Month: February 2021

CURVE AND DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY CONTINUE STRATEGIC CULTURAL PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW PROJECTS FOR 2021

UNIVERSITY SPONSORS THE COLOR PURPLE – AT HOME
Streaming 16 Feb – 7 Mar

DMU PRIDE FEATURING PREMIERE DIGITAL PRODUCTION OF CONVERSATIONS BY ROB WARD
Available online 22 – 27 Feb

CO-PRODUCTION OF FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA’S BLOOD WEDDING
Available online 27 – 31 May

Cultural Leicester powerhouses Curve and De Montfort University (DMU) have announced plans to continue their strategic partnership throughout 2021 with a host of new projects.

Since the theatre was forced to close its doors to audiences in March 2020, DMU has remained supportive of Curve and the arts, including sponsorship of the Made at Curve production of The Color Purple – at Home, which is now streaming onlineuntil Sun 7 Mar, in association with Birmingham Hippodrome.

During LGBTQ+ History Month in February, the university’s annual DMU Pride events are taking place virtually, with a series of talks, networking sessions and quizzes for staff, students and members of the public. As part of this programme Emmerson & Ward, Curve and De Montfort University present Conversations, a premiere digital production by award winning writer and performer Rob Ward (Away From Home, Gypsy Queen). Conversations is the second Emmerson & Ward production to premiere as part of DMU Pride following 2020’s The MP, Aunty Mandy and Me – also written and performed by Ward.

Directed by Julia Thomas (Burning Books, Curve), this new drama features performances from Ryan Anderson (West Side Story, Curve), Darren Bennett (West Side Story, Curve), Rosie Fleeshman (Narcissist in the Mirror, UK tour), Reece Lyons (Overflow, Bush Theatre), Londiwe Mthembu (Extremisim, Soho Theatre), Corinna Powlesland (Grease, Curve) and Esme Sears (The Wizard of Oz, Leeds Playhouse). Available now to stream on demand for free until 27 Feb, Conversations takes a fresh look at the challenges of 2020 and the new battle lines drawn in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality.

2020.

Well that was a bit rubbish wasn’t it!

Whilst we locked ourselves down and watched the world burn, we turned to zoom to keep conversations and community alive.

From awkward zoom dates to exasperating online rehearsals, Harry Potter fanatics and middle aged keyboard warriors, this new digital production tells four stories playing out over our new favourite platform.

Throughout spring, professional teams at Curve will work with DMU performing arts students to stage Federico Garcia Lorca’s poetic tragedy Blood Wedding. Directed by Curve’s Birkbeck Trainee Director Jennifer Lane Baker, Blood Wedding will be staged remotely by a company of Drama BA (Hons) students from DMU. The co-production will be recorded and available to stream online between 27 and 31 May, with tickets on sale now.

In the hills of rural Spain, a Mother grieves the loss of her husband at the hands of the rival Felix family. Violent and long-standing community tensions re-emerge when she learns her son – The Groom – is due to marry an ex-lover of the hot-blooded Leonardo Felix, who later steals The Bride away from the wedding celebrations. As historic conflicts erupt around the doomed couple, the stage is soon set for this tale’s arresting climax.

Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said:

“De Montfort University’s support of Curve has always been phenomenal and even as our theatre doors have remained closed for almost a full year, our partnership with DMU is as strong as ever. We are proud to be partnered with an institution which shares our commitment to our communities, enhancing educational experiences and providing unique opportunities for everyone to create and access culture.

“We’re thrilled to be uniting this year for a diverse range of work, from The Color Purple – at Home to Rob Ward’s new play Conversations (part of this year’s digital DMU PRIDE programme) and our annual co-production – this year Tanya Ronder’s stirring adaptation of Lorca’s Blood Wedding – featuring a talented cohort of students. Whilst we still can’t be together in person, it’s inspiring to see such innovative responses to the challenges of these times. Theatre is all about collaboration and we proud to work alongside DMU, one of this country’s greatest educational institutions.”

Sarah Thomson, Director of Social Impact and Engagement at De Montfort University, said: “We are pleased to be continuing our partnership with Curve, a theatre which does great things with the community and offers incredible hands-on experiences for our Dance, Drama and Performing Arts students.

“So many people in Leicester have turned to the arts during lockdown for their entertainment and Curve’s offerings online have really been second to none.

