Author: FairyPoweredProductions

Youth Theatre seeks older actors for new play about digital legacy

 

The search is on for older acting company members – aged 65-plus – to join a York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre production of a specially commissioned play Legacy.

The play by Paul Birch will be performed from 12-14 April 2018 by a mixed company of actors aged 16-19 from the Youth Theatre and actors aged 65-plus from the community.

Youth Theatre Director Kate Veysey said: “We are looking for actors over the age of 65 with some acting experience who are keen to contribute to this production, both by developing their roles and being part of the company creating a play that makes people leave the auditorium talking about what they’ve seen.

“They should be actors who are not afraid to have a go, to ask questions – and to take a risk.”

Thanks to Clothworkers funding, this marks the first time the Youth Theatre has had the opportunity to commission a playwright for a main house production.

Paul Birch has already had several sessions of research and development with both age groups, independently and together, exploring their views and ideas about digital legacy.

Kate said: “This is the first intergenerational performance that we have created as a theatre. I am excited about the possibilities of two age groups working alongside each other to create this thriller for the stage. It’s a play that is not afraid to question our blogging/vlogging/social media society where you can literally find out what a stranger had for their dinner, their political views, and even which cat videos they like.”

Legacy raises questions of life, love and what we leave behind. The play finds old school police detective Simone Macdonald in a brave new world where Arisha Adler is a rising political star destined for Downing Street and Phillip Blackthorn is the founder of Legacy, a tech company which promises to change everything. Forever. These three powerful personalities find their lives turned upside down when a boy’s body is discovered on a river bank. Despite the use of new ground-breaking forensic technology there remains one problem … the boy doesn’t exist.

As Simone investigates the most unusual case of her career she finds herself in an increasingly unsettling world where nothing is what it seems and no-one can be trusted. The mysterious crime becomes buried in a blur of media manipulation, internet celebrity and wrapped in a box which makes anything possible.

Auditions are being held on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 December at York Theatre Royal. To book an audition email Community and Participation Administrator Georgia Nelson at[email protected]

If you would like an information chat about the opportunity before the audition, call the director Kate Veysey on 01904 550154.

Rehearsals begin in January on Mondays 6-8pm and Tuesdays 6-9pm as well as occasional weekend February half-term rehearsals. Actors will not be needed for all dates. Exact dates can be found by emailing Georgia at [email protected]

FLY TO NEVERLAND THIS CHRISTMAS

PETER PAN OPENS AT THE EPSTEIN THEATRE THIS WEEK

Get ready to go on a high-flying, PAN-tastic adventure this Christmas with LHK Productions’ Peter Pan; opening at The Epstein Theatre this week, from Fri 8 December 2017 – Mon 1 January 2018!

Prepare to be blown Out of Your Mind and join the stellar cast, including 90’s boyband star Dane Bowers as Captain Hook. Certain to have audiences hooked, Dane began his career as part of the British boy band Another Level. One of the most successful boy bands of the 90’s, the group achieving several platinum selling albums and singles including the iconic Freak Me.

Storming on to the Epstein stage as Peter Pan is Liverpool’s own Lewis Pryor, who took part in 2016’s series of Britain’s Got Talent, finishing 3^rd place in the Live Finals as a member of dance troupe Boogie Storm after receiving the coveted Golden Buzzer spot from Simon Cowell.

Voice of the airwaves, Radio City 2’s Claire Simmo will be sprinkling lashings of fairy dust as Tinkerbell, and everyone’s favourite dame Michael Chapman will bring his hysterical capers as theDarling Family Cook.

Completing the cast is the incredibly talented Joanne Harper as Wendy Darling, local performerGeorgia Austin as Tiger Lily, and the latest addition to be announced Chris Barton as Smee.

LHK Productions Managing Director Lee Kelly said: “Rehearsals have started and I  cannot wait for the show to open – everyone is super excited to entertain audiences of Liverpool this Christmas.

The show promises to deliver a truly magical and memorable experience for the whole family – and kids you will be amazed as you see Peter fly before your very eyes! As ever there will be lots of laughs and plenty of surprises thrown in too! We look forward to seeing you all in Neverland!”

Come along with Peter, Wendy and The Lost Boys on an adventure full of Pirates, Mermaids, Indians and a devious tick-tocking croc, in this enchanting story of the boy who never grew up.

