SHEFFIELD THEATRES SECURE FUNDING TO LAUNCH INNOVATIVE

APPROACH TO CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES

Sheffield Theatres has secured funding from the Boshier-Hinton Foundation to become the first venue in the North of England to offer innovative captioning facilities for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The theatre will now be able to offer individuals handheld tablets in the Studio Theatre to provide captioning facilities, beginning with Deborah Bruce’s comedy, The Distance.

 

Users of the new tablets will have the freedom to sit wherever they choose in the auditorium to enjoy the production, with the handheld tablets providing accompanying text which can be altered in size according to needs. This is a more comfortable and convenient alternative to the standard captioning, which is usually offered to the side of the stage on a large screen.

This new service further enhances the Access programme at Sheffield Theatres, which already offers Captioned, Signed and Audio Described performances, as well as Touch Tours of sets and costumes, theatre familiarisation tours and Relaxed Performances for selected shows.

Claire Murray, Communications and Fundraising Director commented, ‘It’s vitally important to us that we are able to welcome everyone to our performances. Thanks to the funding from the Boshier-Hinton Foundation we are delighted to be able to now offer captioning using tablet devices. This will enable us to caption performances in the Studio Theatre which, due to the great flexibility of the space, has been impossible in the past. We have received great feedback from audience members who have trialled the tablets so far and we’re excited to see how these devices can support us in further improving our accessibility in the future.’

 

Further tablet captioned performances in the Studio Theatre are planned for the theatres’ spring season, on sale now.  For further details please contact Sheffield Theatres’ Box Office on 0114 249 6000 or email [email protected]

 

Tickets for The Distance can be purchased from Sheffield Theatres’ Box Office in-person, by phone on 0114 249 6000 or online at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk and are priced from £14.00 (Concessions, school and group discounts available).  A transaction fee of £1.50 (£1.00 online) applies to all bookings made at the Box Office (excluding cash).

Opening today at Theatre N16, Stephen Thompson’s Spincycle, a play about politicans and media spin that couldn’t be more timely if it tried – Stephen has now gone onto fame as a TV writer, and wrote much of the recent new series of Sherlock, but this is his first play.

The show runs until Nov 19th

SPINCYCLE

Britney is in the charts, Blair is in Number 10, and butter is bad for you.

Steve Thompson (writer of Doctor Who, Silk, Sherlock, Upstairs Downstairs and Jericho), began his working life as an intern in an advertising agency. Spincycle takes you in to the world where anything and anyone can be repositioned and rebranded. Giving an insider glimpse at the mechanisms used to manipulate consumers, public opinion and the electorate.

It’s the mid noughties and the ad agency is struggling in an increasingly ruthless marketplace. To boost their failing finances Jane, the head of the agency, takes a risk on rebranding a Tory MP, and gets more than she bargained for….

The Canting Crew are thrilled to present the professional premiere of Spincycle written in 2003. This is our 5th project since forming in 2013 and we aim to create theatrical experiences that are both innovative, accessible and exciting for a modern audience. Our previous shows include the English language premiere of ‘Comedy – A  Tragedy in One Act’  by Nikos Kazantzakis, which was performed at Sadler’s Wells in 2014.

Stephen Oswald, Artistic Director of the Canting Crew has been acting, writing, directing and evolving theatre and physical performance pieces for over 25 years. His work has gained critical praise, a nomination for an Edinburgh Fringe First and New Scottish Writing Awards.

We are delighted to be working with TheatreN16, a new and unique venue, in Balham. TheatreN16 make it affordable for new and ambitious theatre companies, such as the Canting Crew to produce new work, whilst creating an artistic hub within its South London community.

 

Brand new footage including interviews with guests and the cast of Elf as they celebrated the Gala Night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSDbJkJ3W4I

5 STAR WRESTLING
Rey Mysterio v AJ Styles  

SHEFFIELD ARENA
Thursday 14^th January 2016

Tickets on general sale Thursday 12^th November at 10am

Serious Parody Ltd, the Dundee games development studio behind the 5 Star Wrestling video game series, today (9/1/15) announced that former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio, has signed on to be a character in their newly announced PlayStation 4 title – 5 Star Wrestling: ReGenesis.

