 | First Among Sequels - 1997-2001||| It is wonderful to have companies like this giving younger, newer people a chance. Kate Copstick, Scotsman, 2000  Publicity image from In a A Fantasy League Of Their Own [2000] by Dave Gibbons
1997 Having written Out of Time together for another company to take to the Fringe, Peter Yates and Jenny Wafer decided to form their own company to stage it when the other company pulled out. Out of Time subsequently opened at Roman Eagle Lodge under the company name First Among Sequels. The Company was very grateful for the generous financial support of Sir Tim Rice, who continued to take interest in the Company's work. | Out Of Time @ Roman Eagle Lodge, Edinburgh |Written by Jenny Wafer & Peter Yates Performed by Hannah Dawson [Sylvy] Jalaal Hartley [Bob] Rufus Jones [Visitor] Directed by Simon Godwin Designed by Peter Yates Stage Managed by Jon Croker Technician Tom Orchard Produced by Peter Yates & Jenny Wafer for First Among Sequels
||| Jalaal Hartley has recently appeared in the ITV series of films Booze Cruise.
||| Simon Godwin directed Mitchell & Webb [Peepshow] in some of their early work. ||| Jon Croker – see Recent Work Includes… 1998
After this successful first venture, First Among Sequels took the far more ambitious Feint Traces of an Alien Being... to Southside in 1998. The show was very well received with the part of Cassie being created by Posy Miller and with Jonathan Clarkson as Brady. | Feint Traces of an Alien Being... @ Southside, Edinburgh | - Written by Jenny Wafer & Peter Yates
- Pereformed by Posy Miller [Cassie] Jonathan Clarkson [Brady] Daniel Gibbons [Nate] Jon Croker [Reuban] Josephine Wells [Susan/Lindy] Tom Orchard [Roger] Robert Fisher [Fan]
- Directed & Designed by Peter Yates
- Music by Martin Vishnick
- Lighting design by Domonic Martin
- Costume & Make-up by Jenny Wafer
- Stage Managed by Robert Fisher
- Original Art by Ginny Margerison
- Produced by Peter Yates & Jenny Wafer for First Among Sequels
Posy Miller. It was particularly sad to hear of Posy’s sudden and untimely death at Christmas 2002 after suffering from leukaemia. She was working on a film at the time and director Guy Rowland, with incredible loyalty and commitment to Posy’s memory, bravely continued with the venture, adapting the footage already shot into Sam Jackson’s Secret Video Diary, nominated at the Raindance Film Festival, <placew:ston><cityw:ston>London in 2005. Jonathan Clarkson also featured. [See Recent Work Includes…] 1999 As a follow-up to Feint Traces... the Company took a much smaller scale show in 1999: The Losers’ Guide to the Modern World comprised of four self-contained playls, each with two characters. Separately entitled The Night Manager, The Script Manager, The Entertainment Manager and The Vault Manager, the four 'Managers' were each played by Dan Gibbons whilst Jon Croker took the parts of the ‘Losers’. The curse of the rigid Fringe timeslots played a part in this production as the four parts were too long to fit the slot at Greyfriar’s Kirkhouse and thus a formula was devised where three out of the four playles were performed on each night. The four were directed by Rob Fisher, Peter Yates, Nick Butler and Jon Croker.| The Losers' Guide to the Modern World @ Greyfriars Kirkhouse, Edinburgh |- Written by Jenny Wafer & Peter Yates
- Performed by Jon Croker [Mr. Smith, Jonny 'Elvis' Epunto, Lweis Treidle, Michael Lestor] Daniel Gibbons [ Night Manager, Dromagoole, Carl Regis, Micklewhite] Jo Ashley [Securiy Guard]
- Directed by Rob Fisher Nick Butler Peter Yates Jon Croker
- Set & Lighting Design by Rob Fisher
- Sound Design by Nick Butler Rob Fisher
- Stage Managed by Jo Ashley
- Produced by Peter Yates & Jenny Wafer for First Among Sequels
After working in the film world Jon Croker has taken The Entertainment Manager, which centres around an Elvis Tribute singer and his Manager, and adapted it into a full-length film script. Having completed the film of The Best Man [see RECENT WORK INCLUDES…] this may be a future film project for him. 2000 2000 began with Jon Croker’s inspired revival of Feint Traces of an Alien Being... at the Playroom, Cambridge. The show was a sell-out and was the first time the Company’s work had been seen beyond the Edinburgh Fringe.
