Theatres Trust responds to Culture Recovery Fund announcement

Theatres Trust director Jon Morgan has responded to today’s news of further grants from the Culture Recovery Fund:

Theatres Trust welcomes the additional £300m in Culture Recovery Fund grants, of which up to £250m is to be distributed by Arts Council England. The priority for theatre in 2021 will be getting to Stage 5 of the Theatre Reopening Roadmap which will allow theatres to reopen viably with fuller audiences. This will be dependent on a combination of vaccine and rapid testing rollout and the implementation of an agreed set of mitigation measures in theatres. The timescale for these elements is of course challenging and not yet clear, so the allocation of funds to support theatres beyond April 2021, along with the welcome extension of the furlough scheme, will provide much needed additional security for theatres as we work towards welcoming back fuller audiences next year.

Jongleurs 2021-

JONGLEURS IS BACK!

LAUNCHING BRAND NEW COMEDY CLUBS FROM JANUARY 2021

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Jongleurs Comedy Club is back and will be launching with performances in London and a UK tour in 2021.

The much loved Jongleurs brand has been acquired by Kev Orkian Founder of Howlin’ Entertainment Ltd  and the British Pantomime Academy who intends to re-imagine and re-establish the brand, bringing it back to deliver quality comedy across the UK whilst providing many platforms for comics to work and develop their acts. 

With a launch planned for 27 Jan at the Century Club London, the team will be taking Jongleurs ‘On the Road’ in 2021 with a tour, taking in some of the best comedy venues in the UK including the Concorde Club Southampton, Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple and the highlands Restaurant Broxburn with more to be announced in the New Year. 

Acts confirmed include John Moloney, Hal Cruttenden, Tom Houghton, Nick Page, Rudi Lickwood, Mike Gunn, Susan Murray, Kane Brown, Jarred Christmas, John Ryan, Joe Rowntree, Kev Orkian, Marcus Birdman, The Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue, Geoff Boyz, Ignacio Lopez, Cerys Nelmes, Kev Orkian, Paul Tonkinson, Javier Jarquin, Ria Lina and Phil Walker.

Kev Orkian, also an Actor, Musician and Stand Up Comedian, and former Jongleurs Comic says “After a rocky few years Jongleurs is back in safe hands.  I had the privilege of working for them for a number of years and my vision is to re-establish the brand to once again lead the comedy circuit as a club which lives and breathes what they originally stood for; providing great working conditions for acts, with well managed shows, offering more opportunities for up-coming comics and sharing more diverse line ups,  and of course, ultimately providing our audiences with the highest quality of comedy entertainment”

He continues “ When Jongleurs went into administration under the previous ownership there were a few comics left without pay, our first step on reinvigorating the brand is to begin to help to rectify this and build trust again within the circuit and we will be offering those entertainers paid performance opportunities with Jongleurs as a priority“

“We are experiencing incredibly difficult times; the entertainment industry has been hit very hard with the restrictions imposed by the government during the pandemic and the temporary closure of many venues. Many great Comedians and Entertainers have been without work for almost a year. Not only has this impacted on their family lives but also their mental health, so now, more than ever we want to bring this great brand back, giving hope and work back to some of the best comedy Artists on the circuit, providing venues with some world class shows and much needed laughter to audiences who are desperately in need of it after a dark year”

Find out more about Jongleurs at www.jongleurs.com

LISTINGS

10 Jan – Concorde Club Southampton – line up includes: Tom Houghton, Nick Page, Rudi Lickwood, Mike Gunn

21 Jan – The Highlands Restaurant Broxbourne – line up includes: Tom Houghton, Susan Murray, Rudi Lickwood

27 Jan – Century Club London  – line up includes: Rudi Lickwood, John Moloney, Hal Cruttenden

05 Feb – Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple – line up includes: Kane Brown, Nick Page, Mike Gunn, Jarred Christmas

15 Feb – The Highlands Restaurant Broxbourne – line up includes: John Ryan, Joe Rowntree, Kev Orkian

21 Feb – Concorde Club Southampton – Line up includes: Kane Brown, Marcus Birdman, Susan Murray, The Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue

18 Mar – The Highlands Restaurant Broxbourne – line up includes : Kane Brown, Nick Page, Geoff Boyz

19 Mar – Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple – line up includes Ignacio Lopez, Cerys Nelmes, Kev Orkian, Paul Tonkinson

21 Mar – Concorde Club Southampton – line up includes John Ryan, Javier Jarquin, Ria Lina, Phil Walker

OPEN ONLINE THEATRE FESTIVAL – new performance and panel discussions at the intersection of performing arts and the digital

OPEN ONLINE THEATRE FESTIVAL 2021

presents an exciting mix of new performance and panel discussions

at the vital intersections of performing arts and the digital

openonlinetheatre.org | facebook.com/OpenOnlineTheatreinstagram.com/openonlinetheatre  | twitter.com/theatre_open

DISCOVER: New artists making work for the digital realm

EXPERIENCE: Sensography – work created for up to 4 live streaming cameras

IMAGINE: Get involved in future-focused discussions with cutting edge thinkers at the intersections of performing arts and the digital

IJAD Dance Company launches its 2021 live-streamed Open Online Theatre (OOT) Festival featuring new pieces by performing artists making work specifically for live-streaming using up to four cameras. As part of IJAD Dance Company’s Open Online Theatre (OOT) programme, Clemence DebaigDaisy HarrisonLauren TuckerReem Naamani and O. Pen Bepresent performances reflecting their experiences of 2020 in 4 regions of the UK and also Lebanon. Through December and January, they will be developing their work via online co-creation sessions on the Open Online Theatre platform. The Festival is also hosting four Connective Matrix panel discussions featuring artists, technologists and researchers at the cutting edge of performing arts and the digital. Audiences can ask questions via live chat and together imagine the best and most exciting future possibilities. Open Online Theatre Festival is on Monday 1 to Saturday 6 February 2021 and tickets for individual performances, talks, or for the whole festival can be purchased here: https://openonlinetheatre.org/whats-on/

Exploring the intersection of science, movement and technology, and collaborating with specialists and communities to create work for all, Open Online Theatre (OOT) enables artists to reach audiences that they otherwise wouldn’t, including curators and programmers, because of venue capacity, accessibility or geography. Open Online Theatre’s was created to ensure that our creativity, physicality and artistry, coupled with the use of technology, continues to evolve. Its principal aim is to future-proof the arts sector as a driving force for forward- thinking artists to explore new performing possibilities and new ways to connect with audiences across the world. OOT allows IJAD and other arts companies and organisations to develop a new and dynamic relationship with their online audiences, supporting the continued development of the performing arts infrastructure.