As ever expect a huge production from LHK Productions with dazzling sets, sparkling costumes, laugh-a-minute scripts, brilliant songs and exquisite trade-mark choreography that everyone has come to know and love from Liverpool’s acclaimed panto production company!

Be sure to join LHK Productions and The Epstein Theatre this Christmas for Liverpool’s best value panto, with tickets starting from just £11.

PANTO LISTING:

Peter Pan

Date: Friday 8^th December 2017 – Monday 1^st January 2018

Times: Vary

Tickets: Opening Night Ticket Offer: Fri 8^th Dec All Tickets £13

               SPECIAL OFFER: Tue 26 Dec, 5pm & Sun 31 Dec, 5:30pm – All Tickets £15

Sat and Sun performances and Mon 1 Jan (except Sun 31 Dec, 5:30pm performance):

Adult £19/ Concession £17/ Family £63

All other performances: Adult £18/ Concession £16/ Family £59

Limited number of £11 tickets available on all performances (except Fri 8 Dec 7pm, Tue 26 Dec 5pm and Sun 31 Dec 5:30pm)

              

*Subject to booking fee. All prices include a £1 per ticket venue restoration levy

 

HOW TO BOOK

Call 0844 888 4411, visit www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk or book in person at the theatre box office (open 2pm-6pm Mon-Thu & 12pm-6pm Fri-Sat)

Or via TicketQuarter: Call 0844 8000 410, visit www.ticketquarter.co.uk

CASTING UPDATE FOR NICHOLAS HYTNER’S PRODUCTION OF

J U L I U S   C A E S A R

AS REHEARSALS BEGIN

 

Rehearsals begin today (4 December 2017) for Nicholas Hytner’s promenade production of Julius Caesar, the London Theatre Company’s second production at the Bridge Theatre.

Joining the previously announced David Calder (Caesar), Michelle Fairley (Cassius), David Morrissey (Mark Antony) and Ben Whishaw (Brutus) are Adjoa Andoh (Casca), Rosie Ede (Marullus/ Artemidorus),Leila Farzad (Decius Brutus), Fred Fergus (Lucius/Cinna the Poet), Wendy Kweh (Calpurnia), Mark Penfold (Caius Ligarius), Abraham Popoola (Trebonius), Sid Sagar (Flavius/Popilius Lena), Nick Sampson (Cinna), Hannah Stokely (Metellus Cimber) and  Kit Young (Octavius) as well as ensemble members Zachary Hart and Leaphia Darko.

 

Julius Caesar runs from 20 January to 15 April 2018, with opening night on Tuesday 30 January 2018.  Designs are by Bunny Christie, with costumes by Christina Cunningham, music by Nick Powell, lighting by Bruno Poet and sound by Paul Arditti.

 

Caesar returns in triumph to Rome and the people pour out of their homes to celebrate. Alarmed by the autocrat’s popularity, the educated élite conspire to bring him down. After his assassination, civil war erupts on the streets of the capital. 

 

Hytner’s production will be in promenade, thrusting its audience into the street party that greets Caesar’s return, the congress that witnesses his murder, the rally that assembles for his funeral and the chaos that explodes in its wake. With seating wrapped around the action, there will also be several hundred promenading tickets at £25 available in advance for each performance.

Julius Caesar will be broadcast on National Theatre Live on 22 March 2018.

 

David Calder was last on stage in The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures at Hampstead Theatre. His other theatre credits include The Nether at Duke of York’s Theatre, The Audience at the Apollo Theatre, The Doctor’s Dilemma and Hamlet at the National Theatre, King Lear at Shakespeare’s Globe, Rock ‘n’ Roll at Duke of York’s Theatre, Five Gold Rings at the Almeida Theatre, The Drawer Boy at the Abbey Dublin, The Little Foxes at the Donmar Warehouse, The Tempest,Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, Moscow Gold for the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Price and Othello for The Young Vic.

Michelle Fairley was last seen on stage in Road at the Royal Court, where she also appeared in Oleanna, Remembrance Day, Loyal Women and The Weir, which was later seen on Broadway. Her other theatre credits include Splendour, Othello and The Wild Duck for the Donmar Warehouse, Dancing at Lughnasa at the Old Vic, Huis Clos and Gates of Gold at the Trafalgar Studios and Scenes from the Big Picture at the National Theatre.

