Gŵyl y Llais, FOCUS Wales, Lleisiau Eraill Aberteifi, Gŵyl Gomedi Aberystwyth a BBC Cymru Wales yn cyhoeddi Gŵyl 2021

PEDAIR GŴYL GELFYDDYDOL GYMREIG YN YMUNO I GYFLWYNO GŴYL 2021; GŴYL AR-LEIN AM DDIM

www.bbc.co.uk/gwyl2021 | 6-7 MAWRTH 2021

Adwaith | Ani Glass | Arlo Parks | BERWYN | Carys Eleri | Cate Le Bon | Gruff Rhys | Catrin Finch | Brett Anderson, Charles Hazlewood a’r Paraorchestra, yn cyflwyno gwestai arbennig – Nadine Shah Charlotte Adigéry | Dani Rain | The Gentle Good | I Wish I Was an Only Child | Jordan Brookes | Juice Menace | Kiri Pritchard-McLean | N’Famady Kouyate | Sinead O’Brien | Sprints | Tarot | Tim Burgess’ Listening Party | Welcome to Spooktown | A llawer mwy…

Mae pedair o hoff wyliau Cymru  Gŵyl y Llais, FOCUS Wales, Lleisiau Eraill Aberteifi aGŵyl Gomedi Aberystwyth – wedi dod ynghyd yn ystod y cyfnod clo i greu Gŵyl 2021gŵyl ar-lein am ddim yn llawn dop â cherddoriaeth a chomedi cofiadwy, sy’n cofleidio amrywiaeth a sgwrs. Wedi’i gipio mewn lleoliadau ledled Cymru ac yn rhyngwladol o dan ganllawiau Coronafeirws, bydd Gŵyl 2021 ar gael ar draws y DU ar www.bbc.co.uk/gwyl2021 drwy gydol penwythnos 6-7 Mawrth.

Mae Gŵyl 2021 yn ddigwyddiad digidol heb ei ail ar gyfer cyfnod digynsail, sy’n taflu goleuni, gobaith a gwytnwch y sin greadigol yng Nghymru. Wedi bron flwyddyn o gadw pellter cymdeithasol, mae Gŵyl 2021 yn nodi undod emosiynol – rhwng artistiaid a chynulleidfaoedd, o Gymru a’r byd. Mae’n cydnabod bod pŵer yn ein llais cyfunol, a thaw mewn undod mae nerth.

Fel pob gŵyl gwerth ei halen, bydd Gŵyl 2021 yn dathlu lleisiau cyfarwydd ac yn darganfod lleisiau eclectig a newydd, o Gymru a thu hwnt. Mae’r artistiaid yn cynnwys Cate Le Bon yn cydweithio â Gruff Rhys, yr arobryn Kiri Pritchard-McLeanTim Burgess’ Listening Party, Catrin Finch; yn ogystal â BERWYN (BBC Music Sound of 2021), Carys Eleri (enillydd Gŵyl Fringe Adelaide), Arlo Parks Dani Rain, sef drymiwr y grŵp Neck Deep.

Ymhlith uchafbwyntiau eraill mae Charlotte Adigéry, Adwaith – y grŵp ‘post-punk’ a enillodd Wobr Gerddoriaeth Gymreig, Sinead O’Brien y Wyddeles sy’n fardd ac yn arloeswr ‘art rock’,a Jordan Brookes enillydd Gwobr Comedi Caeredin; Ani Glass a enillodd wobr Albwm Cymraeg y flwyddyn, Sprints y grŵp o Ddulyn, N’Famady Kouyate – y cerddor o Gini, sy’n byw yng Nghaerdydd, a’r grŵp sgetsh Tarot. Mae cwmni dawns Jukebox Collective hefyd wedi curadu perfformiadau gan yr artist reggae Aleighcia Scott, yr artist RnB/canu enaid Faith, y rapiwr King Khan, y canwr a rapiwr Reuel Elijah a’r artist gair llafar Jaffrin Khan a rhagor.

Bydd perfformiad ecsgliwsif, unigryw gan Brett Anderson, Charles Hazlewood a Paraorchestra, yn cyflwyno’r gwesteion arbennig Nadine Shah, Adrian Utley a Seb Rochford, yn ogystal â phenodau arbennig o’r podlediad comedi Welcome to Spooktown ac I Wish I Was an Only Child, gydag ambell i westai gwadd cyfarwydd.

Bydd cynnwys o’r ŵyl ar gael ar blatfformau eraill, hefyd; mae FOCUS Wales wedi trefnu darllediad o Eternal Beauty, ffilm newydd gyda chast yn cynnwys David Thewlis a Sally Hawkins, a detholiad o’r gerddoriaeth newydd orau o Ganada a Québec, y cyfan i’w ffrydio ar yr app diwylliannol Cymreig AM Cymru, 5-10 Mawrth 2021. Bydd S4C yn darlledu uchafbwyntiau ecsgliwsif o Leisiau Eraill Aberteifi yn y dyfodol (dyddiad i’w gadarnhau).

Mae bob ymarfer, sesiwn ffilmio a recordio wedi digwydd, neu’n mynd i ddigwydd o fewn canllawiau Coronafeirws lleol. Mae’r holl gynnwys a gafodd ei greu yng Nghymru wedi’u wneud mewn ymgynghoriad â Llywodraeth Cymru.

Bydd modd mwynhau cynnwys yr ŵyl eto am saith diwrnod ar www.bbc.co.uk/gwyl2021 ac ar draws BBC Cymru Wales.

