Performer Collective Cher Lessons on How to Survive an Apocalypse
“The only things to survive the apocalypse will be Cher and cockroaches”
I Need to Cher are a collective of performers united by one thing – their love of Cher. Following their humble roots as a DIY club night in 2017, the circus, drag, comedy, dance and wrestling acts have stormed Latitude festival and had a successful run at Camden People’s Theatre.
How to Survive the Cherpocalypsehas undergone some revisions since it was first submitted to the Space for a run this Spring. Space Director, Adam Hemming explains, ‘We loved the sound of this and how a message of hope in dark times can come from unexpected quarters. When the actual apocalypse (or close to it) hit us, we asked I Need to Cher to come up with an online version of the show for our Locked Down, Looking Up ACE-funded programme. They came up with The Cherona Edit which was a brilliant way of bringing the show to our online audiences.’
The version presented at the Space will feature one Cher on stage with numerous others broadcasting into the venue.
How does Cher remain so ageless and incredible? What wisdom can she bestow that will help us survive the next seven decades? The masterminds behind I Need to Cher, the world’s only feminist Cher-based cabaret collective are here to help you survive the Cherpocalypse.
Join Cher* in her #Malibunker as she takes you through the story of her life, offering five key tips on how to live forever. Cher will prep you for believing in life after lockdown and working well into your 70s. Expect broadcasts from London’s finest performers; socially distanced audience participation – as well as an informative 75 slide presentation about Cher from Cher herself.
You will leave strong enough to face anything that 2020 will throw at you.
*For logistical reasons Cher will be represented by lovingly crafted Cher tribute acts
View the trailer for How to Survive the Cherpocalypseat https://space.org.uk/event/how-to-survive-the-cherpocalypse/
The performance details are:-
How to Survive the Cherpocalypse
23rd-24th October, 7:30pm Everyone knows the only thing left after the apocalypse will be cockroaches and Cher. But Why? Join Cher as she offers her life lessons on how to ensure your survival.
The performance on 24th October is also available via livestream. For more information, contact Adam Hemming at [email protected]
Culture Recovery Fund misses major Leeds venue and throws up questions
An opinion from Jamie Hudson, CEO at Yeadon Town Hall
Yeadon Town Hall is a beautiful Victorian building, which now serves the community as both theatre and multipurpose venue. For many years local councillor; Ryk Downes with the community and in recent years; myself, have worked tirelessly to restore and maintain this fantastic asset. However, since March, income has drastically fallen by 95% due to the global Covid pandemic. Expectant of a bumper year, 2020 was to be a superb run of theatre shows, comedy, boxing, ballet, musicals – you name it and we had it.
Our survival between March to August was due to the money we had alongside the hospitality rates grant and an emergency grant from the Arts Council. However, the total of these 2 grants was only £55,000 which is 1/9 of our anticipated turnover for 2020. Through opening the Town Hall Tavern and running a monthly community market, we have just managed to cover all outgoing expenditure; nevertheless, like all old buildings, the Town Hall costs a significant amount of money to repair and maintain. We’ve had to adapt very quickly to survive.
In July the government announced that they would support Culture in England by distributing £1.57B in grants and loans to organisations through a ‘Culture Recovery Fund’. This news for many was the lifeline they needed to hear, as money would go to any type of organisation involved in UK culture. It gave the cultural community some inspiration to battle on and an unquestionable view that all culture would be supported. In August we submitted our application through the Arts Council platform where 6 questions were asked as part of the assessment. With the possibility of 350 word answers, I noted that this was very little detail for what effectively could be a £3M grant.
On Monday 12th October I logged onto the Arts Council platform to see if our bid to the Culture Recovery Fund had been successful. After several attempts of trying to log on, I finally read the generic letter to say that our application had been unsuccessful.
Extremely disappointed, I instantly felt let down and betrayed. How could our organisation, which helps and supports so many people in the community and represents the third largest theatre in Leeds (by capacity) not be seen as culturally significant?
Unfortunately, the ability to switch off from reading who had been successful in receiving grants was further hindered. The terms of receiving the grant requested beneficiaries “to acknowledge the funding publicly by crediting the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.” Therefore the 1385 organsiations that received good news filled social media with their merriment. For me, this was a further kick in the teeth; to feel rejected then witness other theatres and venues similar to Yeadon Town Hall receive funds was even more heartbreaking.
At 1pm on Monday 12th, the Government and Arts Council released a list of those 1385 successful organisations including the amounts of money received. My first surprise was the range of organisations, from guitar shops to event crews, theatres to dance schools, sound companies to event organisers, bars and nightclubs – certainly all aspects of culture had been included. However; after scanning the list of successful candidates and looking at the amounts of money distributed, myself and others quickly started to ask questions.
Firstly there’s the lottery scenario. Why should company “A” in one town get funding, but company “B” from another town, (who do exactly the same thing), get no funding? For instance, Zig Zag Lighting LTD (a Leeds based, 35 year old lighting company) were rejected for £140,000 yet their competitor; Colour Sound received £373,000. This means that Colour Sound is now at an advantage against Zig Zag in the future as they have received state aid and therefore have greater financial resilience. Could the money not have been split equally so both companies benefited? Those that were successful won big time and those that failed were left with nothing. This feels completely unfair and unjust.
Secondly; there’s the amount of cash that was available versus the number of organisations that applied. We keep hearing the phrase “not all businesses can be saved” however in the case of saving culture, there should and could have been no excuse not to have supported the majority of the sector. The Arts Council have given away £500,000,000 (five hundred million pounds) in non repayable grants across England (only) on behalf of the DCMS. This excludes major organisations who could apply for a loan of £3M plus, which is in addition to the £500M grants and not forgetting the extended furlough scheme, rates relief, VAT relief on ticket sales and attractive government backed loans available to all. In the first round of funding, 1963 organisations applied, 1385 were successful and 578 were rejected. Whilst we don’t know of the results of Friday’s announcement (stage 2 applicants) it is expected that this round will equate to a further 1500 applicants. Surely, if monies had been fairly distributed, there would have been many more organisations supported across England.
