We are watching you…
Don’t miss out on our Performance and Technical Support for Events Student Showcase: ‘Hopes, Dreams and Aspirations’.
Performances are taking place on Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd October at 7pm at the Dolphin Centre, Darlington.
Tickets: £3 each. These are available to buy from the college reception on Thursday from 9am – 12 noon this week and next Wednesday/Thursday 9am – 12 noon. Also available to purchase online at:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/darlingtoncollege
QUEST TO AIR BRITISH TV PREMIERE OF FEATURE LENGTH FILM “I AM ALI”
“Lewins’ film provides all the evidence needed to convince doubters – if there are any – that Ali transcends his sport and remains, indisputably, the greatest personality in boxing history”
The Independent
“The word ‘icon’ is overused but as this charming Muhammad Ali portrait shows,
occasionally it’s utterly warranted”
Empire
TX: Friday November 6th, 9pm, exclusively on Quest
This November, and for the first time on British TV screens, Quest will premiere the intimate and heart-warming portrait of arguably one of the greatest American legends of our time – Muhammad Ali.
“I Am Ali”, the much lauded documentary film previously only available on limited cinema release, is told through exclusive, unprecedented access to Ali’s personal archive of ‘audio journals’ combined with touching interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends, including his daughters, sons, ex-wife and brother, his late trainer Angelo Dundee, plus legends of the boxing community including Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Marvin Frazier, son of Joe and long-time business manager Gene Kilroy.
Boxing legend, African American hero and beloved father, Muhammad Ali, now 72 and suffering from the debilitating Parkinson’s disease, Ali’s story is told from the inside for the very first time.
The film presents a heart-warming narrative around never-heard before tape recordings from the legend himself, mostly made in the late 1970s, in which the champion speaks to his children, playfully, affectionately, and assures them such “audio journals” will one day be part of history.
“I Am Ali” is ultimately the story of Cassius Clay to a modern cultural icon : from his birth and boxing beginnings in Louisville, Kentucky to gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics; from beating Henry Cooper at Wembley to beating Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world; from changing his religion and his name to going into exile after refusing the draft for Vietnam. It is the story of Muhammad Ali’s great 1970s fights, the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman in Zaire and the Thriller in Manilla against the mighty Joe Frazier. It is the story of his final bout at 39, a defeat by Trevor Berbick in the Bahamas. It is, briefly, the story of his life after the ring.
“I Am Ali” is a Fisheye Films production, written, produced and directed by British film maker Clare Lewins, and co-produced by George Chignell and Greg Hobden.
PRINCIPAL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR
LORD OF THE DANCE: DANGEROUS GAMES
AT LONDON’S PLAYHOUSE THEATRE
The principal cast for Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games at London’s Playhouse Theatre has been announced. The role of the Lord of the Dance will be played by James Keegan, Morgan Comer and brothers Cathal and Fergal Keaney, who have all been hand-picked and directed by Michael Flatley. All four have won multiple World Irish Dancing Championship titles. Sophie Evans and Rachael O’Connor will share the role of Erin the Goddess.
Sophie Evans was runner-up on the hugely popular BBC series Over the Rainbow in 2010, and was subsequently chosen by Andrew Lloyd Webber to don the legendary ruby slippers and play the alternate Dorothy in selected performances of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium in 2011. Sophie took over the role full time from February to September 2012. She has most recently starred in You Won’t Succeed on Broadway If You Don’t Have Any Jews at St. James Theatre.
Rachael O’Connor came to the nation’s attention after becoming the last girl standing in Kylie Minogue’s team on series 3 of The Voice UK on BBC One. Rachael made her West End debut in Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games at the London Palladium in 2014.
Flatley’s latest show Dangerous Games has exciting and ground-breaking new technology, including holographs, special effects lighting, dancing robots, world champion acrobats and the greatest team of Irish Dancers in the world. The score is composed by Gerard Fahy.