Dwedodd Graeme Farrow, Cyfarwyddwr Artistig Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru:
“Mae Gŵyl y Llais wedi bod yn uchafbwynt ein calendr ers 2016, ac roedd gŵyl y llynedd yn argoeli i fod yn wych. Yn sgil y pandemig, canslwyd ein cynlluniau cyffrous ac uchelgeisiol, ond rydyn ni wrth ein boddau’n cydweithio â phartneriaid ardderchog i gyflwyno Gŵyl 2021 ym mis Mawrth. Daw â’r gorau o’r pedair gŵyl, ynghyd â’n chwilfrydedd a’n hangerdd dros fwynhau perfformiadau gwych. Gobeithiwn y daw’r ŵyl ag ychydig o lawenydd i’w chynulleidfa ar ddechrau’r gwanwyn.”

Dwedodd Henry Widdicombe, Gŵyl Gomedi Aberystwyth:

“Rydyn ni wrth ein boddau yn cydweithio â thair gŵyl Gymreig anhygoel, er mwyn cyflwyno’r digwyddiad ar-lein yma ym mis Mawrth. Er bod hwn wedi bod yn gyfnod heriol a digynsail i’r sector digwyddiadau, mae digwyddiad fel hwn yn dangos bod y gymuned gelfyddydol wedi dod ynghyd o ganlyniad i’r heriau. Mae’r rhaglen sy’n cael ei churadu yn ardderchog, rydyn ni’n edrych ymlaen yn fawr at gael bod yn rhan ohoni.”

Dwedodd Neal Thompson, FOCUS Wales:

“Mae’n bleser bod FOCUS Wales wedi gallu gweithio mewn partneriaeth â thair o wyliau mwyaf adnabyddus Cymru, i greu Gŵyl 2021. Yn dilyn blwyddyn dywyll ac anodd i bob un ohonom ni, rydyn yn edrych ymlaen yn fawr at ddod ynghyd a dathlu diwylliant cyfoethog ac amrywiol Cymru gyda rhaglen o gerddoriaeth a chomedi rhagorol.”

Dwedodd Dilwyn Davies, Lleisiau Eraill Aberteifi:

“Mae Lleisiau Eraill a Mwldan yn hynod gyffrous am y syniad o benwythnos anhygoel o gerddoriaeth a chomedi o Gymru, a’r cyfan wedi’i greu a’i rannu ar draws y DU gan ein partneriaid hyfryd. Yn ystod cyfnod o wahaniad, pellter a chyfnod cloi, mae’n fwy pwysig nag erioed ein bod ni – artistiaid, cynulleidfaoedd a chriw – yn dod ynghyd i rannu a dathlu cyfoeth ein diwylliant amrywiol.”

Dwedodd Rhodri Talfan Davies, cyfarwyddwr BBC Cymru Wales:

“Mae BBC Cymru Wales wrth ei bodd yn cydweithio â Gŵyl 2021. Rydyn ni gyd angen tamaid o greadigrwydd, comedi a cherddoriaeth ar hyn o bryd, ac mae’r bartneriaeth newydd hon rhwng pedair gŵyl Gymreig wych yn argoeli i fod yn wych.”

Dwedodd yr Arglwydd Elis-Thomas, Dirprwy Weinidog Diwylliant, Twristiaeth a Chwaraeon:

“Rwy’n falch iawn ein bod ni wedi gallu cefnogi’r bartneriaeth Gymru gyfan yma, a fydd yn rhannu’r gorau o’r gwyliau arbennig gyda chynulleidfa eang. Drwy gydol y pandemig, mae’r sector digwyddiadau a chreadigol wedi bod yn llwyddiannus iawn yn dod â phobl at ei gilydd i rannu a dathlu, a hynny mewn ffordd arloesol. Maent wedi rhoi gobaith ac adloniant yn ystod y cyfnod anodd hwn.”

Festival of Voice, FOCUS Wales, Other Voices Cardigan, Aberystwyth Comedy Festival and BBC Cymru Wales announce Gŵyl 2021

FOUR MAJOR WELSH ARTS FESTIVALS JOIN FORCES TO STAGE GŴYL 2021; A FREE, ONLINE FESTIVAL

www.bbc.co.uk/gwyl2021 | 6-7 MARCH 2021

Adwaith | Ani Glass | Arlo Parks | BERWYN | Carys Eleri | Cate Le Bon | Gruff Rhys | Catrin Finch | Brett Anderson, Charles Hazlewood and Paraorchestra, featuring special guest Nadine Shah | Charlotte Adigéry | Dani Rain | The Gentle Good | I Wish I Was an Only Child | Jordan Brookes | Juice Menace | Kiri Pritchard-McLean | N’Famady Kouyate | Sinead O’Brien | Sprints | Tarot | Tim Burgess’ Listening Party | Welcome to Spooktown | Plus many more…

Four of Wales’ best-loved festivals – Festival of Voice, FOCUS Wales, Other Voices Cardigan and Aberystwyth Comedy Festival – have joined forces in lockdown to create Gŵyl 2021a free, online festival packed with unforgettable music and comedy, embracing diversity and dialogue. Captured over recent months in Wales and internationally within Coronavirus guidelines, Gŵyl 2021 will be available across the UK at www.bbc.co.uk/gwyl2021 on the weekend of 6-7 March 2021.

An extraordinary digital gathering for these exceptional times, Gŵyl 2021 shines a light of determination and resilience from the creative scene in Wales. Following almost a year of physical distancing, Gŵyl 2021 marks an emotional moment of unity – of artists and audiences, from Wales and the world. It recognises that our collective voice is a powerful sum of its parts.

In true festival style, Gŵyl 2021 will be a celebration of the established, and a discovery of the eclectic and the emerging, from Wales and further afield. The line-up includes contributions from Cate Le Bon in collaboration with Gruff Rhys, the award-winning Kiri Pritchard-McLeanTim Burgess’ Listening Party, and Catrin Finch; plus BERWYN (BBC Music Sound of 2021), Carys Eleri (Adelaide Fringe Festival winner), Arlo Parks and Dani Rain, the drumming force behind Neck Deep.

