In this unique double-bill, two actor-writers take on big issues with warmth and humour in their own one person shows, each directed by the other.
In Nancy’s Orange, an NHS prescription driver delivers to patients who live in beautiful but remote rural locations. There are brief encounters on doorsteps, in kitchens and even on balconies revealing lives richly lived through stories of love, loss, sadness and joy.
“I thought it would be a nice little job, just me and Classic FM, no-one breathing down my neck and I can leave the work at home…”
But she finds she can’t. Through meetings with an unforgettable cast of characters – including Captain Underpants, a priestly imposter and a satnav with a mind of its own – she begins to question how we care for and perceive our elderly neighbours and invites us to do the same.
“Truth truth truth. Loved it thank you.”
“A roller coaster of emotion. I laughed, was moved close to tears and had goosebumps! I was thoroughly engrossed & entertained.”
The Butterfly Collector (part 3) is set sometime in the future, a man sits on a chair, on a box, on a table eating a picnic. We are not sure why. He lives alone, away from “the new inland coastal towns and city outlies”. He talks about the butterflies of his past and we discover that he is part of a long line of butterfly collectors. Was his grandfather the reason the Black-veined White became extinct all those years ago? He tells moth jokes – “There are more moth jokes than butterfly ones. But then there are more moths than butterflies… even now.”
The door of his cottage smashes open with a loud bang downstairs interrupting his memories, and he climbs higher up his tower. This is not the first time the waters have risen – but never this far. Butterfly extinctions, floods, fires – is there a connection? Surely his grandfather wasn’t to blame for all that.
“A very moving, inspiring work… An enthralling performance.”
“Great booming voice, stage craft and variety bringing us into the story. Awesome work.”
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The Development of an Idea
2023 saw the opportunity to develop ‘The Butterfly Collector’ further as a theatre piece: ‘The Butterfly Collector’ part 3.
A phone call from actor Grace Kirby, asking me to direct a 15 minute solo piece she was writing for a scratch night at Theatre by the Lake, started the ball rolling. ‘Nancy’s Orange’, based on Grace’s part-time job delivering prescription medicines to isolated rural locations in North Cumbria, was a great success. It was funny and moving. Not only that, the two of us hit it off straight away, worked well together and laughed far too much!
Thoughts then turned to expanding ‘Nancy’s Orange’ with a view to touring. But we felt it would lose its potency as a piece if over-extended, so the idea of it becoming half of a double bill was born – but where could we find the other half of the bill? “I’ve got an idea!”, I volunteered, and the final iteration of ‘The Butterfly Collector’ fluttered into view.
The themes from the two films are still at the heart of the theatre piece – Human interference with the balance of the Natural World leading to extinctions of creatures and ecosystems big and small. But set in the future, the character in part 3 finally feels able to absolve his grandfather’s collecting habits from blame, as he sits on a chair, on a box, on a table listening to the water breaking through his cottage door below. (It is not only my personal history of butterfly collecting that has surfaced in Part 3 – I was also flooded out of my home for 11 months after Storm Desmond came to visit in 2015.) The audience, however, are kept dry by an imaginary wall as they are encouraged to think about the link between less butterflies and more floods whilst being entertained with moth jokes! There are also subtle connections between the two plays – could one of the characters visited in Nancy’s Orange be related to the Butterfly Collector?
The beginnings of my boyhood interest in Butterflies along with more information the two films can be found on the The Butterfly Collector parts 1 & 2 production page.
Performance Dates
| Venue | Date(s) | Times(s) | Ticket Price | Link / Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beggar's Theatre, Millom, LA18 4HZ | 18 Sept 2025 | 7.30pm | £16.00/£10.00 | https://beggarstheatre.com |
| The Gather, Ennerdale Bridge, CA23 3AR | 19 Sept 2025 | 7.00pm | £12.00/£6.00 | https://www.ticketsolve.com/ |
| Ullock Village Hall, Workington, CA14 4TH | 20 Sept 2025 | 7.30pm | £12.00/£6.00 | https://www.ticketsolve.com/ |
| Great Harwood Library, Blackburn, BB6 7AL | 2 Oct 2025 | 7.00pm | £8.00 | https://ticketsource.co.uk/ |
| Bolton Le Sands Library, LA5 8DN | 3 Oct 2025 | 7.00pm | £12.00 | https://ticketsource.co.uk/ |
| Cherry Tree Library, Blackburn BB2 5NX | 4 Oct 2025 | 7.00pm | £8.00 | https://ticketsource.co.uk/ |
| Bassenthwaite Parish Room, CA12 4QA | 18 Oct 2025 | 7.00pm | £12.00 | https://www.ticketsolve.com/ |
| Up Front Arts Venue, Penrith, CA11 9TG | 25 Oct 2025 | 8.00pm | £15.00 | https://ticketsource.co.uk/ |
| Threlkeld Village Hall, Keswick, Cumbria | 22/03/2025 | 7:30pm | £15.00 | 07931 679654 |
| West Stafford Village Hall, Dorchester, Dorset | 28/03/2025 | 7:30pm | £12.50 | https://www.artsreach.co.uk/ |
| Child Okeford Village Hall, Blandford Forum, Dorset | 29/03/2025 | 7:30pm | £12.50 | https://www.artsreach.co.uk/ |
| Cerne Abbas St. Mary's Church, Dorchester, Dorset | 30/03/2025 | 7:00pm | £12.50 | https://www.artsreach.co.uk/ |
| Public Hall, Beaminster, Dorset | 31/03/2025 | 7:30pm | £12.50 | https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ |
| Newbrough Town Hall, Hexham, Northumbria | 03/04/2025 | 7:00pm | £12.00 | 01434 674315 |
| Alston Town Hall, Cumbria | 05/04/2025 | 7:30pm | £12.00 | 01434 382244 |
| St. Thomas Church Hall, Stanhope, Co Durham | 06/04/2025 | 7:30pm | £12.00 | 01388 526424 |