David Morrissey’s most recent theatre credits include Hangmen at the Royal Court and subsequently Wyndham’s Theatre, Macbeth for the Liverpool Everyman, In a Dark Dark House for the Almeida Theatre,Three Days of Rain for the Donmar Warehouse, Peer Gynt for the National Theatre, The Cabinet Minister at the Royal Exchange, Manchester and El Cid and WC/PC for the Liverpool Playhouse. For the Royal Shakespeare Company his credits are King John, Henry VI, Edward IV and Richard III.

Ben Whishaw was last seen on stage in The Crucible at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway. His other theatre credits include Bakkhai for the Almeida Theatre, Mojo at the Harold Pinter Theatre, Peter and Aliceat the Noël Coward, The Pride at the Lucille Lortel Theatre off Broadway, Cock at the Royal Court, Leaves of Glass at the Soho Theatre, Mercury Fur for Paines Plough and Hamlet at the Old Vic, as well as The Seagull, Some Trace of Her and His Dark Materials all for the National Theatre, the latter directed by Nicholas Hytner.

Nicholas Hytner was Director of the National Theatre from 2003 to 2015, where the productions he directed included The History Boys, Hamlet, One Man, Two Guvnors, and Othello. His films include The Madness of King George. His book Balancing Acts was published by Jonathan Cape on 27 April.  Hytner directed Young Marx, the opening production the Bridge.

 

Listings Information

Address:                                   Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 1NL

Box Office:                               0843 208 1846 or [email protected] (7p/minute plus standard network rate)

Access:                                    0333 320 0051 or [email protected]

Website:                                   www.bridgetheatre.co.uk

Twitter:                                    @_bridgetheatre

Instagram:                               _bridgetheatre

Facebook:                                facebook.com/bridgetheatrelondon

 

ICONIC LEEDS VENUES TO TAKE PART IN THE NATIONAL LOTTERY ‘THANK YOU’ CAMPAIGN

From 11 to 17 December 2017, National Lottery-funded heritage attractions are saying ‘thank you’ to National Lottery players by offering free entry, treats or discounts at more than 350 UK-Based National Lottery funded visitor’s attractions.

Leeds Grand Theatre will be saying ‘thank you’ by giving away copies of the book Grand Memories: The life and times of the Grand Theatre and Opera House, Leeds*, whilst Hyde Park Picture House (HPPH) will be handing out free teas and coffees.

The idea is simple; any visitor who presents a National Lottery ticket or scratchcard between Monday 11 to Saturday 16 December at Leeds Grand Theatre Box Office can claim a copy of the book. Similarly, anybody presenting a National Lottery ticket or scratchcard between Monday 11 to Sunday 17 December at HPPH will receive a free tea or coffee (T&C’s apply. For full details visit https://www.leedsgrandtheatre.com/Online/ / hydeparkpicturehouse.co.uk/events).

Leeds Grand Theatre received funding from the Heritage Lottery fund to undertake major restoration work on the grade II* listed Victorian theatre and to create a major base for the arts in the north of England by improving both backstage and front of house areas. The transformation breathed new life into the 1,550-seat venue; state of the art technology and improved facilities, including easier access for the disabled, now sit side-by-side with the original 1878 Victorian grandeur and elaborate décor.

Hyde Park Picture House has recently been backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund to start work on The Picture House Project. The Picture House Project will protect and preserve the historic features of the cinema, whilst making the building more sustainable, more comfortable and more accessible. For further information on this exciting project, please visit thepicturehouseproject.com

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “December is a wonderful time to experience the UK’s rich, diverse and exciting heritage, which has been transformed by more than £7bn National Lottery funding since 1994.  This is a small gesture of thanks and a way of giving something back to the people who buy tickets.”

*Written by Patricia Lennon and David Joy, the book charts the history of the theatre through the glory years on the Victorian era and the first half of the 20th century. The story is brought to life through the reminisces of theater goers, staff and performers, and includes archive images and contemporary photographs.

Nevill Holt Opera’s Noye’s Fludde wins Best Event
Award and new theatre unveiled for 2018 season
Nevill Holt Opera, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 8EG
Thursday 14th – Saturday 30th June 2018

The award-winning Nevill Holt Opera will open a brand-new theatre on Thursday 14th June 2018.

