Month: January 2021

ALL ON HER OWN

BY TERENCE RATTIGAN

STARRING JANIE DEE

TO STREAM FROM 16 FEBRUARY 2021

Jack Maple & Brian Zeilinger-Goode for MZG Theatre Productions will produce a brand new digital production of Terence Rattigan’s one-woman play, All On Her Own, starring award-winning actress Janie Dee and directed by Alastair Knights, with Jack McCann as assistant director and original music by Lindsey Miller. The show will be available to stream for eight performances only via stream.theatre from 16 to 21 February 2021. More information about the production is available at stream.theatre or the direct link www.allonherown.com.

A powerfully atmospheric one-woman play, All On Her Own tells the story of Rosemary who, alone at midnight in London, has a secret burden to share that is both heartbreaking and sinister.

The play began life as a piece for television, broadcast on BBC2 on 25 September 1968.  It was first performed on stage at the Overground Theatre, Kingston, Surrey, in October 1974 and was most recently seen at the Garrick Theatre in April 2015 starring Zoe Wanamaker as part of the Kenneth Branagh Season.

Terence Rattigan is one of Britain’s greatest playwrights.  His many successful plays include French Without Tears, After the Dance, Flare Path, Man and Boy, The Winslow Boy, The Browning Version, Harlequinade, The Deep Blue Sea, Separate Tables, In Praise of Love and Cause Célèbre.  Sir Terence Rattigan died in 1977.  Royalties from this and other Rattigan works benefit Denville Hall and the King George V Fund for Actors and Actresses.

Janie Dee’s much celebrated theatre work includes The Boyfriend (Menier Chocolate Factory); Follies, Women of Troy and Carousel (Olivier Award) at the National Theatre; Antony and Cleopatra (Hollywood Bowl and Barbican), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Russia and Asia tour) and All’s Well That Ends Well for Shakespeare’s Globe; Hello, Dolly! (TMA UK Theatre Award) and The King and I at Curve Leicester; My One and Only (also West End), A Month In The Country and Three Sisters at Chichester; Noises Off at the Old Vic and in the West End; Hand To God, Blithe Spirit, Donkey’s Years and Calendar Girls in the West End.  Janie won the three most prestigious awards in British Theatre – the Olivier Award, the Evening Standard Award and Critics’ Circle Award – for Best Actress in a Play, as well as the Obie and Theatre World Best Newcomer Award in New York, for her hilarious and heartbreaking performance as Jacie Triplethree in Alan Ayckbourn’s Comic Potential.  Janie numerous screen credits include Chimerica, Love Hurts and House of Cards, and she has appeared alongside Colin Firth in Harold Pinter’s Celebration for Channel 4, opposite Martin Shaw in P.D.James’s Death in Holy Orders and The Murder Room, as Zac Efron’s mother, Mrs Samuels, in Me and Orson Wells, and as Jan Clements in the feature film Official Secrets with Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes.

Alastair Knights’s theatre credits Include A Little Night Music (Opera Holland Park), Sitting (Hong Kong ArtisTree), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (UK Tour), The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, The Spitfire Grill (Union Theatre – BroadwayWorld Award for Best New Production of a Musical), Stephen Sondheim’s Putting it Together (St. James Theatre), Dream Queen (Shakespeare’s Globe) and My Fair Lady (60th Anniversary Concert).  He also directed The Elaine Page Show for Sky Arts.  Alastair is the founder and curator of RE:act, the new writing and artist development initiative that provides a regular platform for the work of emerging theatre-makers.

All On Her Own is produced by arrangement with The Terence Rattigan Charitable Trust with thanks to Alan Brodie Representation. For further information visit www.terencerattigan.com and www.alanbrodie.com.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

ALL ON HER OWN

Performances: 16 to 20 February at 7.30pm, 19 February at 9pm, 20 February at 2.30pm & 21 February at 5pm

Running time: approximately 25 minutes

Ticket pricing: £8 + booking fee

For tickets and to stream, visit www.stream.theatre 

For more information about the production, visit www.allonherown.com 

ELLA RISBRIDGER STREAMED LIVE TO YOUR HOME WITH DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

Darlington Hippodrome continues its series of live streamed events with bestselling cookery author Ella Risbridger on Tuesday 19 January.

Ella Risbridger has been described by The Times as “the most talented new cookbook writer of a generation”. Her debut book Midnight Chicken (& Other Recipes Worth Living For), was published in January 2019 and won high praise from the likes of Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater.

