5 Plays Of Christmas, a spirited selection box of online short plays from the coolest new writing talent
Live Theatre, Newcastle is counting down the days to the online release of their alternative festive offering, 5 Plays of Christmas. This virtual theatre boxset features five new stories from the coolest writers. Live Theatre’s gift for theatre lovers, 5 Plays of Christmas is the perfect present to share and enjoy from the comfort of home and a great way to celebrate a yuletide like no other.
5 Plays of Christmas is the latest project in Live Theatre’s exciting Live Wired season. The ambition had been to stage 5 Plays of Christmas in front of a live audience, but once again the Covid-19 restrictions have derailed the best laid plans. Therefore, as with the successful and critically acclaimed 10 Minutes To… season, all five plays will be developed, rehearsed, performed and filmed behind closed doors and then shared FREE across digital platforms in mid-December.
Live Theatre is continuing to invest in the creative sector and the five writers chosen to submit scripts for 5 Plays of Christmas all recently presented work as part of 10 Minutes To…Call Home. This cracking festive feast includes:
The End Of Term Show by Olu Alakija, My Door by Mandi Chivasa, Those Yet To Come by Ellen McNally, Skulls In Cullercoats by Benjamin Storey and The Whale Washed Up On Christmas Eve by Sarah Tarbit.
Martin Maxwell is reliving the time he killed Christmas. A missed bus has consequences for the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Future. Danny is in an elf costume while Joe just got arrested and Agnes sits in a quiet living room, sun on her face and the cold at her door. Meanwhile on a beach in Newbiggen, a giant whale is washed ashore.
Graeme Thompson, Creative Producer at Live Theatre said: “It’s wonderful to be able to bring five brand new plays to audiences this year. At Live Theatre we like to put our own special take on festive theatre and this year is going to be no different with new stories from five talented writers. These 5 Plays of Christmas promise to take you on a journey which I know you are going to enjoy.”
Live Theatre’s Creative Opportunities programme and 5 Plays of Christmas is supported by John Ellerman Foundation. 5 Plays of Christmas, a sprinkling of Christmas magic, will be free to view online from mid-December. More information about the five plays and their creative teams will be online soon at live.org.uk/livewired
Polka Theatre offers Christmas present to supporters with free Christmas film for ages 4+
Polka may have been closed throughout 2020 but their re-told A Christmas Carol is the theatre’s gift to their supporters. Created by Ian Nicholson and Sam Wilde, the team behind the viral lockdown hit I Want My Hat Back, this free 15-minute short film is for the whole family to be enjoyed over the festive period. It will be available exclusively from 19th December for those who sign up to the Polka newsletter from now until Christmas.
Gather round for this visually imaginative and funny re-telling of a Christmas classic, set to an original folk-style score. Stories have been quiet on stages for a while but now you can meet the Storyteller and his Cardboard Cabinet of Curiosities as he tells the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and the true meaning of Christmas. The uncharitable, grumpy, angry and overall spiritless Ebenezer Scrooge is hiding in his London office on a lonely Christmas night. Will Scrooge still hate Christmas once the three festive ghosts have shown him his past, present and future?
VocalEyes will bring the production to life for blind and visually impaired people through an accompanying audio description. This will include an audio introduction establishing the visual world of the production including setting and characters, in addition to the ‘through description’ of the film itself, mixed with the original soundtrack.
Designer Sam Wilde comments, The show is almost entirely recycled and recyclable, mostly made from cardboard but also materials from the huge waste generated over the Christmas period – wrapping paper, fairy lights, ribbons, bows, bubble wrap and baubles! Hopefully it will provide people with inspiration for reusing all that Christmas rubbish! We’ll travel through cardboard city streets, meet the origami ghost of Christmas Past, the wrapping paper ghost of Christmas Present and ghost of Christmas Future (with a touch of tinsel!).
Polka temporarily closed for a major redevelopment in February 2019 and will reopen in spring 2021. In the meantime, Polka continues to offer activities to schools, community groups and the public, working with over 21,600 people last year. Polka Online is helping to keep children creative during lockdown, with a range of live, recorded and downloadable activities for children.
AChristmas Carol is supported by Arts Council England
Theatre Centre recognised in 2020 Achates Philanthropy Prize
From a long list of 121 nominations, Theatre Centre, with Theatre503, has been announced as the National Showcase Organisation for London for this year’s Achates Philanthropy Prize.