Joumana Mourad, founder of IJAD & Open Online Theatre, said: When we talk about technology, we don’t often think of creativity and play, new performing experiences, connectivity and its many possibilities. Instead we move into the realm of business and scientific exploration. But creativity opens us up to new possibilities; it allows us to explore the world around us in a different way. To develop new technology that will help us create the best performing arts experiences, we need to remember the way we played as children, experimenting with wonder and curiosity. If we are going to succeed in creating engaging performances for this new digital realm, we need to combine new strategies: creativity, the correct tech, time for R&D, and audiences. Bringing these components together is the challenge, but it’s part of the same journey of possibility. Coupled with digital expertise, Sensography allows artists to create explicitly for live-streamed performances, varying from one to a multitude of cameras that give our online audiences a better viewing experience.

Open Online Theatre programme provides entrepreneurial guidance to artists including how to grow and promote their practice through commissions, workshops, performances, installations, and research into tech products, to create better viewing experiences. The OOT training includes Sensography, a 360° live-streaming choreography and dramaturgy technique pioneered by IJAD director Joumana Mourad, as well as social media engagement and entrepreneurship. After an expected, but sudden rush to use digital platforms earlier in the year, it became clear that this area was, and still is, seriously underdeveloped. Open Online Theatre has been operating as a live-streaming and co-creation platform, and offering artist development since 2017, with the aim of support performing artists to enjoy long and sustainable careers.

Founder and Artistic Director of dance company IJAD and performance training platform Open Online TheatreJoumana Mourad is a choreographer and sensographer with over 20 years’ experience in dance and performance across the world.

Joumana researched with Astrophysicist Professor Andrew Newsam, and Neuroscientist Professor Ian Loram for the development of Sensography. She embraces digital technologies in dance, creating performances presented on three different yet interlinked stages (physical, digital-stream and digital-social) to create meaningful worldwide conversations, before, during and after a performance. From working with 45 performers in Taiwan to engaging audiences across four continents with their live-streamed performances across Open Online theatre, IJAD embraces unconventional spaces and new formats. 

Mourad has since gone on to be one of the most intriguing figures on the British dance scene, challenges the very nature of what you think a dance performance will look like.’  Keith Watson, Metro

Open Online Theatre Festival 2021 is possible thanks to an emergency grant from Arts Council England which enabled the company to begin training and enabling artists to create and develop new performance works using technology.

THE ACCLAIMED WEST END PRODUCTION OF WHITE CHRISTMAS TO EMBARK ON A NEW UK TOUR

THE ACCLAIMED WEST END PRODUCTION OF

TO EMBARK ON A UK TOUR

OPENING AT NEW VICTORIA THEATRE, WOKING

THURSDAY 28 OCTOBER 2021

Credit: Johan Persson/

After sold out performances in London’s West End    in 2019, the producers of Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS are delighted to announce the production will embark on a UK tour, opening on 28October 2021 at New Victoria Theatre, Woking before visiting BristolCanterburyManchesterPlymouth and Edinburgh. Casting to be announced soon.

This production originally opened at Curve in Leicester in 2018 and transferred to the West End in 2019 where it enjoyed a successful run at the Dominion Theatre delighting audiences and critics alike.

     THE GUARDIAN

‘A sparkling snow-topped sensation’

     THE TELEGRAPH

           ‘It’s all as shiny as a newly unwrapped Christmas tree bauble.’

          TIME OUT

‘This seasonal classic will warm the cockles of your heart’

METRO

‘Chastely elegant dance routines splendidly rendered by Stephen Mear’

        SUNDAY MIRROR

‘Smart set designs and nostalgic costumes, this winter wonder

    is as Christmassy as roasting chestnuts’

         MAIL ON SUNDAY

    ‘A gift-wrapped, festive treat for fans of Irving Berlin’s golden touch’

A timeless romantic comedy to warm hearts of all ages, WHITE CHRISTMAS features the classic songs “Blue Skies”, “Sisters” and the most famous festive song of all… “White Christmas”.

WHITE CHRISTMAS has Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin and a Book by David Ives and Paul Blake. It is Directed by Curve Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (Annie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s) and Choreographed by two-time Olivier Award-winning choreographer Stephen Mear (Mary Poppins, Gypsy). Set Design is by Michael Taylor and Costume Design is by Diego Pitarch. Musical Supervision is by Stephen Brooker, Lighting Design by Mark Henderson and Sound Design by Tom Marshall. Orchestrations are by Larry Blank with New Musical arrangements by Jason Carr.

Presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of R&H Theatricals.

WHITE CHRISTMAS is produced by Jamie Wilson, Mark Goucher, Gavin Kalin and Kevin McCollum with Hunter Arnold, Jason Haigh-Ellery, Laurence Myers, InTheatre, Curve and Carlos Candal.

TOUR LISTINGS 2021 and 2022:

Website: whitechristmasthemusical.co.uk

Facebook: @whitexmasshow

Twitter: @whitexmasshow

Instagram: @whitexmasshow

Thursday 28 – Saturday 30 October 2021

NEW VICTORIA WOKING

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre/

Monday 1 – Saturday 6 November 2021

BRISTOL HIPPODROME

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome/

Wednesday 10 – Saturday 20 November 2021

CANTERBURY MARLOWE THEATRE

Monday 22 November – Saturday 4 December 2021

MANCHESTER PALACE THEATRE

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/palace-theatre-manchester/

Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 December 2021 

PLYMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL

www.theatreroyal.com

Tuesday 14 December 2021 – Sunday 2 January 2022

EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/edinburgh-playhouse/

National Theatre at Home to add War Horse and Julie to the library of productions available to stream

National Theatre at Home to add the internationally acclaimed War Horse and Julie with Vanessa Kirby to the library of productions available to stream

The National Theatre has today announced the next two filmed productions that will be added to its new streaming service National Theatre at Home. The iconic and multi-award-winning production of War Horsebased on the novel by Michael Morpugo, will be available on demand for the first time since its premiere 13 years ago alongside the powerful 2018 production Julie with Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, Mission Impossible) in the title role. Julie will be available from Monday 11 January worldwide and War Horse will be available from Monday 21 December to Wednesday 20 January in the UK only. 

War Horse will also be available on Sky Store from 21 December – 20 January in the UK. War Horse is currently available in cinemas in the UK until 26 December and will be available in cinemas internationally from 24 February 2021.  

The news comes as the National Theatre also announces that it is making six productions available on National Theatre at Home with audio-description to support blind or partially sighted audiences worldwide. From 21 December, The Cherry Orchard, Phèdre, Othello, the Young Vic’s Yerma and the Donmar Warehouse’s Coriolanus will be added and Julie from 11 January. War Horse will also be available with audio description and for the first time British Sign Language (BSL) from 21 December to 20 January in the UK. All productions on National Theatre at Home have captions.   

Emma Keith, Director of Digital Media for the National Theatre, said: “It’s been fantastic to see the response to the launch of National Theatre at Home earlier this month and to reach so many subscribers across the world. We’re delighted to be adding to the platform with two more much-loved and distinct productions in the coming weeks – the fiery and modern Julie set at a house party in contemporary London with the brilliant Vanessa Kirby, and the powerful, iconic masterpiece War Horse, based on Michael Morpugo’s classic novel. And we couldn’t be happier to be working with Sky again, this time to bring War Horse to their customers on Sky Store just before Christmas on 21 December.”   