“Needless to say, we are proud to be sponsoring their latest production of The Color Purple – at Home, and working on so many other projects at a time when arts in the community is proving to be a vital way of people connecting with each other during the pandemic.”

Tickets for productions of The Color Purple – at Home, Conversations and Blood Wedding are available to purchase online now at www.curveonline.co.uk

Streaming online 22 February – 7 March – book via https://barntheatre.org.uk/secret-society-of-leading-ladies

4****

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The Barn Theatre’s short but sweet treat for musical theatre fans lets the viewer choose the characters that sing each number to create their own show. The Secret Society of Leading Ladies sees 14 West End performers take on the personas of divas, princesses, dreamers and villains from shows including The Wizard of Oz, Anastasia, Mean Girls, Fame and Chicago.

Directed by Ryan Carter, each show sees 5 singers arrive in a mysterious venue and sing their character’s standout number. There are short scenes where the women chat between the “Choose your character” screens, which work brilliantly whatever combination you choose.

Every member of the company (Jocasta Almgill, Lauren Byrne, Kayla Carter, Aoife Clesham, Allie Daniel, Abbi Hodgson, Aisha Jawando, Claudia Kariuki, Natalie Kassanga, Emma Kingston, Kayleigh McKnight, Ellie Mitchell, Jarnéia Richard-Noel, Kelly Sweeney) delivers a wonderfully fresh and polished performance, with the three villains in particular relishing every second of their time in the spotlight. The brevity of the show and the chance to be in control should appeal to fans who have always wanted to take the reins of a production, and also serve as an innovative introduction to musicals that will ignite a passion for musical theatre.

After the five solos, the finale gives us a big finish with all fourteen performers taking part, giving the audience a glimpse of what they’ve missed in their version of the show. Tickets are available to watch a single show, but a multi-show pass allows multiple viewings, and you can then see all fourteen performances – this would take three views of the show. Die-hard fans may want to try out as many of the 150+ different show combinations as they can.

Packed with stunning performances, this is an exciting and very sociable approach to a streamed concert – I can see a few family arguments developing in homes around the country over which character to choose next! The Secret Society of Leading Ladies is a delight from start to finish, over and over again.

Jon Morgan, director of Theatres Trust, the UK national advisory body for theatres, has responded to the Prime Minister’s lockdown easing announcement this afternoon:

Theatres Trust welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcement of a ‘not before’ date of 17 May for theatres to reopen with social distancing and capacity limits, but we recognise that this will be subject to the Covid data nearer the time. We also recognise that this means that many theatres, who cannot operate viably with lower audiences under social distancing, will need to wait longer before reopening.

Theatres Trust supports the government’s cautious approach to easing lockdown restrictions. We want to play our part in helping keep people safe and we do not want to be in a situation where theatres reopen too early only to be forced to close again after a short period.

The Job Retention Scheme and the Culture Recovery Fund have provided vital support for the sector so far. We are pleased to hear that the government is committed to continued support to protect jobs. It is important that this is targeted to reflect the differing realities for different sectors depending on where they are on the reopening roadmap.

The theatre sector continues to work with the government to establish as clear a pathway as possible to reopening and to identify any mitigating measures that would allow a return to full audiences.

Following today’s announcement with the roadmap out of lockdown, Josephine Burns, Chair of Without Walls, has provided a comment about the Outdoor Arts sector. Without Walls is a consortium of over 30 festivals and arts organisations that bring fantastic outdoor arts to people in towns and cities across the UK. She comments:

We welcome the news of a cautious lockdown exit plan and gradual reopening of the economy, but Without Walls and its 35 partner organisations now appeal for the government to outline clear guidelines for the Outdoor Arts to return to business.

Outdoor Arts are a thriving part of the UK cultural landscape that are more important now than ever. Our work is particularly well placed to bring vibrancy and connection back to public spaces and Without Walls is committed to getting our work back on the streets and in front of audiences in ways that are safe, responsible, and celebratory for everyone.

Without Walls’ partners are all working together to ensure that public safety is paramount at our events and we have developed a range of resources on how to present work safely in outdoor settings during the pandemic. We are at a critical point in the development of our work and now need adequate notice and time to plan.  This year we are investing over £650k in our largest programme ever, to support artists to create and tour 20 new ambitious projects across the country. Without clear guidance for our industry, this network of events, experts and freelance workforce remains under threat.

