My latest gossipy chinwag is with Francesca Forristal, comedy and songwriter, actor and drag artist extraordinaire. Here Francesca talks about getting into the arts, the importance of broad thinking when it comes to drag artists and why it’s so important to laugh at the difficult subjects in order to truly engage with and understand them.... Continue Reading →
5 Things to Love About: York Theatre Royal
A trip to one of the best, most informative theatre websites around will tell you that York Theatre Royal is not only ‘one of the oldest theatres in the UK’ sitting in the very heart of York, but it is ‘the oldest continuously operating theatre company in the English speaking world.’ As a theatre which... Continue Reading →
Interview: Red Ladder Theatre’s Rod Dixon
With theatres shuttered for the time being, I’m going to be spending a lot more time chatting to creatives (at a safe distance, naturally), and the best of the situation is that I’m going to be keeping very good company if this cracking first interview of the lockdown is anything to go by. Rod Dixon,... Continue Reading →
5 Things to Love About: The Grand Theatre & Opera House Leeds
The Grand Theatre & Opera House Leeds? A theatre which truly lives up to its name. Take a look at the website for this grand institution and you can learn an awful lot about one of Leeds’ star attractions. In short, it ‘was built in 1878, cost a total of £62,000 and took 13 months... Continue Reading →
5 Things to Love About: Harrogate Theatre
Built in 1900 and now featuring both main stage and studio performance spaces alongside an impressive array of beautiful finer details, Harrogate Theatre is definitely a favourite of mine. Here’s five things to love about it... 1. The team. Rachel Auty departs next month but she’s been an amazing contact as Press Officer and has... Continue Reading →
5 Things to Love About: Grand Opera House York
A set of buildings re-purposed for theatre and previously named the S.S Empire, this theatre (now run by ATG) has been through a range of revamps and reincarnations over the years. Now, from hosting touring productions to offering its own panto each year, the Grand Opera House York is a pretty fabulous theatre. Here’s five... Continue Reading →
5 Things to Love About: Leeds Playhouse
‘FOUNDED IN 1970, RELOCATED IN 1990, AND RELAUNCHED IN 2018, THE LEEDS PLAYHOUSE IS A THEATRE AT THE HEART OF THE CITY AND REGION WE CALL HOME.’ Artistic Director James Brining and Executive Director Robin Hawkes have been steering this theatre from strength to strength. From the recent re-brand which saw the theatre transform from... Continue Reading →
Review: Less Than Human
Friday 13th March 2020 at York Theatre Royal (Studio). ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out of Character Theatre’s Less Than Human certainly feels loudly reflective of the world outside theatre doors right now. Exploring ideas about social inequality and ‘survival of the fittest’ we meet a semi-civilisation in which ‘lesser’ beings are left to die in stairwells and those... Continue Reading →
Review: Ghost Stories (Touring)
Tuesday 11th March 2020 at the Grand Opera House, York ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ When it comes to this spooky joint venture from Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, it’s so much more about the journey than the destination. Using all bells, smoke, trickery and whistles available, this production swiftly creates a mild hysteria within its audience. If you’re... Continue Reading →
Review: Alone in Berlin (Touring)
Friday 6th March 2020 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Alone in Berlin comes to the stage as Alistair Beaton’s translation and adaptation of Hans Fallada’s 1947 novel Every Man Dies Alone. Set in wartime Berlin as the Gestapo roam the streets with menace, the story is one which builds on details of the life and... Continue Reading →