National Theatre at Home is available now at ntathome.com, with single titles available from £5.99 – £8.99, a monthly subscription for £9.98 or a yearly subscription for £99.98.  

National Theatre at Home is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.  

#NationalTheatreatHome    

Julie  

Vanessa Kirby plays Julie and Eric Kofi Abrefa (The Amen Corner) plays Jean in Polly Stenham’s shocking and fiercely relevant new version of August Strindberg’s masterpiece about social division, Miss Julie.  

Wild and single, Julie throws a huge party in her luxurious London house which rapidly descends into a fight for her own survival.  

Filmed for National Theatre Live in the Lyttelton theatre in 2018, Julie is directed by Carrie Cracknell (Medea) with design by Tom Scutt, lighting by Guy Hoare, sound by Christopher Shutt, video design by Mogzi Bromley-Morgans and fight direction by Owain Gwynn. The cast also includes Thalissa Teixeira (Trigonometry).

War Horse  

The winner of more than 25 international awards, including the Tony Award® for Best Play on Broadway, War Horse, which has been seen by eight million people worldwide, is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom MorrisNick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s remarkable story of courage, loyalty and friendship tells the story of a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness, filled with stirring music and songs, featuring ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping horses to life on stage. At the outbreak of World War One, Albert’s beloved horse, Joey, is sold to the Cavalry and shipped to France. Though still not old enough to enlist he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. 

War Horse is designed by Rae Smith, with puppet direction, design and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting by Paule Constable, and movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer for 59 Productions, songmaker John Tams, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt

Applecart Arts announce streaming service and residencies

Applecart Arts announces residencies and on-demand streaming service

  • Two selected artists will receive a month’s access to Applecart’s studio, and have their performances live-streamed using state-of-the-art facilities 
  • Application deadline is 20th December 
  • The company will also be launching Applecart on Demand on 21st December 
  • On 22nd December they will live-stream a concert of 20 jazz musicians 

@ApplecartArts | applecartarts.com

Following their streamed festival Dazed New World in October, Applecart Arts are opening up their studio and offering up their expertise and equipment to visiting artists and companies, and granting completely free residencies to two artists in January. Applecart Arts have invested in high-quality equipment, including five broadcast quality cameras, for the purposes of filming and streaming theatre. The two successful applicants will receive 24 hour access to their lockable studio in Newham from 4th – 31st January, culminating in a performance, in-progress presentation or virtual exhibition presented via Applecart’s online platforms. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Sunday 20th December. 

Applecart Arts adapted their Newham venue to a space for rehearsing, streaming and recording theatre, dance and music productions [when]. Since, they have streamed their festival Dazed New World into homes across the UK and beyond. The space is available for hire along with the equipment and the technical and creative know-how of the Applecart team. Companies using the service will have their show live-streamed, and have a high quality filming of their show for further streaming, for archive purposes, and for use as a promotional tool. To share some of the productions they have filmed in the last few months, the company is launching their streaming service Applecart on Demand on Monday 21st December. 

The final show of the year from Applecart will be The Sam Every Big Band Christmas Special on 22nd December. 20 jazz musicians will play a whole host of everyone’s favourite classics, arranged specially for this livestream, and the first live performance of the tracks from the Sam Every Big Band’s debut Christmas EP ‘Christmas is Here’, released 4th December. Expect a night of classic swing music, groovy soul and funky pop played by some of the top young musicians in the country. 

Artistic Director Peter Moreton said, “As a grassroots organisation Applecart has been able to move quickly to try and provide a live-streaming service for companies who would otherwise have been left high and dry.  We’ve been so excited to facilitate work even during lockdown and tier three.  It gives us real hope and anticipation for the explosion of art that’s going to happen once we emerge from this difficult time.” 

Applecart Arts was founded in 2008 with a monthly event in a pub in Whitechapel. Committed to the power of storytelling as a tool for entertainment, engagement, and inspiration, the company use a wide range of artistic disciplines including theatre, film, music and visual art to cross cultural divides and strengthen communities. Formerly based in The Old School Room in Tower Hamlets, the company moved to Harold Road Community Centre in Upton Park in 2017 – a creative hub that celebrates the community it serves. 

Listings information 

The Sam Every Big Band Christmas Special 

Tuesday 22nd December, 8.30pm 

Running time: 75 mins 

£12 – 8 | applecartarts.com 

This event will be live-streamed in line with Government guidelines 

To apply for the Applecart residencies, companies should visit the Applecart website: https://applecartarts.com/in_the_theatre.php?id=2258&title=artist-residency 

To inquire about venue and facility hire, please visit www.applecartarts.com or email [email protected]  

THE GREAT GATSBY ANNOUNCES EXTENSION TO SUMMER 2021

2021 EXTENSION ANNOUNCED
FOR THE UK’S LONGEST RUNNING IMMERSIVE PRODUCTION

THE GREAT GATSBY

TICKETS ON SALE NOW, BOOKING UNTIL 29 AUGUST 2021

Immersive Everywhere are pleased to announce a further extension for the critically acclaimed immersive hit show, THE GREAT GATSBY, with tickets on sale now until 29 August 2021.

THE GREAT GATSBY, created and directed by Alexander Wright– which holds the record as the UK’s longest running immersive production– re-opened under socially distanced conditions at the beginning of October at West End venue IMMERSIVE | LDN, but – due to London being placed in Tier 3 restrictions – the show has once more been forced to close its doors, with no further performances until London enters Tier 2 or below.

The production will be taking a month’s hiatus in March whilst the building prepares for the opening of DOCTOR WHO: TIME FRACTURE, opening at Immersive LDN on 21st April 2021. Tickets for THE GREAT GATSBY will be available from 8 April until 29 August 2021 and are on sale now via www.immersivegatsby.com.

Over the first lockdown, Olivier Award winning producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook re-imagined and re-set the production as an Art Deco Masquerade Ball, with audience members wearing compulsory face coverings to complement their fabulous attire.

Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook said “100 years ago our society came out of a pandemic and into the “Roaring ’20s”, so it feels fitting that The Great Gatsby should be leading the fightback for the creative sector after Covid-19. Immersive|LDN also hosts Doctor Who in an adjoining building, making it the world’s first ever multiplex immersive theatre facility. We’re very proud of the experience we are giving to our audiences, and of the fact that these productions provide stable employment for well over 100 people, including many freelancers, at a challenging time.”.” 

Jay Gatsby invites you to one of his infamous large parties. Re-imagined and re-set to meet covid-19 secure guidelines, the champagne flows and as the drama unfolds the man himself will be the perfect host. As invites go, this is the hottest in town.

