Amy Jane Cook Archives - North West End UK

7Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Wales

Tick, tick… Boom! – Theatr Clwyd

Everything is new at Theatr Clwyd, with a sparkling £50m refurbishment nearing completion and Kate Wasserburg installed as the Artistic Director, on a gorgeous Friday evening in June all feels very positive for the future of the creative industries in this beautiful part of North Wales. As the final touches were completed, the press night audience arrived to the sight of unfinished landscaping and the smell of fresh paint throughout the building, whilst in the auditorium Tick, tick… Boom! provided a joyous paean to the necessity of creativity in life and a cracking start to the new era at Theatr Clwyd. Wasserburg chose wisely with the first show of her tenure, Tick, tick… Boom! is a relatively easy show to mount, with a cast of three and minimal set and props required for its staging. I...

23Apr

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Boys from the Black Stuff – The Lowry

I was born in the 60’s, so remember clearly and with fondness, the series by the infamous Liverpudlian writer Alan Bleasdale – “The Boys from the Black Stuff”- the Black Stuff being the tar that a high number of men spent tarmacking the expanding roads of Britain in their days of employment. The first showing of the iconic programme was aired on BB2 – then a channel that had low ratings/viewers- on 10/10/82 but through its immediate popularity with viewers, moved to the main channel of the day – BBC1. The series depicted the stark reality of how working-class families were devastated by the lack of employment opportunities (more than 3 million people through this decade were unemployed – the highest figure for over 50 years) in this difficult decade. Alan Bleasdale told the story ...

29Jan

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Protest – Traverse Theatre

“This is a girl”. Three primary seven girls seek to address injustice in their everyday lives. Inspired by previous generations of women, they begin to find their voices. As soon as I saw the set, I just wanted to play on it. Amy Jane Cook’s design invites spontaneous, joyful movement. There is a winding path for the girls to run around, curved frames to climb and swing on, and platforms to rest, spin and jump on. The actresses are adults, but their performances are so convincing that it is easy to forget this. Movement director Nadia Iftkar has done an amazing job, and the girls move playfully, running with arms outstretched one minute, sitting cross legged and fidgeting the next. They beautifully capture the delight in movement that characterises childhood. The costumes, a...

Never Lost At Home – The New Wolsey Theatre Livestream

26Sep

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

REVIEWS

Never Lost At Home – The New Wolsey Theatre Livestream

For die hard Ipswich Town fans this year is the 40th Anniversary of Ipswich Town F.C.’s UEFA Cup win and something to celebrate. Finally, the New Wolsey Theatre can help fans to celebrate this piece of Ipswich’s history, by programming ‘Never Lost At Home’ which charts how the team made it to the finals, and how their fans supported them along the way. It is no coincidence that they have run with a theme of joyous celebrations and the enjoyment of being in a crowd with friends, togetherness is a feeling that has been sorely missed! I joined in to watch the show via livestream, which is a welcome addition for audience members who do not live locally or have disabilities that make it difficult for them to go to the theatre. The New Wolsey have some wonderful shows progra...