Each year Nevill Holt Opera’s programme and renown continues to grow. Their 2017 production of Britten’s Noye’s Fludde has won Best Event at the Leicestershire Tourism Awards 2017. Performed by more than 100 children from schools across the David Ross Education Trust, as well as pupils from Rutland Music Education Hub and Oakham School, the four performances in July were the highlight concluding the summer festival. Throughout the duration of the project, NHO worked with over 1,000 children. Judges praised the project for its ‘excellence, accessibility, impact and legacy.’

The performances of Noye’s Fludde were staged outdoors in a production directed by the Royal Opera House Director of Opera, Oliver Mears, and conducted by NHO Artistic Director, Nicholas Chalmers. Top professional artists worked closely with the young performers to deliver an excellent and exceptional experience of live music, opera and performance for children. Players from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra led and coached the young instrumentalists, while professional opera and radio stars Jonathan Lemalu, Heather Lowe, and BBC Radio 3 Presenter Petroc Trelawny performed the roles of Noye, Mrs Noye and the Voice of God.

A stunningly effective spectacle…a resonant, entrancing production (Opera Magazine).

Next summer, the festival will be staged in an exciting new space. Developed within a stable block courtyard on the historic Grade I listed Leicestershire estate, the new 400-seat theatre has been designed by Stirling Prize winning architects Witherford Watson Mann in conjunction with theatre designers Sound Space Vision (Koerner Concert Hall, Toronto; Winspear Opera House, Dallas).

Nicholas Chalmers, Artistic Director of NHO comments: For five years, Nevill Holt Opera has been staging the highest quality productions in its stable-yard theatre. The prospect of a new, uniquely intimate opera house to support this excellent work is such an exciting development.

The 2018 festival will launch with a new NHO production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Nicholas Chalmers, directed by Joe Austin (NHO Tosca 2017) and designed by Simon Kenny. 2018 will also see the launch of NHO’s new partnership with Royal Northern Sinfonia, who will be performing the 2018 production of Figaro.

NHO’s production of Figaro will feature their trademark selection of bright young stars – underlining their commitment to nurturing the best emerging operatic talent. Young Leicester-born baritone James Newby (2017 winner of Glyndebourne’s award for most talented young singer) will make his debut in the role of Count, while Lawson Anderson will star as Figaro. Sky Ingram sings Countess and Aoife Miskelly the role of Susanna while Joan Rodgers makes her debut as Marcellina.

Following the summer festival in Leicestershire, NHO’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro will tour to Sage Gateshead, home of Royal Northern Sinfonia, for two performances in July as part of the Great Exhibition of the North.

The festival will continue with the first revival of the acclaimed production of Adès’ Powder her Face, originally created by Northern Ireland Opera and directed by Antony McDonald.

With a history of hosting touring opera productions on the estate since 2005, Nevill Holt Opera was itself founded in 2013 as an independent festival with its own distinctive vision. Since then NHO has been committed to casting and working with young UK opera singers.

SEE YOUR FAVOURITE STARS FROM THE SOLANA HOTEL

 

LIVE ON STAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME

 

WORLD PREMIERE AT NEWCASTLE’S THEATRE ROYAL  7^TH SEPTEMBER 2018

 

Derren Litten’s smash hit ITV comedy BENIDORM is set to bring sunshine and smiles to the UK and Ireland as the first ever stage version of the ITV comedy marks its world premiere at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle from Friday 7^th September 2018. The show will be produced for the stage by Michael Harrison and David Ian.

Litten has written an all new set of Alicante escapades for the much-loved cast members, including Jake  Canuso (Mateo), Janine Duvitski (Jacqueline), Adam Gillen (Liam), Sherrie Hewson (Joyce Temple-Savage), Shelley Longworth (Sam), and Tony Maudsley (Kenneth) as they swap sangria for the stage next year after a quick spruce at the Blow ‘n’ Go!

Benidorm – Live will be the stage debut production of the hugely popular TV show, and on making its transfer, writer Derren Litten said: “I’ve loved ten years of writing my TV show Benidorm but despite a successful writing career I’m first and foremost a performer so have always been secretly frustrated I couldn’t hear the audience’s laughter. This national tour of Benidorm Live will not only make a long lasting dream come true but will also mean I no longer have to stand in strangers gardens listening at their windows at 9 o’clock on cold winter evenings.”