A hedonistic world of red-hot rhythms, bootleg liquor and pure jazz age self-indulgence awaits. Dress to the nines and immerse yourself in this heart racing adaption of F Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal tale of the Roaring Twenties.

Craig Hamilton currently plays ‘Gatsby’, alongside Lucinda Turner as ‘Daisy’, James Lawrence as ‘Nick’, Dean Graham as ‘Tom’, Lucas Jones as ‘George’, Ivy Corbin as ‘Jordan’, MJ Lee as ‘Myrtle’, Hugh Stubbins as ‘Rosy Rosenthal’, Aimee Barrett as ‘Lucille’ and Alex Wingfield as ‘Joey’.

In order to ensure full compliance with government Covid-Secure guidelines at IMMERSIVE LDN, the capacity of the venue was significantly reduced to help patrons – coming as individuals or in household groups – to keep a safe distance from others; and the nature of the show naturally enables social distancing. The show content was altered and updated to avoid any activity that would be considered high risk, and the actors trained to keep groups of audience following the story, whilst remaining at a safe distance. Temperature checks are undertaken for audience and staff on arrival, and the venue is deep cleaned after every performance, bar equipment sterilised, and hand sanitisers available throughout the venue.

IMMERSIVE LDN has also been granted the use of Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre’s See It Safely mark. The mark certifies that the venue is complying with the latest Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, to ensure the safety of all staff and audiences. 

Olivier Award winning producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook, who are currently co-producing the immersive production of DOCTOR WHO TIME FRACTURE – launched a new company in 2019, IMMERSIVE EVERYWHERE, entirely dedicated to developing and staging theatre-led immersive experiences, and IMMERSIVE | LDN is the newest of their network of venues, which will house cafes, bars and rehearsal and workshop spaces to help the development of new work.

IMMERSIVE | LDN is a 32,000sq ft historic building in the heart of Mayfair, which was home to the Queen Victoria’s Rifles Association until 2017. It includes three floors of immersive theatre and event spaces designated for performance, live gaming, events, escape rooms and private parties. For information about programming and venue hire visit www.immersiveldn.com

First conceived in 2015 when director Alexander Wright and producer Brian Hook were running The Fleeting Arms – a pop arts and community pub in an abandoned building in York, the show then ran in York in 2016 with a parallel production in Sheffield, and was produced by the Guild of Misrule . The Great Gatsby first came to London as part of VAULT Festival in 2017 and sold out before the show opened. Since then the show has run in Wales in co-production with Theatr Clwyd, at Halifax’s Square Chapel, and at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire. All the while the show has played night after night at Gatsby’s Drugstore in London SE1, inviting audiences into the hedonistic world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s extraordinary tale, and in 2018 it became the UK’s longest running immersive production.

Amie Burns Walker and Oliver Tilney are Associate Directors. Choreography is by Holly Beasley-Garrigan, with MJ Lee as Assistant Choreographer, design by Casey Jay Andrews, costume design by Heledd Rees, sound design by Phil Grainger and lighting design by Rachel Sampley. The original score was composed and produced by Glen Brown and Tendai Humphrey Sitima, with arrangement and additional composition by David Sims. The original production was created by Holly Beasley-Garrigan, Amie Burns Walker, Hannah Davies, Phil Grainger, Michael Lambourne, Thomas Maller and Oliver Tilney.

This new production of The Guild of Misrule’s THE GREAT GATSBY is produced by Immersive Everywhere with co-producer Gavin Kalin Productions, and with Glynis Henderson Productions, Theatr Clwyd, We Culture Connects and Damier NV as Associate Producers.

Announcing The Living Record Festival, opening Jan 2021

The Living Record Festival of online digital arts announces their programme today

  • A month long digital arts festival presenting over 45 original pieces in a range of art forms including theatre, dance, circus, comedy, documentary, spoken word, binaural sound and music
  • Theatre maker Ross Drury has teamed up with a software developer to build a unique platform imitating the full arts festival experience online
  • Ticket discounting system to encourage audiences to recommend on the work they enjoy
  • Programme includes The Noise Next Door, Clare Perkins in Unhinged, Dempsey Bogell, Elian Gray and Maria Ferguson

Online, 17 January – 22 February 2021

@Living_Record | #LivingRecordFest | www.livingrecord.co.uk/the-living-record-festival

Living Record Festival is a month-long Digital Arts Festival curating and presenting over 40 original pieces from a range of art forms by independent companies and freelance artists.

Spurred on by the catastrophic effect Covid-19 has had on the theatre and live performance industry, The Living Record hopes to build a virtual space for audiences to safely access a range of digital culture, sharing communal online bar spaces, and making recommendations of shows they have enjoyed to one another. The software offers each theatre maker or company their own microsite within the festival structure to share images, videos, interviews, backstage tours.

The Living Record Festival has a unique recommendation incentive built into the system, for every ticket recommended in a chain, the next ticket is £1 off what the previous person paid, until one lucky audience member can see the show for free. This system encourages audiences to be more outspoken and proactive in sharing the work they like, and the best work is rewarded with more audience.

The programme is available online now, with comedy from The Noise Next Door, the UK’s premiere improv comedy troupe; Clare Perkins in brand new play about the access we give to others via technology, Unhinged; a mockumentary from actor and writer Dempsey BovellMaria Ferguson’s debut poetry collection Alright, Girl?; plus rapper and digital musician Elian Gray shares reading from Awkward Awe; and play presented with a live DJ set My Mix(ed up) Tape by Katie Payne.

Artistic director Ross Drury said, “The Living Record Festival is a virtual space that supports professional development, networking, and artistic experimentation for artists and storytellers at all career levels and a financially accessible marketplace for theatre companies to connect with audiences and the wider arts industry. Its aim is to support independent companies, storytellers and artists, and to programme work which is purpose-built for a digital platform.

Living Record Productions is an award winning production company established in 2015, creating relevant, dynamic new writing and binaural sound theatre experiences, committed to supporting artists from working class backgrounds.   Alongside Playwright Neil Smith Living Record staged Sisters, Creditors by Neil Smith at the Brockley Jack Theatre, Reunion and Echoes at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Jodi Gray’s THROWN a boundary pushing exploration into binaural sound and performance toured across the UK to venues including Vault Festival; The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury; The Place, Bedford, and was selected as part of the REACH showcase 2018 at ARC Stockton. Theatre critic Lyn Gardner said “Terrific performance…Looks great and sounds even better” and THROWN was awarded the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence at Edinburgh Fringe 2018. Thrown was live streamed in 2017, beginning an in-depth exploration into how binaural sound enables theatre to be highly effective for audiences at home. In partnership with Age UK, they found binaural sound performances and workshops were very effective for older people’s groups, bringing a high-quality cultural experience to them in non-theatre spaces. Living Record Productions were invited to run workshops in Bedford prison and an international school in Kuala Lumpur. Most recently Living Record have created the an interactive platform for digital arts and produced the children binaural audio series Mr Cleverly’s Transcontinental Delivery Service.

