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A play by Jack Holden

Directed by Josh Lindberg

CRUISE was first produced by

Aria Entertainm ent & Lambert Jackson
Productions and premiered on line and at The
Duchess Theatre In London's West End in 2020.

Note from the Executive
producer Colin Law
Welcome to CRUISE. the first of the trilogy of plays that are
intended to commemorate the 40th Anniversary year of the
arrival of HIV and AIDS on our African continent.
We have just lived through another pandemic forty years on
and sadly, Covfd has eclipsed the awareness of AIDS and the
prevention of it
I hope the HIV@40 Trilogy goes some ways to reawaken
awareness of AIDS and its prevention especially for our
younger generation who were not born when this pandemic
changed our lives towards sex and lifestyle management.
I was fn my twenties In 1982 and as a gay man, lived through
the absolute terror of what was described as ·the gay cancer':
CRUISE awakens my memory of that time. This play has a
loving take on ao•s club Culture, love, Joss and community. I
hope Jack Holden's magnificent writing, Joshua Lindberg's
beautiful production and Daniel Geddes brilliant
performance, gives you the same pleasure as it does me.
What an honour to pre~nt the first production of Cruise out
side the United Kingdom.
I would like to thank: Katy Lipson; and the Arla Entertainment
team; and Jennfft!r Thomas of United Agents UK, my
producing partners, funders and amazing team and Zothanl
Vllabzl of the Natlonal Arts Council
Follow C.VIM South Africa on Faobook ud fnstagram.
•crutHtllepl■,sa lhlv40
PLEASE NOTE CRUISE PLAYS WITHOUT
AN INTERVAL AND IS APPROXIMATELY
90 MINUTES LONG. PHONES ON SILENT
AND NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY OR
RECORDING DEVICES.
The Author
Jack Holden
Jack trained as an actor at Bristol Old Vic
Theatre School. He then went straight
on to play the lead role of Albert In the
National Theatre's internationally
award-winning production of WAR
HORSE. Since then, Jack has worked at
theatres across the UK Including
Leicester Curve, Theatre Royal Bath,
Bristol Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare
company, Nottingham Playhouse, The
Yard, the Almeida and in the West End.
Jack can currently be seen as perky
assistant Kevin In Amazon Prime Video's
TEN PERCENT. This Autumn he wlll star
alongside Sean Bean and Nicola Walker
In Stefan Golazsewskl's MARRIAGE for BBC One, Jack has also
appeared In British Independent films THE LEVELLING and JOURNEY'S
END, and In various shows for BBC, ITV and Channel 4. He is currently
starring In SONS OF THE PROPHET at the Hampstead Theatre.
Jack took part In the Royal Court Young Writers Programme in 2013.
He ls currently developing several new shows, Including THE ISLE, a
musical play for Arla Entertainment For screen, Jack Is under
commission to Emanata Studios and Is also co-lead writer on a new
dram.11 series commissioned by Freman tie.
CRUISE marked Jack's debut as a writer. The show opened to rave
reviews - 'A tour de force, the toast of the town: ~ 0 ~ ~ @ The
Telegraph - at the Duchess Theatre In London's West End In May 2021
A feature film of CRUISE Is currently In development The play text Is
published by Methuen Drama.
Jack Holden Is delighted that the South African premiere of CRUISE Is
the first international production of his play
Original Music
John Patri·ck Elliott
John Is a composer, music producer and
songwriter from West Yorkshire, England. ~le
composed and performed the live electronic
score for Jack Holden's Olivier-nominated play
Cruise on London's West End In 2021, returning
for a limited run at The Apollo on In August
2022. John won the Stage Debut Award for
Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer for his
score for Cruise.
Other awards Include the Steve Reid lnNOVAUon Award for
boundary-pushing music creators, awarded by a panel of music
Industry professionals lncludlng GIiies Peterson, Four Tet and Floating
Points. As well as composing for film and theatre John aJso tours and
records regularly with his band The Lillie Unsaid. He Is currently
developing a new mu,lcal play with Cruise writer Jack Holden and
working on an album of solo electronic compositions supported by
the Do II Dlfferenlly Fund,
Set. Design
Wilhelm Disbergen
Wllhelm Olsbergen Is a prolific theatre designer. Arter graduating from
the University of the Witwatersrand, he moved to London, where he
worked In major design studios and at The National Theatre. A
highlight of his stay In London was to be the associate designer for
Metropolis Kabarett (directed by Henry Goodman) at The National
Theatre.
For theatre, at the State Theatre, his collaboration with artistic director
Aubrey Sekhabl started with Silent Voice, subsequently seen on a
national tour, at the World Festival of Black Arts, In Dakar, Senegal, and
the Edinburgh Festival. This was followed by Sekhabi's three
semlnalfreedom plays - Mantolo: The Tenth Step, Kalush1: The Story or
Solomon Mahlangu, and The Rivonia Trial. Subsequently he designed
Sekhabl's Hungry (a co-productron with the5chauSpielHaus
Hamburg), the epoch making Marlkana - The Mu.sical, and Freedom:
The Musical.
For dance, he has lit ru11 seasons for Cape Town Oty Ballet. and
production designed for Joburg Ballet, Moving Into Dance, Tshwane
Dance Theatre, and Trlbhangi Dance Theatre. Highlights include three
full-length works for celebrated French choreographer Redha
Bentelfour - Redha's Giselle, CrashDance, and Whispers of my Soul,
and his collaborations with Jessica Nupen. He lit her Rebellion &
Johannesburg at the Festival Oriente Occidente in Rovereto, Italy, and
production designed her Don't Trust the Border, The Nose (a film/live
performance hybrid), and GEMeinsam, all ror Kampnagel, Hamburg.
For opera, he designed Cosl ran tutte, Cula Mzansi (three new South
African operas), Don Giovanni, and l'elislr d'amore.
At the National Arts Festival, he designed new works for three
Standard Bank Young Artists - Moffie for Bailey Snyman, Sabela for
Sonya Radebe, and Purgatory for Kristi-Leigh Grese. At the 2018
festival, he designed Black Privilege for featured artist Mamela
Nyamza. He teamed up again with Snyman for Gas land~ and with
Nyamza for Pest Control and Grounded.
Lighti'ng Design
Jane .Gosnell
Jane's diverse career In the entertainment business has spanned SO
years. International lighting design highlights Include Orumstruck In
Japan, Korea and Australia - with Drumcafe. Children's letters to God
and Mercury Rising In Singapore, Johnny Clegg In the Namibian
Canyons and Patrick Mynhardt's Oom Schalk Lourens In London with
•Ticket to the Moon~
Lighting designer tn South Africa for International artists Including
Bonnie Tyler, Alison Moyet and Jennlrer Rush. Recent hlghllghh
Include Music of the Night. All with Ticket to the Moon•.
Jane has been the lighting designer for National Children's Theatre
for the past 17 years.
 Coming next in the Trilogy
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The Actor
Daniel Geddes
Dani.el Geddes rs an actor, d1rec1or, mus1c1an, and composer He
recenred a Bachelor of Arts in Performing and Visual Arts from the
Un~rty of the Witwatersrand