The 2020 Achates Philanthropy Prize shines a light into the role of the cultural sector during the Covid-19 pandemic, celebrating how cultural organisations across the country have responded to the challenges of 2020, despite themselves being under threat. This important prize shows the value and power of culture and how arts organisations across the country have stepped up to support their communities.
During the pandemic, Theatre Centre, in collaboration with Theatre503, commissioned 19 of the UK’s most exciting playwrights, including Jon Brittain, Nessah Muthy, Amy Ng and Roy Williams OBE, to write a series of short pieces for the nation. This project culminated in a festival broadcasting a digital patchwork of the recorded submissions from across the country to share a multitude of voices.
Highlighting the connective power of storytelling at a time when we have been so isolated, the project showed the talent, creativity, diversity and breadth of the nation. The resulting digital festival embodied a sense of community and shared experience.
Theatre Centre’s very ethos aims to use theatre to empower children and young people, using their voices and ideas to make change in themselves and the world around them. Diversity and inclusion are core to their practice so that they can best reflect and relate to the experience of children and young people today. This diversity was reflected in the 160+ submissions from people across the UK.
Rob Watt, Artistic Director of Theatre Centre comments, This prize is testament to everyone who took part in the project in such challenging times, from the 500+ people from across the UK who submitted films, the 19 writers who wrote such brilliant stories, many freelancers and the team from Theatre503 and Theatre Centre. We are delighted that ImagiNation has been awarded the Achates Philanthropy 2020 prize with seven other awesome and important projects from across the nation.
Emma Rees, Executive Director of Theatre Centre said, It’s an honour to be selected from such an incredible list of projects. We’re very proud that our national work has been recognised in this way.
Lisa Spirling, Theatre503’s Artistic Director comments, For Theatre503, getting the chance to work with Theatre Centre on the ImagiNation project was a much needed light in a dark time. It gave brilliant writers work, brought together friends, families and peers in a creative adventure. This recognition is the icing on the cake.
Following the announcement that Peter James’ latest Roy Grace novel Find Them Dead has reached No.1 in the book charts – his 17th No.1 in the UK, Peter James and producer Joshua Andrews are delighted to announce that award winning EastEnders star Adam Woodyatt will play the leading role of Tom Bryce in the World Premiere stage production of the Peter James best selling novel “LOOKING GOOD DEAD” opening at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley on 1 April 2021 ahead ofa major UK tour. www.peterjames.com
Adam Woodyatt is the longest serving cast member in “EastEnders” having appeared continuously as Ian Beale since the show began in 1985. For his portrayal of the role he was honoured in 2013 with the Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2015 after the “EastEnders” 30th Anniversary Live episode, Best Actor at the British Soap Awards. “Looking Good Dead” marks Adam’s return to stage in a play for the first time since 1982 as a 13-year-old at the National Theatre in Tom Stoppard’s “On The Razzle”. In addition to “EastEnders” Adam has also appeared on many TV programmes including “Robot Wars”, “Dream House”, “A Question of Sport”, presented “The National Lottery” draw live and last year was a contestant on “Celebrity Masterchef”. He has also previously appeared in the pantomimes “Peter Pan”, “Snow White”, “Aladdin”, “Mother Goose” and “Cinderella”.
Adam Woodyatt said today, “I am so excited to be swapping the square for the road in the world premiere stage production of Peter’s fantastic novel “Looking Good Dead”. I can’t wait to tour the UK and to experience the feeling of performing this thrilling play in front of a live audience every night. There are not many things that would persuade me to take a break from EastEnders, but this is one of them.”
Peter James said today “I am thrilled that Adam Woodyatt is going to star in “Looking Good Dead”. He’s a wonderful actor and I can’t wait to see him play the multi-layered character of Tom Bryce brilliantly. I’ve been humbled by the incredible reaction to my plays over the last few years and we now look forward to being able to thrill theatre audiences again, with this new play in 2021.”
LOOKING GOOD DEAD is Peter’s fifth novel to be brought to the stage and follows the hugely successful productions of “The House on Cold Hill” starring Joe McFadden and Rita Simons last year, “Not Dead Enough” starring Shane Richie and Laura Whitmore in 2017, “The Perfect Murder” starring Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace in 2016 and “Dead Simple” starring Tina Hobley in 2015.
