Purple Monkey Theatre Company - Charity Wrestling Match

Flash Morgan. Photo: Pro Wrestling 4 U

Tell us a bit about yourself and what has inspired you to host a wrestling match…
I'm a 42 year old mature student studying for a BA (hons) in Theatre at New College Nottingham after over twenty years working in offices. I am also a huge wrestling fan and have been for the majority of my life. The final project of the program meant I could develop and put on any type of performance I wished so I decided to be as drastically different from the other students as I could and therefore set about arranging a professional wrestling show.

What defines theatre, in your opinion? 
I've actually written an essay answering the question of "What is Performance?" this year and I would say that the majority of things that define performance also define theatre. It is really about the relationships between the performer and the audience and how they are built and developed. Theatre simply makes things like venue, price, and other things which are non-performance based in the eyes of most people more relevant.

What is unique about this event?
Good question as there are a lot of similar professional wrestling events around Britain. I suppose the two things make this one unique is that it has specifically been arranged to raise money for charity and because it has been a cooperative effort between several different wrestling promotions (PROGESS, House of Pain, and Full House) which are, in a traditional sense, seen as competitors. I really appreciate that these three promoters have been able to put competition and financial interests on hold to help make this show happen.

What kind of wrestling will be involved? Tell us a bit about the form...
The planned show will take its cues from not only WWE style but also a little from World of Sport (of ITV fame) and from current Strong Style wrestling being made famous by PROGESS. It is a real shame that British wrestling can't find a renewed life on television as the style is really so much purer than the things that WWE, TNA, and other US-based promotions are offering. I expect the audience will enjoy a good amount of chain wrestling, big bruisers, and high flyers. Hopefully we'll give them the best mix of the three as possible.

What are the wrestlers like? Give us a breakdown of each character...
We have a good mix of established stars, like Styxx, Flash Morgan Webster, and Bubblegum, who’ve been making their living in the wrestling business for a while and are all highly respected within the community. We’ve also got up and coming stars like Kyle Kingsley and Joseph Connors who are not only great wrestlers but great guys willing to learn from the more established guys. There’s also one guy on the cards wrestling in his first match ever but I have to leave his name out or risk ruining the surprise.

What else can people expect?
We are going to have a table for merchandise and a raffle. I'm hoping to speak to the guys later about autograph sessions. We will also have a refreshment stand supplied by St. Ann with Emmanuel Church to benefit their local crisis fund. 

Purple Monkey Theatre Company

Why should people donate to the Indiegogo campaign?
The more money we can raise, the more the Make a Wish foundation receives, and it means I can make sure the raffle prizes are top notch. I am trying to make the raffle quite genre-specific with wrestling-related prizes, and if I can meet the goal on the Indiegogo campaign, then I can afford to offer tickets to Wrestlemania 32 as the top prize.

Tell us more about the charity Make a Wish…
They are a charity that help very ill children have a wish come true. They work with a huge variety of people and other organisations to make this happen. One of which happens to be WWE, so when I was thinking of who to support with my show, I felt they were a natural fit. If you visit their website, you can get the full history of the organisation from its founding up to the current day.

Do you wrestle?
I have undertaken training at House of Pain where Styxx is the Head Trainer in order to better understand the genre and the performance skills required but I don't have any plans on being a wrestler. Although, if I can find a client or two that needs a nice "bolshie" manager to be in their corner, I probably wouldn't say no. On this show, I'm just going to play host and perform the ring announcing functions.

What would your wrestling name be?
It would probably be "The Maine-iac" because it pays reverence to my home state while also serving as a nice play on words. At least, in my opinion.

If people haven’t got money to give, how else can they help?
I’m definitely looking for donations for the merchandise table or raffle. Also publicising the event in local areas and using social networking to get us as many audience members and contributors as possible.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Other than thanking you for your time, I'd ask people to go check out the Indiegogo Campaign. Please ignore my bad writing skills and just think of the benefits to others. Adults save £3 off their tickets by pre-booking through the campaign. People can also check out Purple Monkey Theatre Company. We're available for hire for any number of workshops and entertainment purposes.

Purple Monkey Theatre Company are hosting a charity wrestling match at St. Ann with Emmanuel Church on Thursday 4 June at 6pm. Proceeds go to Make a Wish UK.

The Indiegogo Campaign
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