Author: FairyPoweredProductions

UPDATE FROM THE WATERMILL THEATRE

Following the Government’s announcement on Saturday 31 October of a second national lockdown, sadly The Watermill Theatre and Restaurant will temporarily close from Thursday 5 November until further notice.

Performances of Lone Flyer from 5 – 21 November and A Christmas Carol from 26 November – 2 December are cancelled. Performances of Lone Flyer will continue this week until Wednesday 4 November with Covid-secure safety measures in place. Ticketholders for cancelled performances will be contacted directly by a member of the theatre’s Box Office team.

During the last few months, The Watermill has implemented measures to ensure the safety of audiences, performers and staff and was one of the first theatres in the country to reopen during the summer with a brand new comedy production of Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The theatre plans to reopen once restrictions are lifted with a new festive retelling of A Christmas Carol during December.A revised schedule will be published once more information becomes available. They also hope to reschedule cancelled performances of Lone Flyer for the New Year.

Artistic and Executive Director, Paul Hart said:

“There is no doubt that this has been a difficult year, but we are proud that since 17 March, when we first closed our doors, we have engaged with 1774 people through our online outreach and education workshops, created 4 brand new productions (two of which were outdoors!) and presented 103 performances where we have welcomed back 3,389 audience members to enjoy live theatre, both inside and out!

We could not have done this without the support we have received from our incredible audience members and local community and we want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has played a part in helping to sustain The Watermill Theatre during this challenging time. The response from audiences has been fantastic and the uplifting effect of our work has made us even more determined to get back up and running again after this next period of lockdown.”

The impact of cancelling performances and closing venues once again is a huge blow for the theatre industry and for audiences around the UK. The Watermill Theatre is seeking support through its FULL HOUSE appeal to enable it to continue creating ambitious and exciting theatre for audiences of all ages to enjoy once lockdown restrictions are lifted. For more information, please visit

www.watermill.org.uk/full_house_appeal_at_the_watermill_theatre

National Theatre leading free virtual courses for young people nationwide to learn theatre-making skills 

As the theatre industry continues to face huge challenges and the National Theatre closes again under new coronavirus restrictions, the NT is prioritising its work with young people across the UK to provide opportunities for them to take part in creative activities and find new ways to explore theatre-making.

The NT is collaborating with freelance artists, producers and technicians across the theatre industry to lead digital introductory courses for young people to learn about theatre-making and develop skills from experts in the field.

Applications are now open for young people across the UK to apply to take part in the How to be a Producer and Young Technicians’ programmes, running in early 2021. These online courses provide an opportunity for young people who may not otherwise have access to the industry to explore roles in the theatre alongside mentoring from industry professionals.

How to be a Producer for 16-21-year-olds is led by Tobi Kyeremateng, producer and founder of the Black Ticket Project alongside producers from the National Theatre, Southbank Centre, Young Vic and many more. The online course will explore the role of producer and what it takes to produce cultural events, including in digital form, through interactive tutorials and problem-solving activities including budgeting and project management. The course will take place across evenings in February 2021 and 50% of places will be available for young Black people in partnership with the Black Ticket Project.

The Young Technicians’ programme will be led by the NT’s expert technical teams to introduce the basics of lighting, sound and video through digitally delivered practical workshops, demonstrations and expert Q&As all delivered online. All participants will receive mini equipment kits to take part in hands-on challenges and learn practical skills. This course is open to 14-18-year olds and will run from January to March 2021.

These programmes are free to take part in and furthering the NT’s commitment to access, places will be prioritised for young people from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds, from working class backgrounds and/or with disabilities. Added support will be provided for young people at risk of digital exclusion.

Ali Taie, 19, took part in the Young Technician’s Programme in 2018/2019 and said, “Young Technicians’ came up at the perfect time for me. Back then, I was still in college and the idea of doing theatre was very distant, but doing it helped me understand all of the various roles in theatre that would suit me, along with a solid understanding of the fundamentals of each backstage role in technical theatre and just how critical all members are. It is the direct reason behind the founding of my current theatre company (Opsis Theatre Co), as well as my choice to go to the university which I’m currently attending”.

Ameena Hamid, 20, took part in How to be a Producer in 2019 and said, “The course provided an invaluable window into life as a producer through the lived experience of those in the industry as well as useful tools and theory. It gave me the confidence in my skills that I needed to start producing professionally and I’ve been doing so since. Another brilliant bonus was building up a network of course mates and industry professionals that I’m still in contact with today and who all help and support each other.”

