking course at The New York Film Academy in London, went on to attend several additional courses, classes, and workshops in writing, directing, producing, and acting with the Lyceum Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the London Film School, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Theatre503 and the Soho Theatre, among others, as well as completing a mentorship with experienced director Holly Wilson. 
Since founding Shadow Road Productions, whenever her health allows (she has dealt with chronic illness throughout adulthood), Emma has continued to work - both with Shadow Road and freelance - and to study, being a firm believer in the idea that you should never stop learning and continually developing your skill set! Recently, she has been training online with
Theatrical Intimacy Education, deepening her knowledge of Intimacy Choreography and Coordination – an increasingly important field in the entertainment industry.

Emma's own experience onstage - together with the many examinations she has taken in both acting and singing, and the additional drama training she has enjoyed - have all resulted in a good understanding of and keen empathy with the various actors whom she directs, writes for, and performs alongside.

Part of the Fireside Folktales acting company, her recent roles have included Lady Macbeth, the Second Witch and Ross in Macbeth: Sleep No More; Jacob Marley, Belle and The Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol; Will Scarlet, Sergeant Weaver and Rose in A Tale of Robin Hood; and Persephone and Zeus in Persephone & the Pomegranate Seeds.  She has also become a true master of the astonishingly quick change, occasionally playing up to eleven characters in a single production!
Find out more about Emma's work by visiting the Shadow Road website, following her on Twitter or Instagram, and listening to the interviews below.



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SHADOW ROAD PRODUCTIONS


 
Who are we and what do we do?
Founded by Artistic Director Emma King-Farlow, Shadow Road is a small, independent theatre company which specialises in bringing exciting works of theatre, for all ages and occasions, to unusual spaces in creative new ways.  

We have continued that tradition with one of our recent projects,
Fireside Folktales, retelling myths, legends and classic stories from around the world, each presented as an original short play performed by a company of four professional actors to audiences young, old, and in-between. Our repertoire of plays, which continues to grow and to garner audience acclaim, includes curriculum favourites Macbeth and A Christmas Carol.

We are also in the process of launching our latest cross-platform venture, Secret Storytellers which will see us producing some exciting online content based in a new, immersive story-world, in order to enhance the impressive work of our two-person teams, who will deliver a range of thrilling live performances in front of a wide variety of audiences.
 
Our work always involves a charitable aspect of some kind - raising awareness, raising funds, or taking live entertainment out to people who, due to illness or infirmity, might not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy it. This voluntary work is an important part of our overall company ethos.

As part of this, we run the UNBROKEN Festival & Short Film Prize - a mixed arts mental health
awareness festival, which not only explores the issues surrounding mental health via many different art forms, but also enables us to provide other festival events and therapeutic workshops to the public at prices low enough to ensure that no one is barred by cost from attending and benefiting.


What can we offer you, your company, or your school?

For private bookings, we offer a wide range of entertainment options, tailored to the client's specific needs - from a full-scale theatre production, or a murder mystery event, to a bespoke production created at the client’s request.  

Our two-person Secret Storytellers shows and four-person Fireside Folktales plays are also recommended for private and corporate bookings, school visits and library events. These can be staged either in our beautiful 8m bell tent, with all seating provided (for up to 45 people at a time), or at a venue of the client's choice, whether indoors or in the open air. We provide all our own props and costumes, and do not require electricity for many of our productions, allowing us considerable flexibility. 

Finally, whether for corporate team-building purposes, school visits, or those with a simple interest, we also offer several creative and educational workshops. Some of these are designed to accompany a particular production, so that you might watch the play and then take part in the workshop afterwards, while others - such as the general Drama Workshop, An Introduction to Playwriting, and An Introduction to Stage Combat, etc - can be delivered as standalone events. As ever, the choice is yours!

How To Book Us: We are available for individual celebrations, corporate events, school visits, and more. To find out more about booking us for your venue, event, school or library, to ask for a quotation, or to discuss the possibility of a longer residency at your school or venue, please email shadowroadproductions@gmx.com or fill in the Contact Form on this site, found in the sidebar on the right of the screen. . 

Prices for each engagement are calculated on an individual basis and depend on various factors including the choice and duration of play, cast size, travel required, and any chosen extras such as workshops or Q&A sessions. Our repertoire of tales for all ages and occasions continues to expand, so do check the website for updates. 

Should you have any trouble choosing the right production, we are happy to advise - and if you are looking for a particular folktale you do not see listed, or you would like to discuss the creation of a bespoke event or play, please get in touch. Given sufficient notice, we are confident we can craft the perfect event for you.

We look forward to working with you!


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