The world premiere of Fabulous Creatures The untold story of the female monsters of The Odyssey a play with songs by Quentin Beroud & Emily Louizou Directed by Emily Louizou
Welcome to the Monstrous Cabaret Club, a place to drown more than your sorrows, where the acts are unreal and the voices to die for!
Whether you’re strapping in for the Sirens or caught between Scylla and Charybdis, you’re in for a night you’ll never forget!
Once the pre-eminent killers of the mythical age, the Sirens have long given up their licence to kill. Now they run a private club hidden somewhere between Mount Olympus and the Underworld. But the glamorous routine of their cabaret life is about to be shattered when a desperate and determined woman asks for help in taking down her abusive husband before he returns from a 10-year war. These fabulous creatures are now faced with a deadly dilemma: sacrifice the safety of the shadows or come out into the light and help a stranger in her hour of need?
Collide (“clearly a company to keep an eye on”, The Guardian) invites you to an epic new show about sisterhood and vengeance. An ensemble of three brings you the never-before-told story of the female monsters of The Odyssey, blending humour and darkness, myth and modernity and Collide’s signature dream-like aesthetic.
Cast:
Hannah van der Westhuysen is Charybdis aka “Whirlpool”, hostess of the grotesque.
Hannah are best known for playing the lead role of ’Stella’ in Fate: The Winx Club Saga for Netflix. Most recently, they can be seen playing a recurring role in Sexy Beast (Paramount+) and hit production The Sandman (Netflix).
Kate Newman is SCYLLA, a rock star with outrageous costumes.
Kate is a classically trained actor, neo-burlesque performer, writer, producer and the creator and host of Like A Virgin Cabaret. She trained at The Drama Centre and The Cheek of It School of Burlesque. Her burlesque alter ego Have Your Kate and Eat It has performed at The Barbican, Battersea Arts Centre and The Hippodrome Casino. She is currently working on Dance, then her debut short film, in which she plays the role of Iris. Her TV credits include Alder (ITV) and Smothered (Sky Comedy).
Jazz Jenkins is Siren, the woman-bird with the notorious voice.
Jazz is a native New Yorker and relocated to London to train at LAMDA where she graduated in 2023. Fabulous Creatures marks her UK professional stage debut. Theatre while training includes: The House That Will Not Stand (Agnes), RENT (Joanne), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (The Singer) and The Seagull (Nina).
Creative team: Written by Quentin Beroud & Emily Louizou Directed by Emily Louizou Movement & Choreography by Ioli Filippakopoulou Music Composition & Sound Design by Irene Skylakaki Set & Costume Design by Ismini Papaioannou Lighting Design by David Doyle Promo images by Mariza Kapsabeli Executive Producer: Elizabeth Filippouli
Produced by Collide Theatre in partnership with Elizabeth Filippouli and in association with the Arcola Theatre
Composer Irene Skylakaki said: “I am thrilled to be writing music for three mythological monsters, three creatures with voices that blend darkness, sensuality, and power. We are creating a hybrid-play, something between musical theatre, cabaret, and a play with songs! Sonically inspired by PJ Harvey, Bjork and James Blake – expect a lot of quirky punchiness!”
Director Emily Louizou said: “This project is a celebration of female resilience and sisterhood. Scylla, Charybdis, Siren stand for women who were punished, ostracised and vilified for reasons that were quite absurd or short-sighted. I am excited to present these mythological monsters under a new light, seeing beyond their victimhood, beyond their monstrous appearance and their ‘evil’ label.”
Executive Producer Elizabeth Filippouli said: “As figments of the imagination, the awkward, scary female creatures that populate myths have long been used by societies to portray an otherness that goes outside the norms, and to set the boundaries of conformity within which women were expected to operate. Guess what, the monstrous in this play is synonymous with the fabulous, fascinating, fantastic!”
Fabulous Creatures is produced under the auspices of the Hellenic Embassy in the UK, supported by The Hellenic Centre and women’s empowerment initiative Athena40.Irene Skylakaki (Music Composition & Sound Design) Irene Skylakaki is a musician and songwriter, originally from Athens, Greece. To date, she has released five studio albums: Wrong Direction (2012), Before Dawn (2014), Matterless (2018), Souvenir (2020) and Hydra (2022). During the past four years Irene has also written music for TV and theatre, most notably collaborating with director Emily Louizou on Labor (Poreia Theatre, Athens, 2022) and Symptoms of Weightlessness (Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus, Greece, 2023).
Quentin Beroud (Writer) Quentin is a writer and director for stage and screen, with a particular interest in European theatre and the tragic-comic. His translation and adaptation of Mariveaux’s farce The Game of Love and Chance (***** Hackney Gazette) was Arcola’s first major production to open their new Outside Space post-COVID. As Writer & Adaptor, credits include: The Game of Love & Chance (Arcola Theatre). As Dramaturg: The Coral (Finborough Theatre).
Emily Louizou (Writer & Director) Emily Louizou is a London-based theatre and opera director, originally from Athens, Greece. She trained on the acclaimed MFA Theatre Directing programme at Birkbeck, University of London. Prior to this, she completed her BA Degree in English Literature at University College London (UCL). She is the founder and Artistic Director of Collide, an international female-led theatre company based in London. Since its inception in 2015, Collide has collaborated with more than 70 migrant artists coming from all disciplines and created 9 successful theatre productions. Most notable past credits include: The Woman Who Turned Into A Tree (Omnibus Theatre, 2023), The Coral (Finborough Theatre, 2022), Metamorphosis (New Diorama & HOME, 2019).
Elizabeth Filippouli (Executive Producer) Elizabeth Filippouli is a writer and executive with a career across media and social entrepreneurship. As a journalist she has worked at Al Jazeera English, CNN International and in Greek media. She is also the Founder of the non-profits Global Thinkers Forum and Athena40, supporting women and youth through mentoring and public conversations. In 2023 she adapted and produced ‘Alexander the Great-Between Dreams and Imagination’, a sold out play revisiting the idea of greatness in leadership, presented in the British Library. She works on artistic projects that aim to re-imagine our societies and the way we think.