Alice King-Farlow, Director of Learning at the NT said, “The National Theatre remains determined to open up pathways into the industry for young people from backgrounds under-represented in our sector. Despite the huge challenges facing the theatre industry, and as the theatre closes again under the new lockdown, we can use digital platforms to connect young people across the country with experts in our industry, who can share their experiences and knowledge and support the development and exchange of skills – for theatre and for the creative industries more widely. We hope these programmes will open up the creative industries to talented individuals who might not have considered a career in the sector, and provide transferable skills for their futures in any career.”

For more information, key dates and how to apply, visit https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/young-people

The National Theatre’s Partner for Learning is Bank of America.

The National Theatre’s Youth Programme for 16-21 year olds is supported by Richard Radcliffe Charitable Trust.

Jon Morgan, the Director of Theatres Trust, responds to the confirmation by the DCMS that some theatre activity can continue during lockdown, including rehearsals:

Theatres Trust is very pleased to hear that training, rehearsal, pre-production and streamed performances behind closed doors can go ahead during the November lockdown in England.  This will be a huge relief for those planning December shows as it means that they can ensure they are prepared for opening which will contribute to saving jobs and theatres.  In order for theatres to be ready to open in December, it is vital that the sector has suitable advance notice of the confirmed reopening date. 

Chichester Festival Theatre – until Wednesday 4th November

Reviewed by Heather Chalkley

5*****

Sarah Kane’s modern masterpiece Crave is a weirdly apt reflection of the pandemic world we are living in right now. The poetry and symmetry of her words are brought to life in a unique stage set of travelators, allowing 2 metres social distance between the actors whilst providing stillness, movement, light and dark to be seen from every angle. The capture of familiar words from old texts woven into the dialogue, gives an added richness and depth.

The individuality and interconnectedness of the characters draws you in to their worlds. Jonathan Slinger (A) delivers an astounding monologue that is so believable you live it with him as he speaks. Erin Doherty (C) creates such a sense of anguish; I could physically feel her pain. The sardonic, passive-aggressive nature of B (Alfred Enoch), carried an extreme sense of worthlessness. The tight grip of the older man and the light grip of the younger man on the objects of their love, creates a spotlight on one another. 

I identified with Wendy Kweh’s ‘M’ in as much as we are a similar age, however I know I will be thinking for days about this character and feel like I need to see it all again to get to grips with it! Throughout the performance, what seem like throw away lines from the characters, that cause the audience to titter or send a shock of uncomfortableness, are well placed to weave and connect.

The use of pre-recorded and live filming on the backdrop increased the intensity, helping you to get right inside each characters’ longing for a deep connection with another person. Inevitably you will recognise yourself inside their somewhere.

ISM comment on the increased support for self-employed workers

Maintaining a higher level of grant, expanding the eligibility criteria and developing a clear roadmap for the return of live performance are now essential

In a statement in the House of Commons today (2 November), Prime Minster Boris Johnson announced that for the month-long lockdown in November, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme SEISS) is increasing funding from 40% to 80% of average trading profits.

The SEISS is calculated over 3 months so this increases the total grant from 40% to 55% of trading profits for November to January and the maximum grant increases to £5,160.

The claims window for the SEISS grants will now be opening at the end of November rather than the middle of December as originally planned.

Chief Executive of the ISM, Deborah Annetts said:
‘We are pleased that the government is supporting the self-employed with 80% of trading profits for November, which increases the total grant to 55% of trading profits across the November to January period. Today’s announcement, coming so soon after previous changes to the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS), follows the ISM’s tireless campaigning on this issue. This is a further acknowledgement from the government that its initial approach was insufficient and that more had to be done to support the self-employed, including the thousands of musicians who cannot work while performance venues remain closed.
 
‘However, the increased rate of SEISS is only for the first month of the three-month grant period and three million self-employed workers continue to be excluded from receiving it at all. So maintaining a higher level of grant, expanding the eligibility criteria and developing a clear roadmap for the return of live performance are all now essential for preventing an exodus of highly skilled talent from our world-leading arts sector.’

Theatre Royal Bath production of COPENHAGEN to be postponed

• Second production in the WELCOME BACK SEASON to be rescheduled following Government announcement

The Theatre Royal Bath has today confirmed that COPENHAGEN, the second production in its successful Welcome Back Season will be postponed, following the Government’s weekend announcement regarding an impending second national lockdown.