Thirdly, one of the conditions of the grant was that organisations were invited to refill their savings accounts to ensure they had financial resilience to weather a future storm. The suggested amount was 10 weeks turnover (for us that would equate to £75,000, which we didn’t request). For many organisations, they would be extremely happy to make this amount of cash as net profit in an entire year, let alone during a pandemic. In essence the Arts Council have given away millions in surplus cash, as up to £150M could be sat in savings accounts of those successful grant recipients. Surely this is a complete waste of public money when so many other organisations are left with nothing and so urgently require funding now?
Fourthly, many bars and late night leisure venues have received funding. Starting at the top of successful applicants, Manchester bar operator Mission Mars, which received £1,000,000 are funded by a £10M investment from venture capitalist BGF group (a £2.3B fund.) Ministry of Sound (which received £975,468) showed a net loss on its balance sheet of £8M in 2018. Whilst there’s no denying that both are credible contributors to the cultural matrix of England, what financial due diligence has the Arts Council conducted to ensure that this public money is gifted to the most beneficial organisations to fuel cultural resilience and growth for the future? How confident is the Arts Council that this cash isn’t being used to service existing debt or repay short term loan notes plagued with extortionate interest?
Organisations to receive significant amounts of money should be made accountable as to how they contribute to culture in England and I believe this information should be made available publicly. For example, the £250,000 granted to a Meatloaf tribute show appears excessive.
Peterborough New Theatre, (which only opened in September 2019 and therefore traded for 6 months) has received £639,000, which likely is more than their turnover. The Liz Hobs Group LTD received £150,000, yet their sister company owes £300,000 to HMRC and £66,000 to the band ‘Steps’. Finally; London based ‘Secret Cinema’ received £977,000 and are linked to a £133M American private equity firm. Secret Cinemas holding company accounts show a reported loss of £2.9M in 2019. We were told only financially viable organisations were eligible to apply, yet the Arts Council have sent £977,000 to a private organisation that has failed to generate any revenue for the last 2 years. Are all these examples positive examples of UK culture and are these organisations worthy of public funds?
I firmly believe there was plenty of money available to split fairly between many more organisations and there was no excuse not to help a larger majority, even if some grants were significantly lower than requested. Every little helps. In my opinion, the DCMS money has been distributed unfairly by the Arts Council, and where it has been found to be distributed wrongly, it is unlikely to ever be recovered. I believe that the Arts Council was out of its depth to distribute this amount of money in the urgent time frame and with the unusual conditions set out by the government. I don’t believe they have the experience or resources to handle the large amount of applications or carry out adequate due diligence. Surely a few question boxes and some basic cash flow and management accounts can’t be all that’s required to receive £1M? Many organisations have been left high and dry by the Arts Council due to their inept ability to run the most basic of checks or operate with a pragmatic approach to help all.
Not only have the Arts Council and DCMS failed many cultural organisations, but they have also created an incredible divide of bitterness between those that received money and those that have not. What happens to the losers? Do they limp on or give up and retrain whilst those that did receive money prosper and know that their coffers are refilled? What about the mental health of the staff of these organisations that have been so wrongfully rejected? Where’s the followup email or offer of further support? Where’s the support for the 1000s of sole traders? In reality – it doesn’t exist.
Finally, I fundamentally believe that the Arts Council do have an opportunity and have a moral duty to correct and help those organisations that didn’t receive funding. They have to ensure they strictly monitor the grants they have given, recover money that may have been wrongfully administered and carefully audit how this precious public money is spent.
The Arts Council currently has an open £75M fund which they can again convert into an emergency fund, as they did in April. In doing so, they again could save many more cultural organisations like Yeadon Town Hall. However, to do this, they need to act fast.
Sources: ACE Data as published 12/10/2020 & HMRC Companies House
SONIA FRIEDMAN PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES A BRAND-NEW COMEDY FROM AWARD-WINNING DOUBLE ACT THE PIN (BEN ASHENDEN AND ALEX OWEN) TO PLAY IN THE WEST END THIS CHRISTMAS
HILARIOUS AND HEARTWARMING, THE COMEBACK DEPICTS THE BACKSTAGE TUSSLE OF TWO RIVAL COMEDY DUOS IN A DIZZYING CONTEMPORARY FARCE
THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FAVOURITES BEHIND HIT RADIO 4 AND AUDIBLE SHOWS HAVE WON A HUGE TWITTER FOLLOWING DURING LOCKDOWN WITH A SERIES OF VIRAL ZOOM PARODIES
A SURPRISE GUEST STAR WILL JOIN THE SHOW NIGHTLY
TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE FOR THE PRODUCTION, WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE UNDER SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES AT THE NOEL COWARD THEATRE FROM DECEMBER 8TH – JANUARY 3rd. WWW.THECOMEBACKCOMEDY.CO.UK
OVER 1,000 TICKETS A WEEK AVAILABLE AT £25 OR UNDER
The Comeback, a brilliantly original and hilarious new comedy, is set to delight all generations at the Noel Coward Theatre this December. This debut play from The Pin’s award-winning Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen – ‘destined to become one of the great comedy duos’ (Radio Times) – tells the story of two double acts fighting to wrest control of the most chaotic, farcical and high-stakes gig of their respective careers. Directed by Emily Burns, The Comeback will have audiences doubled over laughing and wiping a tear away at the end with its heart-warming exploration of bittersweet nostalgia and the enduring power of friendship. This show is a much needed dose of feel-good, dizzying escapism with real emotional heart, and a celebrity guest each night to boot.
