Friday, November 15

NEWS

New space, new writing and new beginnings for 53two as they lay out plans to take them to 2023
NEWS

New space, new writing and new beginnings for 53two as they lay out plans to take them to 2023

53two launch first ever season in their new home with world premieres of new writing, the return of JB Shorts and opportunities for Greater Manchester talent to share their work as a part of several new platforms supporting multi-discipline creatives. 53two, only just over a year old in their new venue, are making moves to change the face of independent Manchester Theatre with a line-up of new writing and events that will champion their ethos of ensuring theatre and the arts are for everyone. For creatives and audiences alike, access is key. In September, the space affectionately known as ‘the arches’ will open its newly expanded 150-seater venue with brand new writing from Joshua Chandos. The one act, two hander will be brought to life by the venue’s Creative Director, Simon Naylor ...
The Countdown Is On To Deva Fest’s Big Weekend
NEWS

The Countdown Is On To Deva Fest’s Big Weekend

With just weeks to go until Deva Fest 2022, excitement is building for what is set to be the unmissable event of the summer. The three-day music, food and lifestyle extravaganza comes to Chester Lakes from 12th-14th August and final preparations are underway to make the annual event the best one yet. Cheshire’s premier family festival includes a host of activities and attractions which are all included within its entrance price - including marvellous mermaids, pirates and parades, funfair rides, fancy dress competitions and a fantastic line-up of household names on the main music stage. They include headliners Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Heather Small, singer-songwriter and pop-rap princess Betty Boo, and brilliant bands Scouting for Girls and Dodgy. Mermaid Cove is a new attractio...
ArtsGroupie to play brand new Shakespeare North Playhouse
NEWS

ArtsGroupie to play brand new Shakespeare North Playhouse

Local Northern heritage and theatre CIC, Artsgroupie play the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Gardens July 23rd and 24th at the new Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot. “We are ecstatic to see two of our productions come alive in this exciting new theatre space. The Liver Bird and Kitty: Queen of the Washhouse celebrate two Iconic Northern favourites. Both shows champion Northern history and community spirit. Audiences are encouraged to embrace their imaginations and enjoy the classic oral tradition of storytelling.” John Maguire, Creative Director THE LIVER BIRD – a fun interactive performance for all the family What if the Liver Birds really did exist? Charlie J has heard all about Liverpool’s famous Birds from his Grandma’s stories but are they real? Has anybody seen one fly? When th...
Twelfth Night – Old Fruit Jar Productions at Royal Court Studio, Liverpool
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Twelfth Night – Old Fruit Jar Productions at Royal Court Studio, Liverpool

Twelfth Night – Old Fruit Jar Productions at Royal Court Studio, Liverpool Old Fruit Jar Productions have well and truly ripened with their upcoming production of Twelfth Night at Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio this August, and it was a delight to catch up with director Alex Carr and cast members to discover what they have in store. Shakespeare is often perceived as off-putting, mainly because of how poorly it is taught in schools, and something that people look forward to escaping from but in the right hands, one can delight at the continued relevance of work from over four hundred years ago and its ironic examination of the human character: plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose… OFJP have embraced the challenge and chosen to reset the play, one of Shakespeare’s more famous co...
Off the Ground Theatre – Love’s Labour’s Lost
NEWS

Off the Ground Theatre – Love’s Labour’s Lost

It may have been 2 long years coming, having been postponed due to Covid-19, but Off the Ground Theatre are overjoyed to finally be able to bring their production of Love’s Labour’s Lost to audiences across the north west of England and Wales this summer. This summer will also see OTG return to Ireland for the first time since the summer of 2019, making this production all the more exciting. Shakespeare’s most poetic play, this is a comedy all about love in its many forms, and what hapless, beautiful young people will do to find it. Ferdinand, King of the idyllic Navarre region of Spain, has sworn a vow with his three closest friends, and most trusted advisers, to avoid the company of women, too fast and to sleep just three hours a day for three years, so they can devote themselves f...
Stage adaptation of the iconic movie BOUND to premiere in the UK
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Stage adaptation of the iconic movie BOUND to premiere in the UK