To move forward, Without Walls urges the government to recognise the adaptability and expertise of the UK Outdoor Arts sector which prides itself on making extraordinary things happen in a huge range of contexts, spaces and places. We believe that Outdoor Arts are essential to support cultural recovery and to bring communities back together following the trauma of the pandemic. We are confident that our events are viable, as safe as outdoor exercise and can bring tremendous value to the health and wealth of our nation and wider economy. We eagerly anticipate further information to help us move forward.

ORANGE TREE THEATRE ANNOUNCES INSIDE/OUTSIDE

– A COLLECTION OF SIX WORLD PREMIÈRE PLAYS

Orange Tree Theatre today announces Inside/Outside; a collection of world première short plays by six emerging and established writers, performed and livestreamed from the Orange Tree Theatre’s auditorium. The first three plays, written by Deborah Bruce, Joel Tan and Joe White, focus on the theme of Inside, and will be streamed live 25 – 27 March 2021. The final three playsby Sonali Bhattacharyya, Zoe Cooper and Kalungi Ssebandeke explorethe theme of Outside, streamed live 15 – 17 April 2021.

The collection, directed by Anna Himali Howard and Georgia Green, cover stories of estrangement and loneliness; of connection and redemption; of despair in confinement to hope found in life outdoors.

Paul Miller, Artistic Director, said today, “As we emerge from a bleak Winter, it’s appropriate that the OT commits to new talent and new initiatives. Literary Associate Guy Jones has curated a beguiling and moving series of short plays from some writers familiar to the OT and some new to us, to reboot our theatre. And these will also be our first venture into live-streaming: we want to live-stream all our work in the future and this is our first step towards that. We want to be back to full-scale productions that welcome audiences when it is safe. Until then I am proud to present this new play project as the best possible way of platforming the new and emerging talent that’s vital for the future.”

Inside/Outside is part of OT On Screen, the Orange Tree Theatre’s digital project launched in January 2020 with Maya Arad Yasur’s play Amsterdam, watched by over 25,000 people worldwide. The productions, filmed in collaboration with The Umbrella Rooms, mark the company’s first live-streamed project, and the first live performances at the Orange Tree Theatre since lockdown began on 16 March 2020.

All rehearsals and filming will be conducted in a Covid secure environment in line with current government guidelines.

Sonali Bhattacharyya was 2018 Channel 4 writer in residence at the Orange Tree, where she wrote Chasing Hares, winner of the Sonia Friedman Production Award. Her credits include Megaball (National Theatre Learning for ‘Let’s Play’), Slummers (Bunker Theatre), 2066 (Almeida Theatre), The Invisible Boy (Kiln Theatre) and White Open Spaces (Pentabus Theatre – South Bank Show award-nominated). She was one of three playwrights selected for the inaugural Old Vic 12, and is currently under commission to Fifth Word and Kiln Theatre, writer in residence at National Theatre Studio and recently shortlisted for the Woman’s Playwriting Award for her play Deepa the Saint.

Deborah Bruce’s theatre credits include The House They Grew Up In (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Distance (Sheffield Theatres/Orange Tree Theatre – finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize), Joanne (Latitude Festival/Soho Theatre), The Light (Live Theatre), Same (National Theatre) and Godchild (Hampstead Theatre). As a director, her credits include Pride and Prejudice (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre).

Zoe Cooper’s Out of Water had its world première at the Orange Tree in 2019 and was a finalist in the 2020 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She was also shortlisted for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Awards 2019, and nominated for the Best New Production of a Play Award in the Broadway World UK Awards. Her playwrighting credits include Jess and Joe Forever (Orange Tree Theatre/Traverse Theatre/UK tour – Off West End Award for Most Promising Playwright Award 2017, longlisted for the Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright Award) and Nativities and Utopia (Live Theatre).

Joel Tan is a Singaporean playwright based in London. His credits include Love in the Time of the Ancients (Shortlisted for the 2019 Papatango Prize), Tango (Pangdemonium Theatre – nominated for Life Theatre Award’s Best Original Script), Café (The Twenty-Something Theatre Festival), The Actors Tour (international tour), Mosaic (M1 Festival) and The Way We Go (Checkpoint Theatre). He is part of 503 Five, Theatre503’s residency scheme and an associate artist with Chinese Arts Now and Singapore’s Checkpoint Theatre

Kalungi Ssebandeke was selected for the BBC Writersroom London Voices, and Soho Theatre’s Writers Lab. He was also selected for the Lyric Hammersmith Ten Week Writers Programme and has written for the Young Vic, Bush Theatre and Talawa, his credits include Assata Taught Me (Gate Theatre). As an actor, his credits include Blood Knot (Orange Tree Theatre).

