Kevin Dyer Archives - North West End UK

14May

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Idlib – Storyhouse Chester

Written and directed by Kevin Dyer, and produced by Laura Duncalf, Idlib started as a piece of prose as a prelude for a play that morphed into a short story before becoming the script for a monologue first performed online in 2021. Based on the story of a Syrian baker who wanted to return home, and real interviews with Syrian refugees and escapees across Europe, it tells the story of a woman (Anoush Kendrick) who has hope, but it is both the prelude to this tale and what follows afterwards as well that make this such a special experience, one that is a mix of conversation, an uplifting story of kindness, making bread on stage, drawing, and sharing personal memories of food and family, eating together and socialising. The making of bread itself is an act so simple and pure that it is ...

9Dec

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Little Red – Theatre Porto

Kevin Dyer’s delightful re-imagining of this tale as old as time is wonderfully brought to life under the direction of Nina Hajiyianni with memorable musical composition by Patrick Dineen to keep us on the right path as Little Red (Fatima Jahara) heads into the forest with the blessing of her mother (Anoush Kendrick) to visit her sickly Grandma (Francesca Anderson), but on the way she encounters a rather hungry Wolfie (Stephanie Greer) who has other plans for her. There is a surreal quality to this re-telling and the all-female cast deliver inspired performances with Anderson, Greer, and Kendrick also taking on ensemble roles as the journey unravels with lots of humour and the right amount of scare, wrapped up in song and some outstanding choreography. Anderson’s Grandma is instantly re...

4Dec

By Philip EdwardsNo Comments

North West

Little Red – HOME Mcr

It is well documented that pantomime is usually the first experience of the theatre most children will have, but it is a fact that some children will not like that larger than life spectacle. Enter stage left the play created with children in mind. At worst children’s theatre will patronize and at best will stimulate their interest and from looking at the young people in the audience of “Little Red”, this production does the latter in spades. Created by the company of four actors, we are presented with the well known and loved story of Little Red Riding Hood with added songs and music and a small amount of audience participation. The songs and music composed by Patrick Dineen entirely suit the work and move the story along beautifully. A simple but clever set and effective and atm...

The Woman Who Crossed the Road – Theatre Porto

31Oct

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Woman Who Crossed the Road – Theatre Porto

The uprising in Iran is just over a year old. Women are still demonstrating, refusing to wear their headscarves and shouting ‘Woman. Life. Freedom’. At the same time, the government is hitting back, often literally: in the past week, a sixteen-year-old girl died suffering from brain damage after an alleged altercation with morality police who had assaulted her for not wearing a hijab. Performed by Najmeh Shoara, born in Iran but forced to leave to keep herself safe and sane, she is in the UK for the first time to tell this story which, written and directed by Kevin Dyer, is based on the true stories of the many women forced to leave places and start over again. Whilst pre-dating the tragic death of Mahsa Amini in Iran in September 2022, it was updated to reflect its Iranian origins and ...

11Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Idlib – Theatre Porto

Written and directed by Kevin Dyer, and produced by Laura Duncalf, Idlib started as a piece of prose as a prelude for a play that morphed into a short story before becoming the script for a monologue first performed online in 2021. Based on the story of a Syrian baker who wanted to return home and real interviews with Syrian refugees and escapees across Europe, it tells the story of a woman (Anoush Kendrick) who has hope, but it is both the prelude to this tale and what follows afterwards as well that make this such a special evening. I have seen this production twice before – online and in-person at an intimate space several months ago – but I couldn’t resist the attraction of participating again at a new venue (for me) and with a new performer. It transpires that this is the start ...

9May

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

NEWS

Preview: Idlib by Storm in the North

Let’s start off making bread – the Syrian way. We will mix the dry ingredients, in a bowl bought in a Souk from Idlib before the troubles. Then we will add the water… then wait for it to rise. While the yeast does its work, we will witness a brand-new real-life drama set in north-west Syria. The action takes place in a building with no electricity, no food, and a line of bullet holes in the wall. However, it is a story not of despair but of kindness. Then we will take a breath, have a conversation about what we have seen and what is happening in our world. We will also explore the role of food in our own lives. And when the bread is ready, cooked in front of our eyes, and the room is filled with the smell of freshly-baked bread, we will share it with our friends and neighbours – a...

Idlib – The Uniting Church in Garden Lane, Chester

28Feb

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Idlib – The Uniting Church in Garden Lane, Chester

Written and directed by Kevin Dyer, and produced by Laura Duncalf, Idlib started as a piece of prose as a prelude for a play that morphed into a short story before becoming the script for a monologue performed online in 2021. Based on the story of a Syrian baker who wanted to go home and real interviews with Syrian refugees and escapees across Europe, it tells the story of a woman (Paislie Reid) who has hope. Drawing upon this background, the evening began with the making of bread, an act so simple and pure that it is a mainstay in many communities around the world with its rich metaphors resonating throughout religious communities from Christianity to Islam to Judaism. As Dyer mixed the essential four ingredients, adding a glug of oil and yoghurt to replicate the Levant, the guar...

5Jul

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Idlib by Storm in the North

Idlib, from new production company Storm in the North, is a transient piece in so many ways. Written and directed by Kevin Dyer, it started as a piece of prose as a prelude for a play that morphed into a short story before becoming the script for this monologue. As a halfway step on its journey to becoming a full-length stage play, the parallel to its content couldn’t be more complete. Commissioned by Chester Bandstand, performed by Paislie Reid, and based on the story of a Syrian baker who wanted to go home and real interviews with Syrian refugees and escapees across Europe, it tells the story of a woman who has hope. There’s a normality to Reid’s delivery that is comforting and almost invites you to step into the picture she paints, but it isn’t a scene that most of us would recogn...