CITY VARIETIES MUSIC HALL TO LAUNCH LIVE STREAMING EVENTS

City Varieties Music Hall is the oldest running Music Hall in the country; it is in the Guinness Book of records for this and its stage has welcomed so many greats it’s hard to know where to start and end, so here’s just a few: John Bishop, Harry Houdini, Barbara Windsor, Boy George, Fairport Convention, Morcambe and Wise, Les Dawson, Kathryn Ryan, Michael McIntryre, Eartha Kitt, Barry Cryer and a woman who hypnotised alligators.  In short The Varieties is aptly named; and now it’s set to expand its offer with the introduction of Live Streaming.

“Live Streaming via satellite enables the Leeds audience to watch live theatre in London, Stratford upon Avon and, indeed, around the world from the comfort of City Varieties Music Hall,” says Nev Jopson, Marketing Manager at City Varieties.

“It’s such a natural fit for us as we are already set up to cater for a theatre audience; offering a bar and refreshment service both pre-show and during interval plus our teams are used to creating the perfect ambience for live performance.”

The state of the art cinema-standard equipment not only enables The Varieties to host the Live Streaming events but also Encore Screenings – a recording of the live event – as well as art and museum exhibitions.

“It is the perfect venue to enjoy world class live theatre, concerts and other events; cutting-edge technology bringing you world-class entertainment to enjoy in a stunningly beautiful, Grade II* heritage venue – what’s not to like?” Nev concludes.

City Varieties Music Hall welcomes its first Live Streaming event on Thursday 9^th March with National Theatre’s Hedda Gabler live from London’s Lyttleton Theatre.

Starring Ruth Wilson (Luther, The Affair) and Rafe Spall (Black Mirror, The Big Short) this new version of Henrik Ibsen’s masterpiece is by Patrick Marber and directed by Ivo van Hove.

Hot on Hedda’s heels is the highly-anticipated Twelfth Night starring Tamsin Greig in the role of Malvolia, a part normally reserved for a male actor (Malvolio).

Twelfth Night is streamed in to City Varieties Music Hall from London’s Olivier Theatre Thursday April 6^th.

Additional NT Live titles in the forthcoming season include Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Angels in America (Parts 1 & 2), Peter Pan, Salomé and Yerma.

Tickets for the Live Streaming events at City Varieties Music Hall are on sale priced at £15 and £17

Book online at cityvarietiesmusichall.co.uk or call box office on 0113 243 08 08

Taboo-busting SICK! Festival takes spotlight at The Lowry

Premiering six productions on disability, religion, sexism, drugs, mental health and loneliness – SICK! Festival returns to The Lowry this March.

After a successful visit to the Salford arts venue in 2015, the award-winningSICK! Festival returns to The Lowry with a programme of taboo-busting performance that confronts the physical, mental and social challenges that we face in our individual and collective lives.

Disabled performer Claire Cunningham explores how the major world faiths view disability with Guide Gods (Wed 15 & Fri 17 March), co-commissioned bySICK! Festival. Using dance, humour and interviews with world leaders, Cunningham questions whether disability is the will of a higher power; or are the disabled paying for the mistakes of a past life.

A group of young adults with learning disabilities from Theater Stap present To Belong (Sat 18 March), a dance performance choreographed by Koen De Preter about what it means to be  part of and outside of a group.

Considering the pros and cons of intoxication Ridiculusmus explore MDMA assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress in Give Me Your Love (Fri 10 & Sat 11 March). While Zvizdal (Wed 22 & Thu 23 March) is a film portrait documenting the loneliness experienced by an old couple living in solitude in the wasteland of Chernobyl.

Embracing a multitude of identities Liz Aggiss hilariously interprets femininity and contradictions of women, girls, mothers & pensioners in Slap & Tickle (Thu 9 March). And Bolton born actor/ comedian Sophie Willan takes a look at who she is today through the eyes of the experts that assessed her growing up in care in On Record (Sun 12 March).