Joe White’s debut play Mayfly premièred at the Orange Tree in 2018, for which he won Most Promising New Playwright at the OffWestEnd Awards and was nominated for Best New Writer at The Stage Awards. He has written work for The Old Vic, Lyric Hammersmith, Bush Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Birmingham REP and BBC Radio 3. In 2014, he was selected for the BBC Writersroom 10 and won the Channel 4 Playwriting Award. In 2015, he was the Writer in Residence at Pentabus Theatre Company, and in 2017, he was selected for the Orange Tree Writers Collective and the Old Vic 12. In 2019, he was selected for the BBC TV Drama Writers Programme, through which he is developing a pilot with STV. He is currently under commission with Sheffield Theatres, Audible and Carnival Films.

Georgia Green directs. Her previous credits include The Mikvah Project (Orange Tree Theatre/BBC Radio 4) for which she was nominated for Best Director at The Stage Debut Awards. 

Anna Himali Howard directs. Her forthcoming work as a director I STAND FOR WHAT I STAND ON (Strike A Light). Past work includes I Wanna Be Yours (Paines Plough/Bush Theatre), A Small Place (Gate Theatre), and Albatross (RWCMD/Paines Plough/Gate Theatre). Howard was Associate Director for Fleabag (Soho Theatre, international tour). She was Paines Plough’s Trainee Director in 2016 and is an alumnus of the Birmingham REP Foundry. She was recently a Staff Director at the National Theatre, London.

Orange Tree Theatre Listings

1 Clarence Street, Richmond, TW9 2SA

INSIDE/OUTSIDE

Box Office: 020 8940 3633

orangetreetheatre.co.uk

Inside:                  Thursday 25 – Saturday 27 March 2021

Outside:              Thursday 15 – Saturday 17 April 2021

Performance Times: 7.30pm (Evenings) & 2.30pm (Saturday Matinees)

Tickets: from £10 on sale 23 February to OT Members and 25 February public sale

Audio described performances

Inside:                  26 March at 7.30pm and 27 March at 2.30pm

Outside:               16 April at 7.30pm and 17 April at 2.30pm

Captioned performances
Inside:                  27 March at 2.30pm
Outside:               17 April at 2.30pm

Thomas Hopkins & Michael Quinn for Ginger Quiff Media, Amy Hart, Guy Chapman,
and Bailey Harris-Kelly with Stream.Theatre
Shane Richie to star in digital revival of
Scaramouche Jones or the Seven White Masks
Streaming: Friday 26th March – Sunday 11th April 2021

Much-loved and multi-talented stage and screen actor Shane Richie (EastEnders; The Entertainer; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here) will take on the role of the titular tragic clown in the digital revival of Justin Butcher’s absorbing solo show, Scaramouche Jones. Filmed in a London theatre, and available to stream on Stream.Theatre from Friday 26th March to Sunday 11th April, this is the latest production from Ginger Quiff Media – the OnCom award-winning team behind the acclaimed revivals of Martin Sherman’s Rose starring Dame Maureen Lipman, and Little Wars (The Guardian and New York Times top picks) featuring Juliet Stevenson and Linda Bassett.

Richie swaps the I’m A Celeb Welsh castle for the digital stage, taking on the role made famous by the late great Pete Postlethwaite. Directed by Olivier Award-nominee Ian Talbot (The Pirates of Penzance, Regents Park Open Air Theatre; The Mousetrap, West End), this bizarre, comic, and heartfelt piece tells of a clown unmasked. Butcher’s magical storytelling bursts with exoticism and lyrical prose as Scaramouche finds himself caught in the riptides of a cruel and changing world.

This powerful one-man drama recounts an epic and mesmerising tale of a life shaped by extraordinary misfortunes, from the shores of Trinidad to England by way of slave ships, Italian royalty, and Croatian concentration camps. A witness to pivotal moments of the 20th century, Scaramouche finds himself at the dawn of a new millennium, marking his own centenary and preparing for death.

Shane Richie comments, I am honoured to walk in the footsteps of the legendary actor Pete Postlethwaite and take on the role of Scaramouche Jones in Justin Butcher’s amazing play.