Up-and-coming comics Alex and Ben have been booked in the warm-up spot for a beloved but fading double act’s comeback tour. Neither duo are delighted to be playing to a sparse crowd in a sleepy, seaside town, but when it’s revealed that a Hollywood director is in the audience, both acts glimpse a final chance for their big break. Cue sabotage, mistaken identity and full on farcical mayhem, as the performance descends into a desperate battle for the limelight. With the action alternating between offstage and on, and the tone between Noises Off and Morecambe and Wise’s old-school charm, this is a warm-hearted, joyful, and dazzlingly funny new comedy.
Each night Ashenden and Owen will be joined on stage by a surprise celebrity guest star playing a cameo role in the production. Details to be confirmed at a late date.
Previous praise for The Pin: “Destined to become one of the great comedy duos” – Radio Times “Exquisitely silly and very funny…makes you feel as though you might be hearing the next Mitchell and Webb” – The Times “One of the most dazzling comedy shows in Edinburgh” ★★★★ Guardian “I had a knot in my stomach from laughing so much” ★★★★ Times “A very classy, very funny show indeed” ★★★★ Telegraph “Will simply make you laugh your socks off” ★★★★ Evening Standard “This absurdist deconstruction of the sketch show is masterful” ★★★★ Sunday Times “A bulletproof nugget of comic theatre” Guardian
The production, which is the first produced by SFP since lockdown, will play at the Noel Coward Theatre. Audiences and company will observe social distancing guidelines and strict COVID-secure protocols. All practices will be following the most up-to-date government guidance and SOLT’s ‘See It Safely’ campaign.
Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen said: “After 8 years of lugging props between tiny venues, and 8 months of watching those props gather dust, we feel ridiculously excited and fortunate to be bringing a play to the West End. For it to have been developed with and presented by a producer of Sonia Friedman’s immense standing makes us very proud, and provides ample material for anxiety dreams in which hidden cameras are revealed and words like “prank” shouted. We hope to provide 90 minutes of silliness, escapism, and extremely well dusted props.”
Sonia Friedman said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be announcing The Comeback as SFP’s return to the West End. I was excited about The Pin’s debut play long before lockdown, but after the year we’ve had, it feels like the perfect tonic. More than ever, we need the laughter and emotional connection of communal experience – and frankly, nothing provides that like live theatre. The Comeback delivers all that and much more.
It’s so heartening to see artists and audiences in theatres once again this Christmas. As theatre makers – performers and producers alike – we have a duty to do our bit to lift the nation’s spirits and nourish its soul. Theatre plays a critical role in maintaining our collective mental health. That’s why, even while theatres were forced to close, artists looked at other outlets to make and share work, on and offline. It’s why now, despite the ultra-tight financial pressures social distancing entails and against all the odds, we’re doing all we can to get shows back on stages. Audiences need live entertainment as much as we need them.
Make no mistake, though: theatre is not back in business. Having shuttered 18 productions worldwide seven months ago, all of which remain suspended, I cannot fully – let alone profitably – re-open my shows. As well as government go-ahead (even just a date), we’re still waiting for an insurance scheme to protect our profession in the months ahead. Producing shows this Christmas is a tightrope act, but The Comeback will go ahead – following approved Performing Arts working guidelines – and so long as government restrictions allow.
Changed circumstances offer new opportunities – to introduce adventurous audiences to the most brilliant and inspiring new talent. That’s one of the best parts of my job, and The Pin are up there with the very best.
Following in the footsteps of Britain’s comedy greats – Morecambe and Wise, Fry and Laurie, French and Saunders – they are going to light up the West End with a combination of laugh-out-loud slapstick, self-aware silliness and witty wordplay in the most heart-warming story of two friends following their dreams. This genius comedy shows just how precious live performance is and, as British theatre begins to build itself back up, becoming a frontline of the national recovery, The Comeback couldn’t be more timely. Theatre isn’t just for Christmas. This is just the start.”
Tickets for the production which will run at the Noel Coward Theatre from December 8th – January 3rd and are now on sale. Please visit www.thecomebackcomedy.co.uk for full booking information.
Secretary of Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden was questioned by DCMS this morning about the plan for creative industries and reopening of cultural venues. Theatres Trust Director Jon Morgan responds:
As highlighted by Julian Knight MP at the DCMS Committee hearing, it is evident that the new Job Support Scheme will not prevent mass redundancies in the theatre industry. Further sector-specific support is needed: jobs in theatre are still viable and vital.
With the recent rise in infection rates and local lockdowns, we appreciate that setting a ‘not before date’ for the full reopening of theatres without social distancing is challenging. We welcome Oliver Dowden’s commitment to continuing to work with the sector to agree minimum mitigating measures that will enable theatres to safely increase capacity.
Theatres are well placed to be at the heart of the country’s recovery, providing a much-needed reason for people to visit beleaguered town centres, boosting local and night-time economies. However, we need further investment in theatre from government both to ensure they survive the Covi-19 lockdown, and as part of wider infrastructure investment to protect valuable community facilities and revitalise our high streets.
LIVE THEATRE RETURNS TO LEICESTER AS CURVE ANNOUNCES REOPENING PLANS
TRIO OF AWARD-WINNING MADE AT CURVE FAVOURITES THE COLOR PURPLE IN CONCERT – 23 NOV – 5 DEC SUNSET BOULEVARD IN CONCERT – 14 DEC – 3 JAN MEMOIRS OF AN ASIAN FOOTBALL CASUAL – 25 JAN – 6 FEB
ORIGINAL MADE AT CURVE CAST MEMBERS DANIELLE FIAMANYA, T’SHAN WILLIAMS, RIA JONES & DANNY MAC TO RETURN TO LEICESTER STAGE
SIR CAMERON MACKINTOSH DONATES USE OF REVOLVE FOR BRAND NEW BESPOKE AUDITORIUM TO FACILITATE SOCIAL DISTANCING
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DAY TO BE HELD ON SAT 14 NOV
Curve has today announced plans to reopen to the public.