Arcola Theatre Arcola Theatre was founded by Mehmet Ergen and Leyla Nazli in September 2000. Arcola Theatre produces daring, high-quality theatre in the heart of East London and beyond. They commission and premiere exciting, original works alongside rare gems of world drama and bold new productions of classics. Their socially engaged, international programme champions diversity, challenges the status quo, and attracts over 65,000 people to our building each year. Ticket prices are some of the most affordable in London. Their pioneering environmental initiatives are award-winning and aim to make Arcola the world’s first carbon-neutral theatre. Arcola has won awards including the UK Theatre Award for Promotion of Diversity, The Stage Award for Sustainability and the Peter Brook Empty Space Award.
LISTINGS INFO
Collide Theatre in partnership with Elizabeth Filippouli and in association with Arcola Theatre present the world premiere of
Fabulous Creatures The untold story of the female monsters of The Odyssey.
The renowned cabaret artist Hersh Dagmarr presents his new show
Indefinite Leave To Remain – The Songs of The Pet Shop Boys
at Crazy Coqs on 28 June 2024
Hersh Dagmarr, the immortal wandering ghost of a European yesteryear,will deconstruct the songs of The Pet Shop Boys and transport them to the Weimar Berlin era in his new show Indefinite Leave To Remain – The Songs of the Pet Shop Boys at London’s Crazy Coqs cabaret venue on Friday 28 June 2024.
This is not a tribute show, this is a love letter to London in the words and music of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, and it is an ode to finding one’s home. Expect classic hits such as West End Girls, Heart, Rent, I’m Not Scared and I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing.
The London-based singer/songwriter and visual artist will be joined by pianist and arranger extraordinaire Karen Newby to put a unique twist on the hits of the legendary synth-pop duo.
Hersh Dagmarr mixes his visceral inspiration of the grand Weimar Berlin era with his own experience as a forever club kid and international socialite, resulting in a unique blend of Kabarett, storytelling, expressionist chanson, sprechgesang and power singing!
A French native and originally a cabaret and jazz singer, Hersh started featuring on indie house and dance music tracks as a vocalist. The temptation to give life to his own inner visions brought Hersh to start composing songs inevitably informed by his cabaret and live performance persona.
Besides his own music production, Hersh regularly performs cabaret shows in which, accompanied by a pianist, he performs classic tunes from the global cabaret songbook as well as more contemporary material with an emphasis on Kurt Weill’s repertoire.
Discussing his musical inspirations, Hersh said: “My interest in music is quite polar. It’s equally coming from a faraway past and a rather distant future. Like running ahead from some kind of haunting past life.”
WICKED, the West End stage musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, will today (Wednesday 24 April 2024) play its 6,762nd performance, becoming the 10th longest-running West End stage production in British history. Wicked surpasses the run of the legendary farce No Sex Please, We’re British, which ran from June 1971 until September 1987, playing a total 6,761 performances.
“One of the all-time musical theatre successes” (The Guardian), the Tony®, Grammy®, Olivier, and WhatsOnStage award-winning musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman opened at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre in September 2006 where it has already been seen by more than 12 million people.
The ten longest-running West End stage productions in British history are: The Mousetrap, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Woman in Black, Blood Brothers, Mamma Mia!, Cats, The Lion King, Starlight Express, and Wicked.
Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of Wicked in the UK said:
“As we celebrate the historic milestone of becoming the West End’s 10th longestever running stage show, we offer our heartfelt thanks to the amazing audiences who have supported and championed Wicked since its very first performance in 2006. We also thank our exceptional creative and backstage teams, performers, and musicians who have worked so tirelessly and diligently to deliver every performance of the show.”
All Christmas 2024/25 performances are now on sale, with 8 extra shows added on:
Friday 20 December 2024 @ 2.30pm, Monday 23 December 2024 @ 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Friday 27 December 2024 @ 2.30pm, Monday 30 December 2024 @ 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Tuesday 31 December 2024 @ 2.30pm, and Thursday 2 January 2025 @ 2.30pm. Doors open 90 minutes prior to performance times.
Through its ‘For Good’ charitable endeavours and acclaimed Wicked Active Learning cultural and social education programme, the London production of Wicked proudly supports and champions the work of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, the National Literacy Trust, and Theatre Works!, the charity providing theatre tickets to disadvantaged children across the UK. www.WickedActiveLearning.co.uk
Wicked currently stars Alexia Khadime (Elphaba), Lucy St. Louis (Glinda), Ryan Reid (Fiyero), Sophie-Louise Dann (Madame Morrible), Michael Fenton Stevens (The Wizard), Caitlin Anderson (Nessarose), Graham Kent (Doctor Dillamond), Joe Thompson-Oubari (Boq), Laura Harrison (Standby for Elphaba), Christine Tucker* (Standby for Glinda), Zac Adlam, Conor Ashman, Jessica Aubrey, Jeremy Batt, Felipe Bejarano, Asmara Cammock, Joshua Clemetson, Effie Rae Dyson, Aston Newman Hannington, Aimee Hodnett, Kate Leiper, Jemima Loddy, Joshua Lovell, Rory Maguire, PaddyJoe Martin, Darnell Mathew-James, Millie Mayhew, Ayden Morgan, Rishard-Kyro Nelson, Aiesha Naomi Pease, Jeanie Ryan, Natalie Spriggs, Charlotte Anne Steen, James Titchener, Micaela Todd, Taela Yeomans-Brown, and Jacob Young. *Maternity cover for Lisa-Anne Wood.
A spectacular touring production of Wicked continues engagements until January 2025. Currently playing at the Bradford Alhambra Theatre until 19 May 2024, the critically acclaimed production will then continue to Southampton Mayflower Theatre; Liverpool Empire; Dublin Bord Gáis Energy Theatre; Sunderland Empire; Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre, and Manchester Palace Theatre.
Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s celebrated stage musical is based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire and imagines a beguiling backstory and future possibilities to the lives of L. Frank Baum’s beloved characters from ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. Wicked reveals the decisions and events that shape the destinies of two unlikely university friends on their journey to becoming ‘Glinda The Good’ and the ‘Wicked Witch of the West’.
Wickedhas music and lyrics by multi-Oscar® and Grammy® Award winner Stephen Schwartz (‘Godspell’, ‘Pippin’, ‘The Prince of Egypt’, Disney’s ‘Pocahontas’, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’and ‘Enchanted’). It is based on the multimillion-copy best-selling novel ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of theWest’ by Gregory Maguire and written by Emmy® and Tony Award® nominee Winnie Holzman (creator of the landmark American television series ‘My So-Called Life’). Musical staging is by Tony Award®winner Wayne Cilento with direction by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello.