Thomas Hopkins and Michael Quinn of Ginger Quiff Media add, We’re thrilled to continue to expand our digital portfolio, with what we consider to be one of the greatest British plays. It’s exciting to be working with Shane to bring the character of Scaramouche Jones to life on stage and straight into your living rooms.

HORRIBLE HISTORIES – BARMY BRITAIN &
HORRIBLE HISTORIES – GORGEOUS GEORGIANS & VILE VICTORIANS

Friday 2^nd April – Saturday 17^th April 2021
Visiting 19 Locations across the UK

Tickets on-sale 8am, Monday 22^nd Feb
From www.carparkparty.com starting from £39.50 (+ £2.50 booking fee) 

Having already announced the unique Covid-safe production of David Walliams Billionaire Boy that will be delighting families in their cars around the country over the coming Easter holidays, CAR PARK PARTY have listened to the demands of children (and their parents) and have announced not one, but two Horrible Histories touring productions that will be joining the aforementioned Billionaire Boy in giving families a much-needed live experience at a car park near you!

Fresh from helping thousands of families plug the panto-less gap with Horrible Christmas, Birmingham Stage Company and Coalition Agency are delighted to add 25 HORRIBLE HISTORIES – BARMY BRITAIN shows along with HORRIBLE HISTORIES – GORGEOUS GEORGIANS & VILE VICTORIANS, which will be playing at a smaller number of exclusive CAR PARK PARTY venues this coming Easter.

Both hilarious hit shows are a gag-filled gallop through centuries of British history with two amazing actors playing multiple historical roles!

HORRIBLE HISTORIES – BARMY BRITAIN features Queen Boudicca, King Henry VIII, Guy Fawkes, Dick Turpin, Queen Victoria and more historical characters from our barmy past! 
 
Are you ready to swing with a Georgian king? Can you see eye to eye with Admiral Nelson? Does the Duke of Wellington get the boot? Dare you dance the Tyburn jig? Find out what a baby farmer did and be saved by Florence Nightingale with HORRIBLE HISTORIES – GORGEOUS GEORGIANS & VILE VICTORIANS.

Horrible Histories Live on Stage is based on the bestselling books written by Terry Deary, illustrated by Martin Brown and published by Scholastic. It first launched in 2005 with the world premieres of Terrible Tudors & Vile Victorians. Since then, the Birmingham Stage Company has produced eighteen different Horrible shows, performing to over three million people in the UK, including the longest running children’s show in West End history, with its record-breaking series Barmy Britain. Horrible Histories Live on Stage has also become a worldwide phenomenon, performing in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Qatar, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, New Zealand and Australia, where it performed in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

Terry Deary is the author of Horrible Histories which is the world’s bestselling children’s history book series. The series is illustrated by Martin Brown. There are over 80 Horrible Histories titles with sales over 30 million in 40 countries. Deary is also the author of over 300 fiction and non-fiction books for young people. ‘A cultural phenomenon. The Horrible Histories series of books have been formative experiences for anyone born since the late 1980s’ Daily Telegraph

Car Park Party know these fantastic shows will entertain all ages with its hysterical historical journey through the barmiest and horrid bits of British history!
Perfect entertainment for those aged from 5 to 105!

HORRIBLE HISTORIES: BARMY BRITAIN DATES

Friday 2nd April                                  Manchester        AJ Bell Stadium (2pm & 5pm)     
Saturday 3rd April                              Harrogate           Yorkshire Event Centre (2pm & 5pm)
Sunday 4th April                                 Middlesbrough   Riverside Stadium (11am)
Monday 5th April                               Leeds                 Harewood House (11am)
Monday 5th April                               Carlisle               Racecourse (2pm & 5pm)
Tuesday 6th April                               Newark              Newark Showground (11am)
Wednesday 7th April                          Northampton     Franklins Gardens (2pm & 5pm)
Friday 9th April                                   Chelmsford        Racecourse (2pm & 5pm)
Sunday 11th April                               Stevenage          Knebworth House (2pm & 5pm)
Tuesday 13th April                              Newbury           Racecourse (2pm & 5pm)
Wednesday 14th April                        Poole                 Canford Park (11am)
Wednesday 14th April                        Coventry            Ricoh Arena (2pm & 5pm)
Thursday 15th April                            Wolverhampton Racecourse (2pm & 5pm)
Friday 16th April                                 Bath                   Bath & West Showground (11am)
Saturday 17th April                             Uttoxeter           Racecourse (2pm & 5pm)