Other highlights include Charlotte Adigéry, post-punk Welsh Music Prize winners Adwaith, Irish poet and art rock pioneer Sinead O’Brien and Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Jordan Brookes; Welsh Language Album of the Year winner Ani Glass, Dublin four-piece Sprints, Cardiff-based Guinean griot musician N’Famady Kouyate and sketch group Tarot. Dance company Jukebox Collective have also curated performances from reggae artist Aleighcia Scott, RnB/soul artist Faith, rapper King Khan, singer and rapper Reuel Elijah, spoken word artist Jaffrin Khan and more.

There’s an exclusive, one-off performance by Brett Anderson, Charles Hazlewood and Paraorchestra, featuring special guests Nadine Shah, Adrian Utley & Seb Rochford, plusspecial episodes of the comedy podcasts Welcome to Spooktown and I Wish I Was an Only Child, featuring guest appearances from some famous faces.

The festival will include content on other platforms, too; FOCUS Wales have programmed a special screening of Eternal Beauty, a new feature film made in Wales and starring David Thewlis and Sally Hawkins, plus a bespoke selection of the best new music from across Canada and Québec, all to be streamed on the Welsh cultural app AM Cymru, 5-10 March 2021. S4C will broadcast exclusive highlights from Other Voices Cardigan at a later date (tbc).

All rehearsals, filming and recording have taken or will take place within local Coronavirus guidelines. All content made in Wales has been created in consultation with Welsh Government.

Content from the festival will be available to view again for seven days on www.bbc.co.uk/gwyl2021 and will be shared across BBC Cymru Wales.

Graeme Farrow, Artistic Director of Wales Millennium Centre said:
“Festival of Voice has been the highlight of our calendar since 2016, and last year’s festival was shaping up to be no exception. The exciting and ambitious plans we’d made were dashed by the pandemic, but we’re all delighted to be able to work with such outstanding partners to deliver Gŵyl 2021 in March. It brings together the very best of all four festivals, and our shared spirit of curiosity and passion for great performance. We hope it brings a bit of much-needed joy to audiences to blow away the cobwebs.”

Henry Widdicombe of Aberystwyth Comedy Festival said:

“We couldn’t be more delighted to be working with three other amazing Welsh festivals to deliver this online event in March. Whilst the past year has been an unprecedented challenge for the events industry, an event like this shows that the arts community has also come together as a result of that challenge. The programme of events being curated is astonishing and we can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Neal Thompson of FOCUS Wales said:

“We are delighted that FOCUS Wales has been able to work in partnership with three of Wales’ best known festivals to create Gŵyl 2021. After what has been a dark and difficult year for us all, we look forward to a brighter future and to coming together and celebrating Wales’ rich and diverse cultural offering, with a programme of outstanding music and comedy.”

Dilwyn Davies of Other Voices Cardigan said:

“Other Voices and Mwldan are super excited at the prospect of an extraordinary weekend of music and comedy from Wales, created and shared by our wonderful festival partners. During a time of separation, distance and lockdown, it’s all the more important that we – artists, audiences and crew – join together to share and celebrate the riches of our diverse culture.” 

Rhodri Talfan Davies, director of BBC Cymru Wales said:

“BBC Wales is delighted to be working with Gŵyl 2021. We all need a blast of creativity, comedy and music right now and this unprecedented partnership with four brilliant Welsh festivals promises to be a real gem.”

Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas, said:

“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to support this pan-Wales partnership, which will bring the best of these wonderful festivals to a wide audience. Throughout this pandemic, the innovative response in sharing, celebrating and bringing people together from the events and creative industries has been extremely successful – and has provided hope and entertainment during these difficult times.”

BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME TO RELEASE SERIES OF FILMS TO CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR

BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME TO RELEASE A SERIES OF FILMS TO CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR

CHINESE NEW YEAR IN BIRMINGHAM CELEBRATIONS IN 2020

 Birmingham Hippodrome will be sharing a series of films from Friday 12 February to welcome in Chinese New Year and celebrate The Year of The Ox.

The Hippodrome has commissioned filmmaker Craig Bush and Artist Frances Yeung to create a series of short films reflecting the cultural celebrations and traditions that take place during Chinese New Year.

Made in collaboration with the Chinese Community Centre Birmingham, the films will be shared over a seven-day period and explore how the local community in Southside have adapted their celebrations in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Chinese New Year, commonly referred to as the Spring Festival, celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar and in many Chinese communities, a full week’s holiday is taken to enjoy the festivities, visit friends and family to exchange gifts and red envelopes. 

Graham Callister, Director of Festivals at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “Ordinarily we would be preparing for our annual celebrations across the city with tens of thousands of people in attendance. We are delighted to be working with the Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee and Chinese Community Centre Birmingham again to offer a special digital programme to celebrate Chinese New Year and share a deeper insight into the traditions behind this wonderful festival.”

Graham added: “We would like to thank our partners and supporters for ensuring we can still work in partnership with the groups, artists and communities who live, work and enjoy Birmingham to celebrate Chinese New Year. We hope people will enjoy finding out more about the celebrations including the much loved lion dances, tree wrapping and traditional food.”

The Chinese Festival Committee will also be streaming an online celebration on Friday 12 February from their Facebook page, including sharing the series of specially commissioned films.

James Wong, Chair of the Chinese Festival Committee said: “Although we cannot bring the festival to the streets of Birmingham, we look forward to celebrating Chinese New Year with you in the comfort of your own home. Please invite your friends and family as we welcome the year of the Ox! Happy Chinese New Year and Kung Hei Fat Choy.”