The stage musical Wicked is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt, and David Stone. Executive Producer (UK) Michael McCabe.
The Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG
Blackpool Grand Theatre – until Saturday 27 April 2024
Reviewed by Debra Skelton
5*****
If you feel like an evening of ghost stories, the supernatural and suspense, then The Grand Theatre Blackpool has just what you need and that is ‘2:22 A Ghost Story’ produced by Runway Entertainment which is showing until Saturday 27th April 2024.
2:22 A Ghost Story is a thriller play by Danny Robins which premiered in the West End in 2021 and was nominated for three Laurence Olivier Awards in 2022, including Best New Play and Best Actress. The premiere production was also nominated for four WhatsOnStage Awards winning Best New Play, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor.
The story is about Jenny (Rachel Morris covering Fiona Wade) a typical new mum who is burnt out, highly stressed and looking for support from her husband Sam (George Rainsford). One source of her anxiety is from the eery sounds that have been coming through the baby monitor in her daughter’s room @ precisely 2:22am over the last three nights. To help Jenny alleviate her fears, she sets up a vigil with Sam’s old friend Lauren (Vera Chok) and her builder-boyfriend (Jay McGuiness) who have come to visit, to stay awake until the allotted time to see if the ghost returns.
This does not go down well with Sam as the idea of catching the ghost that Jenny thinks is haunting their daughter makes him actively hostile due to his scepticism and therefore spends most of the night highlighting his own rationality at the expense of his wife’s patience. Lauren, who is a psychologist, isn’t unsympathetic to Jenny’s fears but still tends to think all horrors are based in the mind. The only believer is Ben as he had a paranormal experience as a child.
As to the end of the story, this I cannot reveal as it would spoil the surprise which I can say is not what I was expecting at all, so please do go see the show as you will not be disappointed.
Huge applause must go to Fiona, George, Vera and Jay who I feel must have a huge amount of pressure on them with being such a small cast but they provided a superb portrayal of their characters with an interjection of humour when required which entertained the audience from start to finish.
Special thanks are also needed to Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr the Director’s, Anna Fleischle the Set Designer, Ian Dickinson for the eerie, scary, and jumping out of your seat sounds, Lucy Carter for the spooky lighting and Chris Fisher for the incredible illusions.
Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 27th April 2024
Reviewed by Nadia Dodd
5*****
One of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webbers best known hits, this Regents Park Open Air Theatre production originally was bought to life over 50 years ago and it still filling theatres on this current tour.
This version is a rock opera, the cast tell the story of the final seven days of Jesus’ life. The story is centred on the much-dissatisfied Judas’, very much how he felt about Jesus’ work with his people.
As the curtain goes up the stage setting is very dark and moody, with the occasion spotlight focusing initially on the on-stage band. The electric guitar commencing the show before the extremely upbeat energetic dancers suddenly appear. The choreography is on point, no beat missed, a fantastic young ensemble also with amazingly powerful voices when they did showcase their voices throughout the evening.
The scene across the stage is intense from the start and you are hooked immediately. The crucifix cross being the main stay on stage throughout the whole performance, I quite like when the scenery remains the same, no need for new scenery as less in more especially in this show, the rawness of the story is enough.
Jesus played by Ian Mcintosh has an astonishing vocal range he was mesmerising to listen to. Jesus realises that his fate with Judas, played by Shem Omari James, will only ever be remembered by his betrayal.
It isn’t all dark and moody though, Herod played in gold sequins and heels by Timo Tatbzer was very flamboyant indeed, not what I was expecting at all.
I can’t not mention the ensemble member Louise Francis who had stepped in as Mary Magdalene in last nights performance. Her voice is sensational and only graduating in 2018 she really is going to go far in the world of theatre. I certainly will look out for any upcoming productions that she goes on to appear in.
There is no excuse not to go and see this show, from the guitar solos, the mesmerising vocals and the on point dancers this show has it all. I last saw a version of this show many years ago and even though the story will never change this rock version is certainly one I would recommend you book to see.
FOR EVERY PERFORMANCE A THIRD OF THE TICKETS WILL BE £35 AND UNDER
★★★★★
‘An act of risk-taking theatre that also feels darkly, magically, like real-life.
It’s as if the play is being discovered for the first time.’
Daily Telegraph
Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis and Nick Salmon for Playful Productions, Wessex Grove, Donmar West End, Gavin Kalin Productions and Playing Field today announce the West End transfer of the Donmar Warehouse’s critically acclaimed production of Macbeth. Starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, and directed by Max Webster, the production runs at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 1 October until 14 December 2024.
For every performance, a third of the tickets are priced at £35 or under; with the front row available for purchase on the day of performance at £25. In addition, the Donmar will extend its Donmar LOCAL programme to the West End, with free tickets for young people from up to ten schools in Camden and Westminster.
Priority booking for Donmar supporters opens today, with public booking opening at 10am on 25 April.
★★★★★
‘David Tennant is tremendous and superbly partnered by Cush Jumbo.
The rich aural concept emphasises the eerie brilliance of Shakespeare’s dark, image-laden text.’
Financial Times
Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis and Nick Salmon for Playful Productions, Benjamin Lowy and Emily Vaughan-Barratt for Wessex Grove, and Tim Sheader and Henny Finch for the Donmar Warehouse said today, “On Shakespeare’s birthday, we are thrilled to announce the West End transfer of the Donmar Warehouse’s critically acclaimed production of Macbeth, with the original company, led by David Tennant and Cush Jumbo reuniting for the run. Having played to capacity houses at the Donmar, it’s wonderful to be able to share this fabulous production with a wider audience, with a third of the tickets for every performance at £35 or under.”
Joining David Tennant (Macbeth) and Cush Jumbo (Lady Macbeth) are the full original Donmar Warehouse company – Moyo Akandé (Ross), Annie Grace (Musician & Gentlewoman), Brian James O’Sullivan (Donalbain/Soldier/Murderer & Musician), Casper Knopf (Macduff’s Son/Fleance/Young Siward), Cal MacAninch (Banquo), Kathleen MacInnes (The Singer & ensemble), Alasdair Macrae (Musician & ensemble), Rona Morison (Lady Macduff), Noof Ousellam (Macduff), Raffi Phillips (Macduff’s Son/Fleance/Young Siward), Jatinder Singh Randhawa (The Porter/Seytan), Ros Watt (Malcolm), and Benny Young (Duncan/Doctor).
