David Shopland Archives - North West End UK

25Jun

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

Sad-Vents – White Bear Theatre

Graphic. Gut-wrenching. Bold. Brave. Vulnerable. Vivacious. Lively. A tad too long. Sad-Vents is an avant garde show combining more traditional storytelling with pop technology, directed by Annie McKenzie. As writer-performer Eleanor Hill shares her experiences with trauma and mental illness, her real and virtual worlds collide, opening up the invitation to the audience to also engage virtually through the show’s Instagram page, @sadventsplay. Confined to a cosy set, designed by Constance Villemot, consisting of a bed, a bit of carpet and belongings strewn about, the show quickly draws the audience into not just the bedroom but also the life (and mind) of Eleanor. The technological integration led by Matt Powell is a fun experiment and adds a layer to the show. The rawness of the per...

22Apr

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Saving Britney – The Other Palace

Britney Spears was a titanic pop phenomenon. That’s a concrete fact, if you were a fan or a puzzled observer. Whether it was shrugging off the Lolita vibes of the ‘Baby One More Time’ video or sniggering when she shaved her head in a psychotic episode, we were all complicit in the making and breaking of Britney. In 2007, Chris Cocker went viral with a YouTube plea to ‘Leave Britney Alone’. In many ways, the appeal was a canary down the mine for the media intrusion that ensued. Incidentally, Cocker evolved into a very able gay porn star, and then after a stab at cinema and pop stardom, transitioned, and is now known as Cara Cunningham. As Britney would say, ‘Work Bitch’. The Free Britney movement grew from a semi-jokey meme in 2009, to a full-blown, bona fide campaign juggernau...

Saving Britney: Prologue – Old Red Lion Theatre

7Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Saving Britney: Prologue – Old Red Lion Theatre

Hot on the heels of the recent television documentary Framing Britney Spears, this collaboration from Fake Escape and the Old Red Lion Theatre is a prologue for a live show opening in the Islington space in mid-May. It opens with a shadow puppet introduction which made me think back to the Barbie dolls which populated the film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988), although the words were borrowing heavily from Romeo and Juliet. This tells, very quickly, the story of the rise of Britney Spears from a child artist to a woman who is denied her financial and professional independence. As a one-woman show, Saving Britney: Prologue focuses on Shereen Roushbaiani as Jean, a moderator on a Britney Fan Group. She is around thirty-years old, seems to populate a room full of Britney memo...

Spotlight on David Shopland and Shereen Roushbaiani, Co-writers of Saving Britney and Saving Britney: Prologue

1Apr

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Interviews

Spotlight on David Shopland and Shereen Roushbaiani, Co-writers of Saving Britney and Saving Britney: Prologue

A few months ago, Britney Spears superfan Jean was ready to tell the world her story Saving Britney, live from The Old Red Lion Theatre in the heart of Islington... until the government placed the country in lockdown. Jean has agreed to host a very special and exclusive Facebook Live session only available digitally via The Old Red Lion Theatre website. Join her as she attempts to make sense of the pop princess in the age of conservatorship, cyberbullying and the #MeToo movement in the pre-show Saving Britney: Prologue in advance of the live show co-devised by David Shopland and Shereen Roushbaiani. We caught up with David and Shereen to shed some further light on this exciting new play. Please follow the link for Saving Britney: Prologue tickets https://www.oldredliontheatr...

Fake Escape in association with The Old Red Lion Theatre present SAVING BRITNEY: Prologue

28Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Fake Escape in association with The Old Red Lion Theatre present SAVING BRITNEY: Prologue

Fake Escape in association with The Old Red Lion Theatre present SAVING BRITNEY: Prologue, a digital short written by David Shopland with Shereen Roushbaiani Streaming exclusively online 5th – 25th April 2021 It's Jean, B*tch. A few months ago, Britney Spears superfan Jean was ready to tell the world her story live from the Old Red Lion Theatre in the heart of Islington... until the government, in the words of Noughties boyband Blue, 'got the city on Lockdown.’ Undeterred by another pandemic body-blow, Jean has agreed to host a very special and exclusive Facebook Live session only available digitally via the Old Red Lion Theatre website. Join her as she attempts to make sense of the pop princess in the age of conservatorship, cyberbullying and the #MeToo movement. Co-devised by...