A Story of England production in collaboration with FOUR OF SWORDS, at the Oundle School, England, 2016

2017 will be the third year that FOUR OF SWORDS works as a collaborator of Story of England, Studio's three-week summer learning tour in England.

FOUR OF SWORDS co-founders Phil and Sarah are very much interested in education. Phil worked as a teacher of English and Drama at Secondary School level for six years, and Sarah is an experienced workshop facilitator.

In 2004, Sarah White graduated from Kingston University in Drama and Film. She spent the next few years performing at smaller venues in and around London, and spent her summers at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

A country girl at heart, she moved back to Devon in 2009. In 2011, she directed Doug Wright’s Quills at the Barnfield for Exeter Alternative Theatre, which drew large audiences and received flattering reviews.

In 2012, Sarah co-wrote and performed Self-Centred for Exeter Ignite festival, which was subsequently recorded for radio and booked for local colleges and Pride festivals. She also starred in The Haunting of Romany Rye for Nightshade Theatre in Sidmouth, written by ITV’s Jane Bennett.

Outside of FOUR OF SWORDS, Sarah continues to pursue other directorial projects, such as Skin Deep for Substance and Shadow Theatre, which received rave reviews and sold out at The Bike Shed, as well as develop her acting career, most recently returning to work with Jane Bennett and Nightshade Theatre and appearing in short films Seeing Red and The Sqweakening.

Philip Kingslan John was born and raised in Exeter. He studied English at Cambridge before spending some years teaching in such exotic and romance-ridden locations as Mongolia, Japan and… Newport, South Wales.

Phil returned to Exeter and became embroiled in theatre. He made his directorial debut in 2009 with Ted Hughes’ Alcestis, produced by the Farringdon Society of Arts.

“From Alcestis’ poignant death to the moments of ribald comedy and a stunning multimedia dream sequence, it packed a Herakles-sized punch from start to finish.”

The following year, Phil translated and directed The Voluptuous Atrocity for Exeter Alternative Theatre, which combined dance, live music and video projection.

In addition to his adventures with Four of Swords, Phil has continued to work with EAT, writing for 2012’s A Dark Victorian Cabaret, an extract from which was performed on BBC Radio Devon, and directing for 2013’s Summer of Terror tour. In December 2014 he was a singing shepherd in The Bluebirds‘ Christmas Mysteries.

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