This production of Macbeth will use binaural technology to create a 3D sound world, which the audience will experience through wearing headphones, placing them right inside the head of the central couple. Director Max Webster collaborates with sound designer Gareth Fry, who previously used binaural sound for Complicité’s multi-award-winning production The Encounter. Live music will come from an onstage Scottish folk band lead by Alasdair Macrae and featuring award-winning Gaelic singer Kathleen MacInnes.
Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis and Nick Salmon for Playful Productions, Wessex Grove, Donmar West End, Gavin Kalin Productions and Playing Field present
The Donmar Warehouse production of
MACBETH By William Shakespeare
Directed by Max Webster
Cast: Moyo Akandé, Annie Grace, Brian James O’Sullivan, Cush Jumbo, Casper Knopf, Cal MacAninch, Kathleen MacInnes, Alasdair Macrae, Rona Morison, Noof Ousellam, Raffi Phillips, Jatinder Singh Randhawa, David Tennant, Ros Watt and Benny Young
Designer: Rosanna Vize
Lighting Designer: Bruno Poet Sound Designer: Gareth Fry Movement Director: Shelley Maxwell
Composer & Musical Director: Alasdair Macrae
Fight Directors: Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown of Rc-Annie Ltd Casting Director: Anna Cooper CDG
★★★★★
‘David Tennant thrills in a production full of wolfish imagination and alarming surprise.
Cool, cocky and utterly arresting.’
Guardian
ALL HAIL, MACBETH.
David Tennant and Cush Jumbo return to their landmark performances in Shakespeare’s most extraordinary psychological drama.
Unsettling intimacy and brutal action combine at breakneck speed as Max Webster directs the tale of love, murder, and nature’s power of renewal. Groundbreaking sound design and live Celtic folk music (all played through lightweight headphones provided) immerse the audience in every whisper, cry and thought.
Featuring the original company of the sold out Donmar Warehouse season, this unforgettable staging will now play a strictly limited run at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre from 1 October 2024.
‘I emerged after two hours utterly exhilarated: it was the finest, most magnetic Macbeth I’d ever seen, and the headphones proved thrillingly integral to so internal a play.’
Moyo Akandé playsRoss. Her theatre work includesThe Special Relationship (Soho Theatre), Interference (National Theatre of Scotland), The Two Noble Kinsmen, Lightning Child, Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe), Flowers for Mrs Harris (Sheffield Crucible), Only the Brave (Wales Millennium Centre), Skins & Hoods (Institut Francais – Edinburgh Festival), The Witches, Sunshine on Leith (Dundee Repertory Theatre), Wallace (The Arches), White Christmas (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Thoroughly Modern Millie (The Watermill Theatre), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Birmingham Rep), Peter Pan (Barbican/National Theatre of Scotland),and The Wizard of Oz (Royal Festival Hall). For television, her work includes Professor T, Crime, Inside No.9, The Wedding, Agatha Raisin, Annika, Back, Scenes for Survival – The Present, Guilt, The Demon Headmaster, Still Game, The Cry, Vera, Only an Excuse?, The Rebel, Porridge, Bob Servant Independent, and Lip Service; and for film, A.V. Van,Man & Witch, Tetris, Up on the Roof, Zebra Girl, Make Me Up, The Hurricane Heist,and 1745.
Annie Grace plays Musician and Gentlewoman. Her theatre work includes Macbeth (RSC), Anything that Gives off Light (NTS/The Team/EIF), Hello in there (Òran Mór), The Tale of Little Bevan (Pentabus), Hysteria! (Òran Mór/Traverse), The Winter’s Tale (Royal Lyceum Theatre), The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, Blabbermouth, Five Minute Theatre, The Tin Forest, Peter Pan (National Theatre of Scotland), Threads (Stellar Quines), Dark Woods Deep Snow (Northern Stage), Ness, Hello in there, Thank God for John Muir, Cyrano de Bergerac, Poker Alice, Tir Na Nog (Òran Mór/A Play, A Pie and A Pint), Pinnochio (Arches Theatre), Tam O’Shanter (Perth Theatre/Communicado), Homers (Traverse), Hysteria! (Òran Mór/Traverse), The Celtic Story (Wildcat Theatre), The Wedding (Rightlines Productions), The Stamping Ground (Eden Court/Raw Material), Fisherman’s Friends (Cornwall Playhouse), and The Last Ship (Northern Stage/USA tour/Toronto).
Brian James O’Sullivan plays Donalbain/Soldier/Murderer and Musician. His theatre credits include Maw Goose – winner of Best Dame at UK Pantomime Awards (Macrobert Arts Centre), Uh Huh: The Janice & Frank Story Parts 1, 2 & 3 (Òran Mór), The Stamping Ground (Raw Material), Oscar; My Name is Sarah, and…, Meetings with the Monk (Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre), An Edinburgh Christmas Carol, The Arabian Nights, The Winter’s Tale (Royal Lyceum Theatre), Chic Murray: A Funny Place for a Window (Òran Mór, Glasgow/Winhill Productions/Fair Pley/BBC Scotland/Lemon Tree Theatre), McGonagall’s Chronicles (Òran Mór/Traverse Theatre), Twelfth Night (Royal Lyceum Theatre/Bristol Old Vic), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Dundee Rep), The James Plays (National Theatre of Scotland), The View from Castle Rock (Stellar Quines), and Oliver! (West End). He also hosts the popular Scottish theatre podcast, Putting it Together, which has released over 350 episodes since 2017.
Cush Jumbo plays Lady Macbeth. Her previous Donmar credits include Julius Caesar (also St Ann’s Warehouse, New York). Her other theatre includes Hamlet (Young Vic), Common, She Stoops to Conquer (National Theatre), The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare in the Park, New York), The River (Broadway), Fred’s Diner (Chichester Festival Theatre), Pygmalion – Ian Charleson Award nomination, A Doll’s House, As You Like It (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester), An Argument About Sex (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh), Liquid Gold (Almeida Theatre), Brixton Stories (Lyric Hammersmith), and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Shakespeare’s Globe). As writer/performer, her theatre work includes Josephine and I (Bush Theatre/Public Theater, New York); and as writer, The Accordion Shop (National Theatre Connections). Her television work includes Criminal Record, Balestra, Stay Close, The Beast Must Die, Deadwater Fell, The Good Fight, Trying, The Good Wife, Vera, Getting On, Lip Service, Torchwood, and Harley Street; and for film, The Postcard Killings, City of Tiny Lights, Remainder, and The Inbetweeners.