And that’s not all. Serious Parody have also launched 5 Star Wrestling as a major new wrestling promotion and today have announced the 5 Star Wrestling The ReGenesis Tour.

On January 14th, at the Sheffield Arena, for the first time ever, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio, will take on the former IWGP and TNA World Heavyweight Champion, AJ Styles, in a truly historic dream match that has never been possible before now.

“AJ Styles is arguably the greatest wrestler on the planet today. Top tier wrestling personalities including Stone Cold Steve Austin, Taz and Jim Ross, have all recently pointed out that he should be applying his trade in the WWE. To have him go one-on-one with Rey Mysterio… there honestly isn’t a bigger match that a wrestling promoter other than Vince McMahon himself could make right now. It’s never been possible before and who knows if it will ever happen again and I’m so excited to be able to give wrestling fans an opportunity to see this match.” said Hinkles.

Tickets for this historic event, go on general sale at 10am on Thursday 12th November with several major announcements still to be made over the coming weeks in relation to the shows and the video game series.“We have done everything we can to sign the ultimate roster for these events and there are more historic matches still to be announced.”

Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Thursday 12^th November from the Sheffield Arena box office on 0114 256 56 56 or online at www.sheffieldarena.co.uk priced £33 & £49.50 (including booking fee) with a limited number of VIP tickets priced £165 (including booking fee) this includes tickets in front 2 rows, a meet & great with Rey Mysterio plus limited edition signed merchandise from every wrestler on the roster.

 

Landor Theatre 4 – 22 November.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Madam Butterfly Returns is sheer class.

A one man opera in two acts, Andrew G Marshall has written a wonderful libretto exploring what happened to the son of Madam Butterfly after the final scenes of Puccini’s opera. Thirty years later, Tomisaburo travels to America, where his father is now Governor of Atlanta. The public finding out that he has a mixed race son is unthinkable, and while Pinkerton, his wife and advisers confer, Tomisaburo is left to sit in the lobby for 3 days. His story, memories and hopes for the future are shared with the audience as he waits.

Composer Michael Finnissy’s score uses inspiration from Puccini and traditional Japanese music styles to create an evocative atmosphere.

Ignacio Jarquin’s performance is phenomenal. As he tells his story he transforms himself into different characters with a flick of his costume and different body stance. His Butterfly is demure and proud, Suzuki the maid is bent, wrinkled and very funny, and the American characters are all slouch and cigars. Jarquin is a fantastic singer and dancer, and his interpretation of Akiko Ono’s choreography is sublime. Using traditional Japanese Noh and Kabuki techniques, every gesture, each drape and line of his costume and every glance are placed carefully and have meaning. His mask work is hypnotic.

The set is simple, using backlit screens to show “the polished door” behind which Pinkerton is sitting. The screens are used wonderfully for silhouette work showing Butterfly and Pinkerton in Nagasaki, and show their secret signalling using lights.

Tomi’s struggle to accept that his father doesn’t want to acknowledge him is framed by his time in the Catholic mission in Nagasaki and his Samurai teachings. His solution, when he acknowledges that his father would prefer that he didn’t exist, is both honourable and heartbreaking.

Madam Butterfly Returns is a wonderful continuation of the Butterfly story – Tomisaburo is an exquisite character whose tale needed to be told. This production is a treat for both Butterfly fans and those new to the opera. A deliciously satisfying piece of theatre.

London Theatre Workshop, Above the Eel Brook Pub 29 October – 21 November.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The Killing of Sister George was first produced in 1965, and 50 years later it still packs a punch.

