AN ABANDONED floor in a central Chelmsford office building will be the scene of an alternative comedy play next month when the city's first pop-up theatre launches.
The Secret Sixth Floor Theatre will take over the sixth floor of Threadneedle House, in Market Road, for its production which will show the amusing side of protecting shoppers through the eyes of security guards who work at the fictional Still Waters shopping centre.
The play, Beneath Still Waters, is the work of 26-year-old playwright, director and PCSO Kat Hempstead, who lives close to the Westlands Estate.
The 90-minute performance will show the audience not only the more dangerous people that police and security guards have to contend with on a day-to-day basis, but also the lighter sides of life – all inspired by Mrs Hempstead's time volunteering with Essex Police.
She said: "There's a really nasty, violent guy in the play – he is the epitome of some of the guys who I have met."
However, Mrs Hempstead, who has directed local performances of Blackadder III and Blackadder Goes Forth for the Chelmsford Theatre Workshop, added: "There was a pigeon that was hit by a car and I took it back to the office to help it.
"It died in the office and my sergeant went nuts – they ended up throwing it away in a bin."
This tale and a prop of a pigeon, from the amateur version of the Blackadder episode involving a bird called Speckled Jim, will make an appearance in the show.
The final version of Beneath Still Waters, which is billed as containing "colourful language and bright uniforms" and has a cast of just seven people from around the city, is the culmination of around four years' work.
It is the bringing together of three other shorter plays that were shown to a select few at the Old Court Theatre in Springfield Road through the Chelmsford Theatre Workshop.
The setting for the play and secret theatre – an office – was all part of the plan.
"The whole idea is making something out of nothing," said producer Danny Segeth.
"We are going to make it a lovely place to be in – we want to make it feel like people are sitting in an office working."
Swivel chairs will allow the audience to see all of the action, while a bizarre telescope will allow people to watch the cathedral clock and cityscape out of the window.
There will also be an area with recorded music that people will be able to relax in and two rather off-the-wall bars – a "friendly" one with people serving drinks, and an "unfriendly" one with mannequins.
"It's all part of the design – when you're front of house, you won't be bored," said 28-year-old Mr Segeth.
The producer, who also doubles up as an actor in the play, believes that the fun and off-the-wall nature will help attract people to the theatre who are not the stereotypical crowd.
"The challenge is to get it out to people who are not normally involved with the theatre," he said.
"As far as I'm aware, as a stand-alone pop-up theatre venue, this is the first – we're really excited and coming apart at the seams waiting for this to happen."
The performances at the Secret Sixth Floor Theatre are on Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5 at 7.45pm.
Tickets are £5 and can be booked in advance from http://madapplecollective.word press.com or can be bought on the door.