Curve Theatre – Leicester – Backstage
The theatre, which was forced suddenly to close its doors to the public on 16 March, will open again this autumn for spectacularly re-imagined, socially distanced concert performances of acclaimed Made at Curve productions, using the building’s unique theatre design.
Ria Jones and Danny Mac will return to star in Sunset Boulevard; T’Shan Williams and Danielle Fiamanya, who won The Stage Debut Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role as ‘Nettie’; will star in The Color Purple.
By raising the walls between its theatre spaces, Curve will reopen as a 533-seat socially-distanced auditorium, with audiences enjoying live performances from all four sides of the stage, fully realising the ambition of architect Rafael Viñoly’s original design. A triple-revolve, donated by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, will help to transform the space to create an epic experience for audience members.
The season will officially launch on 12 Nov with an exclusive event which will be live-streamed from the theatre.
Curve’s reopening plans are only possible due to grant funding received from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund and the ongoing support of Arts Council England and Leicester City Council.
From 23 Nov to 3 Dec, The Color Purple will return to Curve in a concert staged by original production team members Director Tinuke Craig, Musical Director Alex Parker and Choreographer Mark Smith. Cast members T’Shan Williams (Celie) and Danielle Fiamanya (Nettie), will return for the performances The 2019 Made at Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome co-production won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Regional Production earlier this year.
Christmas will see the return of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical masterpiece Sunset Boulevard from 14 Dec to 3 Jan, which was also awarded the title of Best Regional Production at the 2018 WhatsOnStage Awards. The concert performances will be directed by Nikolai Foster, with Ria Jones and Danny Mac (winner of the Manchester Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Visiting Production) reprising their roles as Norma Desmond and Joe Gillis. The performances will also feature a 16-piece orchestra.
Kicking off the new year from 25 Jan to 6 Feb 2021, Curve will revive its 2018 production of Memoirs Of An Asian Football Casual, winner of the Asian Media Award for Best Stage Production. Director Nikolai Foster will bring a stadium feel to the Leicester drama based on the life of former football hooligan Riaz Khan.
Both concert performances of The Color Purple and Sunset Boulevard at Curve will be staged thanks to the support of music licensing company PPL PRS Ltd. Full casting for all three productions will be revealed in due course, with The Color Purple and Memoirs of an Asian Football Casual casting by Curve Associate Kay Magson CDG, and Sunset Boulevard casting by David Grindrod CDG.
Curve will begin welcoming audiences back with a Family and Community Day on Sat 14 Nov. The socially distanced day will include a range of low cost and free workshops, performances and activities for all ages from Midlands artists and theatre companies. All events will be ticketed and must be booked in advance. Further details will be announced in due course.
Curve has also reaffirmed its commitment to developing new work. A group of local creatives and theatre makers across a variety of disciplines will take up residency at Curve in the new year. The full cohort of Curve Resident Creatives will be announced in the coming months.
As the building reopens for performances, Curve will also welcome back its Curve Youth and Community Companies and local Curve Associate Artists and Groups who have continued to engage in classes with the theatre online whilst the building has been closed.
Speaking about the plans, Chris Stafford and Nikolai Foster said:
“COVID continues to have a devastating impact on our industry and we are indebted to Arts Council England and DCMS for the Culture Recovery Fund which will help us plan a future for Curve.
“Although we have a long road to recovery ahead of us, we are delighted to announce a new programme of work which will reopen our theatre after seven long months of closure. The team at Curve have worked tirelessly on plans to enable us to safely reopen our theatre with social distancing. Curve’s unique architecture has always demanded a bold response in whatever we do, and we are proud to present these performances in our newly configured, socially-distanced, in-the-round theatre which merges our Studio and Theatre into one performance space. The Color Purple, Sunset Boulevard and Memoirs of an Asian Football Casual celebrate all that is great about Leicester and our theatre: community spirit, resilience and the irrefutable transformative power of culture and theatre in all of our lives. Alongside these performances, we look forward to welcoming our Curve Youth and Community Companies, Associate Artists and Resident Creatives back into the building.
“We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who donated and supported Curve during this temporary closure, in particular our principal funders Leicester City Council and Arts Council England. We would also like to extend our grateful thanks to Cameron Mackintosh for the loan of the revolving stages used in this special autumn re-opening season; Cameron and his team have been incredibly generous and supportive throughout the lockdown and we are most appreciative to all of them for their support.
“Curve plays an important role in the life of our city, and in reopening our theatre we will be able to play a part in helping revitalise Leicester from the continued impact of this pandemic. We look forward to welcoming our audiences, participants, staff and 100s of freelance artists back to Curve and the City Centre this autumn.”
To ensure audiences are able to safely enjoy a return to Curve, the theatre has introduced a number of new measures throughout its building, including a one-way system, additional cleaning and temperature checks before entry to the building. Further information can be found on Curve’s website.
Tickets for all shows in Curve’s upcoming season will be on sale to Friends from Thu 15 Oct, Supporters from Fri 16 Oct , Members from Mon 19 Oct and on-general sale from Wed 21 Oct, all at 12 noon.
Windsor Theatre Royal – until 17 October 2020 Reviewed by Carly Burlinge 4****
Love Letters By A.R. Gurney and Directed by Roy Marsden, is the story of Andrew Makepeace Ladd III (Martin Shaw) and Melissa Gardner (Jenny Seagrove).