Company information

Artistic Director: Ross Drury

Producer: Ellie Barr

Software Developer?

Listings information

17 January  – 22 February 2021

www.livingrecord.co.uk/the-living-record-festival

Many shows are available on demand.
Tickets £1 – £15
Please see separate shows for more information

Partners and associates of the festival are Spun Glass Theatre, Chew Boy Productions, Fringe Review, Bedford Place, London Playwrights Blog and Dyspla.

Supported by Arts Council England

Full Programme:

Finney’s Ghost

by David Fox

Finneys Ghost is a a ghost story and maybe a love story told through the photographs left by a dead boy. Finney leaves all his worldly goods, a suitcase of photos, to a girl he barely knew. On the case is written, ‘TO BE OPENED ON MY DEATH. The contents of this case belong to Pearl Black, upon opening, there will be silence in heaven about the space of half an hour, Signed William Gabriel Finney.’ She knows nothing of his death and almost nothing of his life, but what she finds inside the case shocks and enthralls her. It may even change her life.

27 January

£10 / £5 concessions

This Noisy Isle

Spun Glass Theatre

This Noisy Isle is a treasure hunt style show inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The production explores children’s attitudes to the refugee crisis as they navigate a new world, speaking with characters, solving clues and finding their place on this new island. We want the children to feel involved, that they are a character in this drama, making real meaningful choices.This Noisy Isle will be digital art as the characters will be connected via a live stream to children in their houses

17 January – 22 February

One off ticket price for 40-60 min content £7.00

The 39 Steps – A Radio Drama

Blackbox theatre

This stunning new adaptation of John Buchan’s classic ripping yarn, The 39 Steps, is aimed at a family audience and evokes the golden age of radio drama. Accused of a murder he didn’t commit, Richard Hannay is on the run. Following clues left to him in a little black book by a mysterious American gentleman, he must uncover the secrets of the 39 Steps, prove his innocence and save Britain from the forces of evil. What could possibly go wrong? … What? The actors haven’t turned up? OH, CRUMBS!

17 January – 22 February

£1.50 single ticket price for audio play (1hour and 40minutes)

Bully Beef & Whizzbangs

Blackbox theatre

Originally an award winning stage play written to commemorate the Armistice, Bully Beef & Whizzbangs has now been recorded ‘for radio.’ Set on the battlefields of France during 1916, WHIZZBANGS takes a wry look at life in a front line trench through the eyes of its two reluctant heroes. Stuck in a hole surrounded by mud and death, how will our boys cope with the ever-present danger of being shot or blown to smithereens? A stunningly atmospheric audio production aimed at both young and old.

17 January – 22 February

£1.50 single ticket for audio play (1 hour and 9mins)

Mum. Can you hear me?

Bernadett Szabo

A four-act monodrama which invites the audience into the consciousness of a girl, where the audience is trapped in her head with her inner thoughts and feelings while she is trying to make sense of the experience of saying goodbye to a world which she can’t properly see anymore. The audience unwillingly explores her immediate environment with the thirty-eight other unknown voices through the sound space which is created for this play. Inspired by the Essex Lorry Death accident from October of 20

1 – 22 February

£5

Covert Firmament

Sky or the Bird

Covert Firmament is a collection of stories told via film, music, and narrative. They range from short Genre films (SciFi) to narrated short stories (between 12-20 Minutes) and a selection of spoken word pieces – apercu style – set to music. There is no particular organising theme or principle – though they will be arranged into movies, stories and apercu. It’s an eclectic array of works that can be easily enjoyed in today’s busy world. All writing will be by Dan Horrigan.

17 January – 22 February

£10

Thrash

RoguePlay

Thrash is an aural autobiographical stream of consciousness. A disjointed narrative mixed with performance poetry explores the effect of trauma and grief and coming out the other side to find healing and acceptance. Each audience member will listen to it via headphones while being asked to perform a everyday tasks. This piece is recorded purely for digital aural, controlled by the audience member via their own technology. The themes are mental well being, overcoming trauma and finding hope.

17 January – 22 February

£6. One off ticket price for 40-60 minute content

AM I A TERRIBLE PERSON

AM I A TERRIBLE PERSON is a comedic tale with real accounts of OCD and depression, tackling stigma on mental health and the LGBTQIA+ community through comedy and choreographed movement. I want audiences to feel empowered to talk openly about their own mental health; experience openness, vulnerability, honesty and discomfort, but also feel safe & protected. I often create video content & will use the microsite to upload illustrations to give audiences a full experience of my style and humour.

17 January – 22 February

£8

The Anarchist’s Mobile Library – an audio adventure

Tessa Bide Productions

The Anarchist’s Mobile Library is an interactive, audio adventure audiences can can play on any
internet device. As they listen, the audience plays the role of the creator, choosing the story they would
like to explore and how they would like it to end. With bold animations, narration, and a beautifully
created soundscape, our project is accessible to all those with the internet, although we encourage the
listener to put down their screens and let their imaginations paint the visuals!

17 January – 22 February

£8 ticket for access for the festival period

Prayer For A Parasite

Héloïse Thual

My piece will be a monologue illustrated by drawings and pictures about a woman getting gradually transform both physically and mentally by a parasite. She will become a host to the parasite’s memories, dreams, craves and desires. It will be composed of different entries “Day 1″/”Day 2/ Day 3” until the metamorphosis is complete.

17 January – 22 February

£5

The Noise Next Door: All Together

The Noise Next Door

The UK’s premier improvised comedy are bringing a bespoke evening of comedy entertainment to a screen near you. The Noise Next Door have been performing comedy together for 13 years. We try to bring people together, creating an instantaneous and spontaneous community which has never existed before, and will never exist again at each performance.

21 January

£10 for the ticket, one device but as many people as you like.

Controversy

Maya Katherine

Maya Katherine is an actress and director. With support from the National Youth Theatre, ‘CONTROVERSY’ follows a young girl on her journey through internet fame and the hidden online world.

Broken Link

Noga Flaishon

Luke, Holly, Alice and Pat meet every year in the cemetery of their hometown to remember Elly, who died 4 years ago. This year, due to lockdown, they can’t meet in person and so move the meeting online. This year- Elly Joins the Zoom Chat. Broken link has been written especially for Zoom, utilizing the medium to it’s fullest to bring the audience a live theatre experience, a bone chilling and touching story of betrayal, hopes, and who we are when adolescence is over.

