NEWS Archives - Page 57 of 81 - North West End UK

New management agency lighting up the industry

1Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

New management agency lighting up the industry

Matchstick Group – the UK’s newest talent management agency – launches today with a roster of 26 clients spanning all forms of entertainment, making it the UK’s fastest growing talent agency in 2021 and the UK’s leading agency for digital and social media influencers with a reach of over 10million followers cross YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Matchstick Group is reimagining the way that talent management typically operates. In addition to a deep commitment to improving diversity, accessibility and representation in the entertainment industry, Matchstick Group boldly breaks with tradition by prioritising the mental wellbeing of its staff and clients above all else, as well as offering client and staff incentives to refer new business. A new agency for talent and by talent, Matchstick...

Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre to open Community Hub and launch Hope Mill Theatre School

26Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre to open Community Hub and launch Hope Mill Theatre School

• Community space will be based on Pollard Street, next to Hope Mill Theatre and will include a large studio space and a more intimate studio. • Hope Mill Theatre School will launch in June 2021 for young people aged 7 to 18, and an early learning class for those aged 4 to 6. • Online classes for those ages 2-4 years old, Clever Cogs, will launch next month. • Performers Marcus Collins and Hayley Tamaddon to be Patrons of the Hope Mill Theatre School. • The Hope Mill Theatre Community Hub will also launch a Crowdfunding campaign with donations of any size being gratefully received in order to make a new home for the members of Hope Mill Theatre’s community so they can access and engage with the arts. Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre announced today that they are launching a Co...

The Musician: A Horror Opera for Children streams in March

26Feb

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The Musician: A Horror Opera for Children streams in March

Conor Mitchell’s darkly comic children’s opera retells a familiar story: ‘who was the Pied Piper? and ‘Why did the rats all dance to his tune?’ This world premiere from the award-winning Belfast Ensemble brings opera home to Northern Ireland. Musically extraordinary, this cautionary tale explores themes of nature, nurture and just desserts! The Musician is stylishly staged using the latest in technological innovation, a medieval story told in a 21st century way. The international cast exist at the foreground in a bubble of colour and light, accompanied by a socially-distanced 16-piece orchestra, glowing and visible. Filmed live for Belfast Children's Festival in the Lyric Theatre Belfast, this production stands as proof that great theatre can happen even in a pandemic and marks a new di...

Leeds Playhouse announce free theatre space offer for local creatives

25Feb

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Leeds Playhouse announce free theatre space offer for local creatives

Leeds Playhouse today has announced the use of free theatre space and guaranteed technical support for local artists in their intimate Bramall Rock Void space. The free use of the recently refurbed theatre is being offered as part of Playhouse Connect which their ongoing response to the pandemic supporting reconnection and recovery within the City. “The Playhouse is a community resource used by many different people throughout the year,” says Artistic Director James Brining. “We’re very conscious that throughout the pandemic, despite the brilliant work we have undertaken engaging with vulnerable and isolated people through our Playhouse Connect programme, apart from 5 weeks in the autumn, the building itself has been under used. “I’m delighted that we have put the safety protoc...

22Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

OFFIES 2021

We were delighted to be able to attend this year’s Off West End Awards which were hosted online by Geoffrey Brown, Director of Off West End with a number of special guests in attendance. The awards began with an introduction by Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, welcoming everyone and joining in our hope that theatres can re-open soon. Special guests included Judi Dench, Linda Marlowe, Su Pollard, Michelle Terry, Sharon D Clarke, Samuel West, Sonia Friedman, Brian Blessed, Stephen Fry and Louise Jameson, all sending messages of congratulations and encouragement. Using the fringe streaming platform Scenesaver ( www.scenesaver.co.uk ), we were treated to a reminder of the diversity of shows that have been available to watch this year, in spite of the challenging environment. B...