There was a time when, for Ella, the world had become overwhelming. Sounds were too loud, colours were too bright and everyone moved too fast. One night Ella found herself lying on her kitchen floor, wondering if she would ever get up – and it was the thought of a chicken, of roasting it, and of eating it, that got her to her feet and made her want to be alive.

Join Ella in conversation as she touches on the story of life in a tiny flat and why cooking for people you love is like giving them a birthday present every day. From roast garlic and tomato soup to charred leek lasagne or burnt-butter brownies, Ella will share stories and her favourite recipes that are about people, about love and about the things that matter every day. She’ll also explore what it felt like when her Paris Cookies recipe went viral at the start of lockdown, after hundreds of people contacted her to say they had been making them.

Councillor Andy Keir said “In these difficult times where we all miss live entertainment in the Hippodrome auditorium, the opportunity to become engrossed in personal stories, thoughts and experiences of best-selling authors in the comfort of your own home is a creative and exciting venture from the Hippodrome.”

This live streamed event will be broadcast on Tuesday 19 January at 6.30pm and will be available to view up to a week after the event has ended.

For full details or to book please visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

West End stars unite for online concert revival of
Gatsby A Musical at Cadogan Hall
Streaming: Friday 12th – Sunday 14th February 2021

Former Spandau Ballet frontman, Ross William Wild (Elvis Presley in Million Dollar Quartet) and Olivier nominated actress, Charlotte Wakefield (Spring Awakening; The Sound of Music), will take on the famed roles of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan in a digital concert rendition of Gatsby A Musical, following sell-out live success and an Offie nomination for Best New Musical. This captivating socially-distanced revival will be filmed in the historic Cadogan Hall and made available to stream online from Friday 12th to Sunday 14th February 2021.

The new concert production also stars leading West End talent, including four-time Olivier Award nominee Emma Williams (Mrs Henderson Presents; Zorro), and Marc Antolin (Little Shop of Horrors; Flying Lovers of Vitebsk).

Further casting includes Blake Patrick Anderson (RENT; Be More Chill), Chanice AlexanderBurnett (Motown the Musical; Beautiful – the Carol King Musical), Lauren Chinery, Robert Grose, Oliver Mawdsley, Tristan Pegg and Marc Rhys. If you’re excited by the stellar line up, you can even grab a VIP ticket and be whisked backstage to see the cast preparing for the show.

Adapted by director Linnie Reedman, and with music and lyrics by Joe Evans, this unmissable piece brings F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel to life for a semi-staged concert experience. Vibrant characters, popped corks, and infectious rhythms collide with personal conflicts and lost loves in this tragedy of the vanishing jazz era.

When Daisy Buchanan revisits Jay Gatsby’s mansion seven years after leaving that world behind, she is trying to confront her past by reliving the dream she shared with Gatsby. But where is he? With themes of loss, disappointment and ultimately hope for a better tomorrow, Gatsby, is surprisingly resonant with the ‘roaring twenties’ we find ourselves in once again.

Writer and Director, Linnie Reedman, comments, Gatsby has become, over the years, synonymous with glamour, glitz and parties. What a lot of people forget, however, is that the ‘Roaring Twenties’ came immediately after a World War. And a global pandemic. It was a period of upheaval and great change. I think the story of a crushed American dream, juxtaposed against individual hope and optimism is essentially pertinent today.

Gatsby has previously been staged at the Crazy Coqs, the King’s Head, Riverside Studios, the Leicester Square Theatre, Theatre Royal Windsor and The Other Palace.

NEW NATIONAL LOCKDOWN FORCES

SPINE-CHILLING GHOST STORY

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS

TO BE POSTPONED

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 4 January 2021 of a new national lockdown until at least the middle of February, Park Theatre and the producers of the new spine-chilling ghost story, WHEN DARKNESS FALLS, which was due to play a limited season from 24 February to 13 March 2021 at Park Theatre in London, have taken the difficult decision to postpone the run.  The Box Office will be in touch with ticket holders as soon as possible.

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS is written by James Milton and Paul Morrissey. The production at Park Theatre was to be directed by Paul Morrissey, with Will Barton playing John Blondel and Alex Phelps The Speaker. 

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS was to be produced at Park Theatre by Paul Morrissey Limited, Chris Wheeler and Molly Morris, in association with Glynis Henderson Productions, Dawn Smalberg and Bev Ragovoy and Park Theatre.

The mini-tour scheduled for March is under review.

