Swimming With Sharks
First performance 2007/10/5 Last performance 2008/1/19
Buddy Akerman (Christian Slater) is one of Hollywood's most powerful men and producer of a studio's highest grossing violent horror movie. Guy (Matt Smith), his new assistant, soon finds that Buddy is the boss from hell and endures all of his tantrums and abuse in the hope that he will be given that once-in-a-lifetime chance of moving up the Hollywood ladder. The dream however, seems a long way off when he is busy acting as Buddy's personal slave.
Guy sees his chance and attempts to play the Hollywood game by calling on his high powered producer girlfriend. By entering into a deal with Buddy, Guy hopes to preserve some of his integrity but soon finds himself falling into the amoral world that is Buddy's, shattering his idealism and heading towards a confrontation between lover, protégé and mentor.
Cast in order of speaking
| Rex | Arthur Darvill |
| Guy | Matt Smith |
| Buddy Ackerman | Christian Slater |
| Mitzy | Elizabeth Croft |
| Dawn Lockard | Helen Baxendale |
| Cyrus | Jonathan Newth |
| Daniel Faruk | Fanos Xenofos |
| Jack | Mark Edel-Hunt |
| Understudies | Perdita Avery John Pennington James Powell |
Act I: The action takes place in the offices of Keystone Productions and in and around Hollywood.
Act II: The same, six months later.
Creative Team
| Director | Wilson Milam |
| Designer | Dick Bird |
| Lighting Designer | Paul Anderson |
| Composer | Stephen Warbeck |
| Sound Designer | Matt McKenzie for Autograph |
| Dialect Coach | Penny Dyer |
| Costume Supervisor | Estelle Butler |
| Fight Director | Philip d'Orleans |
| Casting Director | Julia Horan |
| US Casting Director | Jim Carnahan |
| Production Manager | Dominic Fraser |
| Assistant Production Manager | Cath Bates |
| Company Stage Manager | Wyn Howard-Thomas |
| Deputy Stage Manager | Emily Grimes |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Naomi Foster |
| Wardrobe Mistress | Andrea Gaskill |
| Dresser | Kim Evans |
| Props Supervisor | Tanya Bowd |
| Assistant Designer | Rollins Lewis |
| Press and PR | Anna Arthur for Arthur Leone PR 020 7637 29994 www.arthurleone.com |
| Marketing | aka 020 7836 4747 |
| Promotions | Chris McGill for milktwosugars
020 8348 3670 www.milktwosugars.net |
| Production and Rehearsal Photography | Johan Persson www.perssonphotography.com |
| Cover Photograph | Hugo Glendinning |
Production Acknowledgements
| Costumes for Buddy, Dawn, Daniel, Rex & Guy (except first scene) | Giorgio Armani |
| Assistant to Costume Supervisor | Martina Trottmann |
| Beth Howard | |
| Musicians | |
| Bass | Tim Harres |
| Guitars | John Parricelli |
| Drums | Martin France |
| Programmer | Allan Jenkins |
| Studio Hire | Steve Parr at Hear No Evil |
| Set Constructed by | Bowerwood Construction Services |
| Set Painted by | Belinda Clisham |
| Anna Stampa | |
| Office Glass by | Smart Glass International Ltd. www.smartglassinternational.com |
| Markup provided by | MAC cosmetics |
| Classic Soloflex Gym Equipment provided by | Soloflex www.soloflex.com |
| Apple Equipment provided by | MAC 1 TECH Ltd. Hanover Street, Mac repair specialists www.mac1.net |
| Blackberry smartphones provided by | Research in Motion (UK) Ltd www.rim.com |
| Desk phones provided by | Marcom |
| Bluetooth Eara2 Set provided by | Bang & Olufsen |
| Special Effects Props built by | NJ Milroy www.rjmilroy.com |
| Film Poster Designs by | |
| Hammertooth | Toby Barnett wwww.damnrightmedia.com |
| A Brighter Dawn | Dave Evans |
| High School Massacre | Chloe Feinberg |
| Grind 2 & 3 | George Garner www.georgegarnier.com |
| Skin Farm & Arab Redemption | Eddie King |
| Mandible & Graduation Graves | Rollin Lewis |
| Poster Treatments by | Warren Fox & Amanda Sutton at aka |
| Production Insurance by | Walton and Parkinson |
| Production Accounting by | Nyman Libson Paul |
Special Thanks
- Stephen Israel
- Jay Cohen
- Tonda Marton
- American Airlines
- Dean Rudd for MAC Cosmetics
- Bates, Wells & Braithwaite
- Assistant to Mr Slater: David Stone
- Mr Slater's trainer: Joseph Williams
for Creative Management & Productions Ltd.
| Producers | Nick Frankfort |
| Tobias Round | |
| Production Associate | Jo Allen |
| Assistant to the Producers | Emily Jordan |
| Associate Producer | Michael Mc Cabe |
for Nimax Theatres
| Chairman | Max Weitzenhoffer |
| Chief Executive | Nica Burns |
| Company Secretary | Keith Turner |
| Executive Director | Joan Moynihan |
| Commercial Director | Laurence Miller |
| Finance Director | Laurie Denton |
| Consultant | George Biggs |
| General Manager Production | Amanda Murray |
| Operations Manager | Darren Atkins |
| Ticketing Services Manager | Ken Paul |
| System Support Assistant | Gail Shaw |
| Financial Accountant | Fay Diggins |
| Finance Assistant | Helen Anderson |
| PA to Nica Burns | Stephanie creed |
| Administration Assistant | Nicola Seed |
| Accountants | Blinkhorns |
| Associate Producer | Clare Lawrence |
| Health and Safety Consultant for Q2Q Safety Solutions | David Leach |
| Consultant Architect | Monahan Blythen Architects |
1 Lumley Court, off 402 Strand, London. WC2R 0NB
Tel. 0845 434 9290
Fax 020 7240 4540
for The Vaudeville Theatre
| Theatre Manager | Alistair Sutherland |
| Assistant Manager | Adam Ellacott |
| Master Carpenter | Peter Maingot |
| Deputy Master Carpenter | Howard Nixon |
| Chief Electrician | Ricky McCulloch |
| Deputy Chief Electrician | Adam Smith |
| Box Office Manager | Karl Dean |
| Box Office | Damon Parker |
| Box Office | Tom Whitworth |
| Stage Door Keeper | Ronald Muriisa |