14 February

£7

Take Care (Online)

Ecoute Theatre

A short documentary-style film on the elderly care system. All text comes from interviews conducted over 6 years, featuring roughly 25 real characters, played by 4 actors. Meet Pam. She used to work on the complaints desk for BA, now she’s waging war against a London care home in a bid to save her mum. An inventive piece of digital art that both entertains & educates an audience, providing a behind-the-scenes, intimate look at the lives of carers. Carers we all clapped for a few months ago…

17 January – 22 February

£7

Echo

Julius Wills

An episodic audio drama following the story of 3 Starship Engineers aboard Resurgam, a Generation ship on a 300-year journey, as they witness this journey being pulled in and out of Cryo Stasis. The aim of the piece is to create a drama in a sci-fi setting, exploring the themes of loss and living outside of your time. The audiences should feel the effect of Cryo along with the characters, as they jump in and out with them. I will involve a digital artist to create artwork for each episode.

17 January – 22 February

A single episode is £5, but if you want to listen to both it is £8 in a bundle offer. They are 30 min episodes and we will be producing two for the festival.

ICHTHUS

SE Theatre Company

A reflection about the time we live in, and the role of the individual in a society that is paradoxically fragmented, in the sense that we distance ourselves from the Other, and totalitarian, seen as globalisation brought the massification of both thought and action. The aim is to explore our ambition of making theatre accessible to everyone as well as push the boundaries of performance. Audiences will find a production bespoke to digital that will challenge the way they view theatre.

The Class

Dempsey Bovell

A series of short episodes of a mockumentary

£2

Heads or Tails

Skye Hallam

“after life, things needn’t be so bad.” Heads or Tails is an uplifting piece of existential pop culture comedy. It tells the story of a young actress taken too soon, who is given the opportunity of a lifetime, (well an opportunity to fulfil her lifelong dream)… of performing a one woman show. She has been granted one hour on Earth and uses her time to help those still living to learn from the regrets of the dead and to reminisce on her life lost.

17 January – 22 February

£9

Readings from Awkward Awe

Elian Gray

I’ll be performing 1 or 2 pieces from my recent LP, Awkward Awe. While the album is already out in the public domain this will be a first time performance without the musical backdrop and the lyrics taking centre focus. The work aims to convey a feeling of confusion and frustration at modern life, a bewilderment of coming to terms with adulthood in a world gone mad. The pieces will be presented in video, hopefully feeling more like a live performance than a music video.

17 January – 22 February

£2.50 – £4 with free download of album

No Body

Kate Gregson

This would be an original interactive performance piece delivered via Zoom exploring social media, body politics, trolling and taking ownership of your body; reflecting issues of today, especially young people. The audience would collectively make decisions to the narrative of the piece using polls etc, but never actually interact with the character directly. This will be approached with comedy and humour, but with moments of reflection.

£3

Vivid Ashes

The Quean’s Company

We created this piece as a way of addressing how we as individuals deal with trauma. This idea was originally formed to take place as an immersive piece in a nightclub setting however with the country going into lock down we ended up creating the piece digitally. We aimed for the audience to feel connected to the piece emotionally and then feel a sense of strength after viewing. The piece is a short performance art film that we edited and filmed during lock down. Key themes: trauma and feminism. The Quean’s Theatre is a gutsy feminist performance company creating daring and bold work.

17 January – 22 February

£1

Circles     

Carmina Masoliver

At the end of 2019, I published an epic illustrated poem, ‘Circles’ with Burning Eye Books. I began to tour the book at the start of 2020. The spoken word piece is 15-20 minutes and is inspired by Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis. Taking the point of view of the suicide victim’s lover in the play post-death, the piece takes place on London’s tube network and follows the fragmented views of this once-absent character. It is a piece about love, loss and the line between sanity and insanity.

17 January – 22 February

£15 – physical copy of the book included with recording (£5 show and £10 book)

My Mix(ed up) Tape

Eleanor Barr

“My Mix(ed up) Tape” is a brand new play about Phoebe – or “Pea” for short: because she’s always had a skinny body and MASSIVE head – female anger, mis-diagnosed ADHD and finding out who you really are.
Presented with a DJ-set from DJ GLADE and sensory audio-visual graphics that transport you into the world of the play, this is Katie Payne’s first play.

17 January – 22 February

£5

On Record

Cameron Essam and Ella Dorman-Gajic

This is an audio play within an audio play. The purpose of the set-up is to get a confession out of the lead actor of her violent past (unbeknown to her/ the audience until the end). A physiological thriller, delving into the workings of 1 woman’s mind. Our aim is to push the boundaries of a conventional audio play by subverting the audience’s expectations & their understanding of the play’s reality. We will use imaginative & visceral sounds, to fully immerse our audience in an audio experience.

17 January – 22 February

£2.50

Story Soup

Martin Gibbons

A collection of performed fairytales created and composed in album format by writer and actor Martin Gibbons, and musician Andy Mack. Each tale will be told in it’s own unique style, drawing on a wide variety of genres and appealing to audiences of all ages. Our aim is to introduce audiences to creative retellings of some well known fairytales, some lesser known, and some completely original tales. It will be created and recorded originally for the digital platform.

17 January – 22 February

£3 for one £5 for both tales

Alright, Girl?

Maria Ferguson

A soundscaped binaural recording of my debut collection, Alright, Girl? published by Burning Eye books. Extremely personal, yet highly relatable, Alright, Girl? is a frank exploration of class, gender and belonging. This recording will be made in collaboration with a sound designer and will provide the audience with a way of accessing spoken word poetry despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding live events.

17 January – 22 February

One off ticket price £7.50

Ram of God, the film

Theodora van der Beek

Ram of God follows the story of a milk-based cult and its sheep/man hybrid leader, Ram. It is a dark comedy/feminist folk horror about gender dynamics. Filmed, edited and performed all by one person, it retains some of the essence of a solo theatre show and joyfully tackles the new possibilities and limitations of reimagining theatre as film. Developed with Soho Theatre, featuring original music by award winning composer Adam Jonota Bzowski and supported by Arts Council England.

17 January – 2 February

£6/£4 concessions

This Little World

The Giddy Round

A product of the social and civic turmoil of 2020, This Little World grapples with themes of isolation and political upheaval through an adaptation for solo performance of Shakespeare’s Richard II. King Richard, alone in a sparse prison cell, reflects on the events that brought about his fall. To portray him, and conjure the people and scenes of Richard’s history, actor Owen Corey utilizes kinetic body puppetry, deeply-invested characterizations, and instant self-filmed videography.

17 January – 22 February

£7

A Bloody Shambles

by Ella Dorman-Gajic

A short audio drama about Jess, who has woken up with a familiar feeling between her thighs, in a bed she doesn’t recognise. At the last of her money, she tries to find a way out, without making too much mess. The story explores themes of period poverty & taboos about menstruation. My aim is to immerse the audience in each location & Jess’ dilemma, through specific uses of sound, which build to reflect her anxiety. Her journey highlights the experiences of many womxn, which are often overlooked.