When Andrew accepts an invitation to Melissa’s Birthday Party, Melissa then replies by writing a letter of thanks which starts correspondence between them that lasts for a lifetime.
Melissa Gardner ( Seagrove) comes from a rich but unsettled family she seems to be quite a rebel, at times is very funny and has a good sense of humour. She loves to paint, likes to enjoy life on the outside but seems very happy on the inside.
As a friendship begins they reminisce about their childhood memories. Their lifestyle choices as well as their hobbies and obligations they both have with all the stresses it holds and entails. Discussions and experiences with people that have crossed both their paths. Melissa likes to ask him for his advice not always happy with the reply! Over the years their relationship brings love, laughter and disappointment as well as searching for approval. As years pass letters of emotions and care become apparent.
Andrew (Shaw) comes from a good family and seems very disciplined with his life, comes across very matter of fact. He loves to write and continues to with Melissa. He’s very good at talking about his achievements, which can only agonise her at times although he only wishes to impress her. This show tells a beautiful story of a relationship that goes through many stages in life with much emotion, love, doubt, care, concern, passion, shame and sympathy as well as happiness discovered through the years.
The stage was dark and simple with two writing desks opposite each other, as letters were read back and forth between the pair with a spotlight on each of them giving a really exceptional personal effect.
Some scenes were done particularly well with so much emotion and heartfelt shown through the good connect they both shared on stage and well as dramatised silences which really set the scene.
I found this production wonderful and enjoyable to watch – it definitely drew in the audience along with many laughs throughout.
Cameron Mackintosh today (14 October 2020) announces a two-week extension to the run of Les Misérables –The Staged Concert due to extraordinary public demand. Playing at the Sondheim Theatre over the Christmas period, the run which begins on 5 December 2020 is now extended to 31 January 2021.
Cameron Mackintosh said: “The phenomenal speed at which the Christmas season of Les Misérables –The Staged Concert has sold out in just twenty-four hours has astonished us all. To try to accommodate the tens of thousands of people still trying to get tickets we are adding sixteen extra performances today at noon. It is wonderful that the public are so enthusiastic to come back to see a great show safely in the West End.”
The return of the Concert was announced on the Final of Britain’s Got Talent on Saturday night following a spectacular musical extravaganza from the casts of Les Misérables – The Staged Concert, The Phantom of the Opera and Mary Poppins. With a reduced seating capacity of 750, Covid safety measures and social distancing will be in place front of house, on stage, backstage and throughout the building.
The cast for this run includes Michael Ball as Javert, Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Fantine and Matt Lucas as Thénardier. At certain performances John Owen-Jones will again play the role of Jean Valjean.
The critically acclaimed new production ofLes Misérableswhich opened in January of this year will hopefully re-open at the Sondheim Theatre sometime in the Spring as soon as the Government has withdrawn social distancing and reached Stage 5 allowing full capacity audiences.
Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Les Misérablesis written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel with additional material by James Fenton and adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird.
Les Misérables -The Staged Concert is being staged without any financial help from the Culture Recovery Fund or the National Lottery.
Ad Infinitum in association with HOME presents: WHERE YOU AREA free online mini-festival of short films, podcasts, Q&As, talks and discussions exploring themes of freedom, transition, resistance and care Features new works from two Deaf collaborators A new podcast explores the elderly care system through personal stories and interviews with relatives 29th October to 1st November
“A stylised and surreal world of black comedy, gothic horror and fantasy” ★★★★ Guardian on Ad Infinitum’s A Small Gathering
Exploring themes of freedom, resistance, transformation and care, theatre company Ad Infinitum have created their first mini-festival featuring the premieres of short films from Deaf artists Matthew Gurney and David Ellington alongside shows from their portfolio, and talks, podcasts and Q&As. The online festival is happening wherever you are, and all completely free.
Ad Infinitum was commissioned by HOME as part of the first wave of Homemakers commissions in March, resulting in their first ever film A Small Gathering.The film will be shown for free for the first time in a watch party as part of the festival, and together Ad Infinitum and HOME have extended this invitation to create and share new work to an incredible array of artists and academics. These include three collaborators on Ad Infinitum’s Extraordinary Wall [of Silence]: Matthew Gurney, David Ellington and Dr Paddy Ladd.
Bristol-based David Ellington’s Libertyis a poignant and political BSL poem told in a new highly-visual, poetic and physically realised short film. This filmic poem draws on visual vernacular and BSL to examine what sets us apart, and what unites us. Matthew Gurney’s film Dr Voxoff’s Sign Language School for Hearing Children has reimagined the world as one where hearing people are in the minority. This dark, acerbic and witty dystopian film draws on experimental theatre and film making, and takes inspiration from the Silent Movie genre. In In Search ofDeafhood, award-winning author and activist Dr Paddy Ladd shares his investigation of Deaf Culture, history and sign language, examining why it is still under threat, and crucially, how it can benefit humanity at large.
Ad Infinitum will also be premiering three-part podcast Home From Home: Journeys Into Elderly Care and brand new zine which features interviews and personal stories of experiences of the elderly care system. The interviews from up and down the UK feature those whose relatives have experienced care and those working in the care system to paint a picture of how it works – and where it doesn’t work. These interviews conducted by co-artistic director Nir Paldi have been transformed into a listening experience by composer, performer and podcast maker Jennifer Bell, and the zine created by visual artist Naomi Gennery.
From their portfolio, Ad Infinitum are making available their resources from Extraordinary Wall [of Silence],their show charting the history of D/deaf oppression. The extensive resources include books, videos, articles, papers and much more, the sum of all their research into the fascinating and painful history explored in the show. Their show No Kidswill also feature with a reading from across the pond by Philadelphia’s Inis Nua Theatre Company, and a Q&A with Nir and George.
