JustOut Theatre have been keeping busy while theatres are closed, launching JustOut Stays In, a series of radio plays written and produced by Northern creatives. The company is eager to give Northern-based artists new opportunities to share their work and with the project well and truly underway, I caught up with Gabe Stewart to chat... Continue Reading →
Interview: Lemon House Theatre’s Jennifer Cerys & Samia Djilli on Launching the Lemon Lounge Series
There’s a new series of talks with theatre creatives in town thanks to Co-Artistic Directors of Lemon House Theatre, Jennifer Cerys and Samia Djilli. Over lockdown, they’ve launched Lemon Lounge, a series of talks focusing specifically on Queer artists and artists from the Middle Eastern and North African diaspora, looking at the individual experiences of... Continue Reading →
Interview: Ryan Thornhill Talks Couch Readings & Launching a New Online Fringe Festival
Ryan Thornhill has been keeping very busy since theatre spaces went dark for lockdown. Having already launched Couch Readings, an online project which sees creatives engaging with table readings of their work online, he’s now getting ready to launch the Thornhill Theatre Space World Wide Virtual Fringe Festival which will run across the month of... Continue Reading →
Interview: Caley Powell Talks Unexpected Opportunities & the Light On Showcase
Lights Down Productions might be away from the stage for now but Producer Caley Powell has taken the opportunity provided by this unexpected hiatus from live theatre to launch an exciting online showcase. Powell is all about providing a platform for female identifying playwrights and new writing - and this showcase delivers exactly that each... Continue Reading →
Interview: 20 Questions with Concrete Youth’s Daniel Swift
Concrete Youth is an award-winning, Hull-based theatre company which creates multi-sensory theatre experiences for audiences living with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). Partnered with Artsmark, their education department provides bespoke workshops, weekly after-school clubs and private and group sensory stories. Having never had the opportunity to chat to someone representing this branch of the... Continue Reading →
Interview: Somebody Jones & Khadifa Wong Talk BLACK WOMEN DATING WHITE MEN
Somebody Jones’ BLACK WOMEN DATING WHITE MEN has just enjoyed a successful online run via the Hollywood Fringe and is set to return to live performance in 2021. A verbatim show which looks at interracial love and relationships in a complex world, BLACK WOMEN DATING WHITE MEN is a timely and important piece of new... Continue Reading →
Interview: York Theatre Royal’s Tom Bird on Working in the Industry, Theatre for All & Making the Tough Decisions
After a twelve year stint on the London theatre scene, Tom Bird has recently taken the leap from Executive Producer at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to Executive Director at York Theatre Royal. At the helm of a regional producing and receiving theatre during a global pandemic, Bird remains confident that the arts can weather the current... Continue Reading →
Spotlight on: The Best of LGBTQ+ Stories & Characters on Stage
June 2020 Just in the nick of time, I’m marking the last few hours of Pride Month with a look at some of the best examples of theatre productions celebrating and exploring LGBTQ+ stories, characters, history and culture. From accosting social commentary to joyous sequin-clad drag queens to moving takes on body dysmorphia and transgender... Continue Reading →
Interview: Stephen Foster & Chuck Pelletier Talk The Green Room
The Green Room is a musical comedy about four friends navigating the turbulent waters of theatre college. With book by Stephen Foster and Rod Damer and music and lyrics by Chuck Pelletier, the show has seen considerable success and enjoyed productions in the US (including Off-Broadway), Canada and Ireland. With Coronavirus closing theatres for the... Continue Reading →
Interview: 20 Questions with Wrongsemble’s Elvi Piper
Wrongsemble Theatre Company has been going from strength to strength over the past five years and as far as family theatre goes, the work this company creates is pretty special. Offering the best of both worlds, they embrace classic tales and revamp them for modern audiences of all ages, transforming stories we know and love... Continue Reading →