Fur will fly in a new creative collaboration between a theatre company and a performance storyteller from Gloucestershire, when they premiere 'An Audience with Barbara Catland' at the Stroud Theatre Festival.

The show features Chloë of the Midnight Storytellers as Babs Catland and Laura May Attwood, of Brick Door Theatre Company, as her cat Tabitha.

It’s described by Chloë as, “a comedy fantasy that explodes the whole notion of the shabby, lonely crazy cat lady”, with topical themes and just a whisker of audience participation.

Brick Door Theatre Company (BDTC) like to produce shows with a bit of a twist.

The company, founded in 2013 by Cheltenham local Laura May Attwood, specialise in collaborating with local creatives to make interesting and stimulating shows based on a range of topics.

“After achieving a degree in Drama and Performance I met Robert Perry, a local musician, composer, and artist who has been a huge positive support in my career,” said Laura.

“I listened to his music and was inspired to create... and so Brick Door Theatre Company was born with our debut show ‘TRACKS’ – a physical and digital exploration into journeys people are forced to take – in January 2014.”

‘TRACKS’ was not only the starting point for BDTC, but also marked the first of many collaborations.

“BDTC believe in providing a platform for local artists to collaborate on,” continued Laura.

“We have produced shows by local writers like Nieves Lopez (The Visit 2014) and Carol Sheppard (The Drop of a Pin 2015). Casting them, planning venues, directing, rehearsals, promoting and advertising them.

“We’re most passionate about performances that provoke thoughts, using subject topics that are difficult to talk about and exploring and questioning the ethics in life, with sell out shows like ‘Monsanto Who?’ (2015, the post-modern theatre debate) and ‘Health Anonymous’ (2017).”

Laura has been performing since the age of three and was part of the Everyman Youth Theatre in her formative years.

In the past she has also performed with local companies like Jenny Wren Productions and Grey Cat Productions, but she says she enjoys running her own company and producing shows.

“I love performing my own work, it’s a chance to be playful, I love the process from start to finish. That initial idea, the research and development. The planning, creating advertising and networking. Of course, rehearsals.

“The only bit that is not so fun is that week prior to performance where the nerves and stress are high! But as most performers will tell you, it’s worth it once you’re on that stage – it’s nice to be able to have the chance to be experimental and talk about what you want to.”

Brick Door’s latest collaboration is with Chloë of Midnight Storytellers, with the show for the Stroud Theatre Festival.

An adopted Gloucestershire local, Chloë has been living in the Cotswolds since 1995 and moved to Cheltenham in 2017.

A seasoned performer who originally trained at London’s Central School of Speech & Drama, Chloë co-founded Midnight Storytellers in 1999, going solo in 2006 after illness forced her onstage partner out of the business.

Over the years she has performed all over the country, including several appearances at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, and this year was made storyteller in residence at Sudeley Castle.

“For me the delight of live performance, with my mix of fantasy and comedy, comes from seeing an audience forget everyday life,” said Chloë.

“I hope the performance lifts people’s mood and gives them a giggle or a dream.”

This autumn Chloë starts celebrating – not only the 20th anniversary of Midnight Storytellers but also her survival of bowel cancer.

And working with Laura on ‘An Audience with Babs Catland’ feels like new territory.

Chloë says: “When it comes to the Catland show, I’m as nervous as a long - tailed cat in a rocking chair factory.

“You see, for 20 years I’ve told stories live, following a theme not a script. Traditional stories have stood the test of time, I can trust them to be good. Devising new material like this show is risky – but it’s what I’ve been wanting to do.

“Almost since I started I’ve longed to break free of traditional material and create new spoken word stories. And I’ve been desperate to bring storytelling back to audiences of adults – everyone assumes that storytelling is only for under 5s, and it’s truly not just that.

“I'm a pioneer of ‘Story Cabaret’ – fairytales for grown-ups – and this show mixes some of that along with pure playful comedy. I often work with musicians but this is a rare opportunity to collaborate with another theatre maker. Laura and I are both crazy cat ladies in real life so it’s purr-fect for us.”

Chloë and Laura will be on stage at the Stroud Subscription Rooms every night from Friday 13th to Sunday 15th September – for more information visit www.stroudtheatrefestival.co.uk

For more information on BDTC and Chloë visit www.brickdoortheatrecompany.co.uk or www.midnightstorytellers.co.uk