How does one deal with loss? It’s a perennial question that art has sought to answer, and one that James Rowland contends with here on more than one level. Starting the performance by genially welcoming the audience in and changing into some comfortable pyjamas, it’s clear that Rowland wants everyone at ease, and warning that… Continue reading James Rowland: Piece of Work
Month: September 2023
Island Movements to tour libraries
Choreographed by the first black British graduate of the Royal Ballet School, Darren Panton, alongside Patrick Williams of the Alvin Ailey and Paris Opera companies, Island Movements is a thirty-minute ballet that tells the story of Windrush and explores its impact featuring original music by performance youth group Kinetika Bloco. In the aftermath of World War II,… Continue reading Island Movements to tour libraries
How to Bury a Dead Mule
The horrors of war and the scars left behind are a field, ripe to grow great plays within. The bitter fruit of conflict and its ruin of young lives are a mark of shame on society that finds a way to sprout new vines with every generation. Only with distance, space and patience can we… Continue reading How to Bury a Dead Mule
New Vic adapts Nutcracker as family fairy tale
Newcastle-under-Lyme’s New Vic Theatre will put its own spin on the classic story of The Nutcracker in its 2023 family festive production. New Vic artistic director Theresa Heskins said, “it’s been a joy adapting this much-loved ballet into a play which I hope will capture the imaginations of every generation this Christmas. “I discovered so many new… Continue reading New Vic adapts Nutcracker as family fairy tale
Witch? Women on Trial
The humble common or garden Witch has had a pretty hard time of it over the generations. As Natalie Nardone is keen to explain, witchcraft as we imagine it, is mostly nonsense. But the roots of Scottish witchcraft and folklore are set in paganistic practices, from which the concept of the wheat goddess, the Cailleach… Continue reading Witch? Women on Trial
New Vic to take Leap in the Dark
A production that celebrates 100 years of the radio play, the sequel to an Amanda Whittington comedy and a reimagining of a classic fairy tale are the main attractions at Newcastle-under-Lyme’s New Vic in spring and summer 2024. The theatre’s artistic director Theresa Heskins said, “2024 marks 100 years since the first radio play was… Continue reading New Vic to take Leap in the Dark
St Albans theatre boost
St Albans-based theatre company OVO has been awarded a £300,000 grant from the government’s Community Ownership Fund to create a new theatre in the city. The grant will enable OVO to renovate and convert the derelict 18th century St Germain’s Barn and the adjacent disused sports pavilion, St Michael’s Changing Rooms, into a performance space. The building… Continue reading St Albans theatre boost
Tending
Three nurses stand at the front of the stage. They speak to us in words derived from fifty interviews. Each of the three has a journey to tell but many things they say reflect a common pressure that is felt by most health workers. It takes us from the reasons they became nurses to their… Continue reading Tending
World of events for Leeds
Leeds School of Arts is hosting events as part of performance festival Transform 23 from October 11–22. It marks a new partnership, consolidating the school’s position as a state-of-the-art events venue and performance space in the centre of the city. Transform 23 is bringing events from across the world, with artists from Iceland, South Africa and… Continue reading World of events for Leeds
Aladdin panto for Bury
The Met in Bury stages Aladdin December 8–26, produced in-house with panto professionals The Big Tiny Production Company, the team behind last year’s Dick Whittington. The cast includes Neil Jennings as Widow Twankey. Neil has worked with anarchic theatre company The Pantaloons for more than 10 years.