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Theatrical Advent Calendar from Oldham Coliseum

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

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 t...

Sheltering World launches online on December 18th

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

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 s...

Nicole Joseph appointed new Associate Producer at Bradford’s Freedom Studios

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

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 inv...

In Search of a White Identity – The Actors Centre

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

In Search of a White Identity – The Actors Centre

This short play, filmed at The Actors Centre in Seven Dials, is written by Cliffordkuju Henry, who also stars as Patrick. As we find this black man in a holding area in a police station together with the white Mickey (played by Drew Edwards), we know we are in complex territory. Both have been arrested for their behaviour on a march that has turned violent, and although they were childhood friends, Mickey has become a right-wing white supremacist. Both come from the same background: violent father, a mother they couldn’t protect, a deprived inner-city estate. This is explored to some extent but fails to fully address the whys and wherefores of how such an upbringing may breed extreme views in later life. Years on, their former playground has been ‘gentrified', and Mickey in partic...

Death of England: Delroy – National Theatre Live

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Death of England: Delroy – National Theatre Live

The sequel to the play that went out earlier this year where Raef Spall played Michael, friend of Delroy. Death of England: Delroy is a new play that premiered and closed on 4th November this year and subsequently is now being streamed live on YouTube in order to give it the airing it deserves. And of course, adjusting to the social distancing measures that have rocked the foundations of theatre this year. A refreshing new play written by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams is at least getting to reach a wider audience tonight who may not be able to visit the Olivier Theatre in London or not think to watch it so there’s some positivity to be gleaned from this. The writer Dyer tells us that out of adversity, things happen, and enthuses there has been a shift in consciousness this year due ...

28Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

An American in Paris – Dominion Theatre

This S’wonderful, S’marvellous show was too short-lived in its West End run. The Broadway production of the musical opened in the Dominion Theatre in March 2017 to great acclaim. If you need a couple of hours to realise that although the world and the arts industry are in a terrible place currently, we’ve gotten through worse and we shall overcome this! Based on the film from 1951, starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron as Jerry Mulligan and Lise DeSan, Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope take on the lead roles, with Haydn Oakley as Henri Baurel, David Seadon-Young as Adam Hochberg and Zoe Rainey as Milo Davenport and a strong supporting ensemble this show is bound to put a smile on anyone’s face. If you’re a fan of old school musicals, big show stopping numbers and large-scale productions, ...

26Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

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 bookin...

Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Full Show – The Shows Must Go On

25Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Full Show – The Shows Must Go On

"Shakespeare's Sonnets Full Show" is The Shows Must Go On's... well the title says it all really. This show is all of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets performed to camera by an ensemble cast that includes Fiona Shaw, Sir Patrick Stewart, David Tennant, Simon Callow, Simon Russell Beale, Kim Cattrall, Dominic West and Stephen Fry. Many of the performers here are household names and all are familiar faces, some for Shakespeare, others not, and a very few for their expertise either in performing Shakespeare in the period accent or his life and times, which is always intriguing and if nothing else proof of the vast love that has brought these people together over this text. The text is not the only reason though as this show is for a cause, to raise money for The Actor's Fund as well as several...

Don’t Leave Me this Way – Voila Festival

25Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Don’t Leave Me this Way – Voila Festival

‘Don’t Leave me this Way,’ by Zoo Indigo is part of Voila Festival, an annual celebration of European theatre set in the shadow of Brexit which seems a million light years away in the current climate of the pandemic. As we know theatre and the arts have been severely compromised so they are having to adapt. Their performance was pre-recorded in the Cockpit Theatre in London's Marylebone. We are encouraged to turn up the brightness of our computer screens preshow as it is a little dark due to being recorded in a theatre. I felt uncomfortable when they told us what a watch party is as most people are aware of this. Rosie and Ildiko, are the Anglo-German duo who make up Zoo Indigo and explore their heritage tonight in a two woman show alongside the talented Rob the violinist. A fantasti...

Rescheduled dates announced for Frank Skinner’s ‘Showbiz’ tour in 2021

23Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

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, Fran...