Website: whendarknessfalls.co.uk 

WEST END STAR MATT CROKE

TAKES CENTRE STAGE ON ITV’S THE VOICE UK

PERFORMING IN THE BLIND AUDITIONS

AIRING SATURDAY 9 JANUARY FROM 8.30PM

West End star, Matt Croke, noted for his critically acclaimed performance in the title role of Disney’s Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre, takes centre stage as a contestant in this year’s hotly anticipated 10^th series of The VOICE UK.

Opening the show with his stand-out vocals, Matt performs Come What May in the blind auditions, in the second episode of the new series, airing on Saturday 9 January from 8.30pm.

Matt Croke, said, “All my life I’ve been involved in musical theatre, it’s what I know and what I love. 2020 changed a lot of things, but most noticeably for me I wanted to find a different way to do what I love the most. So when an opportunity came along to be involved with The Voice UK I jumped at it, and I am so proud to be doing my thing and to be waving the flag for the industry of which I am so proud to be involved in.”

The VOICE UK’s latest series kicked off last week on ITV on 2 January 2021. There will be 12 episodes in total comprising of The Blind auditions, The Battles, Semi Finals and Final.

The show is presented by Emma Willis, with the award-winning pop star Anne-Marie joining Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am and Olly Murs in the revolving red chairs, all on the lookout for the next big singing sensation. The winner of the show will get to sign a recording contract with Universal’s label UMOD.

This year’s show now includes an exciting new format twist called The Block, which offers the four coaches an opportunity to stop a fellow coach from adding a singer to their team. During the Blind auditions each coach will have one chance to use their ‘Block’ button in an attempt to secure the best team possible – and ultimately weaken the chances of the other coaches.

Widely recognised for portraying the title character in the West End production of Disney’s Aladdin, Matt Croke is no stranger to the stage. The singer, dancer, and actor has understudied and performed in several major roles, including West Side Story’s Tony, Wicked’s Fiyero, Funny Girl’s Eddie, Chicago’s Amos Hart, Grease’s Eugene, Singin’ in the Rain’s Don Lockwood, Cinderella’s Prince Charming, Larry in A Chorus Line, and Zeke in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Most recently starring at the Royal Albert Hall with the Alpha Club – Best Of the West End. 

Croke has also appeared on television and lent his voice and talents to numerous productions with ITV and appeared many times on the Royal Variety Performance.

Born and raised in Sheffield, Croke received training at the Maureen Law Theatre School, Sharon Berry School of Dance, and Laine Theatre Arts College. He credits his sister, Rachel Croke, as inspiration for his love of musical theatre, and they currently share the role of principal at the RMC Academy of Theatre Performance in his hometown.

Croke released his debut solo album, Only Dreaming, in late 2018. Which is available on all downloading platforms and through his website www.mattcroke.com. Featuring the talents of his Disney family – Hiba Elchikhe, Trevor Dion Nicholas, and Nick Afoa, the album featured tunes from Aladdin, Big Fish, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Moulin Rouge!, The Wiz, and more. He was also very honoured to have been part of the original cast recording of Webborn & Finn’s The Clock Makers Daughter which is available on iTunes.

Most recently Matt has enjoyed continued success playing the role of Berger in Paul Taylor-Mills’ production of Hair, a role he is set to reprise in early 2021. 

His West End performances continue to impress, and fans can stay tuned to his latest projects via his active social media channels.

@mattcroke

mattcroke.com

The 10^th series of The Voice UK continues on Saturday 9 January from 8.30pm on ITV.

The song on this weekend’s Blind audition, Come What May from Moulin Rouge!, features on Only Dreaming, Matt Croke’s debut solo album. Available on all downloading platforms and mattcroke.com.

CURVE EXTENDS RUN OF FIVE-STAR PRODUCTION OF SUNSET BOULEVARD – AT HOME

Performances now streaming until 17 Jan

Due to popular demand, Leicester’s Curve theatre has today announced plans to extend the run of its critically acclaimed Sunset Boulevard – at Home, to Sunday 17 Jan.

In a first for Curve, the production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical was performed by the company in the theatre’s newly configured auditorium and filmed in HD for audiences to watch from the comfort of their home. With performances streaming from 22 Dec, the production has been seen in 36 countries across the world so far.

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

“We’ve been blown away by the incredible response to our production of Sunset Boulevard and we are thrilled the gates of Paramount will now remain open for one more week. From our initial plans to perform the show to socially-distanced audiences, to creating a filmed version in a matter of days, this has been an exceptional achievement by all involved. We know nothing will ever replace the electric joy of live theatre, but during this third national lockdown, we hope this astonishing musical, performed by an incredible company of actors and musicians, continues to bring joy into our audiences’ homes, both here in the UK and across the globe.

