Tuesday, April 16

NEWS

Theatrical Advent Calendar from Oldham Coliseum
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 ...
Sheltering World launches online on December 18th
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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 ...
Nicole Joseph appointed new Associate Producer at Bradford’s Freedom Studios
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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 in...
Royal Court Selection Box Is Go!
NEWS

Royal Court Selection Box Is Go!

Now that Liverpool is officially in Tier Two the world is a better place. The Royal Court Christmas Show can go ahead and starts on 11th December! The new regulations mean that they can serve alcohol to your seats throughout the building so tier two means beer too! The show will be running until 30th January for as long as Liverpool remains in tier two. If they slip back into tier three then that will change so we would recommend getting your tickets for the earlier shows first. Remember, if shows are cancelled or you can't attend for any Covid related reason then you will get a full refund or replacement tickets for another show. With everybody planning their post-lockdown nights out, tickets have been going fast. More than half of the tickets have already been sold so get booki...
Rescheduled dates announced for Frank Skinner’s ‘Showbiz’ tour in 2021
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Rescheduled dates announced for Frank Skinner’s ‘Showbiz’ tour in 2021

At the start of 2020, Frank Skinner had been entertaining audiences at his completely sold out five-week run of Showbiz at the West End’s Garrick Theatre and was set to take his critically acclaimed show back on the road nationwide. But due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, his rescheduled January and February 2021 dates are now being moved to June and July 2021, kicking off on 3rd June at Leicester’s De Montfort Theatre, with two performances in his hometown Birmingham at The Alexandra Theatre on 22nd and 23rd July and ending on 25th July at The Liverpool Empire.  A full list of Frank’s rescheduled dates can be found at www.frankskinnerlive.com Frank said, “I haven’t heard any proper applause since they stopped the NHS Thursdays. I’m desperate. Roll on June 3rd.” In 2019, Fra...
Michael Ball and Alfie Boe join forces for an album of festive classics
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Michael Ball and Alfie Boe join forces for an album of festive classics

Christmas could be a bit grim this year so thankfully stage legends Michael Ball and Alfie Boeare joining forces again for a new festive album. Michael and Alfie have become some of a superstar duo and are using their powerhouse voices to bring some Xmas cheer on Together at Christmas after a long year of isolation and social distancing. The pair breathe new life into favourites such as It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas, Silent Night and ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’.  Jazz singer Gregory Porter joins them on The Christmas Song, and the duo even perform a brand new song, My Christmas Will Be Better Than Yours’.  “Me and Alfie, together at Christmas, I can’t think of anything better In these strange times,” says Michael Ball. “We wanted to create an ...
Everyman transforms into cabaret space to celebrate local artists across two weeks of shows
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Everyman transforms into cabaret space to celebrate local artists across two weeks of shows

This Christmas, the Everyman will be transformed into a lively cabaret space for two weeks of performance, songs and merriment, featuring local organisations and artists in the theatre’s main space. Split over two weeks from 10th – 24th December, the Everyman will showcase the talents of Liverpool through evenings of song and performance, in an Everyman auditorium designed with cabaret tables and intimate, socially distanced performances in mind. From 10th – 12th December, Everyman & Friends celebrates the rich tapestry of independent arts organisations from across Liverpool, and the diversity of theatre in our city. Everyman & Friends features performances from Everyman spoken word regulars A Lovely Word, the return of the sensational burlesque show DisabiliTease – hosted b...
The Royal Variety Performance 2020 Comes to Blackpool
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The Royal Variety Performance 2020 Comes to Blackpool

The Royal Variety Charity is thrilled to announce that the Royal Variety Performance 2020 will take place at the Blackpool Opera House, within the Winter Gardens complex, on Sunday 29th November. This year, the charity has continued to support current members of the entertainment industry with our own nationwide grants scheme, assisting many people who have found this year a particularly difficult one. Before Covid-19, it was only the top 4.8% of those working in the entertainment industry who earned above the average UK wage.  Sadly, theatres, music and other entertainment venues have mostly had to close, so many more people, including those who usually work ‘job-to-job’, have sought out our assistance. The Royal Variety Charity has also continued to manage its own care hom...
Compass Festival 2021 – First Projects Announced!
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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 an...
Why The Child Is Cooking In The Polenta – Free Streaming by the Romanian Cultural Institute
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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...