 

ITV’s smash-hit comedy celebrates a decade of all-inclusive hilarity, having followed the ensemble cast of holiday makers and staff for nine series since it first broadcast in 2007. Season 10 is due to broadcast early 2018.

Critically acclaimed, Benidorm has received two National Television Awards a TV Quick Award and nominations at the British Comedy Awards and BAFTAs.

After leaving school in Hull in the late 1980’s Derren Litten spent a year working as a professional magician whilst auditioning for drama schools.  He won a place on the 3 year acting course at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama where he met fellow student Catherine Tate.  After 10 years of working as an actor, Derren was asked by Catherine to write for her newly commissioned TV sketch show, The Catherine Tate Show; in which he also appeared in many of the sketches.  After co-writing and appearing in two series and a Christmas Special, Derren was given a script commission by legendary comedy producer Geoffrey Perkins, “just write anything you want as long as it’s funny” he said; that show turned out to be ITV’s BAFTA nominated hit comedy Benidorm. Derren’s hobbies include drinking and karaoke, usually in that order. He splits his time equally between homes in London and Spain

FOLLOW US TO FUN IN THE SUN

www.benidormonstage.com

Twitter:

@benidormonstage

Instagram:

@benidormonstage

Facebook page:

Benidorm on Stage

 

2018 BENIDORM TOUR DATES

7 – 15 September                                                         08448 11 21 21
Theatre Royal, Newcastle                                         www.theatreroyal.co.uk

17 – 22 September                                                       0844 871 3014

Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh                                                www.atgtickets.com/venues/edinburgh-playhouse

24 – 29 September                                                         0844 871 7649

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent                                           www.atgtickets.com/venues/regent-theatre

1 – 6 October                                                                   0844 847 2455

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin                          www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

8 – 13 October                                                                               01482 300 306

New Theatre, Hull                                                        www.hulltheatres.co.uk

15 – 20 October                                                             0844 871 7652

Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes                               www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre

22 -27 October                                                               01752 267222

Theatre Royal, Plymouth                                           www.theatreroyal.com

29 October – 3 November                                        01274 432000

Alhambra Theatre, Bradford                                    www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

5 – 10 November                                                          02380 711811

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton                       www.mayflower.org.uk

12 -17 November                                                          0844 871 3017

Empire Theatre, Liverpool                                        www.atgtickets.com/venues/liverpool-empire

19 – 24 November                                                        0844 871 3012

Bristol Hippodrome                                                     www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome

26 November – 1 December                                    0844 871 3011

New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham                     www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-alexandra-theatre-birmingham

AWARD WINNING

LAZARUS THEATRE COMPANY

Press Release – The 2018 Company of Edward II Announced

• All rise for your new King: Timothy Blore is crowned as King Edward II.

Edward II

Christopher Marlowe

Lazarus Theatre Company are proud to announce that Timothy Blore will make his Lazarus debut as the title role in Marlowe’s epic gay play, Edward II.

Timothy Blore makes his Lazarus debut as King Edward. Previous credits include: Captain Crewe/Carisford, A Little Princess, Steffi Nancy Walker, Theatre N16. Young Robert/Cellist, Earthquakes in London, Rikki Beadle Blair, New Diorama Theatre. First Soldier, Salomé dir. Izzie Price, Theatre N16. Ben, Breathing Corpses, Nick Edwards, Barons Court Theatre.

Returning to the company Alicia Charles plays the role of Queen Isabella. Previous Lazarus credits; Herodias, Salome, Ricky Dukes, the RoundHouse. Previous Theatre Credits Include; Olivia, Twelfth Night, Jennie Lee, Brockwell Park. Lady McDuff, Macbeth, Alice Lacey, The Broadway theatre. Lauretta, Invisible Mountains, Tom Daly, The National Theatre. Television Includes: Eastenders, Father Brown, Holby City, The Five, Doctors, WPC56, Coronation Street.