Michael Frayn’s multi award-winning play starring Haydn Gwynne, Malcolm Sinclair and Philip Arditti, was scheduled to open on Wednesday evening (4 November), just hours before the country is now widely expected to return to national lockdown measures targeted at combatting the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Plans are underway to reschedule the performances, and as soon as these are confirmed, the Theatre Royal will contact ticketholders. Existing tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled dates, and credit notes, exchanges and refunds will be available should ticketholders be unable to attend the new dates.

COPENHAGEN is the second of three plays in the Theatre Royal Bath’s highly acclaimed Welcome Back Season, which began last month with Harold Pinter’s BETRAYAL. The Theatre’s COVID secure measures and socially distanced auditorium had received much praise from audience, critics and staff alike, generating many positive comments – “Without a doubt, this was safer than any train I’ve used in these times”… “Thank you all for the lovely experience. It was so wonderful to be back in the theatre again and we enjoyed the play immensely”… “Coming to the socially distanced theatre was easy and the experience fully satisfying. Just wonderful to be back”. 

COPENHAGEN was originally scheduled to run from Wednesday 4 – Saturday 21 November.

Unfamiliar at Home embarks on online tour
Digital tour: 10th– 25th November 2020

Unfamiliar at Home embraces the new digital landscape to break down traditional performance boundaries as Victor Esses and Yorgos Petrou share their autobiographical piece from their home direct to audiences’ own. This intimate and moving production combines Victor’s theatre and performance making techniques with Yorgos’ background as a visual artist. Unfamiliar is a product of them working together, to explore how they can expand their family.

Victor and Yorgos want to have children. They think. Maybe? Yes! Unfamiliar uses familiar household objects and confessional text to play with language and movement as it interrogates domesticity. They share a meal as a pre-recorded conversation talks about what a family consists of for them, they listen to interviews with members of queer families, and they speak of the unsolicited advice they received about becoming parents. As Yorgos and Victor explore their memories, fears and relationship, they reclaim the term family and build themselves the role models that they missed out on as they grew up

Beautifully intimate, full of gentle humour and tender moments, Unfamiliar is a stripped back autobiographical piece about being queer, wanting children and, ultimately, the human desire to create a legacy. Presented in association with theatres across the UK, this online tour will be performed live for audiences on Zoom each night as Unfamiliar at Home.

Victor Esses and Yorgos Petrou comment, Unfamiliar at Home is the natural progression for our stage piece Unfamiliar: we took the domestic into the performance space, now we bring the performance into the domestic. It’s an exciting thing to bring the audience on a journey with us in our real home, to make something so comfortable to us become strange and unfamiliar. It allows us to explore the feelings, the unsaid, the hard to communicate stuff that surfaces in and occupies our home in this quest to get ready to become dads. It feels like an important moment to touch on choice and to empower ourselves to believe that we are deserving, especially at a time of crisis and struggle.

Unfamiliar was developed in residencies at Battersea Arts Centre, The Pleasance, The Marlborough, Applecart Arts and The Finnish Institute London. It was selected for Brighton Dome’s The Works where it received dramaturgical support. Since then, it has received funding from ACE and the High Commission of Cyprus (UK) to be developed into an online performance

Frank, intimate […] layered and highly emotional (Camden New Journal).

Paines Plough – The Place I Call Home Festival

Monday 26th to Saturday 25th of October – also available 3 to 5 November

Reviewed by Sally Richmond

4****

How did you react during lockdown? Did you go from a survival mode to growth? In Tandem is an online play that shows how some people reacted during their quarantine period as we hear about their individual experiences, feelings and struggles. In Tandem is part of the The Place I Call Home film festival and gives us post-card type film clips of a stunted and bored couple in Krakow and a woman on her own who is chatting to her mother. The brilliant cast: Sharon D. Clarke, Patrycja Durska, Leanne Henlon and Pawel Kumiega give authentic and realistic portrayals of ordinary people enduring life but and finding new ways of living.

Self-isolating Ella metaphorically talks about plants (house plants) to her mother and through this, explores her thoughts on inner strength and what we need in order to keep going, survive and thrive. Through these chats she begins to start a new kind of relationship with her mother, as the only things they have to discuss is the past as nothing new is happening due to isolation and the fact that no one is going anywhere.

The couple living in Poland find that they have quite different approaches to the lockdown situation and this obviously has a big impact on their relationship. She goes into ‘growth’ – wanting to learn new things and take up pursuits that will give her new outlooks and experiences, whereas he is just stuck in ‘survival’ with some acceptance but goes into an internal existence of TV shows and doesn’t expand his mind. This doesn’t bode well for them as a couple and ends up as part comedy and part disaster.

