Unleash the Llama Productions
Unleash the Llama Productions was founded in 2014 by Saul Boyer and Sam Rayner, who cut their teeth writing and performing with the Cambridge Footlights. The goal was to create ambitious narrative comedy productions for the stage. We are now a collective of creatives with a diverse range of talents, who create ambitious Theatre, TV and Radio that address emerging socio-political themes through idiosyncratically imaginative storytelling, often with an absurdist tone and a historical bent.
Recent productions include: P A N A M A X the irreverent 7-part narrative comedy podcast by Saul Boyer and Sam Rayner; J E W ... I S H the rom com that no-one asked for by Saul Boyer and Poppy Damon which sold out its run at the Drayton Arms and Edinburgh (Gilded Balloon, Teviot 2019); T ü M a n z T ü K 18 : A Po Mo Sketch Sho' by Saul Boyer, which premiered at London's Leicester Square Theatre in January 2018 and Nougat for Kings by Saul Boyer and Sam Rayner (“hard to take your eyes off” - The Scotsman).
We create comedy from the macabre to the farcical, writing shows about everything from a family reunion in Scotland, the lives of Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky, the awkwardness of the London underground to the fallout from a US caffeine heist in 1799. Our writers Saul Boyer and Poppy Damon have won awards for their writing together (Shortlisted for The RSC/Other Prize, Papatango, Cannes Series ‘In Development’ Award).
Meet The Team
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Saul Boyer is an actor, comedian and award-winning writer (RSC-Marlowe Other Prize 2014), educated at ArtsEd and Cambridge University. He is represented by Sarah Williams at Independent Talent (Literary) and Sarah Redmond at The Centre Agency (Actor). Saul has recently performed in 'Jew...ish' and 'Panamax' for UTL, alongside ‘Alone’ by Moray Hunter (Radio 4) and his sketch show TüManz Tük18 (Leicester Square Theatre). Recent film credits include Dr Frankenstein and Charles Griffin in FRANK and Charles Griffin (Dwarfstar Visuals) and ‘Always Remember You’, a music video for Loco Ironico. Recent credits include, Larry in Gala Mae Matchstick Prods, Baloo in Immersion Theatre’s The Jungle Book, Rupert Henztau in The Prisoner of Zenda (Suffolk Summer Theatres UK Tour), Darrell in Undercover Star (Vienna’s English Theatre, International Tour), Abberline in Jack & I: The Musical (Brighton Fringe & Baron’s Court), Soldier and Narrator in Stravinsky’s Soldier's Tale (Constella Opera and Ballet), A Fragile Lift, Mind The Gap & Nougat for Kings (Edinburgh Fringe), Orpheus and Eurydice, James Dacre, (Old Vic Tunnels). Alongside his acting work Saul is developing ‘Jewish’ for the screen (shortlisted for CannesSeriesInDevelopment Award), the new podcast FATHER AWAY, and a new theatre piece for Edinburgh 2020 - The Man of 100 Faces: Or Russian Roulette, for UTL.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Sam Rayner is a theatre-maker and movement director. For UTL, he co-wrote and directed ‘Nougat for Kings’ (Underbelly, Edinburgh), ‘Always Remember You’ (a music video for Loco Ironico) and ‘PANAMAX: A Comedy Podcast’. Elsewhere in the world of comedy, Sam’s credits include movement directing/choreographing Jack Whitehall’s 2017 tour: At Large (Arena Tour/Hammersmith Apollo/Netflix), SHEEPS: Live and Loud (Pleasance Theatre/Soho Theatre), Ricky Whittington and his Cat (New Diorama Theatre), Jordan Brookes: BLEED and Adam Riches is The Lone Dueller (both Pleasance Theatre/Soho Theatre). In theatre, Sam directs for the New Renaissance Collective, a company that re-imagines Early Modern theatre and opera for contemporary audiences. Their recent productions include Venus and Adonis (CLF Art Café) and Beaten Gold (St. Bartholomew-the-Great). Sam also devises and performs in Europe and the USA with the Paris-based physical theatre collective VOLOZ. His credits as assistant/associate director include Broken Wings (Theatre Royal Haymarket/International Tour); The Adventures of Pinocchio (Ambassadors Theatre); and Tick, Tick… Boom (Park Theatre). Sam trained at l’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq and Cambridge University. Directing Credits while training include: Footlights Pantomime 2013: The Princess and the Pea, Nine and Of Mice and Men (ADC Theatre).