Making his Lazarus debut Oseloka Obi plays the role of Gaveston. Previous credits include; Man, Crossing The Line, Nicholas Morgan, The Cockpit. Joseph, We Raise Our Hands In The Sanctuary, Daniel Fulvio and Martin Moriaty, The Albany. Ian, A Boy Named Sue, Claudia Lee, The Rosemary Branch. Delroy, SUS, Hugo Wilson, The Bierkeller. Caecilius Clay, Nougat For Kings, Sam Rayner, Underbelly EdFringe.

Jamie O’Neill (Previous Lazarus credits include; Supervacuo, The Revengers Tragedy, Gavin Harrington-Odedra, The Brockley Jack) also returns to the company as Mortimer. Alex Zur (Alexander, Dying For It, Andrew Norton, Corbett Theatre. Macduff, Macbeth, Ian Henderson, Corbett Theatre) and John Slade (Talthybius, The Trojan Women, Pip O’Neill and Luke Ofield, Streatham Hill Theatre. Oliver, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Jess Barton, Stockwell Playhouse) take on the roles of Kent and Warwickrespectively.

Stephen Emery (Lazarus Credit include; Cosroe/Orcanes, Tamburlaine the Great, Ricky Dukes and Gavin Harrington-Odedra, The Tristan Bates. Pentheus, The Bacchae, Gavin Harrington-Odedra, Blue Elephant Theatre. Other Credits include; Ensemble, Lord of the Rings, Matthew Warchus, Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Ensemble, Carousel, Lindsay Posner, Savoy Theatre) returns to the company to play Lancaster.

 

While John Hogg (Previous theatre credits include: Lennox, Macbeth, Ben Crystal, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Oswald, Ghosts, Andy Arnold, Tron. Mark, Dim Sum Nights, Mingyu Lin, Golden Dragon) plays the role of Elder Mortimer and David Clayton, (Cliff, Dea, Edward Bond, Sutton Theatre. Jack, The Superhero, Phoebe Ladenburg, Lyric Hammersmith) plays Canterbury.

 

Marlowe’s Edward…

The King is dead. His son, Edward II, is crowned King. His first act: to call home from banishment his lover, Gaveston.

 

Our ★★★★★ production of Marlowe’s epic returns to the stage in an explosive ensemble production after a sell-out 2017 run which marked the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.

 

Lazarus is an award-winning theatre company, re-imagining and revitalising classic text for a contemporary audience. Edward II is directed by Lazarus Artistic Director, Ricky Dukes.

Listings

Dates 16^th – 27^th January 2018, Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm

Wednesday and Saturday matinee at 3pm.

Venue The Greenwich Theatre

Tickets £25.00, £15.00, £10. Concessions are £15 on top price seats.

To Book www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk

Social Media:

Twitter @Lazarustheatre #Marlowe #EdwardII / Facebook: LazarusTheatreCompany

 

Cast

Edward II – Timothy Blore

Queen Isabella – Alicia Charles

Gaveston / Lightborn – Oseloka Obi

Kent – Alex Zur

Mortimer – Jamie O’Neil

Elder Mortimer – John Hogg

Warwick – John Slade

Lancaster – Stephen Emery

Canterbury – David Clayton

Creative

Written by Christopher Marlowe

Adapted and Directed by Ricky Dukes

Designed by Sorcha Corcoran

Lighting Design by Ben Jacobs

Sound Design by Jack Barton

Costume by Cristiano Casimiro

★★★★★ “This remains a visionary company who have once again brought us a stunning and thoughtful adaptation. Not to be missed.”

View from the Gods on Tamburlaine

Story of legendary artist and activist Nina Simone takes to The Lowry stage in the New YearNina – a story about me and Nina Simone
Tue 30 Jan – Sat 3 Feb 2018 

The story of legendary artist and activist Nina Simone will take to The Lowry stage (Tue 30 Jan – Sat 3 Feb 2018) in Nina – a story about me and Nina Simone.

Starring the incredible Josette Bushell-Mingo and a live band, Nina – a story about me and Nina Simone is a searing and soulful theatre piece inspired by the life and music of Nina Simone.  

Taking in the singer’s political acts as part of the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s America as well as the struggles in her personal life, Josette Bushell-Mingo finds a parallel with the persisting inequality in today’s society, and questions how far we’ve really come.