Frances Yeung, an emerging artist working with Chinese Community Centre Birmingham on the films added: “Although this year the Chinese community is not able to have any physical Chinese New Year celebrations, we’re hoping to use this opportunity to delve deeper by sharing the many significant aspects of the Spring Festival celebration digitally. We’re hoping people will feel uplifted – we might be socially distancing, but we’re still very much connected at heart.”

The films will be shared on Birmingham Hippodrome’s social media channels and website from Friday 12 February.

Find out more about the Chinese New Year films at www.birminghamhippodrome.com/ChineseNewYear.

The Chinese New Year Committee celebrations on Friday 12 February can be streamed on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cnybirmingham

The films have been produced in partnership with Chinese Community Centre Birmingham, Chinese New Year Committee Birmingham, Southside BID, The Arcadian and funded by Arts Council England.

Interactive online game set at the Old Royal Naval College for half term | Tudor Palace Palaver, 16-20 Feb

Online interactive game Tudor Palace Palaver
at the Old Royal Naval College
Tuesday 16th – Saturday 20th February 2021

This half term, HistoryRiot will zoom families back in time to get a fun-filled taste of life at Greenwich Palace, as it was during the Tudor era, in their new interactive story Tudor Palace Palaver. Expert storytellers HistoryRiot bring to life the history of the Old Royal Naval College when it was a palace built for Elizabeth of York, and later home to Henry VIII. This interactive Zoom show will run during half-term afternoons, perfect for families during the holiday.

Come and meet Henry VIII’s mother, Elizabeth of York, as she visits her favourite palace at Greenwich to see how the new building work is going. There’s drama in the air with an upcoming Royal Wedding, construction and Henry’s 10th birthday party. Audiences can immerse themselves in Tudor life, get involved in the story and try to impress the Queen as they follow this interactive online show.

Tudor Palace Palaver is the perfect opportunity for anyone who has missed getting out and about and interacting with history face-to-face at heritage sites. Now, you can get comfortable on the sofa and laugh, learn and have fun as a family. Audiences can even virtually travel around the palace with friends and relatives who attend from other households.

This spring will see a new exhibition, Mischief and Misadventure, at the Old Royal Naval College by renowned artist and illustrator Nick Ellwood, until September 2021. Ellwood has previously contributed to the amazing children’s activities packs and has run Learn to Draw workshops with the Old Royal Naval College.

New cast and revised dates announced for digital concert revival of Gatsby A Musical at Cadogan Hall | Streaming 26th – 28th Feb 2021

New cast and revised dates announced for
digital concert revival of Gatsby A Musical at
Cadogan Hall
Streaming: Friday 26th – Sunday 28th February 2021

Acclaimed West End talent Jodie Steele (Heathers; Six The Musical) joins the digital concert rendition of Gatsby A Musical as leading-lady Daisy Buchanan, alongside Liam Doyle (Wicked; Legally Blonde) as Tom Buchannan, and Joe Frost (Jersey Boys; An Officer and a Gentleman) as George Wilson. The captivating socially-distanced revival will be filmed in the historic Cadogan Hall and made available to stream online from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th February 2021.

They will be joining the previously announced Ross William Wild (Elvis Presley in Million Dollar Quartet) in the titular role, and four-time Olivier Award nominee Emma Williams (Mrs
Henderson Presents; Zorro
) as Myrtle Wilson. Further casting includes Blake Patrick Anderson (RENT; Be More Chill), Chanice Alexander-Burnett (Motown the Musical; Beautiful – the Carol King Musical), Lauren Chinery, Robert Grose, Oliver Mawdsley, and Tristan Pegg.

Adapted by director Linnie Reedman, and with music and lyrics by Joe Evans, this unmissable piece brings F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel to life for a semi-staged concert experience. Vibrant characters, popped corks, and infectious rhythms collide with personal conflicts and lost loves in this tragedy of the vanishing jazz era.

Jodie Steele comments, I feel so grateful to visit this project and character again. I can’t wait to reunite with Daisy and her story, it’s truly an honour to tell it. At a time when Theatre is struggling, it’s a proud moment for everyone involved in this project to aid in keeping the fire lit. Please buy a ticket to enjoy it from your living room- maybe dress in black tie attire and have a cocktail in hand for the occasion and it’ll feel like you’re there with us!

When Daisy Buchanan revisits Jay Gatsby’s mansion seven years after leaving that world behind, she is trying to confront her past by reliving the dream she shared with Gatsby. But where is he? With themes of loss, disappointment and ultimately hope for a better tomorrow, Gatsby, is surprisingly resonant with the ‘roaring twenties’ we find ourselves in once again.

Gatsby has previously been staged at the Crazy Coqs, the King’s Head, Riverside Studios, the Leicester Square Theatre, Theatre Royal Windsor and The Other Palace.

Due to availability, previously announced cast members Marc Antolin, Marc Rhys, and Charlotte Wakefield, will no longer be involved in the concert revival. Their roles are replaced by the newly announced cast.

THE BARN THEATRE ANNOUNCES NEW INTERACTIVE DIGITAL CONCERT WHERE YOU’RE IN CONTROL OF THE SET LIST

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Barn Theatre | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Website

THE BARN THEATRE ANNOUNCES NEW INTERACTIVE DIGITAL CONCERT WHERE YOU’RE IN CONTROL OF THE SET LIST

  • THE SECRET SOCIETY OF LEADING LADIES UTILISES TECHNOLOGY TO LET THE AUDIENCE TAKE CONTROL OF THE SET LIST
  • LINEUP FOR THE CONCERT INCLUDES JARNÉIA RICHARD-NOEL, LAUREN BYRNE, NATALIE KASSANGA, EMMA KINGSTON & AISHA JAWANDO
  • THE CONCERT IS CONCEIVED AND DIRECTED BY RYAN CARTER

The Barn Theatre have announced an upcoming digital musical theatre event entitled The Secret Society of Leading Ladies, which provides a new innovative format that allows the viewer to make decisions and control the set list.