17 January – 22 February

£2.50

Skip, Skip, Skip

Leanne Moden

Themes: A verse play about music, belonging & accidentally becoming a teenage goth. An immersive audio download; digital art like creative storytelling podcasts (eg Imaginary Advice). Listener experience: feel connection & empathy for characters & provoke discussion re: music & sub-cultures: are they a positive or another excuse for tribalism & division? Aims: to diversify my creative storytelling to a new medium; access cross-genre audiences & feedback; open up conversations re: social cohesion

17 January – 22 February

one off ticket price for 30 minutes of content – one off tickets @ per £5

Stories of the Present War

Beautiful Confusion Collective

Stories of the Present War is a live puzzling out of complex matters. Inspired by letters written by my grandparents during WWII, it models a way of thinking about (in)tangible inheritance(s) and the present in relation to the past, both personally and in a wider social context. The live reading of letters is followed by interactive live blogging sessions that allow spectators to react, ask questions or share their own family stories. A digital archive will grow with each reading (I propose 4).

Nevergreen

wethewonderful

Nevergreen is a voyage into the life and mind of Rachel Carson, the pioneering scientist who birthed modern environmentalism. Through a single performer, soundscapes and visuals of nature, the audience is immersed in three areas of the natural world: sea, forest and soil. Concurrent with these sounds and images are the social and political issues Carson faced, as a ground-breaking woman who died tragically young. The Living Festival will enable us to animate this project at a timely moment.

17 January – 22 February

£5/session for sessions 1-4, £12 for 3, £15 for all 4, £5/session for session 5.

Any tickets purchased for sessions 1-4 also include admission to session 5 and any e-gallery space I build from session to session.

The Stove

Emma Brand

The Stove was originally created in March as an antidote to isolation. It’s a virtual meeting place, where participants share memories and stories over dinner, before creating a story together. The Stove explores the possibilities of live online performance, transcending geography, creating a sense of immersion, and bringing entertainment and community into people’s homes. There is no central narrative other than an attempt to bond audiences through nostalgia, food and shared experience.

£7

Unhinged

Bethany Pitts

Unhinged is an immersive audio thriller, told through recorded material. Clio (Clare Perkins) is a recently divorced Grandmother embracing dating online. Gradually we discover, as she does, her new date is tracking her via her phone – every keystroke, phone call, even recording her everyday life. The audience experience this as if in Clio’s mind, but our ears are then revealed to be those of her abuser. Unhinged explores the limits of the access we give others to our lives via technology.

£5

Write Now

Outside Edge Theatre Company

The festive period will be shown in a new light with this uniquely curated selection of short scripts. This anthology of work from new playwrights who have been affected by addiction and meet weekly to support one another, both creatively and in their recovery. Through a bizarre but topical anthology of scenes & monologues, we invite audiences on a dark, magical journey, meditating on the idea of hope, despite the long winter ahead.

17 January – 22 February

£10

Shit Samaritans

Omar Ibrahim /Lee drage

Live zoom sessions with two comedians who are ‘Shit Samaritans’. The idea of the piece is to offer relief, catharsis and an open place to laugh at ourselves in trying times, by listening to the audiences problems and responding with comical advice. Though comedic in nature, the experience will aim to support the audience, in the hope they’ll hopefully leave the session feeling better than they did before it started.

Every Wednesday of the Festival

£6 for a ticket + access to other recorded shows

(re)collect

Isla Cowan

An immersive audio experience. Composed of entangled audio fragments, (re)collect is part-play-part-poetry; an assemblage of scenes, stories & voices that meditate on human relations with the environment. Starting with the line, ‘I’m in your head, aren’t I?’, the piece is intended for independent listening (earphones). It explores ‘recollections’ as memories of earth/sea/wind and the action ‘to collect’, to gather & bring together, interact. (re)collect aims to evoke an ecological consciousness.

1 – 22 February

Pay what you can, from £0-6 to access the recording (with a suggestion of £3); since a lot of audio pieces are free from Spotify and Soundcloud, I think donation / pay what you can is the best way to engage people

Breaking Up With Reality

Eden Harbud

Reality abandoned all of us. This is an exploration of our break up with our past, and the new relationship we have with our future. Using a loose narrative, I’ll combine spoken word, recorded soundscapes and music to create an audio love letter to Reality. It’s hard having to only greet Reality with an elbow bop, but if we get any closer it will break our hearts all over again. I want to comfort the audience whilst also allowing them to further come to terms with our new reality.

17 January – 22 February

Admission ticket £6. Purchase Script £4.

HURT

Lava Lounge

HURT would be an interactive radio play which takes listeners on a visceral journey into the mind of Archie, a hitman-cum-prostitute who sells himself as a human punchbag. This story must exist on a digital platform. We want to combine the immersion/interaction of gaming with the drama of a radio play, and deliver it to a podcast generation. We want audiences to experience Archie’s tortured mind as he navigates a nocturnal world. We want to sonically depict what it is to be at war with oneself.

17 January – 22 February

£3

African Warrior Living Statue

Hendrix Cleva

I am a living statue artist. My character is one of the greatest African warrior, Shaka Zulu. My aim is to preserve the culture and remember the greatest African warriors that existed and I aim to promote the art (living statue) here in Africa as it’s not common. I busk at the VandA Waterfront, this is one of the best tourist attraction place in Africa. Every day I entertain lots of people.

£5

Always on my Mind

Shipwreck Productions

In light of the new Covid induced world we live in, it is now more important than ever to produce, promote and experience real human interactions which truly make us feel. Sadly, this indirect format comes with it’s own complications for true immersion. Our aim, as a theatre and film production company, is to create an experience that, despite the hurdles, allow people to still feel and engage with real human stories through pre-filmed footage, live theatre and immersive techniques.

17 January – 22 February

£6.00 one off ticket

Four Walls

Olivia Mermagen

The world has been devastated by a virus and society is beginning to rebuild itself. An individual who has only existed on a virtual platform for the last 5 years tries to reintegrate herself in society but finds she has developed severe social anxiety and can’t remember how to communicate with others. As her attempts at a fresh start seems more and more bleak, the distinction between reality and the online world that has protected her for so long begins to blur and she loses herself.

Shifting Sands

Tom Thornton

My piece is an audio story, some would describe as a fictional podcast meets radio play. Its a dystopian satire that examines modern life and the apathy of the millennial experience. Taking place in a world where human’s evolve the ability to hear each others thoughts, by exposing the concept of the inner monologue in the format of an inner monologue I hope this is a thought provoking, funny and surprising experience for audiences.

17 January – 22 February

£6 – One off ticket

A Dance Of A Million Pieces

Gemma Rogers

Endy’s in a coma. she won’t wake up. Clocks ticking. It’s 31st dec at 21:00, few hours until the exact time 7 years earlier, Mion & Endy met. In a last ditch effort to try and draw her back, Mion is armed with drugs: DMT, Ayhuasca, and a meditation cd. Spirituality isn’t really his thing but Mion will do whatever’s necessary to keep her alive & home with him. Where she belongs. A story about the pain of losing someone. Binaural sound & strong visuals help our lovers say goodbye to each other.