Helen Medland, artistic director of SICK! Festival, says: “SICK! Festival explores the most turbulent experiences of living in the world today. The challenges we face are sometimes rooted in bodies and minds that fail us, sometimes in the complexities of living in a troubled society with others facing their own problems. Embracing the identities, histories and social conditions that shape us, SICK! Festival asks how we are coping with the world we live in.”

Since launching in 2013, the festival has presented over 200 events featuring over 300 artists, at 25 locations in Manchester and Brighton attracting audiences totaling over 200,000. In 2015, SICK! Festival won the prestigious EFFE Award for excellence, which recognised 12 outstanding European festivals of the year, from a pool of 760 festivals across 31 countries. 2017 will see the festival grow further across Manchester and Brighton in 26 venues with 82 speakers, 116 artists, 66 performances, 18 public installations, 14 UK premieres, 13 discussion events and 5 co-commissions!

To view the full SICK! Festival programme visit the website.

NATIONAL THEATRE’S THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

RETURNS TO LEEDS GRAND THEATRE THIS MONTH

National Theatre is set to return to Leeds with its Olivier and Tony Award-winning production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; it is at Leeds Grand Theatre for one week only from Tuesday 28^th February to Saturday 4^th March.

Based on the best-selling book by Mark Haddon, the play tells the story of Christopher Boone, who is fifteen years old.  He stands beside Mrs Shears’ dead dog, which has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in a book he is writing to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington.  He has an extraordinary brain, and is exceptional at maths while ill-equipped to interpret everyday life.  He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched and distrusts strangers.  But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.

National Theatre producer Kash Bennett said: ‘We were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic reception from audiences around the UK and Ireland when we toured The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in 2014-15, playing to almost 400,000 people, and are delighted to take this beautiful and inventive show to new venues and make a return visit to others in 2017.’

The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-Time is at Leeds Grand Theatre from

Tuesday 28^th February to Saturday 4^th March

Tickets are priced from £20.50 to £37

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

MASTER OF FARCE RAY COONEY

CELEBRATES 70 YEARS IN SHOWBIZ

IN ANTICIPATION OF HIS NEW PRODUCTION OF

OUT OF ORDER

TOURING THE UK IN 2017

Ray Cooney, (‘THE MASTER OF FARCE’ – The Telegraph), is celebrating both his eighty-fifth birthday and seventy years in showbiz in 2017. He is working with producer Tom O’Connell to launch a brand new season of Ray’s comedies; the first production will be an updated version of his Olivier-Award-winning Westminster comedy Out of Order, which opens in Guildford on 8 March and tours the UK until July, with a stellar cast and directed by Cooney himself. Further productions are planned for 2018, with details to be announced.

Ray Cooney’s credits include Run For Your Wife, Funny Money and Two Into One, Caught in the Net and It Runs in the Family. Out of Order was first produced regionally in 1980, under the original title ‘Whose Wife is it Anyway’, with Cooney playing ‘George Pigden’. The show was subsequently produced in the West End in 1990 starring Donald Sinden, Sandra Dickinson and Michael Williams, with Cooney directing.

Cooney’s full official biography can be read here.

When Tory Junior Minister Richard Willey tries to spend the evening with Jane, one of the Opposition’s secretaries, in the Westminster Hotel, things don’t exactly go according to plan – starting with the discovery of a body trapped in the hotel’s only unreliable sash window… Enlisting the help of his hapless private secretary George Pigden, Willey’s sticky situation goes from bad to worse, and with the arrival of Jane’s distraught young husband and with the addition of an unscrupulous waiter, Mrs Willey and Nurse Foster things really come to a head!

Ray Cooney said, “Having directed my Olivier Award-Winning play in London and all over the world, and hearing all that wonderful raucous laughter from audiences, it has become one of my favourite plays. I’ve up-dated it to present day and, fortunately, the basic premise of a philandering politician is as likely today as it was when the play was originally written!”