“Our thanks and enormous gratitude to Really Useful Group, Paramount Pictures, UK Theatre, the Musicians Union, our sponsors PPL, Arts Council England, Leicester City Council and the DCMS’ Culture Recovery Fund which has enabled us to produce this show and bring together so many freelance artists.”

The production includes a host of original company members from Curve’s award-winning 2017 international touring production, including Ria Jones as Norma Desmond, Danny Mac as Joe Gillis, Molly Lynch as Betty Schaefer, Adam Pearce as Max Von Mayerling, Dougie Carter as Artie Green and Carl Sanderson as Cecil B DeMille.

The company is completed by Benjamin Chambers, Owen Chaponda, Joanna Goodwin, Kristoffer Hellström, James Meunier, Gemma Naylor, Joanna O’Hare, Jessica Paul, Sam Peggs and Barney Wilkinson.

Set over a turbulent New Year’s Eve in 1940s Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard is a gripping tale of romance, glamour and obsession. Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster directs this production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical masterpiece, which features book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and is based on the 1950 film by Billy Wilder.

A 16-piece orchestra, supported by music licensing company PPL, brings the musical’s score to life with musical supervision by Stephen Brooker, musical direction by Chris Mundy and orchestral management by Stephen Hill for Musicians UK Ltd. The production team also includes Set Designer Colin Richmond, Choreographer Lee Proud, Lighting Designer Ben Cracknell, Sound Designer Tom Marshall, Video Designer Douglas O’Connell and casting by David Grindrod CDG. The production was filmed and edited by Crosscut Media.

As part of the extended run, Nikolai Foster will also host a live pre-show talk at 6pm on Tue 12 Jan, including cast members Ria Jones, Danny Mac and Molly Lynch, as well as Musical Supervisor Stephen Brooker, Lighting Designer Ben Cracknell and Company Stage Manager Julia Reid. Tickets for this online event are priced at £10 per household.

Tickets for Sunset Boulevard – at Home are available to purchase online now. Tickets cost just £20 per household. Visit www.curveonline.co.uk for further information and to book.

New Year, new look for Official London Theatre as it launches online initiatives to bring together theatre lovers and support the industry

officiallondontheatre.com 

Official London Theatre has unveiled a fresh new look for 2021. Run by Society of London Theatre (SOLT), the not-for-profit organisation representing the London theatre industry since 1908, Official London Theatre is the leading and trusted online hub for all things theatre, working directly with theatre owners and producers to support the industry.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Official London Theatre and SOLT have continued to champion the creativity and innovation of our world-leading theatres. This week saw SOLT Chief Executive Julian Bird and former SOLT President Kenny Wax recognised in The Stage 100 list for their tireless lobbying and advocacy, liaising with Government and bringing industry leaders together to find a way through the devastation wreaked on our sector.

As theatres and theatre professionals everywhere struggle to survive, Official London Theatre highlights ways that theatre fans can support the artform they love. Examples include donating to a charity like the Theatre Artists Fund which gives emergency financial aid to freelance arts professionals, or buying tickets and Theatre Tokens through Official London Theatre, which helps support our outreach and access programmes –  so you get the joy of something to look forward to and the satisfaction of giving something back.

Theatre as a shared experience is hugely important for mental wellbeing, and Official London Theatre aims to help theatre lovers stay connected during the current lockdown. From 12 January, a brand new weekly series of live Theatre Chats will take place on the Official London Theatre Instagram, every Tuesday at 6.00pm. The series will bring together theatre fans and industry professionals to share their love of theatre. 

The Official London Theatre YouTube channel, one of the biggest theatre-focused YouTube channels in the world with over 166,000 subscribers, hosts a wide range of behind-the-scenes content, exclusive performances, interviews and show trailers. In 2020, we partnered with Sky VIP on a series of ‘Behind The Curtain With…’ videos in collaboration with top West End shows, and look forward to continuing this partnership in 2021. 

Official London Theatre also continues to promote online shows and events, with comprehensive theatre streaming listings on our Virtual Theatre Fix page, created last year in response to the pandemic. A new Family Theatre Fun page will be providing free theatre-based quizzes, games, storytimes and educational resources to help keep children entertained while schools are closed. 

