Paul Clarke, Author at North West End UK

Transform Festival is back with a series of UK and World Premieres in Leeds

9Mar

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

NEWS

Transform Festival is back with a series of UK and World Premieres in Leeds

Transform has established itself as one of the UK’s most innovative platforms for emerging talent and the delayed final wave of their 21-22 programme in April offers a series of world and UK premieres. Once again, the team offer productions taking place in iconic venues in Leeds with many in unusual and disused spaces that offer trailblazing co-curators a chance to create special events and experiences. The festival invites audiences from across Leeds and beyond to rediscover and explore the city and to connect with bold, brave, vivid and socially conscious performance by artists from across the globe. Leeds based artist Jamal Gerald made his name with Idol in Transform 19 and this year he presents the world Premiere of Jumbie he describes as a ritual for our sickened times. It’s ...

9Mar

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Macbeth – Leeds Playhouse

As the three witches circulate around the massive drawbridge that dominates the stark stage it's clear that Amy Leach’s latest attempt to make Shakespeare accessible will focus on the intrigue, blood and ultimately madness in arguably his most dynamic drama. Power couple the Macbeths are introduced as they mourn their dead child before the ambitious warrior muscularly played by Tachia Newall meets the witches who inform him he’s to be the King of Scotland despite the weak Duncan still being on the throne. Egged on by his wife, the brave general becomes the cowardly assassin as he takes the throne before turning on everyone around him as his hubris brings about his downfall. There is a subtle subtext of dynasty and lineage as Lady Macbeth loses another child, which helps explain he...

Hedwig brings angry inch to Leeds Playhouse and HOME Manchester

3Mar

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NEWS

Hedwig brings angry inch to Leeds Playhouse and HOME Manchester

Cult musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch comes to Leeds Playhouse and HOME Manchester starring RuPaul’s Drag Race UK icon Divina De Campo De Campo plays the hedonistic genderqueer anti-heroine seemingly hellbent on destruction who embarks on a journey of self-discovery with her husband and roadie Yitzhak, played by Elijah Ferreira. They are joined on stage by their live rock band ‘The Angry Inch’ led by Music Supervisor and Musical Director Alex Beetschen on keys with Frances Bolley on lead guitar, Isis Dunthorne on drums and Jess Williams on bass. This production explores the origin of love, gender identity, resilience, and the freedom to be whoever you want to be. “As a queer and trans director I’ve been wanting to pu...

Federico Bonelli is Northern Ballet’s new Artistic Director

21Feb

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NEWS

Federico Bonelli is Northern Ballet’s new Artistic Director

Royal Ballet principal dancer Federico Bonelli is Northern Ballet’s new Artistic Director succeeding long serving predecessor David Nixon. Bonelli has danced the Royal Ballet’s leading roles since joining in 2003 after training at the Turin Dance Academy and dancing with Zürich Ballet and Dutch National Ballet. In 2019 he graduated from the Clore Leadership Programme and he is a non-executive director and member of the Board of Parents and Carers in Performing Arts. He has curated the programme for The Royal Ballet activities in Doncaster as part of the Doncaster Creates festival, prior to its pandemic postponement and has coached Royal Ballet repertory, helping to nurture and develop the high standards of the company’s dancers. Federico Bonelli Bonelli who tak...

The Sh*t hits the stage at Leeds Playhouse

21Feb

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

NEWS

The Sh*t hits the stage at Leeds Playhouse

The Sh*t which premieres at Leeds Playhouse in March asks what happens when you have just one hour a week to save a life? This new two hander takes us into one of the thousands of forgotten youth centres across the country, where Eric has a single hour each week to break Daniel out of his spiral towards jail or the grave. Created by The Working Party Theatre Company, and produced by Matthew Schmolle Productions, it’s an honest, unflinching examination of the relationship between those at the margins of society and the people employed to help them. The Sh*t is written by BAFTA-nominated writer Kenny Emson in consultation with youth workers and young people in London and Leeds. The artists and producers in The Working Party, who originally commissioned the play have worked with m...

