Author: FairyPoweredProductions

Double your donations to help Birmingham Hippodrome raise £20,000 to deliver transformational work with disadvantaged young people

Birmingham Hippodrome has launched a festive fundraising campaign, aiming to raise £20,000 in just one week to bring confidence and creativity back to young people after the impact of COVID-19.

To achieve this ambitious target, the theatre has joined The Big Give’s Christmas Challenge 2020 campaign, which will see all donations doubled for just seven days from midday on Tuesday 1 December.

The donations raised will support the Hippodrome Education Network (HEN), which gives disadvantaged and vulnerable young people aged 5-19 from Birmingham and the West Midlands the chance to experience high quality arts and culture on a weekly basis.

To support post COVID-19 recovery in schools, the HEN team have been working in 28 primary, secondary and SEN schools each week since September. The team have worked with teachers to adapt and deliver a programme focused on wellbeing, building resilience and confidence in young people in the wake of disrupted education.

Zaylie-Dawn Wilson, Head of Learning & Participation at Birmingham Hippodrome commented: “A recent Young Minds report found 81% of young people felt the crisis had led to a deterioration of their mental health and 58% felt unsure about their futures. The pandemic has eroded confidence, taken away schooling, friends, family, safe spaces and access to the arts.

Raising £20,000 will allow us to work with 5,000 young people to deliver wellbeing and confidence workshops, digital masterclasses and careers insights in schools and to build young people back up, enabling them to develop skills and give them a voice to reimagine their future.”

James Christie, a teacher at Greenholm Primary School which is part of the Hippodrome Education Network added: “In ordinary times, our students benefit hugely from working alongside a dedicated Learning Artist from Birmingham Hippodrome, boosting their confidence and self-esteem, learning new skills and giving every child in the school a chance to shine across the year.

In these more unusual times, we have been extremely fortunate to still have their involvement, meaning the children haven’t had to experience a ‘scaled back curriculum’. This has given some sense of normality for them and a chance to escape, if only once a week, the constant reminders of the changes COVID-19 has brought to their lives.”

As an independent charity, Birmingham Hippodrome relies on regular support from charitable donations and sponsorship to deliver the Hippodrome Education Network programme.

Judith Greenburgh, Head of Fundraising and Development at Birmingham Hippodrome concluded: “As a charity, fundraising support is vital to help us to continue our work with disadvantaged and vulnerable young people. Just £10 in donations that is matched by The Big Give means two young people can participate in a workshop with our Learning Artists in school. A £50 donation that is matched by The Big Give means a whole class can participate, so every donation truly matters.

With every donation having double the impact, your support will make a difference for at least 5,000 young people from Birmingham and the West Midlands enjoying 10,000 creative opportunities this academic year.”

Donations for the campaign can be made online only from midday on Tuesday 1 December until Tuesday 8 December. To donate, visit: https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/big-give-christmas-challenge-2020/

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement today on how England will transition out of lockdown from Wednesday 2^nd December, Theatres Trust director Jon Morgan responds:

We recognise the need to strengthen the tiers to control the spread of the virus, so in light of this Theatres Trust welcomes the news that theatres in Tiers 1 and 2 will still be able to reopen from 2 December. Once it is confirmed which areas fall within these tiers later this week, it will be a huge relief for those theatres and producers whose theatres fall into the lower tiers and who have gone to enormous lengths to plan safe, socially-distanced pantomimes and other shows.

However, it remains the case that, for the majority of theatres, it is simply not viable to reopen with social distancing in place so many theatres will not reopen even in the lower tiers. We are encouraged by positive developments in finding a vaccine and the introduction of mass testing, however if there are any delays in the timetables for these, theatres are only supported by the extension of the furlough scheme and government grants until the end of March. It is therefore essential that work continues across the sector and with the government to identify mitigating measures that might allow fuller audiences to return safely to theatres as soon as possible.

EMPATHY MUSEUM PRESENTS PHOTOGRAPHY AND AUDIO INSTALLATION FROM WHERE I’M STANDING – Audio Stories and Portraits from 2020    

Empathy Museum has today announced a new photography and audio installation, in collaboration with the NHS and The Health Foundation, telling diverse stories from people around the UK as a record of life in 2020. The installation will be available online at empathymuseum.com from Thursday 10th December and the photographs will also be displayed alongside QR codes to access the audio interviews in London and then around the UK.

From Where I’m Standing is made up of 34 portraits, each accompanied by an audio story and a photograph of an object that reflects the time period for the individual. Spanning the length of the country from Truro to Harrogate, the stories include nurses and doctors, an Imam working in the Nightingale, an undertaker, a Rapper, the Director of Longterm Planning for the NHS, checkout staff and a care home entertainer who secured the job to see her dad. Intended to create a museum archive of the period – recording in real time what will become a key historical period of the 21st century, it looks at what the pandemic has to teach us about empathy as well as exploring resilience, wellbeing, interdependence and what sustains us during challenging times.