Casper Knopf plays Macduff’s Son/Fleance/Young Siward, marking his professional stage debut. His television work includes Silent Witness, Rough Diamonds, Our House, Halo and The Small Hand; and for film, How to Date Billy Walsh.
Cal MacAninch plays Banquo. His theatre work includes The Judas Kiss (BAM/Ed Mirvish Theatre/Hampstead Theatre/West End), Peter Pan (National Theatre of Scotland/Barbican), The Mistress Contract (Tron Theatre), A Tale of Two Cities, A Whistle in the Dark, Enrico Four, Frankenstein, Hamlet, Oedipus Rex, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (Glasgow Citizens Theatre), Anna Karenina (Shared Experience), Childminder (Traverse Theatre), How Like an Angel (Edinburgh Traverse Theatre), Macbeth (Open Act Theatre Co.), Not About Heroes (Heroes Theatre Company), Wee Andy (Òran Mór), The Bacchae (National Theatre of Scotland/Lincoln Centre, NY), The Cherry Orchard, The Philanthropist (Dundee Repertory Theatre), The Wood Demon (Playhouse Theatre), Under the Black Flag (Shakespeare’s Globe), and My Eyes Went Dark (Finborough/Traverse Theatre). For television, his work includes Mayflies, The Essex Serpent, Trigger Point, Vigil, Time, Des, Vera, The Small Hand, The Victim, Frontier, Crown Court, Scott and Bailey, Banished, DCI Banks, Mr Selfridge, Lake of Darkness, Rik Mayall – The Big One, Alive & Kicking, Angel Eyes, The Chestnut Soldier, The Riff Raff Element, The Advocates, Nervous Energy, Dangerous Lady, A Mind to Murder, Speak Like a Child, Warriors, Littlebird, Waking the Dead, Rockface, Best of Both Worlds, Silent Witness, Murphy’s Law, Ghost Squad, Sorted, Merlin, Strike Back, Garrow’s Law, and Downton Abbey; and for film, Nobody Has to Know, Intrigo: Dear Agnes, Intrigo: Samaria, Calibre, The Hamilton Trilogy 2, The Awakening, Screwed, Slapper, Doomsday, Rag Tale, Dear Frankie, The Point Men, Breathtaking, Truel, Best, The Lost Son, Sentimental Education, Splitting Heirs, The Woodlanders, and Doctor Reitzer’s Fragment.
Kathleen Macinnes plays The Singer and ensemble. MacInnes is a Scottish singer and actress who performs primarily in Scottish Gaelic. She won the Scots Trad Music Award for Gaelic Singer of the Year in 2006 and in 2012 her second album, Cille Bhrìde won Best Album. In 2010, she appeared on the soundtrack to the Ridley Scott film Robin Hood and was vocalist on GoM Circus, Macro at the opening of The Edinburgh Festival 2022. Her television work includes Machair, RanDan, Highland Sessions, and Transatlantic; and for film, An Ceasnachadh: The Interrogation of a Highland Lass, Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle, Choirmaster for Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth, Outlaw King, and Robert The Bruce.
Alasdair Macrae playsMusician and ensemble. His theatre work includes Macbeth (RSC),The Cheviot, The Stag and the Black, Black Oil (National Theatre of Scotland/Dundee Rep), A Six-inch Layer of Topsoil and the Fact it Rains (Perth Rep/Horsecross Arts), Twelfth Night (Bristol Old Vic/Royal Lyceum Edinburgh), Cockpit, The Winter’s Tale (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh), The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (National Theatre of Scotland/McKittrick Hotel, NY), The James Plays (National Theatre of Scotland/National Theatre/EIFF), Gastronauts (Royal Court Theatre), Interiors,Subway (Vanishing Point), Once in Concert (London Palladium), and Hi-Viz (Forest Row Village Hall). For film, his work includes Wild Rose.
Rona Morison plays Lady Macduff; she previously appeared at the Donmar inThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie for which she was nominated for the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Emerging Talent. Her other theatre work includes The Meaning of Zong (Barbican Theatre), Mary, The Haystack (Hampstead Theatre), Cover My Tracks (The Old Vic), Dead Don’t Floss, The James Plays (National Theatre), Glory on Earth (Royal Lyceum Theatre), Orca, The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Southwark Playhouse), Julie (Northern Stage), The Crucible (Bristol Old Vic); buckets (Orange Tree), Scuttlers (Manchester Royal Exchange); Anhedonia (Royal Court Theatre), To Kill a Mockingbird (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Illusions (Bush Theatre), The Second Mrs Tanqueray (Rose Theatre), and Illusions and Crave (ATC). For television, her work includes The Control Room, Absentia and Decline and Fall; and for film, Our Ladies, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ready Player One, and Love Bite.
Noof Ousellam plays Macduff. His theatre credits include Baghdaddy (Royal Court Theatre), Leopoldstadt (West End), Buggy Baby (The Yard Theatre), Wildefire (Hampstead Theatre), Richard III (Cockpit Theatre/Custom Practice), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Almeida Theatre), Respect (Birmingham Rep), and Rendition Monologues (Sheffield Theatres). His television work includes Bridgerton, Vigil, Rebus, Andor, Guilt, The Cure, Trust Me, Hanna, Love, Lies and Records, and Meet the Jury; and for film, Entebbe, Teen Spirit, The Mummy, Leave to Remain, The Conversations,and Extraordinary Rendition.
Raffi Phillips plays Macduff’s Son/Fleance/Young Siward. His theatre work includes Winnie the Pooh (UK tour), Over the Waves; Max to the Future (Strange Town Youth Theatre), and An Inspector Calls (National Theatre). For television, his work includes The Gold and Pennyworth.
Jatinder Singh Randhawa plays The Porter/Seytan. His theatre work includes Moorcroft (Tron Theatre/National Theatre of Scotland), Cinderella the Musical (Dundee Rep), Peter Gynt (National Theatre), and The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Solar Bear). His television work includes Crime, Scot Squad, The Control Room, and The Nest; and for film, Damaged and Shepard.