The Secret Society of Leading Ladies, which will run from 22 February – 7 March,takes audiences into a world where Musical Theatre characters can co-exist in the same space regardless of era or genre. The concept was created to reward die-hard musical theatre fans, whilst being mould-breaking enough to invite a new audience to discover the world of musical theatre.

Conceived and directed by the Barn Theatre’s Ryan Carter, the event focuses on the archetypes of Female Musical Character, ranging from princesses and dreamers to villains and divas.

Over the course of the concert, the viewer will be presented with 5 ‘Choose Your Player’ screens, which prompts them to decide the character they wish to introduce next. The concert has over 150 combinations for the viewer to choose from. Each character is introduced with a short scene, before taking to the stage to perform a number. The concert closes with a finale that features all 14 characters, providing a chance to get a glimpse at all the characters involved. 

The cast for the production features Jocasta Almgill (& Juliet, Rent, In The Heights, Dreamgirls), Lauren Byrne (Beautiful, Six), Kayla Carter (Rent), Aoife Clesham (Fiver), Allie Daniel (Rent), Abbi Hodgson (Six – NCL), Aisha Jawando (Tina the Musical, Motown the Musical, The Life, Beautiful), Claudia Kariuki (Priscilla Queen of The Dessert, School of Rock, Wicked), Natalie Kassanga (Dear Evan Hansen, Motown The Musical), Emma Kingston (The Last 5 Years, Zorro, Evita, Fiddler on the Roof, In The Heights),  Kayleigh McKnight (Bend It Like Beckham, Les Miserables, Tina the Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar), Ellie Mitchell (Chicago, Wicked), Jarnéia Richard-Noel (Six) and Kelly Sweeney (Hair, Six).

The creative team for Secret Society of Leading Ladies are Ryan Carter as Creative Director & Concept Creator, Leo Munby (The Last 5 Years, Gypsy, Company) as musical consultant, sound engineering by Harry Smith, editing by Ben Evans and videography by Jamie Scott-Smith.

Ryan Carter said of the concert, musical theatre concerts are such an awesome way to be able to curate dedicated content to specific audiences, Secret Society was born when I wanted to find a way to make that a truly custom experience. In developing this project, we’re allowing audiences to ‘choose their players’ and ultimately build their own show.

It’s a form of digital theatre that the musical theatre sector hasn’t seen before, which is something that 10 months into the pandemic is getting harder to achieve! It’s super ‘stagey’, fun and self-aware, but aesthetically really contemporary and cool. The cast are an incredible representation of the next generation of leading ladies. It’s quite a mould breaking and innovative project which is exactly what I joined the Barn to deliver. I can’t wait for audiences to get their hands on it! I will personally reward anyone that completes all 162 possible combinations!”

Two ticket types are available for the production. £10 Single Stream Tickets, which give access to watch the concert once at their selected time, and £15 Unlimited Stream Tickets which provide one day-access to the concert, allowing the viewer to experience as many combinations as they wish within their allotted time. The concert will be available internationally from 22 February-7 March. Tickets can be purchased at barntheatre.org.uk/barn-at-home.

New trustees welcomed to the Royal & Derngate board

New trustees welcomed to the Royal & Derngate board

Royal & Derngate is delighted to have welcomed three new trustees to its board at its recent AGM. The charity that operates the theatre, Northampton Theatres Trust, is governed by a board of volunteer trustees, each recruited to support the management team in ensuring that the charity continues to thrive. The organisation also begins its search this week for a new chair to head up the Board of Trustees.

Born in Yorkshire, new trustee Jane Bunce worked for the University of Northampton in a number of senior roles, including Director of Student and Academic Services and most recently as Academic Project Manager for the new Waterside Scheme, until her retirement in 2019. She also serves on the boards of Surprise Northamptonshire and Northampton Forward.

Olivier Award-nominee Tanya Moodie is a Canadian-born British actress and producer. For Royal & Derngate, she appeared in King John, staged at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Northampton, in 2015. With a plethora of TV, film and stage credits, she is also a patron of Roundabout Dramatherapy and Act For Change, and an ambassador for Park Theatre, London and Clean Break.

Samuel Munday-Webb is a director, writer, producer and educator with experience in theatre, education and schools. In 2016 Sam founded the Great British Pantomime Awards. He has worked in community arts engagement and has an in-depth knowledge of safeguarding. His company The Inspiration Factory offers bespoke workshops to businesses promoting well-being and better team practices.

Chair of the Board of Trustees, Steve Edmonds comments: “We’re delighted to welcome Jane, Tanya and Sam to the Board of Royal & Derngate. They each bring a wide range of experience and skills all of which will be a great asset to the board as we continue to navigate these challenging times, look towards reopening and emerging successfully in a post-Covid world.”

Royal & Derngate (Northampton Theatres Trust) is also now seeking a new Chair for its Board of Trustees, with proven strategic knowledge of the arts and charity sector, to provide guidance and support to the theatre’s leadership team. After more than three years as Chair and a decade as a valued trustee, Steve Edmonds steps down as Chair of the Board in 2021. The organisation would particularly welcome applications from those whose backgrounds are currently under-represented on both the theatre’s Boarand in the Arts more widely, and is keen to encourage socio-economic diversity on the Board, as well as representation from Black, Asian, or other Minority Ethnic groups and/or people who identify as D/deaf and disabled.

More information about the role of Chair and details of how to apply can be found on the theatre’s website, www.royalandderngate.co.uk. The closing date for applications is 8 March.