The project has four strands shot by four award-winning photographers: ten stories from frontline health, social care and public health professionals, collected in collaboration with NHS England and the Health Foundation shot by Myah Jeffers; ten from nursing and midwifery shot by Lottie Davies; seven exploring diversity of experience in lockdown such as new parents and students by Tim Mitchell; seven celebrating local heroes nominated by their community including stories from a great neighbour, a laundrette owner and the leader of the house gospel choir by Amit Lennon.

Empathy Museum create immersive projects that help audiences to look at the world through other people’s eyes. Their work is built around the model of an alternative High Street, where each project takes the form of a shop where visitors are invited for a human interaction rather than a consumer experience.  So far they have created a shoe shop – the award-winning A Mile in My Shoes (AMIMS) which had 50,000 visitors – and a crowd-sourced library – 1001 Books. From Where I’m Standing continues the journey along the High Street taking up residence in Brixton, where Empathy Museum is based, as an Estate Agent from 10th December. The photographs along with QR codes for audio will be installed on ‘for sale’ signs along Dalberg Road. There are then plans for further street installations around the UK.

Clare Patey, Empathy Museum Founder, said: “In a world rife with division and in the midst of a pandemic, listening to these storytellers, with all the wisdom, kindness and generosity of spirit that they share, has inspired me, moved me to tears at times and ultimately given me a renewed faith in humanity.”

Amit Lennon specialises in intimate portraits. His work encompasses subjects as diverse as UK prison reform, coal mining in the arctic, stargazing in Chile’s Atacama Desert, or remaking the FA cup. He was commissioned by the House of Commons to create a series of portraits of MPs, for their permanent collection to be displayed in the Palace of Westminster. This was the first time that the works of art committee had commissioned photography for the collection. The National Portrait Gallery purchased Amit’s portrait of DJ John Peel for its permanent collection.

Lottie Davies is a BAFTA-nominated travel, editorial and fine art photographer. She has won recognition in numerous awards, including the Association of Photographers’ Awards, the International Color Awards, and the Schweppes Photographic Portrait Awards. Her work garnered international acclaim with the image Quints, which won First Prize at the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Awards 2008 at the National Portrait Gallery. Her fine art work is concerned with stories and personal histories, the tales and myths we use to structure our lives: memories, life-stories, beliefs. 

Myah Jeffers is a Barbadian-British documentary and portrait photographer, dramaturg and director. She is currently the Literary Associate at The Royal Court and the 2019 Portrait of Britain winner. Her work in both theatre and photography is focused on Black experiences and aims to use portraiture to illuminate Black and queer joy as acts of resistance.

Tim Mitchell is a widely published photographic artist and educator taking on commissions around the UK and abroad. He has staged major exhibitions at Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Derby Museums, Horniman Museum, Photofusion, Museum of Arts and Crafts Hamburg, Cambridge Sustainability Residency and PhotoEast and has work currently touring Europe.

The project is funded by Arts Council England, NHS England and the Health Foundation.

Caroline Horton & Co and China Plate present:

All of Me: The Audio and All of Me: The Twine

Based on the stage show All of Me (The Possibility of Future Splendour) by Caroline Horton

Adapting to new formats accessible during the pandemic, Caroline Horton and team leap into the digital, interactive world, to explore what might happen when we refuse to keep on keeping on. It’s still about depression and death – sorry about that.

Both formats available from 23^rd November at www.chinaplatetheatre.com from 3pm

All of Me: The Audio: Written and performed by Caroline Horton | Directed by Alex Swift
All of me: The Twine: by Caroline Horton and Alex Swift

@youroldchina | @carolineplays | #allofmeplay | www.carolinehorton.net |

#AllOfMeAudio #AllOfMeTwine

“This is a show that grabs you by the scruff of the neck and shakes you, first with laughter, then with dread, then finally with a sense of awe at both the darkness and the light within us all.”-The Independent on All of Me on stage in Edinburgh 2019 ★★★★★

Caroline Horton’s All of Me was a sell-out hit at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and won The Fringe Mental Health Award and The Stage Award for Excellence. The original stage show was conceived as an intimate and absurd exploration of wanting to live, wanting to die and what can happen when we sit together in the dark. Now Caroline Horton reunites with director Alex Swift (Mess, How to Win Against History) to bring audiences two new versions of the show – one an audio experience, the other on interactive gaming platform Twine – a new space for innovation for theatre practitioners but already an established forum for creatives making work about mental health.