Nir and George said, “We decided to create a new festival. Something we’ve never done before. A festival that could happen no matter what; a digital festival that has content you can enjoy for free, wherever you are; a festival that embraces the precarious situation we all find ourselves in for the foreseeable future. What we’re presenting is, approximately, where we are right now, as a company, as artists and freelancers, producers, general managers, interpreters… this is where we are at. While this space we’re building can be quite discombobulating for all it’s newness, it’s also strangely invigorating, inspiring, and it gives us hope.”
Ad Infinitum is an international ensemble based in Bristol, developing new and original theatre. Founded in 2007, Ad Infinitum is led by Co-Artistic Directors, Nir Paldi and George Mann. They create shape-shifting socio-political theatre to provoke, move and inspire through innovative storytelling and bold experimental styles. Ad Infinitum’s theatre draws upon the power of the body, engages audiences with urgent issues, and ignites passionate debate. Previous shows include No Kids, Translunar Paradise, Odyssey, Bucket List, Light, and Ballad of the Burning Star. Ad Infinitum is Associate Artist at Bristol Old Vic and The North Wall. They are Associate Artist Alumni at the Bush Theatre (2011-2013), The Lowry (2011-2017) and Redbridge Drama Centre (2009-2017).Their work has won awards at the Edinburgh Fringe (including Spirit of the Fringe and multiple Stage Awards), across the UK (including the Argus Angel Award), and many awards internationally.
Listings information
29th October – 1st November
All content available from premiere until 1st November
FREE | ad-infinitum.org/where-you-are
PRE-FESTIVAL
Tues 20 Oct 2pm | In Conversation with Ad Infinitum and David Ellington
Webinar with Ad Infinitum and filmmaker David Ellington
Join us on Tuesday 20th October from 2-3pm for a session with theatre company Ad Infinitum and filmmaker and artist David Ellington, hosted by HOME Manchester. Ad Infinitum are an award-winning theatre company who work with collaborators from all over the world and tour nationally and internationally. Ad Infinitum was commissioned by HOME as part of the first wave of Homemakers commissions in March, resulting in film A Small Gathering. With the support of Art Council England’s Emergency Response Fund we have now commissioned two long standing Ad Infinitum collaborators to create Homemakers works of their own. David’s commission, a short film of his visual poem Liberty will be shared as part of Ad Infinitum’s mini festival WHERE YOU ARE at the end of October. We will be discussing Ad Infinitum and David’s previous work, how they collaborated on 2019’s theatre piece Extraordinary Wall o̶f̶ ̶S̶i̶l̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ and the creative process of making digital work under lockdown.
Weds 28 Oct – Sat 31 Oct 11pm, Sun 1 Nov 6pm | No Kids
A reading of Ad Infinitum’s hit show by Philadelphia’s Inis Nua Theatre Company
Ad Infinitum’s play, No Kids, will be read online as part of Philadelphia’s Inis Nua Theatre Company Reading Season. No Kids was written by our co-artistic directors George and Nir, who have always found a way to balance their marriage with running a theatre company together. But as they consider becoming parents, the only way they know how to work through their hopes and fears is to make a play about it. Premiered in 2018 and toured around the UK and the world, we are excited to see what they make of this text.
Thurs 29 Oct,available from 7pm | Dr Voxoff’s Sign Language School for Hearing Children
A film by Matthew Gurney
Longtime Ad Infinitum collaborator Matthew Gurney brings us a dark, acerbic and witty dystopian vision of a world in which the roles are reversed – where hearing people are a minority. Playing all the characters and experimenting with the theatrical in film, Matthew’s work draws on the Silent Movie genre and probes at a disturbing history that’s much closer to home than many realise. Commissioned by Ad Infinitum and HOME.
Following the world premiere of director and actor Matthew Gurney’s short film ‘Dr Voxoff’s Sign Language School for Hearing Children’ in this event Matthew will discuss the themes that inspired his film, the history behind it, and how the oppression of sign language continues to impact Deaf lives to this day
Fri 30 Oct 2pm | Home From Home: Journeys into Elderly Care podcast premiere and brand new zine
In the last few months, as part of our lockdown activities, we’ve been gathering personal stories from people across the country of their experiences of the elderly care system in the UK. We have spent hours chatting with people whose elderly relatives have received care at home and/or lived in a care home, hearing from those that struggled with the system or found it helpful, and people who work in the system. With permission, we recorded the conversations and commissioned a podcast maker, Jennifer Bell, to turn them into a fantastic listening experience. We have also commissioned visual artist, Naomi Gennery, to create a response to the conversations to be shared online. We are super excited to be collaborating with these two brilliant artists in two completely different and new artforms for us as an organisation.
Fri 30 Oct, available from 7pm | Liberty
A film by David Ellington
“The cold, cold shudder / of a world craving / blood, blood, blood / Every day blood / Leeching my freedom / My freedom / I will fight / to save my freedom.” David Ellington brings to life his poignant and political BSL poem, Liberty, in a new highly-visual, poetic and physically realised short film commissioned by Ad Infinitum and HOME. This filmic poem draws on visual vernacular and BSL to examine what sets us apart, and what unites us. David has been collaborating with Ad Infinitum since 2016, we are delighted to be able to commission his artistic response to the situation we find ourselves in.