HORRIBLE HISTORIES: GORGEOUS GEORGIANS & VILE VICTORIANS

Sunday 4th April                                 Newcastle          Racecourse (2pm & 5pm)
Saturday 10th April                             Windsor             Racecourse (2pm & 5pm)
Monday 12th April                              Crawley              Lingfield Racecourse (2pm & 5pm)
Thursday 15th April                            Exeter                Racecourse (11am)

The Royal Lyceum Theatre Company and Pitlochry Festival Theatre in association with Naked Productions

Casts Announced for Next Three New Sound Stage Productions

·         In readiness for tickets going on public sale on 22 February, casts for John Byrne’s Tennis Elbow, Jaimini Jethwa’s Hindu Times, and Lynda Radley’s The Mother Load have been revealed

·         Tennis Elbow by John Byrne (30 April – 2 May 2021) is directed by Elizabeth Newman and stars Maureen Beattie, Brian Ferguson, Jessica Hardwick, Cherylee Houston, Louise Jameson, Anne Odeke, Sally Reid, Kirsty Stuart, Samuel West, and Fiona Wood

·         Hindu Times by Jaimini Jethwa (28 – 30 May 2021) is directed by Caitlin Skinner and stars Rehanna McDonald, Adam McNamara, and Daniel Portman

·         The Mother Load by Lynda Radley (25 – 27 June 2021) is directed by Isobel McArthur and stars Nalini Chetty, Anna Russell-Martin, Wendy Seager, and Rosalind Sydney

·         The remaining plays of The Sound Stage season, with casts still to be confirmed, include Gary McNair’s Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil, set in Cowdenbeath and to bedirected by David Greig, and premieres from Timberlake Wertenbaker and Roy Williams

Pitlochry Festival Theatre and The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in association with Naked Productions are delighted to announce casts for three forthcoming Sound Stage plays.

From 30 April – 2 May Sound Stage will premiere Tennis Elbow, the new comedy from playwright and artist John Byrne, the creator of the BAFTA award-winning BBC television series Tutti Frutti and the critically acclaimed plays The Slab Boys Trilogy. The new play, which will be Byrne’s first for 13 years and is the follow up to his acclaimed 1977 debut play Writer’s Cramp, is a bittersweet comedy about the life and work of a mischievous lost artist trying to make her way in the world. 

Directed by Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman, Tennis Elbow’s exciting cast will feature Maureen Beattie (Deadwater Fell, ITV, Yerma, Young Vic and The Ferryman, Gielgud Theatre); Brian Ferguson (A Number, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Oil, Almeida Theatre); Jessica Hardwick (Barefoot in the Park, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Cyrano De Bergerac, National Theatre of Scotland); Cherylee Houston (Coronation Street, ITV and Little Britain, BBC); Louise Jameson (Dr Who and Bergerac, BBC and Winter Hill, Octagon Theatre Bolton); Anne Odeke (The Winter’s Tale, RSC and The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre); Sally Reid (PC Sarah Fletcher in Scot Squad, BBC Scotland and Wendy and Peter Pan, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh); Kirsty Stuart (Faith Healer, Pitlochry Festival Theatre and The Duchess [Of Malfi], Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and Citizens Theatre); Samuel West (All Creatures Great and Small, Channel 5; The Crown, Netflix, Mr Selfridge, ITV and ENRON, Chichester Festival Theatre, Headlong and the Royal Court); and Fiona Wood (The James Plays, National Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland and Blonde Bombshells, Pitlochry Festival Theatre).

Playwright John Byrne said:

“I’m thrilled to be working with so many wonderful actors on my play. I’ve worked closely with Elizabeth on the casting of Tennis Elbow. Maureen (Beattie) has very much been in my mind since I first conceived the play so I’m delighted she’s involved. Kirsty (Stuart) playing Pamela Crichton Capers will undoubtedly be a tour de force. She is wonderful. I’m very proud of the entire company. It has some fantastic cameo roles from great actors like Sam (West), as well as an opportunity for me to work with actors like Brian(Ferguson ) and Louise (Jameson) who I’ve admired for some time. What’s also wonderful is the process is introducing me to new actors like Anne (Odeke) and Cherylee (Houston) whilst giving me the opportunity to work with people again like Sally (Reid) and Jessica (Hardwick). It’s a real privilege to have such talent involved and I hope the audience enjoy our work.”

