Monday, November 25

FEATURES

Scottish legend John Byrne is back with new radio play Tennis Elbow
Interviews

Scottish legend John Byrne is back with new radio play Tennis Elbow

In 1977 the hottest ticket at the Edinburgh Festival was comedy drama Writer’s Cramp by new Scottish writer John Byrne and the three-hander went on to be a hit in London. It was the riotous tale of Frances Seneca McDade, who is being remembered by the Nitshill Writing Circle, and they seem oblivious that despite his public school swagger their mentor ended up being an utter mediocrity in all his many artistic endeavours. Now Bryne has returned to Paisley for a new radio play, Tennis Elbow, as the writing group gather once again to remember the life of McDade’s estranged wife Pamela played by Kirsty Stuart. “Tennis Elbow is the life story of a writer and artist as she makes her way through life and all of the characters that she meets on the way, the struggles that she has,” says K...
Spotlight on David Shopland and Shereen Roushbaiani, Co-writers of Saving Britney and Saving Britney: Prologue
Interviews

Spotlight on David Shopland and Shereen Roushbaiani, Co-writers of Saving Britney and Saving Britney: Prologue

A few months ago, Britney Spears superfan Jean was ready to tell the world her story Saving Britney, live from The Old Red Lion Theatre in the heart of Islington... until the government placed the country in lockdown.  Jean has agreed to host a very special and exclusive Facebook Live session only available digitally via The Old Red Lion Theatre website. Join her as she attempts to make sense of the pop princess in the age of conservatorship, cyberbullying and the #MeToo movement in the pre-show Saving Britney: Prologue in advance of the live show co-devised by David Shopland and Shereen Roushbaiani.  We caught up with David and Shereen to shed some further light on this exciting new play. Please follow the link for Saving Britney: Prologue tickets https://www.oldredliontheatr...
Bruce Joel Rubin celebrates 10 years of Ghost the Musical
NEWS, NWE UK Live

Bruce Joel Rubin celebrates 10 years of Ghost the Musical

On the 10th anniversary of the World Premiere of Ghost the Musical at the Opera House in Manchester, Oscar winning writer of the movie Bruce Joel Rubin sits down with our senior editor and Ghost the Musical super fan Paul Downham to discuss how the film transferred to the stage. https://www.youtube.com/embed/nSuL0ozzd00 Advertisement (contains affiliate links)
Spotlight on Kristin Milward
Interviews

Spotlight on Kristin Milward

In August 2020, playwright Andrei Kureichik witnessed the harrowing scenes of violence that unfolded following the protests against the rigged election results that enabled Alexander Lukashenko to be re-elected.  Kureichik (who is a member of the Co-ordination Council of Belarus) decided to document events very much as things happened; in his play, that can be live streamed at home on Saturday 27th March at 7pm.  This event is part of a series of monthly readings at The Cockpit giving voice to dissident writers past and present.  To book tickets for ‘Insulted’ go to https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/show/dissident_voices.  We talked to Kristin Milward who is co-directing and performing in the play, to learn more about it. Kristin, what inspired you to get involved with t...
Spotlight on Lucie Jones – Treason The Musical
Interviews

Spotlight on Lucie Jones – Treason The Musical

We were delighted to catch up with Lucie Jones ahead of the online filmed concert of ‘Treason The Musical’ which runs from 12th March to 14th March 2021.  Follow the link to buy tickets https://treasonthemusical.com/ The gunpowder plot and its celebratory derivative Bonfire Night is so popular in Britain.  Can you tell us about your character Martha Percy and how she fits into the overall gunpowder plot? Martha is the wife of Thomas, one of the plotters.  She is a simple woman who wants nothing more than to live a humble Catholic life with her husband and children.  Martha doesn’t recognise Thomas when he returns from a trip to London (when the plot was hatched) and we see her battle with her emotions about this and her husband’s new ‘gang’, led by Catesby. ‘Tr...
Spotlight on Ricky Allan, Composer and Co-writer of Treason The Musical
Interviews

Spotlight on Ricky Allan, Composer and Co-writer of Treason The Musical

Remember, remember the 5th of November, for its gunpowder, treason, and plot We're here to tell you the rest of the tale, the one that history books forgot Guy Fawkes remains an anonymous figure, we have more to bring to the table It's time to meet the rest of the plotters, in our fiery musical fable We caught up with Ricky Allan to find out more about his new musical ‘Treason The Musical’.  Filmed at Cadogan Hall, this concert version is available to watch from 12th March to 14th March 2021.  To buy tickets go to https://treasonthemusical.com/ What inspired you to write/compose ‘Treason The Musical’? I have always been fascinated by the story and felt it had a natural theatrical flair to it which deserved to be explored. Whilst working on the Strand...
Home Schooling 7 – Lockdown Love
NWE UK Live

Home Schooling 7 – Lockdown Love

She is back! Our very own Yazmin continues to assist others during lockdown, this time helping to try and spread a little romance. Does she succeed? Find out below! Written by Mark Davoren, performed by Yazmin Walker and edited by Paul Downham, you can view the previous 6 monologues in our North West End UK Live section on this site. https://www.youtube.com/embed/4z4ccEKCGSQ
Daniel Bye takes to the road with a new play about running and freedom
Interviews

Daniel Bye takes to the road with a new play about running and freedom

Daniel Bye made his name with a series of challenging interactive works he wrote and appeared in, but now he’s teamed up with musician Boff Whalley to create These Hill Are Ours that’s nominally about their shared love of running. Daniel and the former Chumbawamba songwriter are also using songs and words to explore who should own the land they run on, and thanks to the virus they’ve been waiting for a year to perform it in front an audience. The idea began life when they were working together on projects around the country. “We go for a run from wherever we were out of the town, or city, towards the peak overlooking the place and that kind of grew into a project,” recalls Daniel about a work that developed as they put the hard miles in over the last three years.  “But as we rep...
A Christmas Message
NEWS, NWE UK Live

A Christmas Message

To say 2020 has been a tough year for the arts is an understatement. Here at North West End UK we have been resolute in our desire to maintain our support for this amazing industry. We have continued to review throughout the pandemic covering online productions before returning, briefly to theatres when the relevant tier restrictions allowed. We also launched North West End UK LIVE in the Summer to promote the talent we have within our own team. Producing monologues written and performed by our reviewers. The most popular has been the Home Schooling series featuring our very own Yazmin Walker. To celebrate this very different Christmas period Mark Davoren has written an alternative Christmas message and we were thrilled that the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse allowed us to film on t...
My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored
Interviews

My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored

Nana-Kofi Kufuor discusses his debut play My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored Fair play to Nana-Kofi Kufuor who has decided to take on an interrogation of black identify in modern Britain for his debut play. My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored began life during a year-long writing commission for Manchester based Box of Tricks. Misha Duncan-Barry is teacher Gillian who finds herself in a tricky situation with student Reece played by Jelani D’Augilar. “It sounds a bit heavy, but to me the themes are race, gender, black masculinity black femininity, toxic masculinity” says Nana-Kofi.  “It’s a two hander about a teacher and student, both black, and she sees the student stopped and searched outside of work. “He calls for her to help, and she doesn’t, so the next day with al...