NT – Angels in America amongst productions added to National Theatre at Home

National Theatre announces Tony Kushner’s multi-award-winning Angels in America: Parts One and Two, is now available to stream worldwide as part of three new productions added to the National Theatre at Home platform

–       Also launching today is Antigone, with Christopher Eccleston and Jodie Whittaker, and Behind the Beautiful Forevers with Meera Syal



Pictured: The cast of Angels in America

The National Theatre has today announced three new filmed productions have been added to its streaming service National Theatre at Home, including Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika, Marianne Elliott (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, War Horse)’s multi-award-winning production of Tony Kushner’s two-part masterpiece, with a cast including Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), Denise Gough (Paula), Nathan Lane (American Crime Story), James McArdle (Ammonite), Susan Brown (It’s A Sin)and Russell Tovey (Years and Years).

The two-part play is set in America in the mid-1980s in the midst of the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, as New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell. Following a sold-out run in the Lyttelton theatre in 2017, the production transferred to Broadway for a sold-out 18 week run in 2018. The production won numerous awards including Best Revival at the Olivier and Tony Awards in 2018.

Also launching on the platform today is Polly Findlay’s 2012 thrilling contemporary staging of Antigone, with a cast including Christopher Eccleston (Thor, The A Word, Doctor Who) and Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who, Broadchurch), and National Theatre Director Rufus Norris’ 2014 production of Behind the Beautiful Forevers, written by David Hare and based on the book by Katherine Boo, with a cast including Meera Syal (The Split).


Rufus Norris, National Theatre Director, said: “Angels in America is one of those productions that stays with you always – a seminal piece of theatre that has a lasting impact. It’s a true honour to be able to bring Marianne Elliott’s remarkable, compelling production of Tony Kushner’s masterpiece to audiences around the world through National Theatre at Home. After sold-out runs at the NT and on Broadway, I’m delighted global audiences will finally get the chance to experience the astonishing performances of the original cast on the Lyttelton stage. I’m really pleased that this month also sees my 2014 production of David Hare’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers available on the platform, with the inimitable Meera Syal and a fantastic ensemble bringing to life Katherine Boo’s non-fiction story of a community in a Mumbai slum. And Jodie Whittaker and Christopher Eccleston in a modern-day Antigone – Polly Findlay’s electrifying 2012 production in the Olivier. In a continued period of isolation for so many people and while we’re unable to open our theatres, we hope National Theatre at Home can bring people together to collectively enjoy theatre from home.” 

National Theatre at Home now has 16 productions to stream on the platform available at any time, including Medea with Helen McCrory and Michaela Coel, Mosquitoes with Olivia Colman and Olivia Williams, Phèdre with Helen Mirren and Dominic Cooper, the Young Vic’s Yerma with Billie Piper and Othello with Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear.
 

All productions on National Theatre at Home are available with captions. Angels in America Parts One and Two will also be available with audio-description to support blind and partially sighted audiences worldwide from later this month. Seven other National Theatre at Home titles are currently available with audio-description: Othello, Donmar Warehouse’s Coriolanus, The Cherry Orchard, Amadeus, Julie, Phèdre and the Young Vic’s Yerma.

National Theatre at Home is available now at ntathome.com, with single titles available from £5.99 – £8.99, a monthly subscription for £9.99 or a yearly subscription for £99.99.  

National Theatre at Home is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.  

#NationalTheatreatHome    

Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika

Filmed for National Theatre Live in the Lyttelton theatre in 2017, this multi-award-winning production of Tony Kushner’s two-part play is directed by Marianne Elliott (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, War Horse).

The cast includes Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), Denise Gough (Paula), Nathan Lane (American Crime Story), James McArdle (Ammonite), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Misfits), Susan Brown (It’s A Sin)and Russell Tovey (Years and Years).

America in the mid-1980s. In the midst of the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell.  

Antigone  
 

Filmed for the National Theatre’s Archive in the Olivier theatre in 2012, this is a new version of Sophocles’ Antigone by Don Taylor.

Creon is desperate to gain control over a city ravaged by civil war. He refuses to bury the body of Antigone’s rebellious brother. Outraged, she defies him, and Creon condemns Antigone to be buried alive. 

Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) and Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who) feature in this thrilling contemporary staging of Antigone, directed by Polly Findlay (Beginning). The cast also includes Annabel Scholey (The Split), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Mary Poppins Returns), Luke Norris (Poldark), Luke Newberry (In the Flesh) and Jamie Ballard (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child).

Behind the Beautiful Forevers 

The 2014 play by David Hare is based on the book by Katherine Boo, winner of the National Book Award for Non-Fiction, and directed by Rufus Norris, National Theatre Director. 

In a makeshift slum beyond the luxury hotels surrounding Mumbai airport, dreams are threatened as one member of the community makes an accusation that will shatter the neighbourhood and lead to her own destruction. 

Filmed for National Theatre Live in the Olivier theatre in 2014, the cast includes Meera Syal (Paddington 2), Anjli Mohindra (Bodyguard), Shane Zaza (Happy Valley), Anneika Rose (Line of Duty) and Anjana Vasan (Mogul Mowgli). Behind the Beautiful Forevers was produced in association with Scott Rudin.

New musical On Hostile Ground to be released in a series of free online videos as part of Royal & Derngate’s Made in Northampton season

New musical On Hostile Ground to be released in a series of free online videos as part of Royal & Derngate’s Made in Northampton season

On Hostile Ground is a new musical by Darren Clark (lyrics), Juliet Gilkes Romero (book), Michael Henry (music and orchestrations) and Charlotte Westenra (co-creator and director), inspired by the stories of the people affected by the government’s hostile environment policy. The musical is being released in a series of free videos, starting from Tuesday 16 February.

On Hostile Ground was due to be featured at BEAM 2020, a festival of new musical theatre which was cancelled because of COVID-19. With opportunities for live performance curtailed by the pandemic, the writers developed this work into a series of 14 music videos and straight-to-camera monologues filmed at home by the actors during lockdown. These brand new free to view videos are being released this month as part of Royal & Derngate’s upcoming Made in Northampton 2021 season of original new musical theatre.