The Fringe programme was the most ambitious to date: three shows. Inventing Danny, a farce about a non-existent rock legend, was directed by Jon Croker; In a Fantasy League of Their Own, directed by Peter Yates, was about the kidnapping of a top female referee by four people with very different vested interests; and Tears of a Clone was a late night revue starring the incomparable Adam Shindler and Tom Martin as Hardly Davidson and Farrago Testarossa. All three shows were seen at the infamous C - Venues, whose rigorous attempts to sue the Company were thwarted. C also tried to make us withdraw one of our press releases about Mick Hucknall because they said Mick Hucknall would sue us. We, of course, would have been very pleased for Mick Hucknall to sue us: it would have been the best publicity possible. So, C is for Sue, apparently. (Please note, all letters in this paragraph are entirely fictitious, and any resemblance to actual letters, living or dead, is entirely coincidental)
The striking image used for the Fantasy League... publicity was drawn by Dave Gibbons – father of Dan and one of the top comic artists in the world [Watchman, The Originals] Following the Fringe, Fantasy League... had a run as a late night show with the same cast at The ADC, Cambridge. | In A Fantasy League of Their Own @ C Venues, Edinburgh & The ADC, Cambridge - Written by Jenny Wafer & Peter Yates
- Performed by Jon Croker [Baz Greenhow], Adam Shindler [Nick Nicolson], Phil Mulryne [Jonty Viljoen], Emily Robinson [Fenella Kress], Clare Harrison [Rita Hill]
- Directed by Peter Yates
- Lighting Design by Rachel Briscoe
- Sound Design by Dominic Yates
- Technician James Marshall
- Costume by Jean Milnes
- Stage Managed by Nick Butler
- Poster Design by Dave Gibbons
- Produced by Peter Yates & Jenny Wafer for First Among Sequels
| Inventing Danny @ C Venues, Edinburgh |- Written by Jenny Wafer & Peter Yates
- Performed by Mike Ward [Jonah Lindorp], Tom Martin [George Farthing], Ed Fisher [Bruce McVeigh], Phil Mulryne [Chris Sanders], Emily Robinson [Trish Darby], Clare Harrison [Ginny Johnson], Adam Shindler [Kelvin], Christine Milnes [Mrs Lindorp]
- Directed by Jon Croker
- Lighting Design by James Marshall
- Sound by Rachel Briscoe
- Dresser Christine Milnes
- Stage Managed by Nick Butler
- Produced by Peter Yates & Jenny Wafer for First Among Sequels
| Tears of a Clone @ C Venues, Edinburgh |- Written by Jenny Wafer & Peter Yates
- Performed by Adam Shindler [Farrago Testarossa] Tom Martin [Hardley Davidson]
- Directed by Nick Butler
- Lighting Design by James Marshall
- Sound by James Marshall
- Stage Managed by Rachel Briscoe
- Produced by Peter Yates & Jenny Wafer for First Among Sequels
2001Danny Swanson joined the company, fresh from his success as the lead in the BBC sitcom Starting Out, to take on the role of Harry Flood in Song of the Suitcase Man, directed by Jon Croker at Diverse Attractions. This show had previewed at The Barn Theatre, Welwyn Garden City. | Song of the Suitcase Man @ Diverse Attractions, Edinburgh |- Written by Jenny Wafer & Peter Yates
- Performed by Danny Sanson [Harry Flood], Joe Cohen [Gus Benjamin] Christine Milnes [Clarissa Atwood]
- Directed by Jon Croker
- Lighting Design by James Marshall
- Sound Design by Dominic Yates
- Stage Managed by Ben Leveson
- Produced by Nick Butler for First Among Sequels
This was to be the final First Among Sequels production.
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