No good deed goes unpunished…. hours after picking up a USB memory stick, left behind on a train seat, Tom Bryce inadvertently becomes a witness to a vicious murder. Reporting the crime to the police has disastrous consequences, placing him and his family in grave danger. When Detective Superintendent Roy Grace becomes involved, he has his own demons to contend with while he tries to crack the case in time to save the Bryce family’s lives.
Peter James is a number one bestselling author of crime and thriller novels and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. He has topped the Sunday Times best seller list seventeen times and has achieved global book sales of over 20 million copies which have been translated into 37 languages. Synonymous with plot twisting page turners, he has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career which also included writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer. His first Roy Grace novels are currently in production with ITV.
“LOOKING GOOD DEAD” is produced by Joshua Andrews and Peter James and has been adapted for the stage by Shaun Mckenna. An award-winning British dramatist, Shaun’s previous theatre credits include Ladies in Lavender, the Lord of The Rings musical and Peter James’ The Perfect Murder, Dead Simple, Not Dead Enough and The House on Cold Hill. It will be directed by the Olivier Award winning Ian Talbot. Ian was Artistic and Managing Director of the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 2008. His West End credits include High Society at Shaftesbury Theatre, Lend Me A Tenor at the Gielgud Theatre and The Mousetrap at St Martin’s Theatre. His UK touring credits include Annie Get Your Gun, Anything Goes, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Million Dollar Quartet and Peter James’ The Perfect Murder and The House on Cold Hill.
Lazarus Theatre Company’s inaugural Calendar in association with Acting for Others is released!
Lazarus 2021: A Year of Exploration
Lazarus Calendar 2021
In association with Acting for Others
Lazarus Theatre Company are teaming up with theatrical charity Acting for Others to present the Lazarus Charity Calendar 2021, featuring 12 iconic production shots curated by company photographer Adam Trigg.
The calendar costs £12.50 (including p&p) and all proceeds will be split between those Artists featured in the calendar, theatrical charity Acting for Others and Lazarus Theatre Companies’ Covid recovery project: Year of Exploration and is available to pre order now from www.lazarustheatre.com.
Year of Exploration
A chance to pause, reflect and practise.
Our 2020 Season ended prematurely and our plans paused due to the Coronavirus outbreak earlier this year.
The Year of Exploration will see the company launch into a period of research and development, asking how and why we make theatre, seizing this rare opportunity to explore ourselves as artists, as a company and ensemble with focus on what we can do, a chance to pause, reflect and practise.
We will be exploring new collaborations, digital technology, casting, integrated access, dramaturgy, design, composition, movement and new storytelling techniques all via our Digital Ensemble.
We will share our practise and findings on our website and social media channels.
Although not on stage for a while we will be continuing with our education work and sharing these epic plays with our community in Greenwich, South East London and beyond.
AND DUE TO THE NATIONAL LOCKDOWN, NEW DATES ANNOUNCED FOR BOTH CINDERELLA: THE SOCIALLY DISTANCED BALL
AND HAIR THE MUSICAL (IN CONCERT)
In February 2019, Paul Taylor-Mills launched the inaugural MTFestUK season which ran at The Other Palace followed by a second season at the Turbine Theatre in February 2020. Next year’s season will run from 1 – 13 February 2021. MTFestUK is a celebration of new musical theatre from around the world, and submissions are now open with shows for consideration to be sent to [email protected]
MTFestUK will follow the Turbine Theatre’s first pantomime, Cinderella: The Socially Distanced Ball, which will now be running from 3 December to 23 December 2020 and Hair The Musical (In Concert), directed by Arlene Phillips, originally part of the Jetty Season, which will now run at Southampton Mayflower Theatre on the 14 & 15 January, and at the London Palladium on 16 January 2021.
Paul Taylor-Mills, Artistic Director, Turbine Theatre said “There’s no denying that 2020 has been an impossible year for everyone, but particularly those who are passionate about getting new work off the ground. When we finally come back to a ‘new normal’ it’s going to be crucial that we continue to shine a spotlight on new work and the people that make it. With this in mind, I’m so proud that we’re able to ensure that MTFestUK returns for its third year.
When I started the festival, it was a way of putting new work in front of an audience to see if it resonated, and for writers to explore what might be practical next steps. I’m thrilled that out of the seventeen musicals presented in our first two years, seven of them are now in further development or moving towards full-scale productions.