The first three videos will be available from 16 February. That evening will also see the first of a series of free online Q+A sessions about the hostile ground policy and creation of the musical. The first is called The Hostile Environment: Impact and Legacy with panellists Amelia Gentleman (journalist and author of The Windrush Betrayal: Exposing the Hostile Environment), Jun Pang (Policy & Campaigns Officer, Liberty), Patrick Vernon OBE (social commentator, cultural historian and Windrush justice campaigner) and chaired by Juliette Foster (journalist and news presenter).

IS MY HOME NOT MY HOME(Left to right) Henrik Wager, Claire-Marie Hall, Jon Laird, Jonathan Charles,
Jacqui Dubois, Michael Henry, Hannah Brown

May 2013. Cabinet Room of 10 Downing Street. Prime Minister David Cameron summons department heads from within his coalition government and tasks them with finding policies to make life in the UK unbearable for illegal immigrants – a sure fire plan to deliver his election promise of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands.

On Hostile Ground is a musical about that meeting and the ongoing devastating impact it had on the lives of people who live here legally and call Britain their home. It sets the naturalistic dramatisation of the politicians’ policy discussions against a musical telling of the personal stories of those affected.

WALK THROUGH WATER
(Left to right) Jonathan Charles, Michael Henry, Henrik Wager, Beth Higham-Edwards, Hannah Brown, Claire-Marie Hall, Michael Henry, Jon Laird

Songs include Waiting Room about Albert Thompson (Ray Fearon, Fleabag, BBC) who was denied free NHS cancer care; Memory a lament by Paulette Wilson (Dawn Hope, Follies, National Theatre) as she waits in Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre to be deported to a country she left when she was 10 years old; Actual Conversation about the absurdity of the immigration system (featuring composer Michael Henry and Norman Bowman, 42nd Street, West End); London Boy about twins Darrell and Darren Roberts (both played by Tyrone Huntley, Jesus Christ Superstar, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); who are being deported to different countries they have never visited; Generation Windrush (Arun Blair-Mangat, &Juliet, Shaftesbury Theatre, Nari Blair-Mangat Cyrano de Bergerac, Playhouse Theatre and Rodney Vubya Evita, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); and Hide and Seek, a playground song (starring Paige Davies and Ashton James Griffiths from Royal & Derngate and Silhouette Youth Theatres) about the government’s attempt to have schools collect data on pupils’ nationality and country of birth.

Monologues include: Where have those years gone? (performed by Jacqui Dubois) looking at the continuing injustices that the Chagos Islanders face; Jean Demars (Jonathan Charles) charts how the Home Office piloted a scheme to detain and remove EU rough sleepers to their country of origin with assistance from homeless charities; and Agnesa Wokcik (Hannah Brown) who was caught in an immigration sting set up by her employer.

For more information about On Hostile Ground or to book free tickets for the online Q&A sessions, visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk/whats-on/on-hostile-ground/

The Made in Northampton season is sponsored locally by Michael Jones Jewellers.

LIVE PERFORMANCE AND GAMING TECHNOLOGY COME TOGETHER TO EXPLORE THE FUTURE FOR AUDIENCES AND LIVE THEATRE

LIVE PERFORMANCE AND GAMING TECHNOLOGY COME TOGETHER TO EXPLORE THE FUTURE FOR AUDIENCES AND LIVE THEATRE

Dream – live, online performance leads the way in future audience experience

Performance: Friday 12 March – Saturday 20 March 2021

Booking: dream.online – booking opens 12 noon on Monday 8 February 2021 #DreamOnline21

EM Williams – Dream – Copyright @ RSC – Photographer Stuart Martin

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), in collaboration with Manchester International Festival (MIF), Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) and Philharmonia Orchestra will stage a live performance of Dream using motion capture as the culmination of a major piece of cutting-edge research and development (R&D).  The pioneering collaboration explores how audiences could experience live performance in the future in addition to a regular visit to a performance venue. Dream was due to open in Spring 2020 as an in person and online live performance and has been recreated during the pandemic for online audiences whilst theatres remain closedThe project is one of four Audience of the Future Demonstrator projects, supported by the government Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund which is delivered by UK Research and Innovation. 

Dream is inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and gives a unique opportunity for audiences to directly influence the live performance from wherever they are in the world. Audiences will experience a new performance environment easily accessed on their mobile, desktop or tablet via the dream.online website. The performance uses the latest gaming and theatre technology together with an interactive symphonic score that responds to the actors’ movement during the show.

The live performance is set in a virtual midsummer forest. Under the shadow of gathering clouds at dusk, lit by the glimmer of fireflies, Puck acts as the guide. Audiences are invited to explore the forest from the canopy of the trees to the roots, meet the sprites, Cobweb, Mustardseed, Peaseblossom and Moth, and take an extraordinary journey into the eye of a cataclysmic storm. Together with Puck they must regrow the forest before the dawn.  When day breaks, the spell breaks.

The 50-minute online event will be a shared experience between remote audience members and the seven actors who play Puck and the sprites. Audiences can choose to buy a £10 ticket to take part and at key points in the play directly influence the world of the actors, or to view the performance for free. The ten Dream performances are scheduled so that audiences across the world can join the event.

Gregory Doran, RSC Artistic Director said:

“What’s brilliant about Dream is the innovation at play.  An audience member sitting at home influencing the live performance from wherever they are – that’s exciting.  It’s not a replacement to being in the space with the performers but it opens up new opportunities. By bringing together specialists in on-stage live performance with that of gaming and music you see how much they have in common. For instance, the RSC’s deep understanding of scripted drama combined with Marshmallow Laser Feast’s innovation in creative tech brings thrilling results.