Sat 31 Oct, available from 2pm | In Search ofDeafhood
A lecture film by Dr Paddy Ladd
“In order to appreciate why the concept of Deaf Culture is of such crucial importance … it’s necessary to understand the historical processes that have contributed to its present status.” – Dr Paddy Ladd. In his lecture In Search of Deafhood, award-winning author and activist Dr Paddy Ladd shares his investigation of Deaf Culture, history and sign language, examining why it is still under threat, and crucially, how it can benefit humanity at large. Told through the community’s own perspective, Dr Paddy Ladd discusses the concept of Deaf Culture and the contribution it’s made both to academic disciplines, and human lives in general.
Sat 31 Oct 3.45pm | In conversation: Dr Paddy Ladd
Join us in a conversation with award-winning author and activist, Dr Paddy Ladd, following the screening of his Lecture on Deaf culture, history and sign language. We’ll be asking Dr Ladd about his life as an activist fighting for Deaf rights, what led him to write his world-renowned book Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood and much, much more – there’ll also be time for you to ask questions too.
Sat 31 Oct, available from 7pm | A Small Gathering
A film by Ad Infinitum
Stuck in endless isolation where thoughts turn into visions of madness, three characters desperately seek ways of managing as days tick over. Ad Infinitum brings an assortment of darkly comic, twisted tales exploring solitude and the richness of our internal world in the face of a new reality.
★★★★ The Guardian “A stylised and surreal world of black comedy, gothic horror and fantasy”
Join the watch party of our first-ever free screening of A Small Gathering on Saturday 31st October at 7pm! Our short film will then be available to watch for free for the rest of the weekend.
LOCKDOWN THEATRE ANNOUNCES LIVE VIRTUAL TABLE READ OF
TOM STOPPARD’S THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND
IN AID OF THE ROYAL THEATRICAL FUND
STARRING SANJEEV BHASKAR, SAMANTHA BOND, SIMON CALLOW, EMILIA CLARKE, FREDDIE FOX, DEREK JACOBI, JENNIFER SAUNDERS AND GARY WILMOT
NARRATED BY ROBERT LINDSAY
Following the success of Noël Coward’s Private Lives in September which raised £44,000 for the Royal Theatrical Fund, Lockdown Theatre today announces a live virtual table read of The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard, in association with The Royal Theatrical Fund. The table read will take place via Zoom, followed by a live Q&A with the cast and director on Sunday 25October at 7pm. Limited tickets available at www.rtflockdown.com
Performing live from the comfort of their own homes, Jonathan Church directs Sanjeev Bhaskar (Magnus), Samantha Bond (Cynthia), Simon Callow (Moon), Emilia Clarke (Felicity), Freddie Fox (Simon), Derek Jacobi (Birdboot), Jennifer Saunders (Mrs Drudge), Gary Wilmot (Hound) and Robert Lindsay narrates. Tickets are £35 and all the funds raised from Lockdown Theatres’ The Real Inspector Hound will be used as a crisis grant to support those who are struggling financially in the theatre industry.
An Agatha Christie-like farce that follows two theatre critics who become embroiled in a mysterious melodrama upon the discovery of a fellow critic’s body, The Real Inspector Hound premièred at the Criterion Theatre, London in 1968 with a cast that included Richard Briers and Ronnie Barker.
Lockdown Theatre’s production is a unique opportunity to take part in a one-night-only, once-in-a-lifetime live event. It will not be repeated, it will not be recorded, and there is only one place to see it – your house. This is a chance to take a peek behind the curtain of the theatrical process, in the company of national treasures!
Sanjeev Bhaskar plays Magnus. His credits for the company include Private Lives. His theatre credits include Dinner with Saddam (Menier Chocolate Factory), Dumb Show (Rose Theatre Kingston), Spamalot (Palace Theatre), Art (Whitehall Theatre), and Peter Sellers is Dead (Whitehall Theatre). His television credits include Unforgotten, Sandylands, Porters, Election Spy, Horrible Histories, The Kumars at No. 42 (Winner of two Emmy Awards, a Bronze Rose of Montreaux Award and a Brit Comedy Award), The Indian Doctor, Outnumbered, Chopra Town and Goodness Gracious Me; and for film, Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans, Yesterday, Paddington 2, The Zero Theorem, Arthur Christmas, London Boulevard, It’s a Wonderful Life, Not the Messiah: He’s a Very Naughty Boy, Scoop, The Guru, Anita & Me and Notting Hill.
Samantha Bond plays Cynthia. Her theatre credits include Lie (Menier Chocolate Factory), Amy’s View, The Ends of the Earth, The Cid (National Theatre), The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre), Passion Play, Arcadia (Duke of York’s Theatre), A Winter’s Tale, As You Like It and Man of the Moment (RSC). Her television credits include Death in Paradise, Downton Abbey, Outnumbered, Midsomer Murders and The Queen. She played Miss Monneypenny in the Bond films Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies, Goldeneye and The World is not Enough, and her other film credits include The Last Step, A Winter Prince and Bunch of Amateurs.
Simon Callow plays Moon.His theatre credits include Juvenalia (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Waiting For Godot (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Equus (Trafalgar Studios), Amadeus (National Theatre) and Titus Andronicus (Bristol Old Vic); his credits as a theatre director include Shirley Valentine (Vaudeville Theatre), Shades (Albery Theatre) and My Fair Lady (UK tour). His television work includes Chance in a Million, Death in Paradise, Midsomer Murders, and Angels in America; and for film his credits include Amadeus, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love and The Phantom of the Opera. Callow has directed acclaimed operas and fronted documentaries celebrating the work of many classical composers. As an author, his credits include Being an Actor, Love is Where it Falls, Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor, Orson Welles: One Man Band and My Life in Pieces.
Emilia Clarke plays Felicity. Her credits for the company include Private Lives. Her theatre credits include The Seagull (Playhouse Theatre) and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Cort Theatre, New York). Her television credits include as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones; and for film, Spike Island, Dom Hemingway, Terminator: Genisys, Me Before You, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Last Christmas.