Emma De Souza, Head of Marketing and Communications for SOLT, said:

‘We recognise what a difficult time this is for everyone and are dedicated to supporting our producers, theatre owners and audiences in whatever way we can – collaboration is the key to getting through this period of uncertainty. As the official online home of London theatre, we are uniquely positioned to be able to share the joy and creativity of theatre in all its forms, and will continue to do this as we work towards reopening.’

Due to popular demand

Sasha Regan’s award-winning all-male take on W. S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan’s 

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE 

Returns to screens on Stream.Theatre this Easter

Recorded Live at the Palace Theatre just before Lockdown 2, the critically acclaimed sell-out run makes a welcome return to living rooms around the globe.

Streams online from Monday 29^th March – Monday 5^th April 2021

★★★★
“GAIETY, FRIVOLITY, VIM AND ARTISTIC RIGOUR”
DOMINIC CAVENDISH, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

    ★★★★★   
“JOYFUL AND UNFORGETTABLE’
CLAIRE RODERICK, FAIRY POWERED 

  ★★★★★  
“SASHA REGAN’S ALL-MALE PIRATES IS THE VERY MODEL OF A MODERN MAJOR MUSICAL”
DAVID SAXON JONES, LONDON LIVING LARGE

★★★★
“AN ENERGETIC AND JOYOUS REVIVAL – A TONIC IN TOUGH TIMES”
GEORGE HALL, THE STAGE

Due to popular demand, Sasha Regan’s award-winning all-male take on W. S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan’s THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE returns to screens from Monday 29^th March – Monday 5^th April 2021 on www.stream.theatre . Recorded live at the Palace Theatre London in December, just before Lockdown 2, the recent streaming makes a very welcome comeback over Easter.  Whether we are still in lockdown or not, expect a much-needed dose of musical comedy in the comfort and safety of home.  Features an abundance of gorgeous pirates and their winsome Victorian love interests! The perfect tonic to raise spirits and a show the whole family will enjoy. 

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE sees one of Gilbert & Sullivan’s best-known, much loved classic operettas recorded in a theatre founded by Richard D’Oyly Carte in the 1800s as the Royal English Opera House.  D’Oyly Carte who was already producing comic operas at his Savoy Theatre, decided to commission the Opera House as a home for grand operas. The Royal English Opera House opened 10 years after the Savoy Theatre which championed Gilbert & Sullivan’s well-known “Savoy operas”. Although their operettas never ran at the Royal English Opera House, it opened in January 1891 with Sir Arthur Sullivan’s Ivanhoe. Sadly, D’Oyly Carte’s cherished opera house came under financial pressure leaving him with no alternative but to lease it and eventually sell it within one year of opening.

Throughout his life, D’Oyly Carte managed Gilbert & Sullivan and nurtured their careers including setting up the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. Together these talented men introduced a new way of presenting light opera to families, touring these works to bring them out to the wider community.

Sasha Regan’s production was first staged at her original 50-seater Union Theatre in Southwark over a decade ago. From day one it became a critically acclaimed overnight hit, winning Best Off-West End production in the 2009 WhatsOnStage Awards. Following several sell-out runs in the UK, the merry band of pirates toured Australia including a three-week run at the Sydney Theatre thanks to Cate Blanchett then the co-artistic director. It enjoyed another sell-out run at Wilton’s Music Hall last year.

Expect plenty of hilarity from the swashbuckling crew!

How to watch:
The performance will be streamed on: https://www.stream.theatre/season/26

Performance dates and times:
Monday 29th March – Monday 5th April 2021 (for Easter)
Monday 29th March – 19:30 
Tuesday 30th March – 19:30 
Wednesday 31st March – 14:30 & 19:30 
Thursday 1st April – 19:30 
Friday 2nd April – 19:30  (Good Friday)
Saturday 3rd April: 14:30 & 19:30 
Sunday 4th April: 17:00  (Easter Sunday)
Monday 5th April: 17:00  (Easter Monday)

Tickets:  All tickets £15.00 + booking fee

Please Note: this is a ticketed event and only available at the scheduled dates and times.  The timing of each stream is based on UK time, so please bear in mind when booking from overseas.  There are a number of different times to choose from to suit time zones.  We hope you can join us.

CAST: Tom Senior (Frederic); Oliver Savile (Pirate King); Alan Richardson (Mabel); Leon Craig (Ruth); David McKechnie (Major-General Stanley); Marc Akinfolarin (Sergeant of Police); Michael Burgen (Samuel); Lee Greenaway (Connie); Dominic Harbison (Kate); Richard Russell Edwards (Isabel); Sam Kipling (Edith); Benjamin Vivian-Jones (Ensemble); Daniel Miles (Ensemble); Jamie Chidzey (Ensemble); Joel Elferink (Ensemble); Tom Duern (Ensemble); Matthew Facchino (Ensemble); Richard Baker (piano) – Musical Director.

