Paul Downham, Author at North West End UK

17Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Compass Festival 2021 – First Projects Announced!

Compass announce their first projects for their live art festival running from 19th – 28th March 2021. This festival was postponed from November 2020 and will now aim to invigorate public spaces by staging its live art projects in Leeds. Using spaces such as shopping centres, markets, museums and the city streets. See below for the first project announcements: Museums In People’s Homes Would you like a visit from Joshua Sofaer and Museums in People’s Homes in your home during 2021? Joshua Sofaer has created a mobile museum comprising 14 artworks, each representing a collector in Leeds, telling the fascinating stories of the museums people keep in their homes. Book a tour to see objects from our portable museum – and you can even visit a fun size café and...

Why The Child Is Cooking In The Polenta – Free Streaming by the Romanian Cultural Institute

17Nov

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Why The Child Is Cooking In The Polenta – Free Streaming by the Romanian Cultural Institute

Written by Aglaja Veteranyi, and adapted and performed by Edith Alibec, this play is based on the autobiographical book of the same name. The book loosely reflects on Veteranyi’s own experiences of life on the road with her family, after leaving Romania under a cloud. This nomadic existence was necessary for this circus performing family as they moved from town to town, they were also running away; evading detection by the Romanian authorities for a crime that was committed whilst living in Romania. Alibec was inspired to adapt this play as it resonated with her after visiting refugee camps in Germany, she wanted to highlight the vulnerability of people forced to move from their country and seek refuge in an unfamiliar country. The play never really gives the narrator ...

Panto is back in Blackpool this Christmas… OH, YES IT IS!

17Nov

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Panto is back in Blackpool this Christmas… OH, YES IT IS!

For the first time in its 157-year history Blackpool’s famous North Pier will present a Christmas pantomime. The pier’s newly named Joe Longthorne Theatre will present Cinderella from Tuesday December 15th to Sunday December 27th. Starring Britain’s Got Talent winner and Scottish singer-songwriter Jai McDowall as Prince Charming tickets are on sale now from www.ticketsource.co.uk/blackpoolpiers The production of Cinderella is presented by Blackpool-based International Shows who already programme events in the unique venue. Managing Director Dominic Creighton was determined to see panto’ return to the resort this Christmas and, due to the vast size of The Joe Longthorne Theatre, the production can be staged with full social distancing in place. Dominic said: “We are absolutel...

M6 Theatre Company to Stream When We Started Singing

17Nov

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M6 Theatre Company to Stream When We Started Singing

M6 Theatre Company will be streaming a brand-new short film for families on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th November 2020. When We Started Singing for ages 5+ and families tells the story of Mr Popple (Declan Wilson), an elderly man whose acts of kindness bring his community together during lockdown. Written by Mike Peacock, the film began life as one of the winning entries in M6’s lockdown monologue writing competition. The theatre company went on to work with film maker Nick Farrimond to develop the piece. M6's Artistic Director Gilly Baskeyfield said: "Usually at this time of year we’d be creating a performance for schools which would then be toured to venues across the country. This year we’ve had to do things a little differently. When We Started Singing reflects on a shared...

Freedom Studios looking for new Youth Theatre members

17Nov

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Freedom Studios looking for new Youth Theatre members

Award-winning Bradford theatre company Freedom Studios are looking for new members aged between 11-19 to join their Youth Theatre. Freedom Studios’ youth theatre continues to offer free weekly sessions and workshops creating a space where young people can connect, create, and express themselves. Some of the Youth Theatre members have formed a small film production company to make a short film. Not only will the film production team write and perform in the films, but they will be guided through a production process from fundraising and pitching to screening and dissemination. All sessions will be delivered through a combination of Zoom workshops and in-person, where possible, at Kala Sangam under the guidance of actor, film director and online content creator Tanya Vital, j...