June Buckridge (Sioned Jones) plays Sister George in a BBC radio soap. She is the most popular character and so invested in the show and her character that everyone calls her George in everyday life. The listeners know her as a lovable district nurse, full of homespun wisdom and kindness, but in reality, George is an aggressive, paranoid drinker who takes out her frustrations on her “flatmate” Childie (Briony Rawle). As her off-air antics come back to haunt her (including an hysterical incident with some nuns), George’s character is killed off, and her life begins to unravel.

Sioned Jones is formidable as George – expertly showing the veneer of self confidence slip away to reveal George’s insecurity, and using fantastic comedic timing. The complex relationship with Childie is played brilliantly, allowing the audience to see the co-dependence and destructiveness of the lovers more clearly in every confrontation. The two actresses are convincing whether screaming or each other or sharing tender glances. Rawle plays Childie full of innocence and childlike enthusiasm, but shows her troubled side gently, without going over the top. This play was one of the first about lesbian relationships, and doesn’t romanticise or titillate, but instead portrays a relationship that no sane person, man or woman, would choose to be in.

The visits of Mrs Mercy Croft (Sarah Shelton – wonderfully head-girl like and twee), the Head of Talks at the BBC, move the plot forward, and reveal past misdemeanours with great humour. The way George responds to Mrs Mercy’s news using quotes from the radio show is both revealing and hysterical. Madame Xenia (Janet Amsden – chewing the scenery to brilliant effect) is George’s neighbour and helps on the day of Sister George’s radio funeral, fielding telephone calls and accepting floral tributes. Apparently mass public grief and hysteria is not a new thing.

The remarks about the BBC glossing over its employees’ minor offences, keeping up appearances, abandoning stars to increase contemporary appeal and audience ratings obviously get bigger laughs today, after the revelations of goings on in the 1970s and 1980s, but it is the trite sincerity with which Shelton spouts out the corporate line that makes it even funnier.  

The comedy and the dark psychological themes of the play marry well and the actresses make the more dated and creaky parts of the script work. This is a fine production, and a timely revival. Well worth a look.

THE RSC’S THE FAMOUS VICTORIES OF HENRY V TO TRANSFER TO THE BARBICAN, LONDON, ON 19 NOVEMBER 2015

CONTINUING THE COMPANY’S FIRST ENCOUNTERS WITH SHAKESPEARE SERIES OF PRODUCTIONS FOR 8 – 13 YEAR OLDS ACROSS THE UK

Following its opening in Stratford-upon-Avon, and its tour to school halls and theatre spaces across the country in Summer 2015, The Famous Victories of Henry V comes to the Barbicanfor 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. 

The Famous Victories of Henry V introduces us to notorious bad boy Prince Hal as he swaps his rebellious life on the streets of London for the battlefields of France to become one of the most famous heroes in British history. Hal’s epic journey into adulthood will lead its young audience through a life of scandal, parties, friendships, family feuds, rebellion and new responsibilities, ending in glorious victory as the once infamous Prince of England becomes the brave and noble King Henry V.

The production takes place in the 600th anniversary year since the battle of Agincourt, and complements the RSC’s forthcoming cycle: King and Country: Shakespeare’s Great Cycle of Kings. The title of The Famous Victories is taken from an early play that may have inspired Shakespeare to write the Henry plays.

Owen Horsley, Director of The Famous Victories of Henry V said:

“The Famous Victories of Henry V weaves Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part I and II and Henry Vtogether to produce the ultimate coming of age story.  Our production, which tells of how the wayward Prince Hal becomes a heroic and valiant King, is bold, dynamic and fun.  With the help of our young audience we hope to create a lively show that celebrates the power of imagination and the wonder of theatre.”

Owen is Associate Director on Gregory Doran’s forthcoming productions of Richard II and Henry IV Parts I and II and Henry V.  He is also Artistic Director of Eyestring Theatre Company, and in 2010 became Associate Director for Cheek by Jowl, after being Declan Donnellan’s Assistant Director on a number of productions.

Other members of the creative team include: Simon Anthony Wells (designer) and Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown (fights).