CREATIVES
Director and Co-Producer – Sasha Regan
Choreographer – Lizzi Gee
Designer – Robyn Wilson-Owen
Musical Director – Richard Baker
Associate Choreographer – Lee Greenaway
Lighting Design – Ben Bull
Casting – Adam Braham Casting
Marketing and Public Relations – Fiona Lockley
Co-produced by Ben De Wynter

SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter @allmalepirates
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/allmalepirates

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FOR 2021 FROM BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME

Birmingham Hippodrome have today (Friday 8 January) released a special new poem by Birmingham’s Poet Laureate Casey Bailey to mark a message of hope for the New Year.

The special commission, titled Slice of Sunshine has been created to run alongside public images of the Global Rainbow light installation that the Birmingham Hippodrome Festivals team ran over the New Year period.

Global Rainbow – an art installation by international artist Yvette Mattern – was beamed northwest from the city’s iconic Rotunda building on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, marking a message of hope and peace for 2021.

Graham Callister, Director of Festivals at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “We were thrilled to work with Casey on such a special message of hope for the New Year. We would also like to thank everybody who shared photos of Global Rainbow too, we have been overwhelmed by the fantastic response to the installation and hope we can bring more moments of positivity to the region throughout 2021.”

Casey Bailey said: “When I first heard that the Global Rainbow was coming to Birmingham, I was so excited to see it light up the sky above the city. When I was asked to write about what this meant to me, I thought about the way that rainbows come from a combination of ‘good and bad’ weather and how I hope 2021 could redress the balance of a predominantly bad 2020”

‘Global Rainbow’ is an ongoing public artwork by Artist Yvette Mattern was presented by Birmingham Hippodrome as part of Global Streets, a national project funded through Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants.

The Slice of Sunshine video can be viewed on YouTube or on Birmingham Hippodrome’s social media channels.

Find out more about Birmingham Hippodrome’s Festivals work by visiting https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/hippodrome-projects/festivals/

A new year transformation – Papyllon to be
streamed by PDSW this January
Monday 18th – Sunday 24th January 2021

One of the nations’ leading dance venues outside London, Pavilion Dance South West (PDSW) will make Papyllon by Ella Mesma available for livestream on its website from Monday 18th January 2021. This transformative new piece provides an opportunity to see a work in development from one of the UK’s rising dance talents. Responding to the need for high quality artistic entertainment during lockdown, PDSW have ensured the powerful work returns to the digital sphere to be enjoyed by audiences up and down the country.

Inspired by the lifecycle of the butterfly and each stage of metamorphosis, Papyllon interrogates identity, privilege and imposter syndrome as Ella confesses to the audience how and why she doesn’t fit with society. The live music from Marv Radio (Sound Connections’ New Voices; Mantra) is entirely improvised in response to Ella’s work as the piece seamlessly blends dance, text, song and aerial silks. Papyllon skillfully plays with form to explore ideas of race, heritage, nature and nurture even as it uses shamanism and alchemy to inform the piece

Exploring new ways to diversify its programme, PDSW were among the first to offer free to view dance premieres in the March 2020 Lockdown, giving audiences an opportunity to engage, some for the first time, with contemporary dance at home. PDSW’s Company in Residence, Ella Mesma Company’s intimate performance kicks off PDSW’s 25th anniversary with a story of transformation. There will also be an opportunity to find out more about the creation of the piece with a post-show discussion with PDSW’s CEO and Artistic Director Zannah Chisholm

Artistic Director and CEO of Pavilion Dance South West, Zannah Chisholm comments, We are delighted to be hosting Papyllon online. It has been wonderful to see this work develop and transform in our Ocean Theatre. As an organisation who is passionate about inclusion, this streaming will be accompanied by an audio description that has been created in collaboration with the artist, Ella Mesma and audio describer, Caroline Burns, so everyone will have access to enjoy this stunning new work.

Ella Mesma is also one of the PDSW’s family highlighted in their digital postcard series. With a personal dance story as part of every postcard, each one highlights the wide variety of work PDSW do across the BCP area as well as paying homage to the people who have supported them for 25 years as a charity and for ten years in their building. Designed by CuCo Creative, the postcards perfectly partners with an interactive map from Google to help the audiences dance their way to PDSW from wherever they are in the world.