His acting stage-credits include Naked Knitting and Other

Contradactory Acts (201S), Sylva1ne Str,u's Oev,l's Wood (2016), and
NatJonaJ Children's Theotre's Chron,des of Narn1a, A Seuss1n~
Chnstmas Cami. and Underneath a M<1grcal Moon.

He earned a Naled, nomination for Best Supporting Actot ma Musical ~

for his performance of N,cky/Treklue Monster in VR Teatncal's Avenue
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Q (2018) and went on to play Stark the RAven 1n Janice Honeyman's 'IP'-
Pantormme. Snow White (2018). His~• recent stage credits mclude
playmg Richard Rodge~ 1n My favountt- Thrngs, and Elton rn Ellon:
Stimela
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Th~ E.xpenence. In film and TV he has appeared In the minH,~rles l.,a_,1;-t'"'"'°'_,. .,,
M.,d1ba 1201 n, Verg~t my Nie (2020). and Bmnelanders (2022). --

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The Director ..
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Josh Lindberg ~ ·,_ "' i~ ~
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Josh 1s a Creative Dir~, and Executive Producer with an menstve, ...·~ ftj~~ ~'. :-;,~I ' ~

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21~ y~s of both locally, accross A/rte.a and 1ntematlonany. His
productJOm Include. 1he award winning productJon (or Colin Lav, of
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·mrdY- (Best Dir«ror, Best Set Design and Best Production) , •Porno
Shoppe": 1-fou~ of Horrors· ta wa()( through, 1mmersive theatre
production) 'SAFTA5: •sA Sports Award~ •Metro FM•, 'Alrlel Africa':
.,.ilce Run Joz-~ 'Rld,ard Br.mson': •sag Brothe,. and others here In
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In Europe. ·~uland Mysterium• and 'This Chan.ges Everythrng'" -both ...
largl!--sale, ,mmersrve mulU·media shovn.. Recently he was the
Creat,v~ Dlr~tor and Show Runner of lhe brand-new live show and
TVS.Ult"\, •Battle of rhe Yea, Af11c.a-.
Private Parts Jr
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Josh spe.ca.Yh~ in c.onceptuahsmg and Implementing five, theatrical, t.4

rnter-act,ve, multi-media and rmmersrve expeneoces -Inspired by the
patenraaf to rTl<M!' an audit:nct -creating In more dimensions.