 

DISCOVERY CHANNEL TO PREMIERE GLOBAL EXCLUSIVE OF ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER LOUIE PSIHOYOS’ “RACING EXTINCTION”

·         Oscar®-winning director of “THE COVE” presents gripping new film that exposes hidden world of endangered species

·         Film spans globe to infiltrate dangerous black markets and reveal shocking undercover footage of illegal animal trafficking 

·         High tech tactics document link between carbon emissions and species extinction

·         Findings prove man’s impact on the planet is driving sixth mass extinction

·         New campaign #StartWith1Thing created to encourage worldwide movement

 

TX: Wednesday 2^nd December at 9pm on Discovery UK

 

This December, Discovery UK will premiere the captivating, groundbreaking and visually stunning film RACING EXTINCTION in a global exclusive event that will see the film aired in 220 countries in a 24 hour period.

 

In this highly-charged documentary, Oscar®-winning director Louie Psihoyos (THE COVE) fearlessly examines the epic loss of biodiversity our planet is currently witnessing. RACING EXTINCTION, which took five years in the making, and screened to critical acclaim at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, spans the globe from Argentina to China and from Mexico to Tonga, to expose how human actions are leading to a sixth mass species extinction.

 

Two worlds are driving extinction across the globe, with scientists predicting that the human footprint on the planet may cause the loss of half of the entire world’s species in the next 100 years. The international wildlife trade creates fraudulent markets at the expense of animals that have survived for millions of years. The other surrounds us, hiding in plain sight — a world that the oil and gas companies don’t want the rest of us to see. Using covert tactics and state-of-the-art technology, the RACING EXTINCTION team exposes these two worlds in an inspiring affirmation to preserve life as we know it.

 

In a race to save our planet, which is losing species at a rate not seen since a comet hit 65 million years ago, Louie Psihoyos and the group behind the Academy Award®-winning film THE COVE, assemble a team of artists and activists on a new undercover operation to expose the world of species trafficking. Spanning the globe to infiltrate the world’s most dangerous black markets, the team reveals the shocking facilities trading endangered animals and the scale at which they’re operating.

 

Covert cameras from Louie’s impassioned team reveal how they successfully manage to close down an LA-based restaurant for serving whale meat, while the team infiltrates one of the largest Chinese seafood wholesalers, where the roofs are packed with thousands of sun-drying shark fins. Figures show that 250,000 sharks are captured for exotic foods every day – a sobering thought for a species whose numbers are declining so rapidly.

 

The team also uses high tech tactics to document the link between carbon emissions and species extinction, revealing stunning, never-before seen images that truly change the way we see the world. In Los Angeles, they employ cutting-edge carbon-dioxide-sensitive cameras to demonstrate the sheer volume of man-made emissions, contrasting that with stunning footage of phosphorescent plankton, whose decline spells serious impact on global oxygen production.

 

With an inspiring message that aims to shine a spotlight on man’s impact on our planet and encourage dramatic change, RACING EXTINCTION highlights our indisputable impact on our natural world that is already causing irreparable damage and has resulted in many species dying out forever, even in the last 50 years.

 

“With the help of Discovery I believe we can create a tipping point to create the change we need to preserve a planet that can sustain life for all species,” said Louie Psihoyos, Director. “There has never been a more important time in the world than to be alive now — the decisions we make in the next few years will impact the Earth and animal species for millions of years.”

 

RACING EXTINCTION will be the catalyst for a larger, ongoing campaign utilising the hashtag#StartWith1Thing to serve as Discovery’s call to action to create a worldwide movement. Discovery will ignite curiosity and global actions that people can take in four areas: fighting wildlife trafficking, reducing carbon emissions through use of green energy/transport, supporting green causes, and eating less meat – all by starting with one thing.

International superstar Sia and Academy Award nominated composer, producer, singer/songwriter J. Ralph have created a brand new song ‘One Candle’ exclusively for the documentary, which can be found here: https://youtu.be/9FttNi9-S1E?list=PLdaQPFueLfa-PjPLYhDNXtVlFmY07va4e

On the subject of the new track Sia commented: “As an animal advocate, how could I pass up an opportunity to turn the volume up on this issue? I am proud to lend my voice to this important film.”