For further details, please visit www.lordofthedance.com.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
10 October 2015 to 3 January 2016
Playhouse Theatre
Northumberland Avenue
London
WC2N 5DE
Performances: Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm*
*From 15 November: Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm, Wednesday & Saturday at 2.30pm, Sunday at 3pm
See website for special Christmas schedule of performances
Ticket Prices: From £25 to £65, with Standing at £15 and Premium at £90 – all prices include a £1.50 Restoration Levy*
*£10 off £45 and £65 tickets for all October performances by quoting ‘October’ via ATG Tickets
Box Office: 0844 871 7631 / www.atgtickets.com/playhouse
Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes (including interval)
The Panto came early to Harrowgate Hill Primary School in Darlington with a special educational Roadshow.
IT’S BEHIND YOU!
A Pantomime Roadshow was held at Harrowgate Hill Primary School in preparation for Cinderella at Darlington Civic Theatre from Saturday 5 December to Sunday 10 January.
This special Panto Roadshow tours schools with an educational programme introducing children to the magic of live theatre and especially Pantomime. Run by Nigel Allacott the session was aimed at Key Stage Two Primary children and offered what may be the first experience of theatre to pupils in a comedy performance that was both entertaining and educational.
Nigel said “The aim in touring these roadshows is to encourage children to make that first contact with their local theatre, and to entertain and educate them in the history, traditions and enjoyment that can be gained by doing so. This is, after all the audience of the future”.
The first part of the show involved a comedy and interactive performance lasting 40 minutes, and after a short break the second part involved showing the children costumes and props from actual productions, allowing some children and staff to dress up in various costumes, 
and ended with a lively question and answer session.
Cinderella is at Darlington Civic Theatre from Saturday 5 December to Sunday 10 January.
To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk
The Barbican have announced their full January to July 2016 programme.
Katie Mitchell will bring her Schaubuhne Berlin production of The Forbidden Zone to London for its UK premiere (26-29 May). The play is a female perspective on war and the advance of chemical weapons.
Another UK premiere will be the new Robert Lepage production of Needles and Opium, inspired by the lives of Jean Cocteau and Miles Davis, which is directed by the French-Canadian theatre maestro (7-16 July).
French film actress Isabelle Huppert will also appear in the new season in a production of Phaedra(s) directed by Polish auteur Krzysztof Warlikowski (9-18 June). The piece is a co-production between the Barbican and LIFT 2016 and draws on the writings of Sarah Kane, Wajdi Mouawad and JM Coetzee.
Maverick theatre company Forced Entertainment will also bring their epic undertakingComplete Works to the Barbican (1-6 March). The piece involves all 36 of Shakespeare’s plays being performed in condensed form, using only everyday objects as a cast.
It will also be the first time that New York company Split Britches will appear at the theatre. Actor and writer Peggy Shaw will perform her piece Ruff which looks at life before and after a stroke (14-16 April).
The Shadow King is a UK premiere from Australian company Malthouse. The piece reimagines King Lear as a tale of two indigenous families (22 June – 2 July). Michael Kantor directs the piece, and Tom E Lewis leads the cast.
Alongside these are the previously announced The Encounter by Simon McBurney, and Kings of War by Toneelgroep Amsterdam.
Tickets for the productions (unless specified) are available to Barbican Members Plus from today, to Barbican Members on Monday 12 October and on general sale from Thursday 15 October.
The Curve, Leicester has announced its Spring 2016 season with highlights including a new production of Legally Blonde alongside the already announced premiere of Breakfast at Tiffany’s with Pixie Lott.
Legally Blonde The Musical, the award-winning West End and Broadway show, will run from 11 April to 14 May. Nikolai Foster will direct the production, which follows sorority sister Elle Woods who heads off to Harvard Law School to win back her boyfriend.
Under the new creative partnership of chief executive Chris Stafford and artistic director Foster, the season will open with Rupert Goold’s successful King Charles III tour which will run from 26 to 30 January.
Wipers, a Curve commissioned play written by Ishy Din also features in the season. Inspired by the real life story of Khuddadad Khan, the first South Asian soldier to be awarded a Victoria Cross for his bravery at the First Battle of Ypres, the play examines the contribution made by South Asian soldiers in WWI.
The production will run from 8 to 23 April and will be directed by Curve associate director Suba Das.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Lott as Holly Golightly, is directed by Foster and described as a ‘play with music’. It will feature an onstage band and have music composed by Grant Olding (One Man, Two Guvnors). Truman Capote’s novella is being adapted for the stage by Tony and Olivier Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg.
