Leicester is to host a free, two-day festival using creativity to explore the climate crisis. The first Re/action Festival will feature performances and pop-up shows including a huge puppet, Gnomus, caretaker of our planet, created by Brighton-based outdoor puppetry company Puppets with Guts, which will explore Leicester’s High Street. Another highlight will be Leicester’s Nupur… Continue reading Leicester festival explores climate crisis
Author: Editor
An Interrogation
In the cold, harshly lit and bare space that is a police interview room, a young detective constable has a hunch. An abducted woman may only have hours left to live, and the only lead is a loosely connected man of means and position. Is he really involved, has she got the wrong man, and… Continue reading An Interrogation
Abdul Shayek dies aged 39
Tara Arts Artistic Director Abdul Shayek has died of natural causes aged 39, according to a statement from the theatre company. The statement said, “tt is with immense sadness that we are announcing the death of Abdul Shayek, beloved artistic director and joint CEO of Tara Theatre, aged 39. We are heartbroken to share this… Continue reading Abdul Shayek dies aged 39
Snake in the Grass
Variety has definitely been the byword for the 2023 Classic Thriller Season at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal. As usual, four plays have been performed in four weeks, with some of the actors in three plays while others appeared according to the demands of each production. Gone are the days when a middle-sized company would appear throughout… Continue reading Snake in the Grass
30th birthday for Beautiful Thing
Theatre Royal Stratford East, Leeds Playhouse and HOME Manchester celebrate the 30th anniversary of Jonathan Harvey’s coming-out and coming-of-age story Beautiful Thing. Raphael Akuwudike (Ste) and Joshua Asaré (Jamie) will lead the cast and are joined by Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge (Tony), Shvorne Marks (Sandra) and Scarlett Rayner (Leah). Director Anthony Simpson-Pike says: “Beautiful Thing is an… Continue reading 30th birthday for Beautiful Thing
Paved with Gold and Ashes
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 in New York killed about 150 people, mainly young women workers, though it might be more accurate to say they were killed by ruthless employers alongside other complacent, dysfunctional institutions. Julia Thurston’s play imagines five women workers caught up in that fire. We hear something of their migrant… Continue reading Paved with Gold and Ashes
I’ve Never Met Anyone Quite Like You Before
Warmly touching and physical, this autobiographical show from David Scotland is as much a story of working out how to love yourself as it is one of understanding your place in this world as an artist. A graduate of musical theatre and dance specialist from Bird College, his story unfolds against a carefully chosen musical… Continue reading I’ve Never Met Anyone Quite Like You Before
Meet super sleuth Aki Browne
She’s got the time, the curiosity, the resources—and a thirst for true crime. Meet Aki Browne—online sleuth like no other… A one-act play, Being Purple Aki, featuring the hunt for a real-life bogeyman / racist caricature, this is an absurd journey into the obsessive world of a digital detective. It’s at the White Hotel, Dickinson Street, Salford… Continue reading Meet super sleuth Aki Browne
Lucky Pigeons
This is a curiosity of a piece. The narrative involves a young person, Sam, who seems to want to play football, but has been told not to kick the ball until everyone is ready. Then comes a blowing of the whistle, a game that was almost played, friends who don’t seem to want to play… Continue reading Lucky Pigeons
Winnie and friends take seaside break
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh takes a Grand trip to the seaside. Winnie and friends bounce into The Grand Theatre August 14–16. Deep in Hundred Acre Wood, an exciting new adventure is about to happen… This musical adaptation is told through the eyes of characters that have played roles in the lives of children for generations. Created by… Continue reading Winnie and friends take seaside break