David Tennant plays Macbeth. His theatre work includes Macbeth (Donmar Warehouse, Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor, Critics’ Circle Award for Best Shakespearean Performance), Good (Harold Pinter Theatre, Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor), Don Juan in Soho (Wyndham’s Theatre,winner of WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor), Much Ado About Nothing (Wyndham’s Theatre), Richard II (RSC/Barbican/BAM, winner of WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor), Hamlet (winner of Critics Circle Award for Best Shakespearean Performance); Love’s Labour’s Lost; Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, The Rivals, As You Like It, The Herbal Bed, The General from America (RSC), Look Back in Anger (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh/Theatre Royal Bath, CATS Award), The Pillowman, What the Butler Saw (National Theatre), Push Up (Royal Court Theatre), Comedians (Exeter/Oxford), Lobby Hero (Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor), King Lear; An Experienced Woman Gives Advice (Royal Exchange Theatre), Vassa (Albery Theatre), The Real Inspector Hound/Black Comedy (Comedy Theatre), Hurlyburly (Queen’s Theatre), Long Day’s Journey into Night, and The Glass Menagerie (Dundee Rep). His television work includes Rivals for Disney Plus – coming later this year, Doctor Who (BAFTA Wales Best Actor, TV Times award, four National Television Awards and three TV Choice awards for Best Actor), Des (International Emmy Award for Best Actor, Broadcasting Press Guild Award for best actor, and National Television Award, Most Popular Drama Performance), Litvenenko,Good Omens Series 1 and 2, Inside Man, Staged, Around the World in 80 Days, Criminal, Deadwater Fell, There She Goes, Jessica Jones, Camping, Broadchurch (three TV Choice awards for best actor, Crime Writers Association award for Best Actor), W1A, Gracepoint (People’s Choice Award), The Escape Artist (BAFTA Scotland Award), The Politician’s Husband, Spies of Warsaw, Playhouse Presents: The Minor Character, True Love, Twenty Twelve, This is Jinsy, United, Single Father (TV Choice Award for Best Actor), The Sarah Jane Adventures, Hamlet, The Catherine Tate Show, Einstein and Eddington, Extras, Learners, Recovery (Royal Television Society Award nomination for Best Actor), The Chatterley Affair, Secret Smile, The Quatermass Experiment, Casanova, Blackpool, He Knew He Was Right, Terri McIntyre, Posh Nosh, Trust, Foyle’s War, People Like Us, Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), The Mrs Bradley Mysteries, Love in the 21st Century, Duck Patrol, The Tales of Para Handy, Dramarama, Rab C Nesbitt, and Takin’ Over the Asylum. Film credits include Mary Queen of Scots, Bad Samaritan, You, Me & Him, Mad to Be Normal, What We Did on Our Holiday, Fright Night, The Decoy Bride, Glorious 39, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Bright Young Things, Being Considered, The Last September, LA Without a Map, and Jude.
Ros Watt plays Malcolm. His theatre work includes Dracula: Mina’s Reckoning (National Theatre of Scotland), Never Swim Alone (StoneCrabs Theatre Company), Godot is a Woman (Silent Faces/Pleasance Theatre), Wait Til the End (The Pappy Show), and Charlotte’s Web (UK tour).
Benny Young plays Duncan/The Doctor. He previously appeared at the Donmar in Be Near Me (co-production with National Theatre of Scotland). His other theatre work includes Eulogy, Philoctetes, The Importance of Being Alfred, Love with a Capital L, Sweet Silver Song of the Lark (Òran Mór), Don Quixote (Perth Theatre), Monarch of the Glen (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Still Game Live 2: Bon Voyage (Phil McIntyre Entertainment), Hay Fever (Citizens Theatre), The Tempest (Xinchan Performing Arts Co.), Waiting for Godot, Hedda Gabler (Edinburgh Lyceum Theatre), Right Now, Unfaithful (Traverse), Macbeth (Park Avenue Armoury, New York/Manchester International Festival), Never Land (Eden Court), Wallace (Glasgow Arches), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Seafarer (Perth Theatre/Belfast Lyric), Midsummer, and A Christmas Carol (National Theatre of Scotland). For television, her work includes Good Omens; Shetland, Rillington Place, Scot Squad, Still Game, One Day Like This, Garrow’s Law, Ian Brady: Roghainn a’ Bhàis?, Waking the Dead, Spooks, Talk to Me, Taggart: Genesis, Playing the Field, Castles, Doctor Finlay, All or Nothing at All, Tell Tale Hearts, Boon, Star Cops, Screen Two, Maggie, The Gentle Touch, Play for Today, Square Mile of Murder, Airport Chaplin, and Sutherland’s Law; and for film, Funny Man, A Woman at War, Captive, Out of Africa, White Nights, The Girl in the Picture. King Lear, Chariots of Fire, and Nosy Dobson.
Max Webster was previously Associate Director at the Donmar Warehouse under Michael Longhurst, where he also directed Henry V. Max’s other work as a theatre director includes Minority Report (Nottingham Playhouse/Birmingham Rep/Lyric Hammersmith), Life of Pi (Sheffield Crucible/West End/Boston/Broadway, Olivier Award nomination for Best Director); Antigone;As You Like It; Twelfth Night (Regent’s Park Open Air); The Lorax (The Old Vic/Children’s Theatre, Minneapolis/Old Globe, San Diego), Fanny and Alexander and Cover My Tracks (The Old Vic), The Sea of Fertility and Mary Stuart (Parco, Japan), The Jungle Book and King Lear (Royal & Derngate, Northampton/UK Tour), The Winter’s Tale (Lyceum, Edinburgh), The Twits (Curve, Leicester), Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe/World Tour), James and the Giant Peach and My Generation (WYP), Orlando, To Kill a Mockingbird and My Young and Foolish Heart (Royal Exchange, Manchester), The Chalk Circle (Aarohan Theatre, Kathmandu) and Carnival Under the Rainbow and Feast Kakulu (Hilton Arts Festival, South Africa). Film Credits include The Lorax: In Camera (Old Vic) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical (Sky Arts/NBC). Opera credits include La Bohème (Goteborg Opera, Sweden) and The Merry Widow (ENO). Nominated for the Olivier Award, Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Director.
REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE, THE ROALD DAHL STORY COMPANY AND LEEDS PLAYHOUSE
ANNOUNCE FULL CAST FOR LONDON RUN OF NEW MUSICAL
THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE
AT REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, The Roald Dahl Story Company and Leeds Playhouse today announce casting forThe Enormous Crocodile at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, running from 17 May – 8 June 2024 (Press performance: Wednesday 22 May at 1.45pm).
The company includes: Joanna Adaran (marking her professional stage debut) as Trunky, Audrey Brisson (Into the Woods;Amélie The Musical) as Roly Poly Bird, Laura Buhagiar(Seize the Cheese A New Musical) as Swing, Malinda Parris (The Little Big Things; & Juliet) as The Enormous Crocodile, Nuwan Hugh Perera (The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale; Life of Pi)as Humpy, and Elise Zavou (Heathers; Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World)as Muggle/Teacher.
This snaptastic musical extravaganza based on Roald Dahl’s wickedly funny The Enormous Crocodile, features a menagerie of inventive puppets, unforgettable toe-tapping tunes and mischievous audience interaction. The production plays daytime performances in the main auditorium.
A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, The Roald Dahl Story Company and Leeds Playhouse co-production
The new musical version of Roald Dahl’s picture book
THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE Book & Lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra
Music by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab
Additional music and lyrics from Tom Brady
Creatives include Phij Adams (Music Technology & Ambleton Programmer); Daisy Beattie (Associate Puppet Designer & Puppet Supervisor); Tom Brady (Orchestrations, Arrangements & Music Supervisor); Fly Davis (Set & Costume Designer); Johnny Edwards (Associate Sound Designer); Aundrea Fudge (Voice Coach); Tom Gibbons (Sound Designer); Tash Holway (Associate Director); James Hasset (Season Associate Sound Designer); Jessica Hung Han Yun (Lighting Designer); Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu (Choreographer); Avye Leventis (Associate Puppetry Director); Bryony Jarvis Taylor CDG (Casting Director); Emily Lim (Developer & Director); Toby Olié (Co-Director & Puppetry Designer); Màth Roberts (Music Director).
17 May – 8 June 2024
‘For my lunch today I would like… a nice juicy little child!’
The ENORMOUS crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees.
Only the other jungle creatures can foil his secret plans and clever tricks, but they’re going to have to find a large amount of courage to stop this greedy brute.
This new musical version of Roald Dahl’s picture book has tasty tunes by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab and has a rib-tickling book and lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra, and additional music and lyrics by Tom Brady. Developed and Directed by Emily Lim, it features a menagerie of mischievous puppets by co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié, with set and costume design by Fly Davis. The jungle awaits the bravest of children!
The Enormous Crocodile musical was developed by Emily Lim, Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab, Suhayla El-Bushra, Tom Brady and The Roald Dahl Story Company.
The Enormous Crocodileis part of a new slate of theatrical work from the Roald Dahl Story Company. In 2023 a major new musical of The Witches, co- produced with the National Theatre, opened to critical acclaim and sell-out shows and a theatrical reading of Roald Dahl’s The Magic Finger, co-produced with the Unicorn Theatre, launched as a free online release for schools, families and young people. Plus, a spectacular large-scale Circus inspired by Roald Dahl’s stories, and featuring a range of beloved characters, is in development.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s 2024 season also includes William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (3 May – 8 June), directed by Owen Horsley set against the heat of the Mediterranean sun. This is followed by the stage adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic story,The Secret Garden (15 June – 20 July) in a new version by Holly Robinson and Anna Himali Howard, and directed by Howard. The season concludes with Fiddler on the Roof (27 July – 21 September) in a new production directed by Jordan Fein with book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar is currently on a UK tour until August 2024; and the musical version of Dodie Smith’s classic book 101 Dalmatians reimagined from the 2022 Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production embarks on a UK tour from June 2024.
Tickets for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre 2023 are available from: www.openairtheatre.com.
You Are Going To Die, the latest one-man show from the mind of Adam Scott-Rowley, is nothing short of a masterclass on body language and facial expressions. Armed with just a random toilet and microphone as his only props, Scott-Rowley jumps between an array of interesting characters who are each identifiable from his movements.
Between an elderly person dwelling on the death of their cat, a working-class widow reflecting on his mother-in-law and new sexual habits, a young party girl stuck in a well, and the feeble figure who gestures to the audience with two fingers at any given moment – the various characters in You Are Going To Die put together a fascinating mismatched narrative that is representative of life, death, and everything in between.
The lack of set and clothes gives the show an unusual but endearing tone. Scott-Rowley being naked for the entire piece, flashing his hole at the audience multiple times, isn’t for everyone. However, this decision is beautifully reflective of the themes in the piece. When stripped of artificial layers, everyone is simply a person who all experience feelings of lust, anxiety, and loneliness. Centred around a porcelain toilet in the middle of the stage, his characters shift between moments of euphoria and despair which amazingly demonstrates Scott-Rowley’s range as a performer.
I applaud the production team for their use of sound and lighting throughout the piece. Matt Cater’s lighting is essentially another prop, and as the show progresses, it is easy to work out which character is returning based on this. However, anyone who is susceptible to seizures should be aware that one sequence toward the end of the piece uses a lot of flashing lights. Sam Baxter’s sound design is also stellar; however, Phil McDonnell’s final composition truly makes the show as a whole.
You Are Going To Die will make you laugh and cry, sometimes within a matter of seconds, and is a beautiful and raw take on the one thing humanity shares: death.
Wicked Writers: Be the Change competition winners announced
Young writers nationwide submitted passionate, persuasive pieces about environmental issues to national writing competition hosted by Wicked and the National Literacy Trust, and winners are announced today, Earth Day 2024 (22 April)
Pupils got creative with this year’s theme and explored issues from plastic pollution to our place in the solar system
Judges included award-winning children’s author, M. G. Leonard;English teacher, writer, and presenter of Holly’s Classroom, Holly King-Mand; Executive Producer of Wicked, Michael McCabe, and Chief Executive at the National Literacy Trust, Jonathan Douglas
Winners, runners-up, and shortlisted pupils will be published in the Wicked Writers Anthology, available to purchase via AmazonHERE
The winners of the 2024 Wicked Writers: Be The Change writing competition, a collaboration between the National Literacy Trust and the stage musical Wicked, as part of its Wicked Active Learning cultural and social education programme, have been announced.
