Olivia Barton Archives - North West End UK

11Jul

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Fame Jr – NK Theatre Arts

This show was performed by the NK Theatre Arts senior youth theatre members, so we are talking about young people aged 16-18. It was great to see Hannah Thomas reprising the role of director, musical director and choreographer which she had previously undertaken when NK last performed this show 10 years ago. The show is a musical adaptation of the film and television series “Fame” and follows a group of students at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. The script showcases the experiences of the students as they pursue their dreams of a career in the performing arts. The cast is led by the extremely talented Olivia Barton in the role of Carmen Diaz who is developing into a multi-talented singer, dancer and actress who succeeds in all that she attempts. She was given...

14Feb

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Teechers – The Forum Theatre

Before I set off to watch this show this evening, I was trying to remember previous occasions when I had seen NK put on this play by John Godber (who is one of the authors who they seem to visit on a regular basis, having seen “Bouncers and Shakers” a number of times also) and if my memory is correct, I think this is the third time I have seen it in the past 8 years or so. Previous casts have utilised more adult actors, but this production is much more realistic in that all the cast are still in their teens so are genuinely playing characters of their own age. Teechers is actually a play within a play, which the students perform for their teachers, taking on twenty or so different roles throughout the show. The stage setting is very basic, consisting of a noticeboard, blackboard, a coup...

27Sep

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Bad Girls the Musical – Romiley Forum

This musical is based on the television series of the same name and tells the story of a dozen or so inmates of Larkhall Prison who are incarcerated for various misdemeanours ranging from shoplifting through drug dealing and prostitution to murder. The characters are introduced individually at the start of the show, which was a nice touch by director Lucy Worthington in her directorial debut (and a marvellous job she did of it too; I have seen shows where she has acted as assistant director, but this is her first time in charge in her own right.) The plot as it is revolves around the relationships between the female prisoners and their mainly male warders, who are split between those wanting to take advantage of the girls and those who wish a better life for them. As the play progresses...

Our Day Out – Castle Hill School, Stockport

1Feb

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Our Day Out – Castle Hill School, Stockport

As NK Theatre Arts do not currently have access to their home venue at the Romiley Forum, this production was staged at the hall at Castle Hill School. This meant that instead of their usual capacity of close on 300 seats, there was an audience of only about 50 people, but those that did attend were treated to an excellent interpretation of Willy Russell’s comedy about a group of Liverpool’s underprivileged children on a day out from their normal classes exploring the countryside of North Wales. The director described this production as an “Informal Show”, which is perhaps doing it a bit of an injustice as everything about it was done in an extremely professional manner. The date of the production has changed a number of times which necessitated a number of changes in the cast, but thes...