If you have a new musical or indeed an existing musical that has needs a re-think then we want to hear from you”.
MTFestUK revels in the diversity of stories on stage and the people who make the work. It sets out to promote quality artistry with a view to showcasing and elevating projects to full production, giving audiences an insight into the process of creating new work and into the art of collaboration.
The festival will promote the best of new British work and at the same time forge overseas partnerships and find new ways to share processes and artists.
MTFestUK is for both industry professionals and the theatre going public and our ambition is to run the festival every February in the UK and, in time, extend the festival to further territories beyond the UK.
At the centre of the festival are eight presentations of new musicals, all presented in a semi-staged fashion.
MTFestUK 2021 SUBMISSIONS PROCESS
We are reaching out for submissions of work to be considered for MTFestUK 2021.
A paragraph about the creative team and journey of the project to date.
Two songs that show off what the musical has to offer.
Listening to and watching new work is a very personal experience. Ultimately, it’s all a question of taste. That said, here’s a list of helpful notes of what we’re looking for:
How does your work connect to the present? We want musicals that speak to the here and now and that have something to say about the world we live in.
We’re not afraid of ambitious work of scale. The main question we ask ourselves is: does the work move us in some way? Does it make us think, laugh, cry or something else?
There are no rules as to how developed or finished a piece needs to be. Previous shows have had a life on Broadway and have been re-written, other pieces had a few songs. We’re interested in ideas and the potential future of pieces, not necessarily how much is done.
The launch of the Musical Commissioning Hub has been made possible through investment from the Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund and Capital Theatres’ Patron support
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Festival Theatre, 2020
Capital Theatres exists to inspire a life-long love of theatre, and for many years it has presented the best plays, musicals, operas, and dance the UK and the world has to offer on the stages of the Festival and King’s Theatres.
Under the new strategy of its Chief Executive, Fiona Gibson, Capital Theatres intends to develop its third theatre space, The Studio starting with the creation of exciting new Scottish musicals.
Today, in a producing partnership with Pitlochry Festival Theatre it is launching a brand-new Musical Commissioning Hub as the first step towards achieving this.
In this first step of the new strategy Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre seek to collaborate with musicians, writers and artists to develop Scottish talent (wherever they now live) and cultural output, so that their stages become a home for great Scottish musicals year on year, which could ultimately be shared on tour with venues across the country.
“Music is such an important part of Scotland’s heritage. As we emerge through lockdown and social distancing, we believe Scottish audiences have an appetite for new musicals celebrating Scotland’s culture, spirit and humour. This unprecedented period of our venues being closed provides a unique window of opportunity to progress new Scottish works at a time when enjoyment and entertainment has never been more necessary”, commented Fiona Gibson, CEO of Capital Theatres.
Adding, “Scotland has a rich history of creating high quality stories that we want to bring to life through performance. As the impact of Covid-19 deepens within our society, there is a real risk that new talent, and new creative content, will not come to the fore. This will not only result in a dearth of new work to be presented on our stages, and those of our comparators around the country, in the years to come, but will diminish the pool of creative Scottish talent that we seek to support and highlight. This Commissioning Hub presents us with the opportunity to invest in and develop the quality and diversity of works here, placing Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre at the heart of cultural richness in Scotland.”
Writers will be asked to submit an outline for a new musical alongside details of their previous work to be considered by a panel of experts.
The panel features multi award-winning composer and creator of musicals Howard Goodall; multi-award winning Scottish singer and actress Barbara Dickson; broadcaster and lead singer of Deacon Blue, Ricky Ross; Robert Softley Gale, artistic director of Birds of Paradise theatre company who brought us My Left/Right Foot; writer and Director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre, David Greig (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and most recently Local Hero); theatre director and radio DJ Matthew Xia; Award-winning producer of SIX and The Play That Goes Wrong Kenny Wax; Olivier award winner Katie Brayben acclaimed for her role as Carole King in the London production of Beautiful; co-director of Freedom Studios Aisha Khan and Co-Chairs Fiona Gibson, CEO Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman. Together they will bring a diverse background and range of expertise in music, musical theatre, creative writing, and performance to assess and guide the submissions and the process.
It is anticipated that the winning submission will be invited to produce a scratch performance at The Studio in Edinburgh in Spring 2021 and Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s new Studio Theatre in Summer 2021.