16Nov

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London

We Missed You – Voila Festival

‘We Missed You’ is two clowns' interpretation and message of lockdown and a fitting homage to the general feeling that currently pervades. They want to tell us that they missed us and create a warm fuzzy feeling inside audiences. It’s part of Voila Festival or Voila Europe that runs annually at the Cockpit Theatre in London’s Marylebone. But of course, the pandemic has brought it to our homes via the digital world. The enigmatic clowns are Julia Masli and Viggo Venn from Estonia and Norway respectively and are not the circus ring bright wigged & make up of nightmares but a more refreshing (and less scary) Harlequino and Pierrot who have a huge variety of fun costumes and tell us they are more Commedia Dell Arte. This draws on a European tradition where clowns travelled from ma...

Keeping A Christmas Carol safe at Leeds Playhouse

16Nov

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Keeping A Christmas Carol safe at Leeds Playhouse

It’s tough enough directing a big festive show but for Leeds Playhouse’s associate director Amy Leach she also needs to keep the cast and crew safe as they rehearse A Christmas Carol during a national lockdown. They are working in their own bubble where they regularly sanitise their hands, have daily temperature checks and the rehearsal room is fogged clean every weekend. This revival of Deborah McAndrew’s version of the Dickens classic began life at Hull Truck Theatre before becoming a hit in the Playhouse’s pop up theatre they used when the main stages closed for a multi-million refurb. And the need to perform safely has forced the creatives to offer their socially distanced audience a really different show when it opens on December 3 in the Quarry Theatre. “Myself and Hayley Gr...

ATG Announce Free NHS Tickets and Casting for Pantomimes Across UK

16Nov

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ATG Announce Free NHS Tickets and Casting for Pantomimes Across UK

Ambassador Theatre Group are delighted to announce that all tickets for the first performance of their pantomimes, produced by Qdos Entertainment in Manchester, Bristol, Milton Keynes, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham will be gifted to NHS workers and their families. Mark Cornell, CEO at Ambassador Theatre Group said today “The Ambassador Theatre Group is delighted to be showing pantomimes in five of our venues in Bristol, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Stoke and Birmingham this Christmas, thanks to the support of The National Lottery. ATG and its staff are also inviting our magnificent NHS and their families to the first performance at each venue free of charge. We hope that this small gesture shows how incredibly grateful we all are for what the NHS has done for this country”. NHS workers...

Paul Zerdin’s Hands Free Tour 2021 to visit Rhyl

14Nov

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Paul Zerdin’s Hands Free Tour 2021 to visit Rhyl

Back by popular demand, Paul Zerdin and everyone’s favourite puppets are heading your way with a brand-new UK tour in Autumn 2021. Paul will appear at the Rhyl Pavilion Theatre on Thursday 28th October 2021 Sam, Albert, Baby, Roger the bodyguard and an urban fox have all survived 2020 locked down with Paul….well nearly. They can’t wait to see you, so get ready to be involved. As well as his hilarious characters ‘Hands Free’ features Paul giving us a glimpse into his own world showing us what it’s like to be able to throw your voice in everyday situations where anything and everything can talk back! Don’t miss out on your chance to see the winner of America’s Got Talent, the star of London’s Palladium Panto and without doubt one of Britain’s finest entertainers at the Rhyl Pavilio...

Experience a new kind of Panto magic online

14Nov

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Experience a new kind of Panto magic online

Oldham Coliseum Theatre have created a new kind of panto magic for 2020. Panto Digital Storytelling will be available online between Saturday 12th December and Saturday 2nd January. Although we’re all missing the spectacle of the Coliseum panto this year, the theatre has created a digital offer that gives audiences the opportunity to invite Dame Dotty Trott and Cinderella into their homes for unique tellings of their famous tales. Jack and the Beanstalk 2019 pantomime at Oldham Coliseum Theatre. Straight off the Coliseum stage these much-loved panto characters tell their stories as you’ve never heard them before – from their own perspective. Audiences will be able to choose between Jack and the Beanstalk with Dame Dotty Trott or Cinderella with Cinderella herself, with access to t...