£5

Ain’t No Female Romeo

Lita Doolan

An online love affair takes a social media fan across the world to find the poster. The piece asks how far does clicking ‘like’ take you emotionally? The audience experience is one of looking at gadgets as a portal into somewhere new. The work is digital art because it uses the technology interface as part of the plot. Every thing is geared around communicated (or not communicating) digitally – this is the only way the two people have connected. Narrative is a subversion of Romeo and Juliet

£5 for one off event

Tales of a Relunctant Traveller

Randy Ross

Sixteen weeks, four continents, three bungee jumps, and I couldn’t come home soon enough. This is the story of how a Boston homebody turned a solo trip around the globe into a comedy novel and an acclaimed one-man show. The 1.5-hour, multimedia event includes a humorous travel slide show, readings from my novel God Bless Cambodia and performances from my show The Chronic Single’s Handbook. 

And Breathe

by Mark Conway and Alex Packer  

Worldwide, 500 billion – 1 trillion plastic bags are used a year. 2 million plastic bags a minute. And the average length of time a single plastic bag is used is just 12 mins. We want our short film to explore the sound and look of plastic against the natural. Lots of incredible visual stories have looked at plastic and the natural world, we want to bring it closer to the impact on the human body. How it affects our breath, our movement, our virility; and how it is emblematic of our end.

8 – 22 February

£5

Childbirth Project (working title)

Rosie Rowlands & Feathers Of Daedalus   

Rosie is a professional circus artist from London.  After graduating from the National Centre for Circus Arts her skills have taken her around the globe, from lavish corporate spectacles in Asia, to Australia’s vibrant cabaret scene, to theatre tours across the UK.  In 2015 she became a mother for the first time and has since been juggling the demands of parenthood with her career, thanks to her supportive family.  Unfortunately, due to this year’s pandemic the circus industry has suffered immeasurably. Maternity services in the UK have also suffered, forcing expectant mothers to go through life-changing experiences without the care and support they need. Inspired by these recent events, and by her own experiences as she awaits the birth of her second child Rosie has teamed up with Feathers Of Daedalus director Joanna Vymeris, to create a short film (working title; The Childbirth Project) which explores the fear surrounding childbirth, and celebrates the strength of the female body.

£5

AN EXCLUSIVE ONLINE CONCERT OF THE EXPLOSIVE NEW MUSICAL DRAMA TREASON FILMED LIVE FROM CADOGAN HALL

Remember, remember the 5th of November…

AN EXCLUSIVE ONLINE CONCERT

OF THE EXPLOSIVE NEW MUSICAL DRAMA

FILMED LIVE FROM CADOGAN HALL

AVAILABLE TO STREAM FROM 12-14 FEBRUARY 2021

AHEAD OF A FULL MUSICAL PRODUCTION TO FOLLOW LATER IN 2021

MUSIC & LYRICS BY RICKY ALLAN

BOOK BY RICKY ALLAN KIERAN LYNN

DIRECTED BY HANNAH CHISSICK

Songs from Treason, the exciting new musical drama based on the notorious gunpowder plot of 1605, will now be performed and filmed live in concert and available to stream for a limited time from 12-14 February 2021. Featuring a fusion of original folk and pop songs, this wonderful new musical tells one of the most intriguing tales in England’s history.  

Online tickets are priced from £10 and bookable via: https://treasonthemusical.com/book-tickets.php

With a stunning score and lyrics by Ricky Allan, and book by Kieran Lynn and Ricky Allan, the musical will be performed at London’s prestigious Cadogan Hall and directed by Hannah Chissick, with musical supervision by Nick Pinchbeck and orchestration by Matthew Malone.

Remember, remember the 5th of November,
for its gunpowder, treason, and plot
We’re here to tell you the rest of the tale,
the one that history books forgot
Guy Fawkes remains an anonymous figure, 
we have more to bring to the table
It’s time to meet the rest of the plotters,
in our fiery musical fable

Following the successful release of three tracks from the musical earlier in the year on SpotifyApple Music and Amazon Music, and an additional two tracks to be released in January, the concert will also showcase a further five new and unheard tracks from the show.

The musical will be performed by a selection of some of the West End’s most talented performers who will be announced in due course. Please note the concert cast may differ from the original recording cast.

The first three exclusive tracks released from the musical are: Take Things Into Our Own Hands featuring Hadley Fraser, Waylon Jacobs, Emmanuel Kojo and Oliver Savile; The Day Elizabeth Died featuring Kelly Agbowu, Hadley Fraser, Waylon Jacobs, Emmanuel Kojo, Rebecca LaChance, Christina Modestou and Oliver Savile; and Blind Faith featuring Rosalie Craig and Oliver Savile.

Follow Treason the Musical on all social media platforms @treasonmusical and treasonthemusical.com  to be the first to hear the latest news and information.

Festv launches New Year’s Day 2021!

Festv launches New Year’s Day 2021!

New arts festival streaming service Festv will launch on New Year’s Day with a launch showcase – recorded at the Edinburgh’s Assembly Roxy – featuring comedian Mark Watson, playwright Gary McNair (A Gambler’s Guide to Dying), festival director Hope Azeda (Ubumuntu Arts Festival), singer-songwriter Honeyblood, dance artistic director Tony Mills, and installation artist Laura McGlinchey.This new service will celebrate and encapsulate digitally the joy, love and discovery of arts festivals worldwide, with streamed performances now at your fingertips. Working closely with partners around the world, Festv will also provide greater access to performing artists and audiences.

“Festv celebrates what’s special about festivals … joy in discovering new performances, love from a crowd, and that feeling of togetherness!” Mark WatsonSee Mark’s entire statement here: youtu.be/l1GInCb9LIc

Festv is a new streaming service for arts audiences and performers. Festival performers across comedy, live music, theatre and dance will be able to work with Festv to host their performances on the streaming service, either live or as recording, with audiences able to watch live or on-demand– with collections and pay-what-you-want options available. Audiences will be able to find all of their favourite acts, as well as discover new pieces, all in one place!They can get involved immediately by heading to festv.app/products/festv-live-from-edinburgh to watch a trailer and pre-order the launch show, including a line-up of guests like Mark Watson and Honeyblood, as well as a pay-what-you-want one-hour special featuring the “Best Bits” from Frontline Festival Scotland, with all proceeds going to charities including Scottish Fire & Rescue Family Support Trust. Festv also has crowdfunding open, offering rewards to early fans, at Crowdfunder and Indiegogo. Performers and producers can get in touch at festv.co to find out more about how they can work with us into 2021.From Jan 1st 2021, Festv will recreate the joy of discovery, the joy of the crowd, and the joy of performing arts, with festival acts and original shows on any screen.
“Festv was created to connect artists and audiences by improving global access to the arts. Our purpose is to lighten the world with shared moments of joy and virtual togetherness. Partnerships are key to delivering this vision, and we are excited about the possibilities for our brand in 2021 and beyond.” Festv Founders, Alan Kittle & Derek Douglas