Arthur Bostrom, best known for his iconic role as ‘Officer Crabtree’ in classic sitcom ‘Allo ‘Allo, will join the cast as the ‘Hotel Manager’, alongside Shaun Williamson (EastEnders, Extras) as ‘George Pigden’; Sue Holderness (Only Fools & Horses, Green Green Grass) as ‘Mrs Willey’; Andrew Hall (Butterflies, Coronation Street) as ‘Richard Willey’; Susie Amy (Footballers’ Wives) as ‘Jane Worthington’; James Holmes (Miranda) as the ‘Waiter’; Elizabeth Elvin as ‘Nurse Foster’; Jules Brown as ‘Ronnie Worthington’, and David Warwick as ‘The Body’. Completing the cast are Raphael Bar, Simon Murray, and Kate Sawyer.

David Warwick has been involved in Out or Order since 1990, when he played the ‘Body’ in the tryout at Leatherhead’s Thorndike Theatre (under its initial title of Whose Wife is it Anyway), then in the West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre, and the subsequent national tour. He went on to direct the play in the UK (Bournemouth & Sonning), Vienna, the Far East (Singapore & Kuala Lumpur) and the USA (Miami & New Jersey). He has also played Pigden & the Manager.

Praise for the West End production, which won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy, includes:

“Gleefully funny” – Guardian

“Made me laugh more than any play I have seen in the West End this year” – Evening Standard

“A triumph” – Financial Times

“A textbook model of pyramiding lunacy” – Variety

“Wildly funny” – Telegraph

“An inspired machine designed to cater for one of civilized society’s greatest joys, which is to see someone else in the soup” – Sunday Times

Out of Order is produced by Tom O’Connell, Debbie Hicks and Lawrence Myers, with design by Rebecca Brower, Lighting by Jack Weir, Sound by James Nicholson and casting by Marc Frankum CDG.

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Sarah Thomas presents:

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN SPONGE

A spongy new adventure awaits Darlington families as a new commission for early years children sees Big Imaginations pushing the boundaries of creative play with SPONGE coming to Central Hall, Dolphin Centre, Darlington on Thursday 23 February.

The Spark Arts, Big Imaginations and Turned On Its Head continue their wonderful obsession with bringing brilliant children’s theatre to the north east with a brand new commission for 2016! This time it’s an adventure with Sponge.

Sponge embraces all things spongy. Alluding to a child’s ability to soak things up ‘like a sponge’, a lovely piece of cake, or simply the springy, squashy, malleable, texture which fascinates us and children alike. Set to an original score fused with 1970s interludes by composers such as Henry Mancini, the performers will reveal and explore small and large scale sponge environments and props for children to squash, roll, pop and squeeze.

Turned On Its Head artistic director Liz Clark said: ”We want to make theatre that places experiences of the child at the heart of it. For me, making this work was a response to the frustrations of taking my own non-hearing son to theatre performances and him not understanding that he couldn’t get on stage or touch the magical world that was being presented. I wanted to create theatre that was close up, personal, invitational and above all, inclusive. Why shouldn’t a child’s first experience of theatre be about being so close to the performer they can touch them?

We also want to co-create our theatre with our audience. What you’ll find when you come to see our work is that the children become immersed in the theatrical experience on their own terms and our performances give space for engaging and respecting each child’s response. The result is beautifully moving theatre which is about each child’s own journey.”

Sponge comes to Central Hall, Dolphin Centre, Darlington on Thursday 23 February with performances at 11am and 2pm.

Tickets £5, Family Ticket £16 (4 people, minimum 1 adult)

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555

Last chance to see RSC’s celebrated pairing of Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing at Theatre Royal Haymarket

·         Strictly limited West End season of these hugely acclaimed productions must end on 18^th March, 2017

·         Last chance to see Edward Bennett and Lisa Dillon starring in Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedies.

Audiences now have just six weeks left to see the RSC’s critically acclaimed 2014 pairing of Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing (or Love’s Labour’s Won), having been charming audiences at Theatre Royal Haymarket. For the past two months, Edward Bennett and Lisa Dillon have starred in these elegant, captivating productions. Following runs at Chichester Festival Theatre and Manchester Opera House, these two noteworthy productions directed by Christopher Luscombe opened at Theatre Royal Haymarket, London in December. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, these sparklingly funny romances enter their final weeks of this limited season, ending on 18^th March 2017.