Manchester, UK based Vertigo Theatre Productions have announced that they have been given permission to present a limited try out production of a new stage adaptation of the iconic film BOUND. The movie written by the legendary Wachowski sisters (The Matrix Movies, V for Vendetta, Cloud Atlas, Sesnse8) will be adapted to the stage by Vertigo's in house writer/director Craig Hepworth and will receive a workshop reading this November. Released in 1996, BOUND became an immediate critic favourite due to its beautifully crafted script, stunning direction and boundary pushing lesbian representation. To this day, Bound is the Wachowskis most critically acclaimed piece of work and is frequently voted as one of the best lesbian movies of all time. It starred Oscar nominated Jennifer Tilly (Bulle...
What He Said: A collection of short plays exploring male mental health
NEWS

What He Said: A collection of short plays exploring male mental health

This July, the second show from Pique Niche Productions is coming to The Theatre at the Casa, Hope Street, Liverpool. What He Said showcases four plays from North West based writers. Each play explores mental health from a male perspective including the severe illnesses and death of loved ones, custody issues and the sense of belonging following the end of a romantic relationship, and political turmoil. We aim to raise awareness of issues affecting men in today’s society and these are four stories representing different aspects of that experience. We appreciate that gender exists on a spectrum and definitions of men and the male experience vary. Pique Niche Productions is a Liverpool based theatre company supporting new writing from the North of England, particularly writing exploring t...
St Helens Theatre Royal ‘Chucks’ more pantomime casting our way
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St Helens Theatre Royal ‘Chucks’ more pantomime casting our way

St Helens youngster Jamie Leahey and his trusty side-kick puppet Chuck will join an all-star cast in his hometown’s Christmas pantomime Cinderella. Thirteen-year-old Jamie and Chuck recently wowed the judges and audience of Britain’s Got Talent with his excellent ventriloquist act. In June, he made it to the Grand Final finishing runner-up – winning a legion of fans along the way. The pair will appear as themselves as a speciality act in festive pantomime Cinderella from Regal Entertainments Ltd.* Cinderella will run at St Helens Theatre Royal from Saturday 3rd December 2022 to Sunday 8th January 2023. Tickets are on sale now from £18. As the latest addition to the all-star cast, Jamie and Chuck will star alongside fellow Britain’s Got Talent favourite comedian and musician Jon...
Red carpet celebrations after a year at The Savoy
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Red carpet celebrations after a year at The Savoy

With frocks galore and towering heels (and that’s just the audience) it’s hard to believe ‘Pretty Woman: The Musical’ has been running for a year at the Savoy Theatre – such was the excitement. The original run began at the Piccadilly Theatre in February 2020; however, performances were cancelled after just one month due to the pandemic. The show re-opened at the Savoy Theatre in July 2021. Based on the classic film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, ‘Pretty Woman: The Musical’ is a romantic comedy telling the story of a chance encounter between sex worker Vivian Ward (Aimie Atkinson) and businessman Edward Lewis (Danny Mac). Keen to have a date but no romantic tangles, Edward invites Vivian to escort him to a number of events. But time spent together deepens their relationship...
First look at A-Typical Rainbow
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First look at A-Typical Rainbow

Based on real events from the perspective of the writer and the autistic community, JJ Green will lead the cast as Boy for the limited run at The Turbine Theatre. The rest of the cast will be made up by Caroline Deverill (Mother), James Westphal (Father/Doctor), Conor Joseph (Jake/Daniel), Joy Tan (Abby/Thomas/Lara) and Maya Manuel (Emily/Mrs Whiteman/Rachel). Boy has always seen the world differently to most people. Where they see monochrome, he sees the world in vivid and brilliant technicolour. As Boy grows up, he faces increasing pressure to conform to the black and white logic of the 'real' world, a way of thinking that doesn't make sense, and forces him to suppress his unique and beautiful view of life. A-Typical Rainbow is the World Premiere debut play by autistic writer JJ...