Freddie Fox plays Simon. His theatre credits include An Ideal Husband (Vaudeville Theatre), Travesties (Apollo Theatre), The Judas Kiss (Hampstead Theatre/Duke of York’s Theatre/UK tour), Romeo and Juliet (Garrick Theatre). His television credits include The Crown, Worried About the Boy, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Cucumber,Banana and The Murders at White House Farm. His film credits include The Three Musketeers, Victor Frankenstein and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Derek Jacobi is a BAFTA award-winning actor who plays Birdboot. He made his 1986 West End debut as Alan Turing in Hugh Whitemore’s Breaking the Code, his other theatre credits include Don Carlos (Sheffield Theatres/Gielgud Theatre), King Lear (Donmar Warehouse/National Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Garrick Theatre), The Tempest (The Old Vic), Cyrano de Bergerac (Barbican – Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Revival), Voyage Round My Father (Donmar Warehouse), Twelfth Night (Wyndham’s Theatre/Apollo Theatre – Oliver Award for Best Actor) and Much Ado About Nothing (Gershwin Theatre – Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play). His film credits include Gladiator, Gosford Park, Last Tango in Halifax, Dead Again and The Tenth Man (Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special) while his extensive television credits include I, Claudius,Doctor Who, Inside Number 9 and The Crown.
Jennifer Saunders is a BAFTA-winning actor, writer and comedian who plays Mrs Drudge. Her theatre credits include Blithe Spirit (Duke of York’s Theatre) and Lady Windermere’s Fan (Vaudeville Theatre). She co-wrote, created and starred in the acclaimed BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, further television credits include The Comic Strip Presents…, Friends, Girls on Top and Happy Families. Her film credits include Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, Coraline, Muppet Treasure Island, and Shrek 2.
Gary Wilmot is an actor and singer and plays Hound. He made his West End debut in Me and My Girl at the Adelphi Theatre in 1989. His other theatre credits include Flowers for Mrs Harris (Chichester Festival Theatre), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dick Whittington, Wind in the Willows (London Palladium), Big The Musical (Theatre Royal Plymouth), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre), The Pajama Game (Shaftesbury Theatre), Me and My Girl (Adelphi Theatre), Carmen Jones (Old Vic – directed by Simon Callow), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pirates of Penzance (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Oliver! (UK tour). His solo albums include Love Situation and The Album.
Robert Lindsay narrates. He is a BAFTA award-winning actor, whose credits range from the smash hit Citizen Smith in the Seventies to My Family in the noughties, with a generous sprinkling of award-winning stage roles in between, including Me and My Girl, which won him the Olivier Award in the West End, and a Tony Award when it transferred to Broadway. His TV work has ranged from sitcoms (his first was Get Some In!) to BBC Shakespeare productions, and Stephen Poliakoff dramas Friends and Crocodiles and Gideon’s Daughter. He appeared in Ricky Gervais’s Extras as an arrogant, mean-spirited version of himself. Or, as his friends prefer to say: as himself. He performed in Lockdown Theatres’ live table read of Waiting For Godot in April and Noël Coward’s Private Lives in September.
Jonathan Church CBE directs. He is currently Artistic Director of Bath Theatre Royal’s Summer Season, Chair of Marlowe Theatre Canterbury and on the Board of the Almeida Theatre. He was Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre (2006-2016); Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre (2001-2006); Associate Director of Hampstead Theatre (1999-2001); Artistic Director of Salisbury Playhouse (1995-1999); Associate Director of Derby Playhouse (1994-1995) and Assistant Director of Nottingham Playhouse (1992- 1994).
Church’s West End Productions as a Director include Hobson’s Choice, Taken At Midnight (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Singin’ In The Rain (Palace Theatre), The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui (Duchess Theatre), Of Mice and Men (Savoy Theatre and The Old Vic), The Witches (Wyndham’s Theatre), A Busy Day (Lyric Theatre), The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby (Gielgud Theatre).
Reviewed By Dawn Smallwood – Reviewed 13 October 2020
5*****
Lawrence Batley Theatre presents Locked Down, Locked In, But Living, a virtual triple bill of dance. The three pieces of work forming this production were filmed and recorded in line with COVID compliant and Government guidelines.
The first production, Locked Down, produced by the theatre and Studio Wayne McGregor explores what it is like for a dancer or artist to be confined in their own home during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The dancer, Izzac Carroll, moves and dances provocatively what the restrictive experience is really like and wishing for freedom. Choreographed by Jordan James Bridge, this journey is navigated with creativity and expression in adapting and seeking comfort and eventually finding a new norm. The filming appropriately echoes the ambience and lighting for those extraordinary circumstances.
Locked In, co-produced with Northern Ballet, comes next and looks at the freedoms which have in the past taken for granted. Combined with feelings, that are triggered from the enforced isolation, this production explores and looks at the sensitivities and the yearnings for freedoms to be returned. With Daniel de Andrade’s powerful choreography, the dancers successfully and powerfully portray and state those attributes and emotions from the challenging experience.
But Living is an animated production which looks at a psychological state of mind of a dancer during lockdown. Choreographed by Gary Clarke and based on the 1903 film, Alice in Wonderland, this production invites the viewer on a journey of varying psychological states which the dancer experiences. Performed by Gavin Coward, movements expresses the themes of being trapped, enforced isolation, loneliness and eventually escapism. On parallel with Alice’s Wonderland adventures, Coward moves and dances through the vaults and labyrinth’s of the theatre which encapsulates similar relatable emotions and experiences.
These excellent and thoughtful pieces of work resonates with the current times that everyone is currently living in. Being locked down and locked in maybe necessary for keeping safe but it doesn’t stop everyone living.