The audio version of All of Me was recorded in Caroline’s living room during lockdown, All of Me: The Audio is an intimate, absurd exploration of wanting to live, wanting to die and what can happen if we sit together with the dark. Adapted from the stage show, Caroline, director Alex Swift and sound designer Elena Peña promise a dark audio trip about dark things. All of Me: The Twine, is Caroline and Alex’s first leap into the world of interactive digital work, where the player must navigate their own journey through the show. Twine is an interactive tool for storytelling popular with the gaming community and other subcultures.

Speaking about the new versions of the show, Caroline Horton said “It’s been fascinating exploring the existing work from new angles, for example with The Twine we were able to create a much stronger sense of the cyclical nature of recovery, the player can really circle and cycle and repeat sections, whereas in a 70 minute theatre show your progression is more linear.”

Ed Collier, Co-Director of China Plate said “All of Me was an unsettling and extraordinary piece of theatre. These two new interpretations take the heart of that show and reimagine it in two very different mediums. Experiencing the audio version of the piece recorded binaurally, Caroline seems to plug straight into your brain, immersing your imagination in her world. The Twine version is something completely new for Caroline, the creative team and China Plate. Somehow it places the audience at the heart of the story seemingly offering you agency in where it goes whilst drawing you further into the darkness making you complicit in her journey. These new pieces are testament to the extraordinary tenacity and resourcefulness that theatre makers have shown in finding ways to continue to reach audiences through 2020.”

Caroline Horton is a theatre maker, performer and writer whose work has toured nationally and internationally. She was nominated for a 2013 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy, which also won The Stage Awards Best Solo Performer. Mess opened at The Traverse in 2012, where it won Best Ensemble at The Stage Awards. Her controversial show Islands, opened at The Bush in 2015 before transferring to the 2015 British Council Showcase at the Edinburgh Festival. Caroline wrote and performed Tranklements for the New Vic and Penelope RETOLD for Derby Theatre, which toured nationally in 2015. She writes regularly for BBC Radio 4, her piece Paris, Nana & Me was shortlisted for the 2014 Imison Award. In 2019 she toured her first show for young people, Muckers, madewith the egg, Bath and Conde Duque, Madrid. She is currently developing a new piece with Amerah Saleh supported by The Other Place (RSC) and University of Birmingham; community-based projects for Coventry 2021 and Newbury Corn Exchange, and developing Christy-Anne – a sequel to You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy.

Established in 2006, China Plate is an independent producer of contemporary theatre that engages around 35,000 live audience members annually. The company’s central mission is to ‘challenge the way performance is made, who it’s made by and who gets to experience it.’ China Plate is currently making work with Caroline Horton, Inspector Sands, David Edgar, Chris Thorpe, Rachel Chavkin, Rachel Bagshaw, Urielle Klein-Mekongo, Roy Williams, Chris Haydon and Tim Sutton. They are Resident Producers at Warwick Arts Centre, partners in the Rural Touring Dance Initiative (RTDI) founded to bring contemporary dance to rural venues around the UK, partners in the ACE Ambition for Excellence funded Musical Theatre Development Consortium led by Royal and Derngate Theatres, Northampton and Derby CAN, Derby Theatre’s Arts Council England Producing Hub. 

Listings information

https://bit.ly/AllOfMeTheAudio

https://bit.ly/AllOfMeTheTwine

Audio: Running Time: 70 minutes | Age Recommendation 14+

Twine: Playing time variable | Age Recommendation 14+

Audio Credits:

Writer and performer: Caroline Horton              Director: Alex Swift

Sound Producer and Designer: Elena Peña    

Original songs written by Caroline Horton and James Atherton.

Produced by Caroline Horton & Co and China Plate

Song credit: “One More Fluorescent Rush”, written and produced by Avalon Emerson (ASCAP); courtesy of AD 93 Records

Twine Credits:

by Caroline Horton and Alex Swift based on the stage show All of Me by Caroline Horton

Illustrations and Design consultancy by Eleanor Field

Sound design by Elena Peña                           Original songs by Caroline Horton and James Atherton

Interactive dramaturgy by William Drew           Digital consultancy by Jason Crouch

Produced by Caroline Horton & Co and China Plate

Song credit: “One More Fluorescent Rush”, written and produced by Avalon Emerson (ASCAP); courtesy of AD 93 Records

Funded by Arts Council England

Content Warnings for Audiences 

All of Me: The Twine

All of Me: The Twine explores themes of depression and suicide. Contains strong language. Flashing images and visual effects. Heightened description of drinking alcohol.  

Age Guidance: Recommended for audiences over 14 years old.