It will run at Leicester Curve’s main house from 3-12 March 2016 before touring the UK. Breakfast at Tiffany’s will culminate with a 12-week West End run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, also starring Lott, from 30 June to 17 September 2016.
Other shows in the season include JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls (17-23 March); Kali Theatre’s The Dishonoured (10-12 March) and Zoonation’s Into the Hoods (14-15 March).
Phillip Jackson’s statue of the legendary theatre director Joan Littlewood was unveiled in London over the weekend.
Celebrities turned out to see the moment where the covers were pulled off the artwork.Barbara Windsor, who worked with Littlewood when her career was starting off, was there to dish out cake.
Ian McKellen also appeared at the unveiling, which took place in front of the Theatre Royal Stratford East, a theatre Littlewood based her pioneering company the Theatre Workshop at during the Fifties.
Murray Melvin, an actor and writer who also worked closely with Littlewood, was also there at the unveiling. He said: “I’m delighted that a sculpture by Philip Jackson will be unveiled in Theatre Square in recognition of her great contribution to the community of Stratford and theatre.”
Littlewood became famous for her work with Theatre Workshop, and productions of musicals Fings Ain’t What They Used T’Be and Oh What a Lovely War, both of which were revived by the Theatre Royal Stratford East recently.
The bronze statue of Joan Littlewood will stand in Theatre Square near the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
BRYAN ADAMS
THE GET UP TOUR
SHEFFIELD ARENA
SATURDAY 14TH MAY 2016
Multi-platinum, recording artist Bryan Adams is set to hit the UK in April/May next year with ‘The Get Up Tour’ in support of his forthcoming studio album ‘Get Up’ (releasing in the UK on 23rd October).
The 10-date arena tour will include a show at Sheffield Arena on Saturday 14th May, which will be the 12thtime Bryan has played the venue since it opened in 1991.
Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday 9th October in person at the Arena Box Office, by phone on 0114 256 5656 or online at www.sheffieldarena.co.uk.
Tickets purchased by phone or online are priced £38.50 & £46.75 (including booking fee). Tickets purchased in person at the Arena Box Office are priced £36.75 & £44.73 (including booking fee).
Bryan Adams is set to release his thirteenth studio album, Get Up (UMe), on Friday 23rd October. Produced by famed ELO frontman Jeff Lynne and co-written with his long-time collaborator Jim Vallance, the album features nine new songs and four acoustic versions. Get Up is available for pre-order now via all digital partners and includes instant-grat track “You Belong To Me,” followed by lead track “Brand New Day”, and the final early download, “Don’t Even Try” prior to street date.
Tickets for Bryan Adam’s Sheffield date go on general sale at 9am on Friday 9th October in person at the Arena Box Office, by phone on 0114 256 5656 or online at www.sheffieldarena.co.uk.
With preparations for the company’s 21st Anniversary year underway, Frantic Assembly’s commitment to creating training opportunities for people of all levels and experiences continues with a varied programme of educational initiatives. The company’sIgnition programme will see its 10th group of young men devising and performing new work in October, following a nationwide selection process. On Tuesday 10th November, Artistic Director Scott Graham will lead a panel discussion event at the British Library as the company’s production footage archive is made available to the public. Meanwhile, graduates from across the country are applying for Frantic Assembly and Coventry University’s MA Collaborative Theatre Making degree course, Britain’s first ever Master’s degree in association with a professional theatre company.
Scott Graham, Artistic Director of Frantic Assembly, said, “It is so important to unearth new talent and help nurture the artistic and personal growth of people of all levels of experience. This mission has always been at the heart of our company, and I am thrilled and immensely proud that Frantic Assembly continues to offer accessible training and inspiration to people across the UK and beyond.
It is timely to reflect back on the last 21 years and realise that some of our proudest achievements as a company have been the impact of our methodology on actors, writers, teachers and students. Looking forward, we continue to prioritise the development of artists and individuals; whether you are a post-graduate participating in a brand new MA programme or a young person from a part of the UK with low arts engagement – Frantic Assembly has something for you.”
Ignition
Frantic Assembly’s 10th Ignition programme is underway, following a UK-wide search for the 12 brightest and bravest young men to form this year’s Ignition physical theatre company.