The RSC productions, with dazzling country house designs by Simon Higlett and glorious music by Nigel Hess, are set either side of the First World War. Love’s Labour’s Lost conjures up the carefree elegance of a pre-war Edwardian summer, while in post-war Much Ado About Nothing, the world has changed forever, with the roaring Twenties just around the corner.

Love’s Labour’s Lost

Summer 1914. In order to dedicate themselves to a life of study, the King and his friends take an oath to avoid the company of women for three years. No sooner have they made their idealistic pledge than the Princess of France and her ladies-in-waiting arrive, presenting the men with a severe test of their high-minded resolve.

Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy mischievously suggests that the study of the opposite sex is the highest of all academic endeavours. Only at the end of the play is the merriment curtailed as the lovers agree to submit to a period apart, unaware that the world around them is about to be utterly transformed by the war to end all wars.

Much Ado About Nothing or Love’s Labour’s Won

Winter 1918. A group of soldiers returns from the trenches. The world-weary Benedick and his friend Claudio find themselves reacquainted with Beatrice and Hero. As memories of conflict give way to a life of parties and masked balls, Claudio and Hero fall in love, while Benedick and Beatrice reignite their own, altogether more combative, courtship.

Shakespeare’s comic romance (possibly known in his lifetime as Love’s Labour’s Won) plays out amidst the brittle high spirits of a post-war house party, as youthful passions run riot, lovers are deceived and happiness is threatened – before peace ultimately wins out.

Edward Bennett reprises his roles as Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Edward made his name when he took over the title role in Hamlet from David Tennant at the Novello Theatre in 2008. His recent theatre credits include Photograph 51 with Nicole Kidman in the West End, and the National Theatre’s One Man, Two Guvnors on tour.

Lisa Dillon plays Rosaline in Love’s Labour’s Lost and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. Lisa recently starred as Moll in The Roaring Girl and as Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew, both at the RSC, and opposite Stephen Mangan as Lisa in Birthday at the Royal Court. Her other theatre credits include A Flea in Her Ear and Design For Living (Old Vic), The Knot of the Heart(Almeida), Private Lives and Under The Blue Sky (West End). On television, she is best known for her role as Mary Smith in Cranford.

These productions are presented by The Royal Shakespeare Company, Chichester Festival Theatre, TRH Productions, Jonathan Church Productions and Duncan C Weldon.

The Lowry’s 2016 Christmas Appeal raises record-breaking £39,500
to help children in care

The Lowry has raised £39,500 from its 2016 Christmas Appeal – the largest amount since the annual appeal began in 2011.

The money will be used to support young people from Salford that are in, or have recently left, the care system – in particular, helping them develop confidence, self-esteem and key life skills whilst also experiencing the arts for the first time.

Fundraising for the year-long programme of activity has included bucket collections after shows between November (2016) and January (2017) as well as individual activity undertaken by Lowry staff and volunteers.

The 20 young people – who live across Salford and Manchester – will now begin a year-long drama project resulting in a production to be performed on The Lowry’s Quays Theatre stage in autumn 2017.

The programme will involve a creative residential with professional theatre company 20 Stories High, trips to see theatre shows, and masterclasses in stand-up comedy, theatre, playwriting and performance.

The young people will also work towards gaining an Arts Award qualification, which is a GCSE equivalent.

Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said: “The Christmas Appeal is one of our most important, annual fundraising events. It cuts to the very heart of what The Lowry is all about – opening up the arts to all, and using the arts to improve people’s lives.

“At almost £40,000, this year’s total is the best yet – and we are incredibly grateful to our theatre audiences for their generosity.”

The Lowry is a registered charity no: 1053962.

Bucket collections took place on the following shows: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Horrible Christmas, Blood Brothers, The Peony Pavilion and Be My Baby.

