NEWS Archives - Page 77 of 81 - North West End UK

The Drifters Girl – rescheduled dates in 2021

21Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

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The Drifters Girl – rescheduled dates in 2021

Michael Harrison and David Ian announce rescheduled dates for The Drifters Girl, a brand new musical starring Beverley Knight, which tells the remarkable story of one of the world’s greatest vocal groups The Drifters and the woman who made them. The Drifters Girl, to be directed by Jonathan Church (Singin’ In The Rain), will now make its World Premiere at Newcastle Theatre Royal next year on Saturday 9th October 2021, before transferring to the Garrick Theatre in London for a strictly limited season of 20 weeks, with performances beginning on Thursday 4th November 2021. Ticket holders do not need to do anything; the point of purchase will be in touch with all existing ticket holders soon. Beverley Knight stars as Faye Treadwell, the legendary manager of The Drifters, who, alongsid...

‘Blue Peter’ legend Peter Duncan launches Panto Online

21Aug

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‘Blue Peter’ legend Peter Duncan launches Panto Online

Giant Blunderbore is in a terrible rage. He shouts from above threatening to eat any villager who won’t pay their rent. Poor Dame Trott has to sell her precious cow ‘Buttercup’ and sends her son Jack to the cow market. All he comes back with is a worthless bag of beans. Jill, the grumpy Squire’s daughter is kidnapped by the Giants dogsbody Fleshcreepy and taken to the castle in the clouds. Will Jack be the hero, climb the beanstalk, rescue his girlfriend and save the world from the human chomping ogre. Only the magical Garden Fairy knows the answer to that…. Join in and enjoy this new online planet-saving pantomime packed with songs, laughter and great spectacle. ‘Blue Peter’ legend Peter Duncan - a critically acclaimed Panto Dame, Writer and Director, is planning his biggest and bes...

Squad Goals to have world premiere at Dagenham and Redbridge FC

21Aug

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Squad Goals to have world premiere at Dagenham and Redbridge FC

Squad Goals is a brand-new immersive show from Caspa Productions, opening for its world premiere at Dagenham & Redbridge Football Ground. Where better than to launch a show about football than in a football stadium as a socially distanced outdoor experience! This lively and inspiring play tells of the lives, ambitions and relationships among a diverse group of young female school leavers who are inspired by the success of England’s lionesses and form a 5-a-side squad in their hometown, Dagenham. Squad Goals follows the challenges they face as they struggle to be taken seriously in a world seemingly designed to stop them reaching their potential. Writer and co-director Michelle Payne comments Growing up in Essex, football was really important to me, I wanted to create show tha...

Emma Rice’s theatre company Wise Children bring digital tour of Romantics Anonymous to Liverpool

21Aug

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Emma Rice’s theatre company Wise Children bring digital tour of Romantics Anonymous to Liverpool

A live performance of Wise Children, Bristol Old Vic and Plush Theatre Productions’ acclaimed Romantics Anonymous will be performed live and broadcast directly to Liverpool audiences on Tuesday 22nd September. In an act of industry solidarity, partner theatres across the world will sell tickets for director Emma Rice’s acclaimed musical on different nights of the week, with the Everyman & Playhouse joining eight other venues from the North of England for the Tuesday evening performance. Each night will be tailored to audiences at those different theatres, with a sprinkle of local flavour added before the stream begins. The musical, which will be performed live in Bristol Old Vic, is part of a five-day digital ‘tour’ involving 34 different theatres from 22nd – 26th September. ...

Oldham Coliseum puts their Flying Carpet into storage for 12 months due to Covid-19

14Aug

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Oldham Coliseum puts their Flying Carpet into storage for 12 months due to Covid-19

With a very heavy heart, Oldham Coliseum Theatre announced this week that its scheduled 2020 pantomime, Aladdin, has been postponed to Christmas 2021. Aladdin will now take place from 13th November 2021 – 8th January 2022. Artistic Director Chris Lawson commented: “A trip to the Coliseum’s annual pantomime has been a festive tradition for the people of Oldham and beyond for many generations and we’re incredibly disappointed that this year will be different. We have been working on Aladdin for months now with our amazing staff and creative team and we’re saddened that we’ll have to wait another year to share this with our audiences. “However, our first priority as an organisation is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our staff, audiences, cast and crew, and our second priority i...