Scottish singer and actress Barbara Dickson said
“The Musical Commissioning Hub is a fantastic innovation for Scotland and beyond.
I’m delighted to be involved; it is wonderful to see Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre teaming up. They are great and both are taking lots of positive steps to help artists during this difficult time. This new endeavour will be wonderful for artists, but it will also be great for audiences. I can’t wait to return to these two beautiful Theatres to watch this new work and celebrate Scottish Theatre through new drama and music.”
Elizabeth Newman, Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre added:
“As we navigate through these challenging times, it feels vital that we continue to develop new work by brilliant Scottish artists that celebrates Scotland’s long history of creating great music for its theatreaudiences. Due to COVID-19, everything has been so hard for everyone in recent months and we believe it is vital that we offer artists support. We want to offer as many opportunitiestoartists as possible to create new and exciting work that can be showcased around Scotland. At Pitlochry Festival Theatre, we are developing exciting plans to open our new Studio Theatre next Summer. This collaboration and artistic strategy with Capital Theatres will be integral to how we develop new work for this new space and continue to serve brilliant audiences and artists.
She added: “We know that audiences are longing to come back together for a good night out so we couldn’t think of a better way to welcome them back than with some exciting new musicals created by the very best Scottish talent. Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Capital Theatres both have a long history of welcoming audiences to experience great musicals. And it felt vital that we develop this new work to offer hope to everyone that we will be back soon – laughing, crying, and challenging ourselves to make sense of our extraordinary world together.”
Summer Holiday, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, 2019
The launch of the Musical Commissioning Hub has been made possible through investment from the Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund and patron support.
Howard Goodall: “It is vitally important that as a theatre community we keep alive the flame of a future beyond this challenging period by encouraging them to develop new musicals, so I’m looking forward to joining the rest of the panel of this, the Musical Commissioning Hub. We know how much musicals can lift the spirits of an audience and now is definitely a moment when we need to do just that. It is brilliant that Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre have found a way to make this happen together and I’m sure great things will come from such a strong partnership between these two important organisations. Hurrah.”
Aisha Khan: “It’s great to see Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre working hard, during this difficult time, to engage artists and develop new work for audiences. As an artist and Artistic Director, I’m delighted to join this panel in its ambitions to help with the development of Scottish talent and create exciting new musicals for everyone to enjoy. It feels important and vital that we all come together and support each other as well as give our audiences something to look forward to.”
Matthew Xia: “I’m thrilled to join such a respected group of theatre makers, performers, producers and musicians during this rather peculiar suspension of time. It’s wonderful to be able look forward and to enable and empower future talent.”
Robert Softley Gale: “I am thrilled to be working with Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre on this exciting new venture to find Scotland’s new Musical Theatre talent. It’s absolutely an honour to be sitting alongside my fellow panel members and I can’t wait to see what treasures we uncover. Now – as much as ever – audiences in Scotland need accessible popular entertainment to bring us back together.”
Kenny Wax: “I’ve been a strong advocate for new musicals during the thirty years I’ve been producing. And yet I’ve only produced half a dozen in that time. They are fiendishly difficult in many respects. And they also come in all shapes and sizes. The holy grail for a producer is to find that brand new show and give it a proper commercial life. I produced TOP HAT a few years ago. The stage production was based on one of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers most successful movies. We created a new libretto and it won the Olivier Award for ‘Best New Musical’, but I felt a bit of a fraud as the movie gave us such a generous steer and the Irving Berlin songbook was a goldmine. More recently our production of SIX has received widespread success and acclaim for its ability to speak to a young audience and its incredible power in making history relevant and sexy. SIX has been an amazing experience for everyone involved. If the Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre New Musicals Commissioning Hub can discover that sort of original talent then we will have done very well.”
Katie Brayben: “It’s so important we continue to make new musicals – now more than ever. It’s exhilarating to think this new partnership between Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre will ensure good things happen in British theatre. I’m so excited that these wonderful theatres are embarking on this new venture together. They are guiding lights for theatres right now. I just can’t wait to be part of this!”
David Grieg:“I’m very excited to be part of the Musical Commissioning Hub. It’s going to be a great new venture for Scotland. Everyone knows how passionate I am about producing new musicals and I can’t wait to be part of this new initiative to support others to dream their dreams.”
FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF THEIR CHRISTMAS ADVERT LAST YEAR, 53TWO & TRIPLEC ARE BACK AND BRINGING YOU ANOTHER FESTIVE TREAT!
Last year, 53two teamed up with TripleC to create a Christmas advert on a minimal budget in the hope of delivering some Christmas joy whilst highlighting the lack of disabled artists seen on our screens. The response far exceeded their expectations. By Christmas Day it had received over 75k views. Following this success, the team are back this December to create another festive advert full of love, kindness and inclusivity.
53two is a charity offering support for creatives in all disciplines through workshops, placements, opportunity and more, as well as supporting countless charities across the UK with mentoring, venue, equipment, tech support and other resources. Although 53two’s plan of moving into their new fully accessible theatre venue has been delayed until 2021, they have remained active with their online workshops as well as offering a COVID safe environment for creatives to work within their studios based in the centre of Manchester. 53two’s Manager Alexandra Maxwell said “At the heart of 53two is working on projects that offer opportunities to all with a focus on diversity and accessibility. Working with TripleC on this Christmas project enables us to engage further with artists from the disabled community here in Manchester & offer opportunities working on creative projects.”
TripleC is a non-profit, community interest company that creates projects that break down the barriers faced by disabled people of all ages accessing the arts. TripleC created DANC (Disabled Artists Networking Community) which is a solution focussed initiative that works with the creative industry and disabled artists to up representation and employment of disabled talent. TripleC’s co creative Directors – Cherylee Houston (Coronation Street) & Melissa Johns (BBC’s LIFE) said “2020 has been a tough year for many of us and extremely so for the disabled community. We wanted to ensure that disabled artists could still access a space that brings everyone together even though we can’t be in the same room. We have been running weekly masterclasses, webinars, 1-1’s, challenges, and mailouts to make sure that the voices of the disabled community are heard and don’t fall off the radar. It felt right to conclude the year with a Christmas advert as last year’s advert brought so much joy. It has been an absolute delight to work with 53TWO on this project again. It’s the perfect example of how this industry can work in an accessible and inclusive way. TripleC’s ethos is ‘Never Leave Anyone Behind’ and we hope that message comes across in this year’s advert”.
This year’s advert, written by Vicky Wild was chosen from over 50 pitches submitted. Following on from last year, the advert does not promote a product or organisation, but instead focuses on the theme of togetherness. It’s originality and heart-warming message was a perfect fit for this year’s piece & enables the production team to deliver a quality advert while following Covid-19 guidelines. Casting has now begun and playing the lead role is 10yr old Amelia Eldred. Amelia was diagnosed with osteosarcoma tumour in her left femur on her 7th birthday after her leg ‘swelled’ during a sports club activity. After two rounds of chemotherapy, the tumour had not shrunk, so she was given rotationplasty surgery. Amelia uses a prosthetic and is determined to achieve her dreams. She is very passionate about proving that with hard work you can do anything. She is so excited about working on this project, she said: “This is amazing, I’m so excited about performing and showing people what I can do. I’m feeling like Christmas has come early and I can’t wait to film the advert.”
After a difficult year 53two & TripleC hope to deliver some much-needed joy into people’s homes this Christmas and bring some unity and positivity to a potentially difficult holiday time. Their advert will be released online early December.
Artist Anna Bruder joins forces with poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko
to create a DIY Picnic Activity Pack for families attending
Mole & Gecko’sPoetry Picnic online on Sunday 15 November
Families can get creative at home this Sunday 15 November by taking inspiration from a DIY Picnic Activity Pack designed by artist Anna Bruder from A Line Arts,before logging in at 3pm for poet Simon Mole’s and musician Gecko’s online Poetry Picnic.
Poetry Picnic, a celebration of music and poetry, is the perfect Sunday afternoon boredom-buster for 7-12 year olds. Mole and Gecko will play fun (and quite silly!) games to build confidence and skill with words, and then help you write a poem or a song with the power to send your picnic blanket skywards.
Anna Bruder’s DIY Picnic Activity Pack includes fun tips on how to set up your picnic blanket at home ready for the show, how to conjure up your own hand-drawn selection of delicious snacks and how to make your very own microphone so you can deliver your poem with style.