Shane Richie to star in digital revival of Scaramouche Jones or the Seven White Masks

22Feb

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Shane Richie to star in digital revival of Scaramouche Jones or the Seven White Masks

Much-loved and multi-talented stage and screen actor Shane Richie (EastEnders; The Entertainer; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here) will take on the role of the titular tragic clown in the digital revival of Justin Butcher’s absorbing solo show, Scaramouche Jones. Filmed in a London theatre, and available to stream on Stream.Theatre from Friday 26th March to Sunday 11th April, this is the latest production from Ginger Quiff Media - the OnCom award-winning team behind the acclaimed revivals of Martin Sherman’s Rose starring Dame Maureen Lipman, and Little Wars (The Guardian and New York Times top picks) featuring Juliet Stevenson and Linda Bassett. Richie swaps the I’m A Celeb Welsh castle for the digital stage, taking on the role made famous by the late...

Strong casts announced for next three Sound Stage Productions

22Feb

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Strong casts announced for next three Sound Stage Productions

Pitlochry Festival Theatre and The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in association with Naked Productions have announced three more strong casts for their forthcoming Sound Stage plays. Sound Stage will premiere Tennis Elbow, the new comedy from playwright and artist John Byrne, the creator of the BAFTA award-winning BBC television series Tutti Frutti, and the critically acclaimed plays The Slab Boys Trilogy. The new play, running from 30th April – 2nd May, will be Byrne’s first for 13 years, and is the follow up to his acclaimed 1977 debut play Writer’s Cramp. It’s a bittersweet comedy about the life and work of a mischievous lost artist trying to make her way in the world. Directed by Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman, Tennis Elbow’s exciting cast wil...

All-star cast for The Picture of Dorian Gray at Bolton Octagon

21Feb

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All-star cast for The Picture of Dorian Gray at Bolton Octagon

Russell Tovey, Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley head an all-star cast for a digital production of The Picture of Dorian Gray at Bolton Octagon. They’ve joined forces with Barn Theatre in Cirencester, the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich will co-produce The Picture of Dorian Gray with Theatr Clwyd in Mold and the Oxford Playhouse in Oxfordshire to offer the production as co-producers. Fionn Whitehead is in the title role, are Alfred Enoch as Harry Wooton, Lumley as Lady Narborough, Emma McDonald as Sibyl Vane and Tovey as Basil Hallward with Fry as the Interviewer. From the creative team behind the critically acclaimed What a Carve Up!, the belov...

“Save A Seat” Raises Funds For Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Birmingham Royal Ballet

17Feb

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NEWS

“Save A Seat” Raises Funds For Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Birmingham Royal Ballet

This past festive season, audiences were asked to Save A Seat as part of a new fundraising campaign by Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Today, both Birmingham cultural institutions are pleased to announce that over £15,000 in donations were raised thanks to the generosity of audiences and the incredible support of match-funders, global law firm DLA Piper in Birmingham. The fundraising initiative aimed to help cover the lost income from some of the seats left empty during the run of The Nutcracker at The REP after performances in front of socially-distanced live audiences were cancelled due to local tier restrictions. All proceeds will be split equally between The REP and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Audiences now have the opportunity to watch another extraordinar...

COVID threatening diversity in theatre, forcing diversification, research suggests

13Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

COVID threatening diversity in theatre, forcing diversification, research suggests

The team behind a major research project, looking at the impact on theatre freelancers of COVID-19, has spoken of the risks to diversity, and the emotional toll they are uncovering around the UK. Theatre-makers are seeking alternative income and considering their futures. The failure to address long-standing inequalities is also leading to increased activism among theatre freelancers. The Freelancers in the Dark project, a collaboration between East 15 Acting School, Manchester Metropolitan University and Queen’s University Belfast, is asking freelance theatre-makers, organisations and venues from across the UK to help chart the impact of COVID-19. Two surveys have been launched, to look at the effects on all aspects of UK theatre. Early responses highlight the financial impact on fr...