 

#StartWith1Thing

discoveryuk.com

 

Dominion Theatre  5 November – 2 January.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Wow! What a spectacular Christmas treat. Elf is just the tonic for miserable rainy days – go inside and have fun in the snow!

Based on the hit movie, the show tells the story of Buddy, the biggest elf in the North Pole, and what happens when he finally finds out that he is actually a human.

With book by Thomas Meehan (Hairspray, Annie) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), music by Matthew Sklar (The Wedding Singer) and lyrics by Chad Beguelin (Aladdin, The Wedding Singer), you know that this is going to be a class act. As soon as Santa (Mark McKerracher) steps onto the stage (with the finest reminder of theatre etiquette I’ve seen), the magic begins.

The elves are a hoot – the longer they are on stage, the funnier their height becomes. Ben Forster’s Buddy almost makes you forget Will Ferrell. He is a bouncing snowball of childish innocence and enthusiasm, and his reactions to “bad” things are hysterical. And, of course, there’s THAT voice.

Buddy travels to New York and finds his father Walter’s (Joe McGann) office. Special mention to Jennie Dale here, who almost steals the show as Walter’s secretary Deb. After being thrown out of the office, and Macy’s (following a brilliant Christmas decorating scene), and being arrested, Buddy turns up at Walter’s apartment. After a DNA test Buddy suits up and goes to work with his dad – leading to the office workers discovering how to make it snow at their desks. McGann’s exasperation and deadpan delivery during these scenes is fantastic.

Kimberley Walsh really has very little to do as Jovie, Buddy’s new girlfriend, but what she does is great, especially when belting out “Never fall in love (with an elf)”. Jessica Martin and Ilan Galkoff, as Emily and Michael Hobbs, make a wonderful double act and are full of energy. I am sure Martin’s rapport with the other young actors sharing the role of Michael will be just as entertaining.

After ruining, then saving, Walter’s career, Buddy and his family find Santa’s sleigh crashed in Central Park – no one believes in Santa in New York, so the sleigh can’t fly. There is a lovely running joke about why he doesn’t use reindeer anymore. The scene where Buddy helps the people of New York find their Christmas spirit is gloriously cheesy and heartwarming, and Santa’s sleigh taking off is simply spectacular.

Everything in this musical is cosy, innocent and joyful. The choreography is quite traditional (in a good way) and is slick and very funny – just wait until the Santa’s dance! Sklar’s experience writing songs for Sesame Street is obvious in “A Christmas Song” – you will be singing it all the way home.

Elf is everything you could wish for at Christmas time – corny jokes, catchy songs, sweet romance and a happy sparkly ending. Perfect family entertainment.

Joanna Vanderham will join the previously announced Andrew Scott and David Dawson to complete the cast of The Dazzle, producers have announced today.

Vanderham, whose previous theatre credits include Othello (RSC) and The Promise (Donmar Warehouse), will play Milly in the UK premiere of Tony Award-winner Richard Greenberg’s play.

According to press materials, the play – which won an Outer Critics Circle Award when it opened in New York in 2000 – takes place in New York City at the beginning of the 20th Century. “Two brothers sit in their home surrounded by 136 tons of hoarded junk. When a beautiful guest arrives, everybody’s lives are thrown into sharp focus.”

The production – directed by Simon Evans – opens at FOUND111 on 15 December for a strictly limited season until 30 January 2016.

The Dazzle is a co-production between Michael Grandage Company and Emily Dobbs Productions and continues Grandage’s tradition of offering affordable access to his productions, with £10 ticket will be available for all performances.

FOUND111 is a new venture at ‪111 Charing Cross Road – the original site of the Central St Martins School of Art – launched by Emily Dobbs Productions and Rachel Edwards for Tooting Arts Club, whose production of Barbarians is currently running at the venue until 7 November.

The Dazzle opens at FOUND111 on 10 December.