The following organisations provide valuable support and information around mental health issues:

• Samaritans on 116 123 provide 24-hour confidential, non-judgemental emotional support www.samaritans.org
• Mind on 0300 123 3393 (UK) provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem www.mind.org.uk

All of Me: The Audio

All of Me: The Audio explores themes of depression and suicide. Contains strong language. Heightened description of drinking alcohol.  

Age Guidance: Recommended for listeners over 14 years old.

The following organisations provide valuable support and information around mental health issues:

• Samaritans on 116 123 provide 24-hour confidential, non-judgemental emotional support www.samaritans.org
• Mind on 0300 123 3393 (UK) provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem www.mind.org.uk

Watch the live streamed Scots in the City concert on 29 November 

featuring Scottish stars of stage and screen in early celebration of St Andrew’s Day  

An all-Scottish line-up of stars of stage and screen will perform in Scots in the City on Sunday 29 November. The concert, held in early celebration of St Andrew’s Day (30 November), will be livestreamed from the Phoenix Arts Club in the heart of London’s West End. 

The show is produced by West End leading performers Kieran Brown (The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Les Misèrables) and Shona White (MAMMA MIA!, Les Misèrables, Chess), who set up Scots in the City to promote the very best of Scottish culture outside the motherland, with a focus on Musical Theatre. This is the third show in their concert series. 

Joining Kieran and Shona on stage for an evening of tartan, song and merriment – socially distanced of course – will be Steven Cree (Outlander, A Discovery Of Witches, Brave, Maleficent), Danielle Fiamanya (Stage Debut Award winner, &Juliet, Frozen), James Gillan (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Peter Pan, Starlight Express), Maggie Lynne (Wicked, Evita, Hairspray) and her husband musician/producer Greg Tomkins, and Frances Mayli (Olivier Award Nominee – Our Ladies Of Perpetual Succour, Les Misérables) under the musical direction of honorary Scot James Doughty and accompanied by Corey Wickens on violin. THE (drag) Queen of Scotland, Mary Mac (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) will be entertaining the audience with a song from her home in Tenerife during the interval, and leading a cocktail making session creating a Scots in the City Irn Bru cocktail to enjoy in Act 2 (an ingredients list will be posted on social media a few days before the event). 

It is hoped the night’s entertainment will raise money for, and awareness of, the new theatre industry mental health charity Industry Minds. There will be an opportunity to donate via a Justgiving page and also a quiz with some fabulous prizes to be won.  

Scots in the City will be livestreamed from 7-9pm on Sunday 29 November, finishing with a fun singalong. Tickets: £15. To book, or find out more, visit: https://www.designmynight.com/london/whats-on/live-music/scots-in-the-city-starring-kieran-brown-shona-white. 

STREAMED CONCERT SERIES WITH DOZENS OF UK STAGE STARS TO PREMIERE ON THESPIE THIS DECEMBER
Tickets are now on sale for the theatre discovery platform’s first slate of artist-led programming, created to inspire theatre audiences at home this holiday season

• More than 2 dozen stars of the UK stage will perform in the Reunited Series of four filmed ensemble concerts, premiering weekly from 3 – 21 December on theatre discovery platform Thespie, developed by Thespie’s Creative Producer Aimie Atkinson.

• 3 Dec: Unlimited: The Songs of Stephen Schwartz: a celebration of the famed composer’s works including Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, Children of Eden, and The Prince of Egypt, featuring artists who performed in Wicked in London, and featuring a special guest appearance from Stephen Schwartz himself.

• 10 Dec: Oops!… I Streamed It Again: a high-energy concert of favourite classic pop, rock, and musical theatre tunes, featuring artists who met as part of the original company of the UK musical & Juliet.

• 17 Dec: Girl Power: an empowering concert of songs by famous girl bands through the decades, performed by the artists from The Reunion, the original West End queens of the musical SIX.

• 21 Dec: All I Want For Christmas Is Theatre: a love letter to the tradition of seeing theatre with those you love during the holiday season, featuring classic Christmas songs of all styles. More than two dozen top UK theatre artists will perform, including all those from Unlimited, Oops!… I Streamed It Again, and Girl Power, and others to be announced.

• Tickets are available to households in over 100 countries and 12 currencies, with lower prices available when booking early (by 30 Nov), and/or with a 4-concert bundle. 

• Thespie’s original content initiative creates opportunity for theatre workers and advances Thespie’s mission to connect artists and audiences.