This year’s theme was the environment, and 1600 children across the UK have made their voices heard about the issues they are passionate about, including climate change, earth and sea pollution, and animal extinction, with the winners announced today, Earth Day 2024 (22 April).
Earth Day is an annual event on 22 April to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on 22 April, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by www.Earthday.org including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics.”
The winner in the 9-11 age group is Sebastian Kesley, 10, from Hiltingbury Junior School in Hampshire who wrote a thoughtful first-person story about the impact of plastic in the ocean on marine life from the perspective of the ocean itself.
Arthur Stock, 10, from Stanford Junior School in Brighton is the runner-up in this category and wrote a moving and informative piece about a lonely turtle caught in a plastic bag, with tips at the end for how people can help to reduce plastic pollution.
The winner in the 11-14 age group is Luo Chen He, 13, from Co-op Academy in Stoke-on-Trent who impressed the judges with a creative tale about the importance of activism and the struggle to change the world.
Samsritha Vakani, 14, from West Bromwich Collegiate, 14, is the runner-up in the older age category with a poem about planet Earth’s two potential futures – one positive and bright, and one destroyed without intervention.
Research from the National Literacy Trust shows that children and young people’s enjoyment of writing is at one of its lowest levels since 2010 [1], holding many back from the potential academic [2] and well-being benefits writing can bring.
According to the charity’s research, giving young people the opportunity to write to support the causes they care most about can be a powerful motivator [3] – demonstrated by the overwhelming response to this year’s Wicked Writers: Be the Change competition and the high quality of the entries.
The judges were M. G. Leonard, award-winning children’s author of Beetle Boy and the Adventures on Trainsseries; English teacher, writer, and presenter of Holly’s Classroom, Holly King-Mand; Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of Wicked in the UK, and Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust.
Tim Judge, Head of School Programmes at the National Literacy Trust, said: “We have been blown away by the amount of impassioned, persuasive essays and stories submitted by pupils this year on the environment. Writing can be great for young people’s wellbeing and this competition shows pupils how they can use their literacy skills to have their voices heard on issues they care about.”
Michael McCabe, judge and Executive Producer of Wicked said: “We are particularly proud to announce the winners and runners up of the Wicked Writers: Be The Change competition on Earth Day 2024. These outstanding pieces of persuasive writing demonstrate how environmentally conscious young people are, and how strongly they advocate for urgent climate action.”
M. G. Leonard, judge, and award-winning children’s author, added: “It was a profound privilege to get to read such a wonderful mix of wildly creative and persuasive pieces of writing from so many young people. The standard of the writing and the passion with which they wrote about the environment made it almost an impossible task to judge this prize. I have found it a humbling and hopeful experience because the concern and care for the natural world is crystal clear in their artfully chosen words.”
Holly King-Mand, judge, and presenter of Holly’s Classroom,said:Once I relaxed into enjoying the thoughtful, passionate, and original work from the students, it became easy to pick out some of the most astonishing writing I’ve seen from young people (and I’ve seen a lot!). It certainly gives me hope that our planet’s future is in good hands, and that the passion to put pen to paper is alive and well amongst our children.
The judges described Sebastian Kesley’s winning entry in the 9-11 age group as: “Written from the viewpoint of an ocean, this is an extraordinary piece of persuasive writing – impassioned, eloquent and original. Its ambitious, creative use of imagery creates an emotional and expansive challenge, and its very language mimics the waves lapping on the shore. It is passionate and beautifully powerful.”
After hearing about his win, Sebastian said: “I am excited and flabbergasted that I was chosen as the winner, I didn’t expect it. I enjoyed the thrill and suspense of the competition. I am enthusiastic about this topic and I thoroughly enjoyed writing as the sea to share this message.”
Explaining why 13-year-old Luo Chen He was chosen as the winner of her age group, the judges said: “Using a Kafkaesque vision of the world to articulate the importance and ability of the individual to effect seismic change for their future, this emotive piece of writing inspired us all. It is refreshingly thought-provoking: the shifting narrator is incredibly original and therefore powerfully persuasive. It is a wonderfully creative concept that captures the difficulty of making a change and yet is also hopeful.”
Luo said: “From all the fabulous applicants, I am amazed and grateful that I have won this competition. I tried to make my approach to the theme unique by focusing on human thoughts about the environment. I totally recommend anyone to enter this competition next year, and to be original with their piece. When you write, you make might – isn’t that true?”
All four students have won whole-class or writing group trips to see Wicked in London, and Luo and Sebastian have also won their classes a workshop with M. G. Leonard, where they will learn how to craft a great persuasive essay or story, and tips on making their voice and passion heard.
Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures is thrilled to have received five nominations at this year’s National Dance Awards, including Outstanding Company. This marks an unprecedented year of activity for the company, with a UK tour of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, and both UK and international tours of ROMEO AND JULIET. In 2023, over 165,000 people saw a New Adventures production live on stage, and many more were engaged in its Take Part activity, cementing it as the leading dance company in the UK.
New Adventures’ other four nominations are for Paris Fitzpatrick, who is currently touring internationally with the company of ROMEO AND JULIET and is nominated both for Best Male Dancer and for Outstanding Male Dancer (Modern) for his performance as Romeo. Liam Mower is also nominated for Outstanding Male Dancer (Modern) for his performance as Edward in EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. Cordelia Braithwaite is nominated for Outstanding Female Dancer(Modern) for her portrayal of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
Matthew Bourne said: “I am so very proud of my New Adventures family for being nominated for Outstanding Company at this year’s National Dance Awards, and especially to our leading dancers Liam Mower, nominated for his role in Edward Scissorhands, Cordelia Braithwaite for Romeo and Juliet and Paris Fitzpatrick for his two nominations for Romeo and Juliet. My love and congratulations to everyone in my New Adventures family for this very deserved recognition.”
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS has been performed 155 times on its current UK tour, which opened in Plymouth on 20 November 2023 and continues to play into May this year. ROMEO AND JULIET had 125 performances in 2023 and has now been performed a further 65 times on its 2024 international tour, including seasons in Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo.
Winners of the National Dance Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony held on Monday 3 June at The Coronet Theatre.
