The Hanging Judge

The Hanging Judge is a dark, unflinching satire that examines the natures of justice, prejudice and hunger. Hunger of every kind.

In a cemetery outside 19th Century London, two trolls meet by the discarded corpse of a hanged judge. The mangier troll, Blemish, has brought a bag with him inside which is a bound man. Blemish would like to eat this man, but the other troll – Chantecler – has just returned from France, where Napoleon has ushered in an era of enlightenment. And Chantecler has learned.

History of the Work

Upintheair Theatre and Left Right Minds present the World Premiere of The Hanging Judge by Andrey Summers.

Spectral Theatre Society

Founded in the winter of 2002 by writer/painter Blake Drezet and actor/director Des Hussey, Spectral Theatre is dedicated to producing dynamic theatrical works which awaken the imagination and challenge the mind. Spectral Theatre seeks to breathe new life into live theatre by thrilling audiences with fantastic stories delivered in unpredictable and innovative ways. By exploring a diversity of themes, Spectral Theatre endeavours to bring its love of spectacle to the stage; to deliver strange and wonderful tales, rich in flavour; and, above all, to offer a strikingly unusual experience of what live theatre can be.

Andrey Summers

Andrey Summers holds a BFA in Creative Writing from UBC, and refuses to put it down. He clutches it like a security blanket, writing and directing shows such as A Snowflake on the Tongue of Oberonand Lovestruck(UBC Players Club), and later Birds of Tunguska  for Spectral Theatre and The Business of Evilfor Spectral and Brave New Play Rites, though not in that order. His next, and most pedantic directorial effort will be MacBeth for Alchemists Theatre at the Culture Lab this October – a play he will not claim to have written. Andrey can also be heard on The Rubber Chicken Podcast, as well as weeping softly to himself at night. 

Cast

Chantecler - Kevin Stark

Kevin is a recent graduate of the BFA Acting program at UBC. Recent credits include Chris in Becky's New Car (Arts Club), Kyle in Woman Idiot Lunatic Criminal (Shameless Hussy), Orlando in As You Like It (First Impressions), and Alyosha in The Idiots Karamazov (Theatre @ UBC). He's thrilled to be performing once more with some old friends in this production and hopes you enjoy the show.

Blemish - Aslam Husain

Aslam Husain holds a BFA in Acting from UBC. Recent roles include Zamir in Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them (Twisted Knickerz), Eliot in Prodigals (Twenty Something), Gilbert Blythe in Anne (Chemainus), Peter in The Secret World of Og (Carousel) and Nick in New Canadian Kid (Green Thumb). Theatre@UBC roles include: Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Messenger in A Dybbuk, the Madman in Diary of a Madman and Clitandre in Learned Ladies. Before graduating Aslam had the privilege to play Diary of a Madman in Brno, Czech Republic as part of SETKANI/ENCOUNTER 2008. Aslam would like to thank Shannon, Kasim, Mum and Dad; he wouldn’t be here without them.  

The Judge - Michael Cope

The Hanging Judge is the 25th play Michael has had the ghastly pleasure of breathing unholy life into in his tenure with the scoundrels who make up Spectral Theatre, and he thanks them once more for the chance to bring terror to the boards. He's also had the pleasure of playing with Showcase (Tranio, Taming of the Shrew and Paul, Kiss Me Kate), United Players (St. John Rivers, Jane Eyre, Cecil Graham, Lady Windermere's fan, Enlightenment (Whitman, Lovestruck) and a Pound of Flesh/Douglas co-pro (Bianca, Taming of the Shrew), amongst other theatrical endeavours. You can see him next as the titular king in the Alchemist's Theatre Guild's production of MacBeth.

Shanbao - Mike Li