World premiere of Marvellous at New Vic Theatre

19Feb

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NEWS

World premiere of Marvellous at New Vic Theatre

Staffordshire’s New Vic Theatre will stage the world premiere of Marvellous telling the almost unbelievable story of Stoke City FC kit man, clown and all-round local hero, Neil ‘Nello’ Baldwin. It is a wild ride through Baldwin’s colourful life filled with football stars, comedians, bishops, circus acts, budgies and even the Queen who awarded him a B.E.M. From the moment he was born, Baldwin knew he was destined to do wonderful things and so that is what he did. He joined a church choir then appeared on Songs of Praise, he hitchhiked across the country then became a famous clown, he went to see his local football team then became their kit man and this was a man who left school at 14 with no qualifications then received an honorary degree from Keele University. Credit: Andrew Bill...

Charlie Bucket comes to Leeds Playhouse this Christmas

11Feb

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NEWS

Charlie Bucket comes to Leeds Playhouse this Christmas

Over the last few years Leeds Playhouse have staged on a series of family festive extravaganzas and this year they’re staging the musical version of the beloved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Their reinvention of the West End and Broadway hit will be directed by their Artistic Director James Brining, adapted from Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel by David Greig, with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Generations of fans have loved the magical tale as young golden ticket winner Charlie Bucket ventures into a strange factor run by eccentric confectionary wizard Willy Wonka with five other winners for a wild ride through the imagination “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is such a special story, loved by generations of children and their parent...

Mikron Theatre Company announce productions for 50th anniversary

10Feb

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NEWS

Mikron Theatre Company announce productions for 50th anniversary

Mikron Theatre Company announce productions for 50th anniversary tour Mikron Theatre’s four strong cast will take two plays via the company’s narrowboat and van to 130 venues to celebrate their 50th anniversary. One play is the premiere of Red Sky at Night which is Lindsay Rodden’s new play about the nation's obsession with the wild and wonderful world of weather. The other revisits their successful 2015 production of Maeve Larkin’s play about the Women’s Institute, Raising Agents. Mikron are based in the village of Marsden at the foot of the Yorkshire Pennines, and over the last 50 years have played to nearly half a million people as they toured 66 productions on board their vintage narrowboat spending over 34,000 boating hours on the inland waterways. ...

Pilot Theatre’s Esther Richardson talks their new production The Bone Sparrow

1Feb

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Interviews

Pilot Theatre’s Esther Richardson talks their new production The Bone Sparrow

Pilot Theatre has adapted Zana Fraillon’s The Bone Sparrow for a timely national tour telling the tale of a Rohingya refugee boy Subhi who has spent his entire life living in a detention centre in Australia. Pilot Theatre’s Artistic Director Esther Richardson will direct an adaption by Shakthi Shakthidharan, who is an award-winning Australian writer, producer, composer and director for screen and stage of Sri Lankan heritage and Tamil ancestry. In a world dominated by Zoom calls this cross continental production has also been developed in association with Australian Theatre for Young People. Closer to home it has had support of Bradford’s SBC Theatre, a group of creative professionals and artists who are committed to making work with, about and for those seeking sanctuary in the UK a...

Casting announced for new version of Kes at Bolton Octagon and Theatre by the Lake

31Jan

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

NEWS

Casting announced for new version of Kes at Bolton Octagon and Theatre by the Lake

Casting has been announced for a new version of Barry Hines’ northern classic Kes co-produced by Bolton’s Octagon Theatre and Theatre by the Lake in Keswick. It’s set in a 1960s working-class Yorkshire mining town depicting the struggles of 15-year-old Billy Casper. Bullied and neglected, life isn’t easy for Billy, but when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk who he cares for and trains, it gives Billy a passion and freedom that has been missing in his life. This stage version is adapted by Robert Alan Evans, and will be directed by award-winning theatre director and one of The Stage’s 25 Theatremakers to watch in 2022, Atri Banerjee. A trio of performers will star in this poignant coming of age story with Jake Dunn will make his professional stage debut playing the role of troubl...