From 28-30 May, Caitlin Skinner will direct the premiere of Jaimini Jethwa’s Hindu Times, which tells the story of Hindu deities Vishnu and Brahma as they come back Dundee, to restore earth, reunite with Lakshmi, and bring back love, but end up getting right on it.  The cast will feature Rehanna McDonald (Do You Love Me Yet , Oxford Playhouse and Adam, National Theatre of Scotland); Adam McNamara (Peter Gynt, National Theatre and Black Watch, National Theatre of Scotland) and Daniel Portman (Game of Thrones, HBO and The Last King of Scotland, Sheffield Theatres).

Playwright Jaimini Jethwa said:

“I’m excited to work with The Royal Lyceum and Pitlochry Festival Theatre, two leading companies with strong reputations for excellence and commitment to emerging talent. Developing my new play shows their continued dedication to artists especially in these times. I’m excited to showcase Hindu Times, which gives commentary and coincides with events in the world today, bringing the deities to Dundee, in the avatars of Dundee guys affectionately known as ‘minks’, Vishnu aka Vince and Brahma aka Barry, who come to save earth, bring balance, restore essence, spread divinity, and get Vishnu’s chick back, Lakshmi, who’s on her own mission, trapped inside a Dundee lassie Lakhi.”

In June, Isobel McArthur will direct The Mother Load by Lynda Radley.  Three first-time mothers confront their expectations of pregnancy and parenthood in this funny and moving play about unlikely friendship and the messy realities of all our lives. Premiering from the 25-27 June, the cast will feature Nalini Chetty (Blessed, Traverse Theatre and Cyrano De Bergerac, National Theatre of Scotland & Traverse Theatre); Anna Russell-Martin (Nora: A Doll’s House, Citizens Theatre and Young Vic and The Panopticon, National Theatre of Scotland); Wendy Seager (Descent, Oran Mor and Rapunzel, Citizens Theatre), and Rosalind Sydney (An Appointment with the Wicker Man, National Theatre and Girl in the Machine, Traverse).

Playwright Lynda Radley said:

“It’s always a joy to connect with an audience but in these times this opportunity is especially treasured. The Sound Stage project asks us to listen to plays, not alone but together, in a live setting. That’s exciting, and I’m fascinated to find out how that feels. My hope for The Mother Load is that we’ll laugh together, tell and hear truths together, and be a little less judging of ourselves and each other.”

David Greig, Artistic Director of The Lyceum and director of Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil,and Elizabeth Newman, Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre and director of Tennis Elbow, said:

“We’re so pleased to share this news about the next three Sound Stage plays. Every one is a new work, each writer has their own unique voice, but all the plays explore big ideas and offer hope, humour, warmth and wit. We think they’re terrific. Were also proud that so many great people are involved in making and developing the plays. Exceptional established artists working alongside exciting new talent; actors, directors, designers, composers, assistant directors and audio experts all coming together to make sure these plays are shown off with the highest production quality. At a time when we all crave the togetherness of performance, we hope these stories will delight audiences in Scotland and beyond.”

Sound Stage is a new audio digital theatre which will premiere eight new audio plays one each month starting in March 2021. The Sound Stage plays are:

Angela by Mark Ravenhill – 26 March to 28 March 2021
Tennis Elbow by John Byrne – 30 April to 2 May 2021
Hindu Times by Jaimini Jethwa – 28 May to 30 May 2021
The Mother Load by Lynda Radley – 25 June to 27 June 2021
Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil by Gary McNair – 23 July to 25 July 2021
Sophia by Francis Poet – 27 August to 29 August 2021
A New Play (Title TBC) by Timberlake Wertenbaker – 24 September to 26 September 2021
A New Play (Title TBC) by Roy Williams – 29 October to 31 October 2021

Every Sound Stage performance will be accompanied by a post-show event, hosted on Sound Stage, inviting audiences to engage further with these exciting new plays.

Further announcements for the second half of the Sound Stage opening season will be made in the coming months.

Tickets for Sound Stage productions are currently on sale and can be purchased through Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh websites priced from £10 per play across the season.

www.pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com and www.lyceum.org.uk

Streaming online as part of Written on the Waves – book via http://www.forty-fivenorth.com/writtenonthewaves

4****

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

45North and Ellie Keel Productions’ Written on the Waves series of audio plays continues with Recognition, the story of the experiences of two black classical musicians a century apart.