Theatre discovery platform Thespie today announces the Reunited Series, bringing together more than two dozen of the UK’s top musical theatre artists for a series of filmed concerts premiering throughout December. Developed by Aimie Atkinson, Thespie’s Creative Producer and the Olivier nominated star of Pretty Woman and SIX), each concert presents ensemble music performances (filmed in COVID-secure London venues), and ranges from musical theatre hits, to pop music, to favourite Christmas songs. The program of each concert has been developed by the artists involved and will also include intimate interview footage.

The concerts are designed to inspire global theatre audiences, by bringing the UK’s best musical theatre talent directly to their homes this holiday season. The artists collectively represent over two and a half centuries of experience on UK stages; their recent credits include The Prince of Egypt, Pretty Woman, SIX, & Juliet, Come From Away, Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, and Kinky Boots.

Thespie Creative Producer Aimie Atkinson commented, “We’re thrilled to be bringing you our first shows—high-energy, joyful concerts with great production values and astonishing vocal performances. I am so in awe of the level of talent working with us to make these December shows incredibly special. You are in for a treat.”

The series begins with the premiere of Unlimited: The Songs of Stephen Schwartz on 3 Dec at 8pm GMT, a celebration of the famed composer’s works including Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, Children of Eden, and The Prince of Egypt, Schwartz’s newest musical. The nine artists in the concert (Nikki Bentley, Sophie Evans, Alice Fearn, Alexia Khadime, Melanie La Barrie, Carl Man, Dianne Pilkington, Liam Tamne, Oliver Tompsett) all starred in Wicked during its first 14 years in London, and two (Khadime, Tamne) are in the current cast of The Prince of Egypt. Schwartz himself will make a special appearance in the program, with further details to be announced.

Oops!… I Streamed It Again… premieres 10 Dec at 8pm GMT and is a high-energy concert of favourite classic pop, rock, and musical theatre songs. The concert is performed by five artists who met as part of the original company of the UK musical & Juliet: Jordan Luke Gage, Tim Mahendran, Grace Mouat, Oliver Tompsett, and 2020 Olivier Award Winner Cassidy Janson.

Next up is the return of the artists from The Reunion, with an empowering concert of songs by famous girl bands through the decades: Girl Power premieres 17 Dec at 8pm GMT. Expect the tight harmonies and true sisterhood vibes that these artists have come to be known for since they first met as the original West End queens of the musical SIX. Girl Power stars Aimie Atkinson, Alexia McIntosh, Grace Mouat, Millie O’Connell, Natalie Paris, Maiya Quansah-Breed and Jarneia Richard-Noel.

Finally, the fourth instalment of the Reunited Series arrives on the 21 Dec at 8pm GMT. All I Want For Christmas Is Theatre is a love letter to the tradition of seeing theatre with those you love during the holiday season. More than three dozen top UK theatre artists are lending their talents to this special concert, featuring classic Christmas songs of all styles. Performers from Unlimited, Oops!… I Streamed It Again, and Girl Power will all be featured, alongside more than a dozen more, to be announced in the coming weeks.

Streaming tickets for a single concert are £12.50 ($15) if booked early (by 30 Nov), or £15 ($18) if purchased in December. (10 other currencies available.) Purchasers of the first three concerts will have 72 hours to watch, and purchasers of All I Want For Christmas Is Theatre will have 7 days to watch with their households. An Extended-Access bundle (£37.50/$45 in Nov; £45/$54 in Dec) gives purchasers access to all four concerts from their premiere through 31 December, and provides a 25% discount over booking the concerts separately. All concerts and the bundle can also be purchased after their premiere, with the same window of access (72 hours, 7 days, or through 31 Dec.)

The Reunited Series and Thespie’s original content initiative support its work to foster the connection between artists and audiences on its theatre discovery platform. Thespie’s first original production, The Reunion, was one of the bestselling paid theatre streaming events in the UK, selling tickets to 3600 households across 65 countries; and employed 35 live entertainment workers who received over £30k in income from the event.

Thespie founder Tyler Stoops said, “Watching our first concert, The Reunion, revived my spirits, and hundreds of viewers told us how meaningful it was, how inspired they were, and how much fun they had. So I’m thrilled we can deliver four more concerts for audiences at home around the world, just in time for Christmas. I think all of us are ready for some joy and excitement.”

Thespie offers listings for theatre streaming, theatre music & audio, theatre eBooks, educational resources, live London theatre, theatre news, and more. Audiences can use Thespie to stream the Reunited Series and more than 400 other shows, or to discover over 1000 more shows available on other popular platforms and services, such as Disney+, Amazon Prime, and Audible.

Artists, producers and arts organisations interested in adding their show listings and theatre streaming to Thespie can learn more at https://thespie.com/submissions.

A Red Ladder Theatre Company production with support from Oldham Coliseum Theatre

MY VOICE WAS HEARD BUT IT WAS IGNORED

Written by Nana-Kofi Kufuor; Directed by Dermot Daly.