WRITER
POPPY DAMON is a playwright, radio producer and journalist based in London. She is the deputy executive podcast producer at The Times and Sunday Times. In 2019 Poppy was listed as one of the Radio Academy's '30 Under 30' for her work as a radio reporter and producer at the BBC. Whilst studying history at Cambridge University, Poppy co-wrote a play with Saul Boyer titled ‘Broken Glass’. The piece won 'runner up' in the RSC's Other Prize and the pair have written dramedies together ever since. Their next play about the life of Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky was long listed for the Papatango playwriting competition in 2017 and has been adapted into a TV pilot. The duo then wrote Jew..ish, a semi-autobiographical TV pilot, and submitted it to the Cannes Series award, where it was shortlisted. Poppy and Saul later adapted Jew...ish into an Edinburgh Fringe show in 2019 where it sold out 18 shows at the prestigious Gilded Balloon theatre. The show, produced by the Unleash The Llama team, transfers to venues in London and Birmingham in 2020. Poppy is also interested in true crime. She produces the Blood Ties podcast and co-hosts Murderabilia, which is available on Amazon's Audible. Poppy grew up in Western Australia, and as a teenager won the Tim Winton Young Writers award for her short story ‘The Untouchable’ which was published in Hatched, a collection of short stories. She was also selected for the Fremantle Young Writers Scheme whilst still at school, and here she was mentored by writers like Marcus Zuzac and Isobelle Carmody.
DIRECTOR
Kennedy Bloomer - Director. Kennedy is the director of the Hope Theatre. Credits Include: Jew...ish at the Gilded Balloon, Ed Fest 2019, TüManz TuK18 at Leicester Square Theatre, In Need for XPOSED at Southwark Playhouse, Brood for PEN at Arcola Theatre, Just How It Is for Secrets at The Lion and Unicorn Theatre, the world premiere of Pareidolia at Karamel Club Theatre, The Taming of the Shrew for Cambridge American Stage Tour and The 2014 CUADC/Footlights Pantomime: The Emperor's New Clothes at ADC Theatre. Choreographic Credits Include: Dr Faustus dir. by Drew Mulligan at The Cambridge Arts Theatre. Assistant Directing Credits Include: Foul Pages at The Hope Theatre, Thark at Drayton Arms Theatre, There But for the Grace of God - (go-I) at Camden People's Theatre and ARC, Stockton; The Comedy of Errors at Karamel Club Theatre and Into The Woods at Bernie Grant Arts Centre.
DIRECTOR
Kennedy Bloomer - Director. Kennedy is the director of the Hope Theatre. Credits Include: Jew...ish at the Gilded Balloon, Ed Fest 2019, TüManz TuK18 at Leicester Square Theatre, In Need for XPOSED at Southwark Playhouse, Brood for PEN at Arcola Theatre, Just How It Is for Secrets at The Lion and Unicorn Theatre, the world premiere of Pareidolia at Karamel Club Theatre, The Taming of the Shrew for Cambridge American Stage Tour and The 2014 CUADC/Footlights Pantomime: The Emperor's New Clothes at ADC Theatre. Choreographic Credits Include: Dr Faustus dir. by Drew Mulligan at The Cambridge Arts Theatre. Assistant Directing Credits Include: Foul Pages at The Hope Theatre, Thark at Drayton Arms Theatre, There But for the Grace of God - (go-I) at Camden People's Theatre and ARC, Stockton; The Comedy of Errors at Karamel Club Theatre and Into The Woods at Bernie Grant Arts Centre.
PRODUCER
ZOE WELDON - Producer Zoe is a freelance theatre producer and has worked on and off on her own work and in the West End over the last four years. After graduating Zoe worked for Sonia Friedman Productions. She then proceeded to be accepted onto the prestigious Stage One Apprenticeship, working for Bill Kenwright Productions and Tom O’Connell Productions. Zoe has also worked as Production Assistant at ATG Productions on their ‘Pinter at the Pinter Season’. Freelance work includes: JEW...ish (Kings Head Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival & Drayton Arms); CHUTNEY (Bunker Theatre, four OFFIE nominations); Snapshot (Hope Theatre), Quandary (Reading, RADA), Mind The Gap (Edinburgh Fringe Festival). Zoe has also worked with Debbie Hicks Productions as an Assistant Producer in Ages of the Moon and The Permanent Way (Vaults Theatre). Zoe has also worked with Damsel Productions on Dry Land (Jermyn Street Theatre); Brute (Soho Theatre).
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