BBC England’s Rozina Breen becomes Chair of Leeds Playhouse

9Aug

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BBC England’s Rozina Breen becomes Chair of Leeds Playhouse

BBC England’s Head of North Rozina Breen will be the new Chair of the Board at Leeds Playhouse leading the theatre’s recovery plans for when it reopens its doors after the pandemic. Rozina succeeds Sir Rodney Brooke, who steps down after a decade as Chair, and current board member Neil Adleman will be her Vice Chair As Head of North for BBC England, and previously Head of News for BBC 5 Live, Rozina Breen has been a real ambassador for the north. She thrives on telling untold stories in new and creative ways to amplify the narrative of the region. Neil Adleman is a Partner at market leading law firm Harbottle & Lewis, where he heads the firm’s theatre group. Neil was previously a Trustee and then Chair of Sheffield Theatres Trust until 2015, before becoming a Trustee at Le...

Children’s theatre makes a socially distanced return to Leeds

9Aug

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Children’s theatre makes a socially distanced return to Leeds

Leeds theatre-makers tutti frutti, Wrongsemble, Unlimited Theatre, 154 Collective, Blah Blah Blahs, Alive & Kicking, Interplay, Fidget Theatre and Slung Low joined forces to bring live theatre back to children across the city. Coming together under the Live Little Stories for Leeds they perform socially distanced theatre shows for free to pre-invited families and children at six locations in Leeds. This unique the collective was pulled together by tutti frutti as a pilot and all performances during Live Little Stories for Leeds took place outdoors to small audiences following strict social distancing guidelines. Other adaptations new to theatre makers included the provision of PPE equipment on site, one-way systems into locations and safety measures being incorporated in a fun wa...

Freedom Studios are looking for experienced Yorkshire writers for free playwriting course

31Jul

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Freedom Studios are looking for experienced Yorkshire writers for free playwriting course

Bradford theatre company Freedom Studios are looking for experienced writers to join Street Voices 8, the company’s popular free six-month playwriting course. They want to support distinctive voices who can offer new perspectives, but have an ability to write, and the potential to develop their skills. They will work under the guidance of playwright and previous course graduate Zodwa Nyoni, who went on to write Boi Boi is Dead for Leeds Playhouse, Tiata Fahodzi, & Watford Palace Theatre. Freedom are looking for writers who may have been writing creatively in other forms and are looking to broaden their practice. All applicants must have a willingness to take risks, and try out new ideas, along with a commitment to attend all course dates, which will run from 10th October 2020 til...

SLEEPLESS Musical To Begin Testing Backstage

27Jul

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SLEEPLESS Musical To Begin Testing Backstage

SLEEPLESS, A Musical Romance, which announced last month it would begin socially distanced indoor performances at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre from 25 August, will begin using a new accurate COVID-19 test on cast, musicians, crew and theatre staff on a daily basis during rehearsals and during the run of the show. The test is called FRANKD (Fast, Reliable, Accurate, Nucleic-based Kit for Covid19 Diagnostic Detection). Testing will be carried out on-site, since the FRANKD technology does not require a laboratory. Tests results will be sent directly to crew, cast and staff phones via a secure app within an hour of a swab being taken. Michael Rose and Damien Sanders, on behalf of Encore Theatre Productions, the producers of SLEEPLESS, said, “We are so excited to be leading the way fo...

Final casting announced for ‘Fanny and Stella’

27Jul

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Final casting announced for ‘Fanny and Stella’

Final casting announced for the first London Fringe show since Lockdown, a new version of the acclaimed musical ‘Fanny and Stella’ by Glenn Chandler and Charles Miller and Directed by Steven Dexter. Final casting is announced for the first London Fringe production since Lockdown, a brand new socially distanced open-air production of ‘Fanny And Stella’, a musical with Book and Lyrics by Glenn Chandler, the creator of ‘Taggart’, and Music by Charles Miller. Joining the previously announced Jed Berry as Ernest Boulton/Stella and Kane Verrall as Frederick William Park/Fanny are: Kurt Kansley (Lord Arthur Clinton) was Coalhouse in ‘Ragtime’ at Regents Park and Shultz in ‘Miss Saigon’ in the West End. In Australia, he was twice nominated Best Actor in a Musical, as Che in ‘Evita’ and Co...