Versions of some of Nina Simone’s best-loved songs combine with a clear provocation in this production directed by Dritëro Kasapi, with dramaturgy by Christina Anderson.  Design and costume is by Rosa Maggiora, musical direction by Shapor Bastansiar, light by Matt Haskins, video by Dritëro Kasapi.

Originally performed at the Unity Theatre, Liverpool in 2016, Nina – a story about me and Nina Simone toured Sweden in 2017 before its London premiere at the Young Vic in July 2017.

Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE is a Swedish-based English theatre actress and director. She was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2000 for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Rafiki in the London production of The Lion King. In 2001, she founded a black-led arts festival called PUSH at the Young Vic. Her credits at the Young Vic include: Simply Heavenly (as a director, also West End) and The Iron Man.  Her other directing credits include: Glo (The Volcano Theatre, Canada), When We Dead Awaken (The Vasterbottensteatean, Sweden, Unity Theatre, Liverpool), The Ghost Sonata (The People Show) and The Penelopiad (RSC). Her acting credits for theatre include: Antony and Cleopatra (Royal Exchange, Manchester), Vagina Monologues (New Ambassadors Theatre) and The Creation, Death & Knowledge In Everyman, Virtuoso, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (RSC). For television, her credits include: Blood River. Her film credits include: Blood In Their Eyes.

Dritëro Kasapi is a theatre director based in Stockholm, Sweden. He was educated at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje, Macedonia, where he originates from and where he started his career. Dritëro’s work has been performed internationally at many festivals including Wiener Festwochen, Bonn Biennale and Festival d’Avignon. He was an artistic leader of the CTC, a producing theatre and education centre in Skopje, Macedonia, from 1999-2005, Artistic Director of Gottsunda Dance and Theatre in Uppsala Sweden from 2005-2008 and is currently Deputy Artistic Director of Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm. His recent credits include: Hamlet, Enron, An Enemy of the People and Lampedusa.

Nina – a story about me and Nina Simone performed by Josette Bushell-Mingo and directed by Dritëro Kasapi runs Tue 30 Jan – Sat 3 Feb 2018 at The Lowry, Salford. Dramaturgy is by Christina Anderson, design and costume by Rosa Maggiora, musical direction by Shapor Bastansiar, light by Matt Haskins and video by Dritëro Kasapi.

January 15th – 19th, The Cockpit
Press Night: January 16th 2017, 7.30pm

After a critically acclaimed run at the 2017 Camden Fringe, Richard Canal’s tale of a clown seeking redemption through honesty and heartfelt truth returns to the Cockpit for a limited run in January 2018. Drawing from his own experiences, Canal’s personal story wipes off the make-up to reveal the face of himself, his persona and the United States’ first decades into the 20th century.

★★★★“a strong and bold piece of theatre” The Open Door

It is November 16th, 1932. The Depression is at its greatest, and vaudeville – the roaring heartbeat of the ’20s – has ceased to beat. Isaac Solomon Loew, a Jewish Mississippian, performs on Broadway as Blueberry, a happy-go-lucky Pierrot. Wrestling with guilts of times bygone, he frequently flees from his pain not only into performance, but also into sex. His increasingly addictive escapes have finally lost him his wife, at the same times as he loses his employment. He enters his dressing-room for the last time; and as he pours his heart out to the audience, shedding his painted mask, he wrestles with his memories, mistakes and misdeeds – either to their conclusion, or his own.

Cry, Blueberry is not, however, a tale of gloom and woe. Blueberry is a trumpeter of life, whose dreams fly above storms and tears; and his twisting, turning, heartfelt and honest-to-God journey – through saloons, towns, cities, brothels, circuses, churches, synagogues, theatres and more – touches on themes including racial injustice, the accountability of bystanders, the profundity of clowning and the ethics of repentance and forgiveness. This magical-realist play presents a poetic, enchanting perspective on the nature of encounters and escapes; on how people detach and isolate themselves from pain and painful truths; and on gladness, sadness and everything in between.

★★★★ “Canal (plays the title role) with incredulous conviction
(…) his voice (is) the real star and belongs on the RSC stage”
The Open Door

Richard Canal is a London-based actor and playwright from Spain and the United States, currently studying towards an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development at SOAS. Aside from his studies, he aims to become involved in theatre for reconciliation, and is working on a couple of one-person historical pieces for other actors.