My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored will be performed at CAST, Doncaster (4 December), Cluntergate Centre, Horbury (6 Dec, Red Ladder Local), Holbeck WMC, Leeds (11 December).

Red Ladder Theatre Company makes its return with MY VOICE WAS HEARD BUT IT WAS IGNORED, the gripping stage debut of 29-year-old Ghanian-English writer Nana-Kofi Kufuor. His first play is an urgent interrogation of black identity, in which a question is posed: if you see something you do not agree with, do you intervene?

What happens if you’re a teacher, and the issue is with your student? What happens if you’re outside of work, and see them stopped and searched and manhandled by the police? Do you run over and stop the act, or do you watch, and wait to find out all the facts? This is the case For Gillian Akwasi, a black twenty-something teacher who watches while her student, Reece Ofori, is roughly accosted by the police. The next day, he confronts her – locking them both in her classroom at the end of the school day.

For his writing, Kufuor draws influence from his experiences growing up in Stockport with Ghanian parents, and working in education with young people from a range of backgrounds. Revealing the real-life situation that inspired his hard-hitting drama, Kufuor explains,

“Working at a Pupil Referral Unit, I once had a student try to take a knife to stab another student. Once I’d calmed him down, we sat in the canteen and he explained to me he wasn’t going to go quietly. The police were outside and they took him. I saw him a few weeks later, and he asked why I didn’t help him? That rush of guilt changed to anger and quickly to sympathy as he saw me as his protector. But I knew I couldn’t do anything. The crux of this play is how two people react to the same situation: they go on a journey; a journey a lot of people of colour go on – a realisation that where you are now isn’t necessarily where you come from.”   

MY VOICE WAS HEARD BUT IT WAS IGNORED was developed as part of a year-long writing commission for Box Of Tricks and staged as a rehearsed reading at HOME in January 2020, where it was seen by Red Ladder’s artistic director Rod Dixon. For five decades Red Ladder has been producing new writing by voices whose work is often unheard on our stages, and the Leeds-based touring theatre company is thrilled to be developing Kufuor’s thought-provoking play for its first tour.

Red Ladder’s artistic director Rod Dixon, says, “We’re very excited to be working with Nana-Kofi Kufuor, this important play addresses key issues about race and identity at a time when society needs to heal division and strife. We’ve brought together a fantastic creative team including director Dermot Daly and look forward to taking this new work on tour and welcoming back audiences in theatres and community venues in a safe way.”

Directing MY VOICE WAS HEARD BUT IT WAS IGNORED for Red Ladder Theatre Company is Dermot Daly, a Leeds-based actor, director, filmmaker, dramaturg, lecturer and teacher whose extensive credits for stage and screen include work with Leeds Playhouse, Slung Low, Talawa, Theatre Royal Stratford East, BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

The play is performed by Jelani D’Aguilar and Misha Duncan-Barry. The creative team are: Designer: Caitlin Mawhinney; Sound Designer: Tayo Akinbode: Lighting and Visual Designer: Adam Foley; Movement Director: Rod Dixon; Technical Manager: Tom Blackband and Red Ladder Dramaturg: Lindsay Rodden.

For more information and to book tickets, visit www.redladder.co.uk

LEEDS HERITAGE THEATRES ASK PATRONS TO HELP KEEP A SEAT WARM THIS CHRISTMAS

As the Christmas season approaches, Leeds Heritage Theatres is asking patrons to consider supporting their three heritage venues at what would have been their busiest period.

In a year that has seen the arts and culture sector suffer exponentially as a result of the pandemic, it will be the first time in their collective 400-year history, that the three buildings will remain closed for Christmas due to the ongoing concerns over COVID-19 and the need to protect audiences, employees and performers.

By donating to their ‘Keep a seat warm this Christmas’ campaign, purchasing tickets to future shows or buying memberships, gift vouchers and merchandise, the company that manages Leeds Grand Theatre, City Varieties Music Hall and Hyde Park Picture House is hoping that money raised will help support their long-term survival.

Chris Blythe, CEO, said: “In December 2019 we welcomed more than 60,000 people to our venues to enjoy one of 120 performances or screenings, generating an income of £1.4 million from ticket sales and £198,000 from secondary sales (including bar and merchandise). This year the statistics will be very different.”

Ordinarily at Christmas, The Grand would be hosting a major West End production, whilst the City Varieties would be home to one of only two self-produced shows, and main revenue driver, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto. And whilst Hyde Park Picture House is closed for planned restoration work (on hold since April 2020), the cinema would usually screen a variety of Christmas favourites, including the iconic It’s a Wonderful Life.

