Paul Downham, Author at North West End UK

30Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Razed and Confuzed Goes Digital 2.0

Following their first foray into digital in June, Raze Collective are back with a festive party complete with cocktail making and breakout rooms so audiences can hang out and have a drink together. Frankie Thompson, a visual artist and emerging idiot, will be dropping in with an aerial surprise, and two emerging queer acts will be presenting fabulous short performances: Cocktails Before the Revolution from Joé de Vivre & Tilda Death, and Thatcher-Rite: Tea-Time from Jack Boal. In Cocktails Before the Revolution, irrepressible non-state actors Joé de Vivre & Tilda Death invite you for a special evening of drag and drinks, mocktails and Molotov Cocktails. A casual tutorial that will teach you the essentials in mixology and co-resistance from a social distance. This festive season ...

Kneehigh’s The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk Extends

30Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Kneehigh’s The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk Extends

Bristol will be going into Tier 3 when lockdown ends on Wednesday, which means there will be no live audience watching Wise Children broadcast Kneehigh’s The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk from Bristol Old Vic at the end of this week. But, as a gift to audiences still locked down round the country, and due to incredible demand for tickets for the live streams, the three companies today announce an extension to the show’s run. From today, Monday 30th November, the production can be purchased in advance and watched at any time from 11th – 18th December 2020. The production reunites the original cast Marc Antolin (Marc Chagall) and Audrey Brisson (Bella Chagall) with musicians Ian Ross and James Gow, with performances broadcast live to audience’s homes nationally and globally. To buy tickets for...

Casting announced for Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s The Magic of Christmas

30Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Casting announced for Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s The Magic of Christmas

Pitlochry Festival Theatre in partnership with the Macrobert Arts Centre have today announced the casting for their forthcoming filmed Christmas production of The Magic of Christmas. The production’s exciting cast will feature singer and actress Clare Grogan (Gregory’s Girl, Barefoot in the Park, Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and lead singer of iconic Scottish band, Altered Images) as Mrs Claus, Colin McCredie (DC Stuart Fraser in Taggart and Nick Morrison in River City) as Santa, Barbara Hockaday (North and South and Summer Holiday, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Lari and Ali Watt (A Christmas Carol and The Monarch of the Glen, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Hari. As the journey begins, our favourite Christmas elves Lari and Hari have a big problem! The cheek...

30Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

ALLO Opera – Online Opera Gala

Tonight, I had the absolute pleasure of viewing ALLO Opera’s inaugural recorded Opera Gala. We find ourselves in a time when live performances are scant so any opportunity to enjoy a fantastic evening of singing is to be grasped with both hands. Of course, with the current climate, social distancing is the order of the day and I was delighted to find that the performers found a perfect way to maintain the 3-meter rule for singers to make sure everyone was safe. Ross Cumming took first performance and also doubled up as a more than capable compare for the evening. His rich tone and strength of voice complimented the Mendelssohn Elijah piece, Lord God of Abraham, and it was sung with a great reverence and sensitivity. He presented a totally different tone for Ach wir Armen Leute from Hump...

Le Gateau Chocolat in Creation Theatre’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

30Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Le Gateau Chocolat in Creation Theatre’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Iconic performer Le Gateau Chocolat makes a special cameo appearance as the Good Witch in Creation Theatre’s annual festive family show, which opens on the digital stage this December. Le Gateau Chocolat, whose award-winning work spans drag, cabaret, opera, musical theatre, children’s theatre and live art, and has performed in prestigious venues across the world, makes a special screen appearance in this magical version of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, adapted and directed by Gari Jones. Speaking of his exciting collaboration, which was pre-recorded during the second lockdown this month, Le Gateau Chocolat says: “It was a real joy working on this production with Creation Theatre. With my family show Duckie, programmed at Home in Manchester, a city in tier 3, now in jeop...