Simon Mole, a National Poetry Day Ambassador who has shared stages with John Cooper-Clarke, Kae Tempest and Simon Armitage, said: “We want your picnic blanket to whisk you away on an imaginative mission and our Poetry Picnic Activity Pack is a fun and easy way to kick off that process. All you need is something to draw on and something to draw with (and someone to do the drawing)!”
Anna Bruder is an Artist, Theatre Designer and prop maker. For over ten years she has worked in the world of theatre, not only practicing as a highly skilled prop maker for London’s leading musicals, but also designing and building awe inspiring sets and installations for productions at theatres including The Young Vic, Sadlers Wells, and English Touring Opera. Since 2011 Anna has been working on her design concept A Line Art, which specialises in immersive theatre performances and interactive art events for children, young people and their families.
Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Cahoots NI announceTHE UNIVERSITY OF WONDER AND IMAGINATIONA ground-breaking immersive digital show for children to enjoy at home
The University of Wonder and Imagination – credit: Melissa Gordon
Birmingham Repertory Theatre has announced that Northern Ireland-based children’s theatre company Cahoots NI will present their ground-breaking immersive digital show for children, The University of Wonder and Imagination from 1-5 December 2020.
Taking place at the tail-end of a national lockdown, this immersive digital theatre experience will bring the magic and joy of theatre to young audiences aged 7+ at home with tickets on sale now at birmingham-rep.co.uk. Dedicated schools performances are also available for classrooms to join in with this exciting online experience.
The University of Wonder and Imagination is an hour-long interactive digital theatre production that allows audiences to effectively direct the performance, based on their interaction with the performers. In this ambitious and innovative undertaking, Cahoots NI will broadcast live over Zoom from an extensive, purpose-built set in Belfast, where magic and illusion have no boundaries.
Limited to pre-booked audience numbers per performance, guests will assemble with their fellow University students and, led by the mysterious Professor Bamberg, will embark on a journey where nothing is quite what it seems.
Audiences will interact with lively lecturers, experience themed rooms filled with illusion and encounter problems and puzzles in an attempt to unlock magical powers and graduate with flying colours.
Speaking about the new production, Paul Bosco Mc Eneaney, Creator/Director of The University of Wonder and Imagination, and Artistic Director of Cahoots NI, said: “We are thrilled to be opening the doors of the University of Wonder and Imagination for enrolment.
“Now, more than ever, we want to capture the sheer joy and wonder that theatre and live performance brings young audiences, something we so desperately miss being able to provide at this time. We have worked hard to create an experience that would act as a first step to bridge the gap between young people and live theatre that can be enjoyed at home.
“Developing this production has allowed us to explore a completely new channel through which to bring magic and illusion to children and their families via digital technology. The choices our audiences make live, during the event, will shape their unique theatre experience – and that’s hugely exciting for us.
“The technology we are using for the production is intricate, but it will be seamlessly blended with physical sets and magical illusions. Our audiences haven’t seen anything like this from Cahoots NI before, and we believe it will be a fun-filled, thrilling experience for children, for their families and for our cast and crew to be a part of.”
The REP’s Artistic Director, Sean Foley added: “Since closing our physical building in March due to COVID-19 restrictions, The REP has strived to continue its civic purpose within the city. From the Wardrobe team creating scrubs for the NHS, the Catering team providing thousands of meals for children in the city and our Learning team reaching hundreds of school pupils and young people – our talented staff have found new, innovative ways to connect with communities.
“We have also never forgotten our audiences and creatives during these unusual times, including online conversations with The REP’s Artistic Team titled REPurposed and becoming the first major venue in Birmingham to reopen for live performance with Birmingham Royal Ballet’s World Premiere, Lazuli Sky, this October.
“Now, as we continue with a second national lockdown, this inventive way of bringing theatre to children from the safety of their own home will provide families with a fun and exciting opportunity to come together and enjoy the magic of theatre. We look forward to welcoming families to The University of Wonder and Imagination.”
Cahoots NI is at the forefront of Northern Irish theatre and is the leading professional theatre company producing work for children. Since beginning operations in 2001, Cahoots NI has produced original, critically acclaimed work for children including Penguins, Under the Hawthorn Tree, Secrets of Space, Shh! We have a Plan and has toured its work internationally including in China and the USA.
The University of Wonder and Imaginationruns from 1-5 December 2020 – for more information and tickets visit birmingham-rep.co.uk.
The University of Wonder and Imagination is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