Co-created by Amanda Wilkin (writer) and Rachael Nanyonjo (director), the struggles of Song (Shiloh Coke) to finish her composition and meet her college deadline is interwoven with the story of Samuel Coleridge Taylor (Obioma Ugoala), a composer and musician she had never heard of, but whose life story resonates with and inspires her as she learns of his legacy and the impact it had on the music industry.

Finding a letter written by Samuel Coleridge Taylor in 1912 and wondering at the eloquence and confidence as he declares himself the equal of any white man, Song is amazed when he mentions other notable creatives – Dumas and Pushkin – of African descent, and questions why she was unaware of this fact.

Even after 100 years, Song’s experience at music college is the same as Samuel’s as she is usually the only black person in the room, although nobody has tried to find out if her hair will burn. As she should be completing her composition, Song cannot move on from exploring Samuel’s life, wondering why there is so little to be found in his own voice, and relying on the recollections of his contemporaries.

After being isolated for so long in England, Samuel’s experiences in the US open his eyes and he finally feels a sense of belonging, and longs to include the soul and spirit of his people in his new compositions, leading to his greatest successes. This contrasts with the well-meant but ill-judged advice Song receives from a tutor to not make every composition about her identity as she feels huge pressure to represent her community and deals with the cost of black excellence as she yearns for the opportunity to collaborate and create with other black musicians in an education system with such a whitewashed curriculum and history.

Ugoala’s smooth tones are believably Victorian, and the contrast with Coke’s modern language and intonation, along with the varying lengths of each section creates a fantastic rhythm and musicality. Cassie Kinoshi’s original music, Deschanel Gordon on piano, Fra Rustumji on violin and Zara Hudson-Kozdoj on cello layer even more emotion and atmosphere onto the play.

The beauty of Amanda Wilkin’s writing does not detract from the huge frustration and anger at the inequalities and injustices that are still prevalent today, and even as Song acknowledges that every attempt to shine still comes at a price, she finally finds her inspiration thanks to Samuel and loses herself in her music – as the listener has been lost in this lyrical and poignant play.

Livestreamed from The Space 18 – 20 February – book via space.org.uk/event/outside-livestream/

4****

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Gabrielle MacPherson’s Outside is unsettling and unmissable. Willa hasn’t left her home for 30 years, as her parents have kept her safe from the bad outside. Surrounded by papers, books and boxes, Willa searches for “evidence” while an unknown man questions her at intervals over a tannoy system. On a wall above Willa a projection of her searching the room plays, not matching her current movements as she talks of the old house, the new house and “this place”, which is eventually confirmed to be a question room for children and vulnerable adults.

Written and performed by Gabrielle MacPherson, Willa’s a grown woman but has the energy and emotional outlook of a child after constant abuse and gaslighting in her family home, still keeping her kit ready for when she needs to be safe in the dark. She talks of the marks on her skin, always in places covered by clothes during the short time she attended school, almost poetically, and clings pitiably and desperately to the memory of art classes and making her teacher laugh. The “people with clipboards” who came to inspect their home when the school raised its concerns only trigger a swift move and an even more isolated life for Willa, and her narrative flits, birdlike across the years. Her instinct to hide when we hear knocks on the door is shocking, as MacPherson instantly switches from childlike glee recalling a memory, to sheer terror cowering under the table.

The details of Willa’s abuse are horrific, but never described in gratuitous detail, and this feels completely appropriate for Willa’s state of mind, brushing over them as she tries to prove “it wasn’t her fault” – her satisfaction when her abuser harms the parent that always looked the other way. As Willa complains about unheard noises, the creeping sense that not everything in the chaotic room is real, but part of Willa’s fantasy world, builds – and although the ultimate reveal about why Willa is in the room feels inevitable, the gory details will give you a jolt.

Gabrielle MacPherson is magnetic as Willa – portraying her damaged soul and mental instability brilliantly without ever becoming a caricature. Her writing is equally sympathetic and dynamic, and Karis Crimson’s astute direction allows the dark tale to become increasingly disjointed and claustrophobic, even onscreen (it would probably set your skin crawling if we were actually watching inside The Space) with the creepiness of Laura Howard’s sound design and Ica Niemz’s set adding to the weird atmosphere.