Theatre / News
Living Spit prepare for first new show since losing founding member to cancer
Much-loved Clevedon-based comedy theatre company, Living Spit, are about to perform their first new show, and their first show in Bristol, since losing one of their founder members to cancer.
Howard Coggins, who enjoyed a long, illustrious career as a freelance actor prior to co-founding Living Spit in 2012 with brother-in-law Stu Mcloughlin, received a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2022 and died in November 2023.
As a comedy double act, Howard and Stu co-wrote, produced and performed 18 shows together under the umbrella of Living Spit, led by Bristol-based director and actor, Craig Edwards.
is needed now More than ever
“When Howard was diagnosed, we didn’t know whether we would, or should, keep the company going” says Stu.
“But Howard’s dying wish was that we continue our work and try to find a way to forge ahead without him, so we all feel that we are doing the right thing by carrying on, making hopefully brilliant new shows.”
The forthcoming show, The Passion of Living Spit, is a comedic retelling of the Easter story, with Bristol favourite Beverly Rudd (who has just appeared to great acclaim as Fagin in the Tobacco Factory Theatre’s Oliver Twist) playing Jesus, Peta Maurice (who wowed audiences last Christmas in the Wardrobe Theatre’s sell-out run of The Good, The Bad and the Coyote Ugly) playing Mary Magdelene and Judas Iscariot, and Stu playing most of the other parts.
The Passion of Living Spit is at the Tobacco Factory Theatres from March 29 to April 13 – image: Living Spit
In addition to performing in the production, Stu has also written the show’s script and arranged all the music.
“We’ve reconditioned some old Easter hymns and revised their lyrics, to augment our version of the tale and maximise the comedy,” says Stu.
“As for the writing, that was something that Howard and I were in the planning stages of at the point of his diagnosis.
“We came up with some of the ideas together but abandoned the project when he became ill.
“It feels good to have picked it up again and continued from the point at which we left off, albeit alone this time.
“Musically, we’ve had to adapt to Howard’s absence. He played a mean guitar, piano and a killer harmonica so I’m having to double down on my musical abilities in order to try to stretch myself as far as I can.”
The Passion of Living Spit opens on Good Friday, March 29 at the Tobacco Factory Theatres, a theatre where Living Spit have lots of history.
“We first performed at the Tobacco Factory when it hosted the Brewery Theatre space a bit further down the road,” says director Craig Edwards, who co-founded the company and has directed all 18 of their productions.
“Our first show, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, in which Howard played Henry and Stu played all the wives, played there a lot and did really well.
“Then we opened the follow up, Elizabeth I: Virgin on the Ridiculous in the main house.
“We’ve performed there in one space or another every year since. We always do really well there, the audiences are always very responsive to what we do; present genuinely entertaining, engaging and extremely well constructed comedy for Bristol audiences.
“It really feels like our theatrical Bristol home and we can’t wait to see what people make of this new show.”
“I’m so proud of our association with Tobacco Factory Theatres and I know Howard was too,” adds Stu.
“He was always so happy there. It was without doubt one of his favourite places to perform. Plus, Bev and Peta have both played the space a lot too, so it’ll feel like putting on a comfortable shoe!”
After a two-week run, spanning the Easter holidays, Living Spit will tour the show to other towns around the South West, including Lyme Regis, Sturminster Newton, Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon, Torrington and Exeter.
“Our hearts are in Bristol, though,” says Stu. “Howard and I met at the Bristol Old Vic, and we bonded as a double act while performing in Up the Feeder, Down the Mouth and Back Again and Sally Cookson’s Peter Pan.
“In fact, we first laid out our ideas for starting a theatre company in the dressing room during the interval of Peter Pan, so it feels really special to be bringing our work back to Bristol, and especially poignant given Howard’s loss recently.”
So what does the future hold for Living Spit? Will they be continuing beyond The Passion of Living Spit?
“Most definitely” says Craig. “We’ll keep going as long as there is an audience who appreciates what we do.
“We’ve got lots of big ideas for the future, including a show about Typhoid Mary coming this autumn, some Shakespeare and some exciting collaborations with a number of theatrical Bristol giants. The only way is up.”
The Passion of Living Spit is at the Tobacco Factory Theatres from March 29 to April 13. For tickets and more information, visit www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/the-passion-of-living-spit
Main photo: Ali Robertson
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