The Pensive Federation presents:

Theatres Trust announce six theatres to be awarded grants from UK Theatres Small Grants Scheme

Theatres Trust is pleased to announce that it is awarding six small capital grants to a range of theatres across the country from its UK Small Grants Scheme. Launched in April 2012, the Theatres Trust receives support from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and Judy Craymer MBE awarding grants of up to £5,000 to theatres across the UK with charitable status to address urgent building repairs and help theatres in need and at risk.

Grants from the UK Theatres Small Grants Scheme are awarded as follows:

The Place Theatre, Bedford
Plough Arts Centre, Great Torrington
Leatherhead Theatre
Market Theatre, Ledbury
Grand Pavilion, Matlock Bath
Carnegie Theatre and Arts Centre, Workington

Jon Morgan, Director at the Theatres Trust said: “I’m proud that our UK Theatres Small Grants Scheme, now in its ninth round, continues to help theatres make significant improvements to secure and improve their buildings’ fabric. The results will provide a more accessible and welcoming customer experience for their communities.”

The UK Theatres Small Grants Scheme aims to target theatres across the UK run by charities and not-for-profit groups that can clearly demonstrate the value capital improvements to their theatres would make to their work in local communities.

The Place Theatre, Bedford receives £3,335 to support interior and access improvements. Part of the project will involve purchasing a portable ramp which will make the stage more accessible to disabled performers and participants. In addition, it would involve creating a backstage shower room which would support the theatres’ ambition to present more physical theatre and dance. The 130-seat theatre is housed in a building that was originally a Boys Club. Over the last four years the theatre has introduced professional touring work and programmes up to 40 events a year covering contemporary theatre, music events, spoken word and family theatre.

Plough Arts Centre, Great Torrington, Devon receives £4,462 for its ‘Smartening Up’ project which will see the roof, guttering, windows, exterior doors and external lighting repaired. The arts centre receives no regular funding despite sitting in a prominent position within Great Torrington and welcoming 70,000 visitors in 2015. Improvements to the Arts Centre will have a significant effect on the economy and profile of the local high street where it is located.

Market Theatre, Ledbury receives a grant of £5,000 towards a new, purpose-built, multi-purpose Studio, which will be used for rehearsal space and as an additional dressing room space – where currently it has neither. Built in 2000, it is a volunteer-run community theatre that programmes live, touring, professional and amateur drama, music, dance and film for Ledbury, its rural catchment, as well as visitors to the town, with 9,000 paid attendances in 2015.

Grand Pavilion, Matlock Bath, receives £5,000 to support its ‘Keeping the Water Out’ project. The building is currently not water-tight and the grant will contribute towards the replacement of the guttering and the rainwater management systems to prevent further water ingress and damage to both the exterior and interior of the building. The Grand Pavilion’s condition has deteriorated in recent years and the vision is to position it back into the heart of the local community, by establishing it as a fully refurbished theatre, multifunctional arts venue and community space. Ensuring that the building is watertight is a critical element to the future of the theatre.

Leatherhead Theatre, Surrey, receives £5,000 to fund repairs to the external concrete of the building, which, if not carried out, will lead to further spalling and deterioration of the metal structure below the concrete. Building repairs are now required to reinstate the affected areas. The Grade II listed theatre was previously known as the Thorndike Theatre and incorporates the external features of a 1930s cinema, with the interior designed by architect Roderick Ham. It is now recognised as being one of the best and most influential theatre designs of its time. The theatre mainly serves people living in the communities of Leatherhead and surrounding areas and as well as performances and other events, the theatre runs a theatre school and performing arts classes.

Carnegie Theatre and Arts Centre, Workington receives £5,000 towards the cost of accessibility improvements. The purchase and installation of double aluminium automated self-opening and closing doors will replace a set of wooden double doors from inside the main entrance foyer leading into the main café and box office, and will make the building more accessible to people with disabilities, as well as older people and parents with pushchairs. The Carnegie, a Grade II listed building, serves one of the most deprived communities in the UK.

Trustees of the Theatres Trust consider applications twice a year and will meet in June 2017 to consider further Small Grants Scheme awards. The deadline for Round Ten applications is 16 May 2017. Further details including criteria and an application form can be found: theatrestrust.org.uk/grants