Free taster workshops were held across the country to give all young men aged 16-20 the opportunity to try out Frantic Assembly’s fast, risk-taking style of physical theatre.
Trial sessions will be held in major cities across Britain throughout October and 12 young men will be selected to join in an intensive, week-long devising process with Frantic Assembly in London. The week will culminate in a public showcase performance at Stratford Circus Arts Centre on Wednesday 28th October 2015.
The content of the performance will arise from collaboration between the young men selected as they spend a week working with the Frantic Method, led by Artistic Director Scott Graham and Associate Director Neil Bettles. Previous Ignition productions have centred on the themes of identity, self worth and the challenges of being a young man in the modern age.
Frantic Assembly has been delivering Ignition for eight years. Over 1,397 young men have participated since the project began in 2008 and last year over 51% of participants were from areas of highest deprivation in the UK. 92% of young men in Ignition companies between 2012 – 2014 reported increased aspirations and personal confidence after the programme.
To date, 10 Ignition companies have performed for audiences in London, Corby, Brighton and Plymouth. To celebrate this landmark achievement, Frantic Assembly has invited past graduates of the scheme to perform in a one-off performance alongside the 2015 Ignition company.
For more information visit: franticassembly.co.uk/ignition/
Since 2012, Ignition has been supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
British Library Opening
To mark the opening of Frantic Assembly’s production footage archive at the British Library, Artistic Director Scott Graham will lead a panel discussion event on the impact of the company’s work on the teaching of drama and theatre practice. The event will take place at the British Library’s Eliot Room on Tuesday 10th November 2015 at 5:45pm.
Representing 21 years of Frantic Assembly’s work, this archive will continue to grow as the company’s work develops. Hosted by Frantic Assembly, the panel discussion will be led by Artistic Director Scott Graham and Associate Dean at Coventry University, Mark Evans.
Aimed at teachers, academics, educationalists, students and theatre enthusiasts, the event will take the form of a two part conversation featuring guests from the academic world and practicing artists.
For more information visit: bl.uk/events/frantic-assembly-devising-and-physicality-in-theatre
Coventry University MA in Collaborative Theatre Making
Applications for Frantic Assembly and Coventry University’s Master’s degree course, Britain’s first in association with a professional theatre company, are now open. The first group of students will commence in 2016/17, studying in both Coventry and London. No other British university currently offers an MA in association with a professional theatre company.
Dr Natalie Garrett Brown, Principal Lecturer in Dance at Coventry University said,“Coventry University is very excited to be soon welcoming the first group of students to this new MA. We are busy preparing for the launch of this innovative course and look forward to working with Frantic to deliver excellence in contemporary theatre education.”
Titled MA Collaborative Theatre Making, the degree will offer professional level training for contemporary artists from all disciplines, working in a global context.
Both Frantic Assembly and Coventry University seek to push the boundaries of what is possible within contemporary arts today, with the aim of creating a highly skilled creative workforce of adventurous and innovative performers and makers.
Coventry University has offered bursaries of up to £3,000 to students joining the new postgraduate course. Students from the UK and overseas have been invited to apply for bursaries for the course, which take the form of a fee waiver, and are awarded based on the students’ ability to demonstrate excellence in their academic achievements and performance practice.
For more information visit: coventry.ac.uk/collabtheatre-ma
LISTINGS
Wednesday 28th October 2015
Ignition
Stratford Circus Arts Centre
7:30pm
All tickets £5
Website: stratford-circus.com/event/ignition/
Tuesday 10th November 2015
Frantic Assembly: Devising & Physicality in Theatre
Panel discussion led by Artistic Director Scott Graham
British Library, Eliot Room
5:45pm – 7:15pm
Full Price: £8.00
Senior 60+: £6.00
Student: £5.00
Registered Unemployed: £5.00
Under 18: £5.00
Friend of the BL: £5.00
Website: bl.uk/events/frantic-assembly-devising-and-physicality-in-theatre
UPDATE ON THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY AT THE BARBICAN
King and Country: Shakespeare’s Great Cycle of Kings
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) returns to the Barbican in November with Henry V, followed by a major theatrical event in January 2016 to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death – with performances of all four productions of Gregory Doran’s history plays in repertoire.
The season brings together the previously production of Richard II (premiered in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in October 2013) with the recent Henry IV Parts I & IIand the new production of Henry V straight from its acclaimed run in Stratford.