Blythe adds: “Whilst we had been making tentative steps to recovery by reopening the doors to The Varieties with a screening programme curated by Hyde Park, the truth of the matter is, income generated from screenings does not impact our bottom line in the same way live performance does.”

A recent recipient of several grants, including £1.5million from the government and Art Council England’s Culture Recovery Fund, Blythe has revealed that the company purse would have run out completely on November 2^nd if their bid hadn’t been successful.

“The grant is a lifeline for which we will be forever grateful,” says Blythe. “The money has allowed us to cover our fixed costs until March and re-inflate our reserves to zero – reserves which we had planned to invest back into our three heritage buildings. However, no matter how generous, the money will still not see us out of the woods completely, hence our need to ask our audiences for support – the irony of which, when everyone is suffering financially, is not lost on me.

“I know it is a huge ask, especially at Christmas, but I also know how much our three venues mean to the people of Leeds and wider region. The support and generosity of our patrons this year has been overwhelming – both financially and emotionally. It is abundantly clear that arts and culture are needed now more than ever to help boost people’s mental health and build community through shared experience as we all try to find some escapism from our day-to-day and ongoing concerns for our futures.”

To support Leeds Heritage Theatres this Christmas, go to leedsheritagetheatres.com.

LIVE FROM STAGE TO SCREEN

BASED ON THE PICTURE BOOK BY JULIA DONALDSON AND AXEL SCHEFFLER

‘A MOUSE TOOK A STROLL THROUGH THE DEEP DARK WOOD…’

TALL STORIES TO LIVE-STREAM ‘THE GRUFFALO’ STAGE PRODUCTION THIS DECEMBER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZncXbWDmyk&feature=youtu.be

Following a hugely successful virtual tour of ‘The Snail and the Whale’ over October half-term, leading family theatre company Tall Stories are proud to present a special live-streamed version of their much-loved stage adaptation of ‘The Gruffalo’ from 11-13 December 2020. Based on the classic book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler and presented in association with The Lowry in Salford, the monstrously fun production will be broadcast live from the brand-new Tall Stories Studio in Islington Central Library, London, into homes and schools around the world.

Directed by Olivia Jacobs and Toby Mitchell, this live-streamed version will feature exciting additional audience interaction and a free printable activity pack filled with ways to make your at-home theatre experience extra special. This wonderful and iconic adventure is suitable for everyone aged three and up. Schools can book to watch the show on Friday 11th December with weekend performances for families on 12th and 13th December. The full cast includes Ashley Sean-Cook (The Gruffalo), Rebecca Newman (Mouse), Jake Addley (Predators) and Steve McCourt (Understudy).

The broadcast will include an exclusive video introduction from the author Julia Donaldson and a special afterword from illustrator Axel Scheffler. Tall Stories are partnering with TicketCo TV who will be providing the booking system and streaming platform.

These performances will replace the previously announced run of the live production that was due to take place on stage at The Lowry over Christmas which will no longer be happening, due to COVID concerns and restrictions.

Julia Donaldson says: “It’s very sad that at the moment it’s harder for people to see loved ones and to go out to places like theatres. So, I hope that audiences will enjoy visiting the Deep Dark Wood from the comfort of their own home or school.”

Axel Scheffler says: “I’m really glad that audiences are getting a chance to see Tall Stories’ adaptation of The Gruffalo on their TVs or computers. I look forward to seeing people in bookshops and theatres when things get back to normal.”

                                                          ‘A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood…’
Join Mouse on a daring adventure through the deep dark wood in Tall Stories’ magical, musical adaptation of the classic picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Searching for hazelnuts, Mouse meets the cunning Fox, the eccentric old Owl and the high-spirited Snake. Will the story of the terrifying Gruffalo save Mouse from ending up as dinner for these hungry woodland creatures? After all, there’s no such thing as a Gruffalo – is there?

Tall Stories has toured ‘The Gruffalo’ around the UK and the world since its premiere at Chester Gateway Theatre in May 2001 – just 18 months after the book was published.  As well as London West End runs at the Lyric Theatre, Duchess Theatre, Vaudeville Theatre and Arts Theatre the show has been to nearly every major regional theatre in the UK, plus the USA (including the New Victory Theater in New York), Canada, Australia (including Sydney Opera House), New Zealand, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Poland, China, South Africa, Chile and the Philippines.

DARKFIELD LAUNCHES

ETERNAL

THE THIRD IMMERSIVE AUDIO EXPERIENCE FROM DARKFIELD RADIO

• TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR SHOWS FROM 1ST DECEMBER, WITH PRESS PREVIEWS FROM THURSDAY 26 NOVEMBER
• NEW SHOW TIMINGS: DOUBLE WILL BROADCAST AT  20:00, VISITORS AT 21:00, ETERNAL AT 22:00 EVERY TUES/FRI/SAT.
• TICKET & GIFT PACKAGES NOW AVAILABLE

“I want you to believe…to believe in things that you cannot.”

