NEWS Archives - Page 82 of 87 - North West End UK

An afternoon of comedy and variety from Britain’s Got Talent’s brightest stars

2Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

An afternoon of comedy and variety from Britain’s Got Talent’s brightest stars

Gag Reflex are proud to announce a unique, family-friendly evening of live Comedy and Variety from Britain’s Got Talent stars Lost Voice Guy, Ben Hart, Daliso Chaponda, Steve Royle and Nabil Abdul Rashid from Manchester’s DriveINSIDE giant tent theatre. This year Steve Royle wowed the judges with his comedy juggling skills and Nabil Abdul Rashid was Alesha’s Golden Buzzer act and will be appearing in this year’s live semi-finals. Lee Ridley (aka Lost Voice Guy) was the first comedian to win Britain’s Got Talent in 2018, the year before magician Ben Hart made it to the final with his outstanding close-up magic skills. 2017 Golden Buzzer act Daliso Chaponda will compere the evening. Lee Ridley (aka Lost Voice Guy) is the first stand-up comedian to use a communication aid. He made his f...

New Liverpool Theatre Festival To Take Place Outdoors In September

27Aug

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New Liverpool Theatre Festival To Take Place Outdoors In September

Liverpool theatre producer Bill Elms has created a nine-day outdoor live performance festival to support the city’s devastated theatre scene in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. Liverpool Theatre Festival will take place between Friday 11th September and Saturday 19th September 2020 and is being staged in association with the team behind St Luke’s Bombed Out Church. The event will take place within the church walls, in the grounds of St Luke’s in the heart of Liverpool city centre and will follow stringent social distancing and Government guidelines. Tickets for Liverpool Theatre Festival go on sale at 12pm on Thursday 27th August. Tickets start from £10. Live performances came to a complete standstill nationally in mid-March due to Covid-19 lockdown. This has had a devasta...

23Aug

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English Touring Theatre launches brand-new podcast F**ked Up Bedtime Stories (for adults)

English Touring Theatre launches their brand-new podcast F**ked Up Bedtime Stories (for adults) – a series of short stories for adults performed by Paapa Essiedu and Amber James. Directed by Jennifer Bakst with sound, music and editing by Max Pappenheim, F**ked Up Bedtime Stories explores the weird and wonderful world of dreamscapes and nightmares and the impact that lockdown has had on our sleep cycles. Featuring seven short stories written by Alissa Anne Jeun Yi, Dipo Baruwa-Etti, Tim Crouch, Vivienne Franzmann, Matilda Ibini, Amy Jephta and Anthony Neilson, the project is available through acast, Spotify, apple or wherever you get your podcasts. English Touring Theatre today said, “Bedtime ...

21Aug

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Octagon Bolton announces reopening date

After two years the multi-million pounds rebuild at Bolton's Octagon is over and they reopen their doors on Friday 4th December. But theatre goers will have to wait a bit longer to sit in the new auditorium as they are only opening their spanking new Kitchen & Bar, a friendly space for casual eating, drinking and socialising. They will also be hosting some creative workshops, along with a series of festival events. The delay to the building caused by the pandemic, and the lack of a date from the government of when it will be safe for audiences to return without social distancing, means the Octagon have taken the difficult decision to postpone their previously announced productions. Their intriguing new musical version of Charles Dickens’ festive classic A Christmas Carol...

The Drifters Girl – rescheduled dates in 2021

21Aug

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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...