“The story is king, whether you are a gamer, or an audience member.  Stories haven’t changed, but the way we engage audiences with them has.  Shakespeare was our greatest storyteller and it’s brilliant that we get the opportunity to use one of his plays to discover what could be possible for live performance.”

Robin McNicholas, Director and Co-Founder of Marshmallow Laser Feast added:

“Our focus has been on creating an experience with the natural world at its centre. It’s a celebration of the magic of biodiversity brought to life by an incredible cast on this adventurous virtual production. The team has created a work that explores new narrative techniques, opening doors to a vast story-world that offers new perspectives enabled by cutting edge technologies performed live on a motion capture stage.

“We hope audiences find a new and unique way to engage with immersive storytelling. Virtual productions such as this offer new creative forms of expression and opportunities for performers, musicians, artists, designers and creative coders”.

A major piece of research runs through the project led by i2media research at Goldsmiths, University of London and NESTA, including the potential for making similar online performances financially viable for the arts sector.  All findings and research will be shared with the wider UK cultural sector throughout 2021 after the live performances are completed.

DREAM – A live, online performance set in a virtual midsummer forest.

Cast and creatives:

Robin McNicholas – Director

Pippa Hill – Script Creation 

Robin Mc Nicholas & Pippa Hill – Narrative 

Esa-Pekka Salonen – Music Director & Composer

Jesper Nordin – Composer, Interactivity Designer and Creative Advisor, Music

Sarah Perry – Movement Director 

Maggie Bain (Cobweb), Phoebe Hyder (Understudy Puck and Mustardseed), Durassie Kiangangu (Moth), Jamie Morgan (Peaseblossom), Loren O’Dair (Mustardseed), EM Williams (Puck ), Edmund Wood (rehearsal assistant, Understudy Moth, Cobweb & Peaseblossom).

THE TECHNOLOGY

Building on the technology used in the RSC’s 2016 ground-breaking production of The Tempest, the first play to feature live performance capture rendered in Unreal Engine, Dream harnesses live performance, virtual production and gaming technology. The production is performed with seven actors in a specially created 7x7metre motion capture volume created at the Guildhall in Portsmouth, supported by a team from the University of Portsmouth. The performance space includes an LED backdrop which displays the unreal world allowing performers to see their place and act within the virtual environment.

Vicon motion capture cameras and state of the art facial rigging capture the movements of the performers.  This in turn drives the virtual avatars of each of the characters in real-time through a traditional performance lighting desk into Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. The live performance is mixed with pre-recorded animation sequences.

The audience is led by Puck (EM Williams) who takes them from the real world into the digital world. As fireflies the audience can guide Puck through the forest at key points in the play using the movement of their touchscreen, trackpad or mouse. The actors perform and respond to audience interaction and direction making each performance unique, as the audience will behave differently at each event.

A bespoke web-player has been created for Dream to enable the effective distribution of real-time content from individual audience members to the Unreal Engine server and back to the audience. This new software allows the level of dynamic, real-time interaction working with a mass volume of users (up to 2000 per performance) in a live environment.

James Golding, Technical Director – Character Tech, at Epic Games added:

“It has been such a great experience to support phenomenal collaborators, across many different disciplines, on this ambitious project. It’s exciting to witness creators exploring the wonderful possibilities ahead for live entertainment.”

THE MUSIC

Music is integral to the experience of Dream. An interactive symphonic score recorded by the Philharmonia Orchestra will be manipulated in key points in the play in real-time by the performers, who will create interactive music with their movements. The result will be a living, dynamic soundtrack that adapts and interacts live with the narrative and the pre-recorded orchestral tracks.  

The installation will feature core classical repertoire and two contemporary orchestral works – excerpts from Gemini, the latest composition by Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Philharmonia’s Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, and Ärr, composed by Swedish composer Jesper Nordin. The music was recorded by the Orchestra, conducted by Salonen on Friday 13 March 2020, the last full-scale orchestral recording, involving 100 players, before the pandemic struck.

Alongside his growing recognition as a composer, Nordin is the creator of the ground-breaking interactive music tool Gestrument, giving parts of Dream an interactive musical layer. Gestrument allows the performers to generate music from their movements. This real-time generated music can be shaped by the performers but will always be in perfect sync with the pre-recorded orchestral score.

Esa-Pekka Salonen, Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor, commented:

“Immersive technologies are going to change the way we compose, perform and experience music, and I believe we need to reimagine the symphony orchestra for this new landscape. This is primarily an R&D project – to reimagine immersive technology for live performance – where the creative process itself is one of the most valuable aspects of the whole project.

Dream has brought us together with some of the world’s leading theatre practitioners, VR world-builders and game designers to reimagine storytelling. The collaboration has moved from the stage to the real-time games engine. As a composer, it has allowed us to reimagine composition for a new landscape where the audience has agency, and the performers can become part of a living, dynamic score that is integral to the live performance.” 

Talking about the project, Prof. Andrew Chitty, Challenge Director, Audience of the Future, UKRI, said:

Dream is an extraordinary achievement by the RSC and its partners but also a demonstration of how entirely new audience experiences are created as immersive and digital technologies become integrated into performance.  When we set out the Audience of the Future Challenge no-one would have predicted this entirely digital performance of Dream; it goes far further in putting new technologies at the heart of performance than we had dared to hope.  It’s also stands as a beacon showing what our world class performance and creative technology companies can do given the right support for Research and Innovation.”

Gabrielle Jenks, Digital Director at MIF concluded:

“Audience of the Future has been an invaluable space for world-leading organisations to consider the future of virtual production and understand the opportunities and challenges of working with real-time technologies. From DYSTOPIA987, Skepta’s extraordinary mixed-reality experience created for MIF19, to Dream, the learnings from these ambitious and collective approaches to live performance will help us imagine new boundary-pushing ways to present work in The Factory, MIF’s future home being built in the heart of Manchester.”