Running from 11 November 2015 to 24 January 2016, the repertoire includes the majority of the original cast members. David Tennant reprises the title role of Richard II; Antony Sher and Jasper Britton return as Falstaff and Henry IV respectively in the Henry IV plays and Alex Hassell reprises his role as the young Hal and reaches maturity as King in Henry V.
RSC Shakespeare on Screen
9-31 January 2016
Barbican Cinemas 2 & 3
In January 2016, alongside the work onstage at the Barbican, a special festival of RSC Shakespeare on Screen has been created to complement the King and Country plays.
Curated by John Wyver, RSC Director of Screen Productions, in association with the Barbican, RSC Shakespeare on Screen will uncover highlights from 50 years of Shakespeare in performance. Nine titles have been selected from the huge archive of RSC work captured on stage or reconceived for film and television, and include Trevor Nunn’s iconic 1979 production of Macbeth with Ian McKellen and Judi Dench, originally performed at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon, Peter Hall’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1959) with Charles Laughton as Bottom in a rarely-seen partial recording of Hall’s staging which was filmed on three cameras for American television in the theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Gregory Doran’s production of Hamlet (2009) filmed on location in an abandoned seminary in North London, with David Tennant in the title role. Questions about the RSC’s involvement with film and television and the challenges of translating stage productions to the screen will be discussed with current RSC artistic director Gregory Doran and other guests to be announced.
Talks and Debates
A programme of talks and debates explores Shakespeare’s portrayals of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V. Guest panellists will include Alex Hassell, Julian Glover and David Tennant amongst others. The talks will be held in the Frobisher Auditorium 1 in the Barbican.
Further information here: www.kingandcountry.org.uk/events/talks/
Education
An Education programme will run alongside the RSC season, exploring Henry V and the King and Country cycles. RSC Education and Barbican Creative Learning teams will also work with experts from the Museum of London on an active workshop on Shakespeare’s Histories. For more information on the RSC Education workshops visit:http://www.kingandcountry.org.uk/productions/henry-v/education/
Barbican Box 2016
From November 2015
RSC associate directors will be supporting the Barbican Box education programme for schools and colleges. The project involves a portable box containing tools and stimuli to encourage young people in their personal and imaginative approach to the arts. Joining the programme, schools also get mentoring, teacher training courses, tickets to the Centre’s performances and opportunities to perform at the Barbican – among other benefits.
First Encounter: The Famous Victories of Henry V
19 November 2015
Following its opening in Stratford-upon-Avon in June 2015, and its tour to school halls and theatre spaces across the country, The Famous Victories of Henry V comes to the Barbican for one performance only. Directed by Owen Horsley and using Shakespeare’s original language, the production condenses the three great plays of Henry IV Parts I & II and Henry V into a 90 minute adventure for 8 – 13 year olds.
Exhibition
This Realm, This England – the RSC’s free exhibition will be on display in the Barbican Mezzanine Foyer from 6 November 2015 – 24 January 2016. The exhibition features a new lighting installation developed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, inspired by Stephen Brimson Lewis’ design for theKing and Country cycle of plays.
International King and Country tour
Following the Barbican season, Henry IV Parts I & II and Henry V tour to China and are then re-joined by Richard II in Spring 2016 for an exclusive season in New York, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).
J.P. Morgan is the Global Tour Premier Partner for all four productions, and will be supporting the upcoming tour from London to China and the US.
Live from Stratford-upon-Avon
Henry V will be broadcast ‘Live from Stratford-upon-Avon’ to cinemas in collaboration with Picturehouse Entertainment on 21 October 2015. For details on screeningshttp://onscreen.rsc.org.uk/
As well as streaming the shows live into cinemas around the world, the RSC also offers another unique opportunity to schools across the UK to experience the Company’s productions for free in classrooms, with a live Q&A following the screening. Henry V will be screened in schools on Thursday 19 November 2015.
This hugely popular initiative is made possible through collaboration with Ravensbourne College. Alongside the webcast, the RSC has created an extensive package of online resources for use by teachers and students in the classroom, both in the lead up to the broadcast and for use as follow up materials afterwards.
For full cast and production information www.kingandcountry.org.uk