Receiving emails was exciting and as a viewer it made me feel intrigued with a slightly voyeuristic vibe; as you’re being let into someone’s life – able to observe their behaviour and thoughts. Smartly directed by Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner with joint Artistic Directors of Paines Plough, this drama certainly makes you think about what ‘you’ did during lockdown and your own personal relationships as you watch these character’s lives unfold.

Following the recent lockdown announcement,  

Guildford Fringe Theatre Company revises its performance schedule for 

Jim Cartwright’s play Two 

including ONLINE broadcast, alongside live performances 

Monday 2 – Wednesday 4 November live at The Back Room of the Star Inn, Guildford  

Thursday 5 – Saturday 7 November, streamed ONLINE nightly at 8pm 

Performed by Laurie Duncan and Claire Marlein 

Following the recent lockdown announcement, Guildford Fringe Theatre Company has revised this week’s performance schedule for its professional production of Jim Cartwright’s, Two. The play will be performed live to socially distanced audiences at the Back Room of the Star Inn, Quarry Street, Guildford from Monday 2 – Wednesday 4 November at 8pm, with an additional 4pm Wednesday matinée (NB the only in-person tickets still available are for this new performance). The show will now be live streamed online from Thursday 5 – Saturday 7 November at 8pm. Book tickets at https://www.GuildfordFringe.com/events-archive/two-by-jim-cartwright/.  

Director and Producer, Nick Wyschna, said: “Just when we thought we were going to be producing a week of live, in-person theatre, we received that news! I can’t lie, I’m gutted. This is probably the best play we’ve produced at Guildford Fringe. It’s certainly the best piece of theatre I have personally directed, I’m beaming with pride for it. Anyway, enough of the negative. On the positive side, we get to perform the show live in front of an audience for three days, which is better than nothing. And then we open the show up to the world by streaming it from Thursday until Saturday. My worst nightmare would be for no one to see this incredible show with these two actors who are just sublime and that is not happening, so all is well!” 

Laurie Duncan and Claire Marlein will play the Landlord and Landlady, respectively.  Two is directed and produced by Nick Wyschna for Guildford Fringe Theatre Company.  The production comes hot on the heels of Guildford Fringe’s successful short tours of John Godber’s multi-role plays Teechers and Bouncers last year, as well as their recent online adult pantomime, Pinocchio Gets Wood.  

First performed in 1989 at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, Two follows the simple concept of two actors playing fourteen different characters between them. The action is set entirely in the local pub – in this case, The Back Room of The Star Inn of course! The Landlord and Landlady’s cheery greetings and friendly banter barely disguise their contempt for each other. Having met outside the pub when they were kids, they now own the place. During the course of the evening, assorted customers pass through and we are given a small snapshot into each of their lives. Two is storytelling at its best.  

To book tickets for Two, visit https://www.GuildfordFringe.com/events-archive/two-by-jim-cartwright/ or call the Box Office on 01483 361101. Running time: approx. 1 hour (no interval). The venue will be operating at a reduced capacity to allow for social distancing measures, and face coverings will be mandatory. For full details of health and safety measures in place for the live shows, visit the Guildford Fringe website.  

Following the Government’s announcement on a national lockdown for England and taking into consideration the safety of all staff and cast, the producers of THE GREAT GATSBY will be cancelling performances at IMMERSIVE LDN from Wednesday 4 November until Wednesday 2 December 2020.

The return performance will be Thursday 3 December 2020, and the booking period for the show has been extended through to Sunday 28 February 2021.

Ticket holders for cancelled performances will be contacted asap by Arts Tickets to confirm next steps.

Producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook said, “We are proud of everyone who took up that call to arms and everyone who has taken this second lockdown on the chin. Getting our venue reopened was a massive feat, a pathfinding, a learning and a humbling experience. We look forward to welcoming back our patrons into the socially distanced version of the production as soon as we are able, when the R rate is under control and times are a little kinder. We are grateful for the continued support of our co-producers and investors. We also hope for a greater stimulus package and necessary support from DCMS for the sector and those who form some of the 3 million #ExcludedUK. Our heart goes out to other producers, theatre owners, casts and crews during this time. The fightback to the stages is an important cultural moment and we are very proud of everyone who has taken up the call.”

THE GREAT GATSBY reopened in the West End on 1 October and has been welcoming audiences back with socially distanced performances at IMMERSIVE LDN, a Covid-Secure venue, with full adherence to government health and safety regulations.