― Bram Stoker

DARKFIELD – the British company producing innovative immersive experiences at the forefront of technology and theatre since 2016 – are pleased to announce that tickets are on sale now for the third show on DARKFIELD RADIO.  

ETERNAL is a new 20 minute immersive audio experience for one person… alone in their bed. It explores the lure of eternal life and wonders what you would willingly give up to achieve it…  ETERNAL launches on Tuesday 1 December, with press previews from Thursday 26 November, and tickets are on sale now via the Darkfield Radio website.

ETERNAL was originally commissioned by Bram Stoker Festival as a major highlight of the festival’s 2020 programme and received universal acclaim from both audiences and the Irish media. Bram Stoker Festival playfully celebrates the work and legacy of one of Ireland’s most treasured authors, delving deep into the gothic, the mysterious, the after-dark and the supernatural. One of Dublin’s most anticipated city festivals, it has in recent years become one of its biggest, with tens of thousands of people enjoying events and experiences. ETERNAL is inspired by Stoker’s renowned work: Dracula.

You have been chosen and we thank you for your sacrifice.

In return we offer you the opportunity of immortality – but there are conditions.

You could, of course, wait to see what the future might bring. You could take your chances on a cure for ageing and death. The cure is coming – but it is not coming fast enough for you.

ETERNAL completes the 2020 DARKFIELD RADIO trilogy, which launched with DOUBLE in July – as part of an adaptive response to the pandemic and lockdown – and followed by VISITORS in September. The binaural audio soundscape for each show situates every audience member at the centre of an intense, evolving narrative. Each experience is communal – the DARKFIELD RADIO app, available on IOS and Android, is designed to deliver each show at a set time and date, so not only are audiences experiencing the show either singularly or in pairs, but it is also  replicated in hundreds of rooms across the world, much like going to the cinema for a screening, or a theatre for a play.  

There will now be one of each show on every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, with the ability to buy a package ticket, enabling you to experience all three shows on the same evening.

Artistic Directors Glen Neath and David Rosenberg explain, “With the launch of Eternal we hope we’ve managed to unsettle you in most of the rooms in your house. We’re excited we now have three shows on the platform that you can experience alone or with another all on the same evening.” 

Taking part in all DARKFIELD RADIO experiences is simple – you buy a ticket, download the DARKFIELD RADIO app and enter your code. At the designated hour, you put on your headphones and your own home becomes the setting for another world, blurring the lines between real and imagined. DARKFIELD RADIO is a brand new and innovative form of entertainment that directly responds to the new age we are living in, immersing audiences in strange and curious worlds in their own homes and bringing new meaning to the familiar spaces we inhabit

DARKFIELD RADIO launched in July 2019, and its launch represented a shift from physical installations to home entertainment, as a reaction to the COVID19 pandemic and lockdown. The first show, DOUBLE – a dark psychological thriller – launched first in the UK and Australia to great critical acclaim, and subsequently expanded globally with evening performances launched in the US and New Zealand in mid-August. DOUBLE was selected for the Venice International Film Festival (2 – 12 September 2020) as part of the ‘Best of XR’ (eXtended Reality – a catch all term for immersive productions including AR and VR) category; the first ever audio-only experience in the programme.  DOUBLE was the most critically acclaimed and widely experienced show ever produced by Darkfield, with people in 35+ countries worldwide downloading it since the launch, including 500 participants of the Venice International Film Festival. VISITORS has joined the Official Selection for the Raindance Film Festival 2020, and is nominated for two awards – Outstanding Achievement in Audio and Best Narrative Experience – and has also been selected as part of IDFA 2020 – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

DARKFIELD has so far welcomed 200000+ audience members globally and with DARKFIELD RADIO, will now reach even larger audiences worldwide in their homes.The Darkfield Radio App is powered by Wiretapper, and funded by the Arts Council for England. Previous DARKFIELD experiences SEANCE, FLIGHT and COMA, sited in shipping containers, originally premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and have since toured the UK and Australia.

DARKFIELD Radio is transmitting DOUBLE, VISITORS and ETERNAL every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday.

DOUBLE will broadcast at 20:00, VISITORS will broadcast at 21:00, ETERNAL will broadcast at 22:00

PLEASE BE AWARE SHOWS ARE 14+.

Experienced through the DARKFIELD RADIO app available for android and iphone.

http://www.darkfield.org/radio