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Reign delays in Salford

Not even Royalty can escape the latest Covid-19 tier restrictions announced by the Government on Thursday which saw Salford plunged into tier 3. The result of this means that theatres are (inexplicably in our opinion) forbidden to open, and as such SIX! The Musical has been forced to delay its latest reign at The Lowry. The show is now planning to open on the 19th December and play until the 17th January 2021 providing the Government see sense and move the North West into tier 2 as part of a nationwide review on the 16th December, the tier the statistics suggest they should have been put in in the first place! Audience members who hold tickets for the postponed shows until 17th December will be contacted by the venue in order to move them to a different date or provide a refund, ...

Pitlochry Festival Theatre to spread Christmas joy with a filmed live performance of The Magic of Christmas

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Pitlochry Festival Theatre to spread Christmas joy with a filmed live performance of The Magic of Christmas

Pitlochry Festival Theatre is excited to announce that it will be presenting a filmed live performance of their forthcoming Christmas production – The Magic of Christmas, in partnership with the Macrobert Arts Centre. This must-see Christmas show, which will be shot in Stirling and Pitlochry, will be available to Pitlochry Festival Theatre ticket-bookers from 9th – 23rd December and on the big screen at the Macrobert Arts Centre from the 11th – 21st December. As the journey begins, our favourite Christmas elves Lari and Hari have a big problem! The cheeky duo were playing football with Prancer, Dancer and Vixen and have lost the North Star! With no North Star, how will Santa find his way to all the houses to deliver the presents this Christmas? Suitable for everyone, from babes-in...

Theatrical Advent Calendar from Oldham Coliseum

29Nov

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NEWS

Theatrical Advent Calendar from Oldham Coliseum

From Tuesday 1st – Thursday 24th December Oldham Coliseum Theatre will air a short play responding to a festive theme each day on its Social Media channels. The Advent Plays are a little sprinkle of Christmas, lasting no longer than 2.5 minutes, perfect to watch whilst you eat the chocolate from your advent calendar at home. Filmed on stage at the Coliseum on a cosy living room set, with props and furniture audiences may have seen in previous Coliseum productions. The 24 short Advent Plays have been written by 14 writers and feature 25 professional actors. Writers include: Cathy Crabb (Meat Pie Sausage Roll and Dreamers); Chris Hoyle (Tinned Up); Nana-Kofi Kufuor (My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored); Rob Ward (Gypsy Queen) and Ian Townsend (All The Bens). Familiar faces t...

Sheltering World launches online on December 18th

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Sheltering World launches online on December 18th

‘Sheltering World’ is a collaboration featuring new media, animation, music and poetry which explores ideas about where we, as human beings find shelter. Terri Broughton said “We get emotional shelter from our families, friends and communities which is probably even more important than actual physical shelter from houses”. Fion Gunn describes how “we need the shelter of creativity, engaging with art, literature, music, dance, film and theatre, this is a kind of shelter which gives meaning, understanding and structure to our lives.” The project promotes co-creation from its inception and includes team members who are themselves at the sharp end of the homelessness crisis. Tyson Richards was clear that “composition and music, that’s what I do and it’s the best feeling” while Eliza Cooey s...

Nicole Joseph appointed new Associate Producer at Bradford’s Freedom Studios

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Nicole Joseph appointed new Associate Producer at Bradford’s Freedom Studios

Freedom Studios have announced that Nicole Joseph is the new Associate Producer at the Bradford based theatre company. Her recent credits include Assistant Producer at Slung Low including working on their Leeds People’s Theatre short film, The Good Book, Assistant Director on Leeds Playhouse's Oliver Twist and was Writer-Director of an extract of her play, Ghosts of Spirits, at Furnace Scratch. “I am thrilled to be joining Freedom Studios, a company I have admired and who celebrate and amplify Bradford’s stories, culture, artists and young artists in the making," says Nicole. "There will be so much to learn from Freedom Studios' brilliant team and leadership, and I am excited to get stuck in and nurture their creative output. "I am keen to grow and learn with this team and inv...