Newcastle based company, associate artists at Northern Stage and Edinburgh Fringe 2014 favourites, The Letter Room are bringing their new show Five Feet in Frontto the Lowry Studio next week.
The Letter Room will debut Five Feet in Front in The Lowry’s Studio on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th June as part of the Lowry’s ‘Developed With’ scheme. Five Feet in Front will then be travelling to the Edinburgh Fringe in August as part of Northern Stage’s ‘Made in the North’ programme – making this the perfect opportunity for Greater Manchester audiences to boast that they saw it in Salford first.
The Letter Room’s previous show ‘Bonenkai’ received a special commendation from The Musical Theatre Network Awards at Edinburgh Fringe 2014 and through The Lowry’s ‘Developed With’ scheme The Letter Room have received an extensive package of financial support and mentoring helping them in the next stage of their work.
Five Feet in Front, directed by Northern Stages Associate Director Mark Calvert, is set down in dust bowl America. Little Johnnie Wylo must fight to save her town, before a dust storm engulfs them all. In this new musical theatre production, The Letter Room make Loud Noises and Bold Choices playing live instruments so audiences should prepare for a hoedown.
Five Feet in Front also marks the beginning of a new collaboration between the company (Newcastle based Michael Blair, Alice Blundell, Maria Crocker, Meghan Doyle, Stan Hodgson and Alex Tahnée) and writer Chloe Daykin.
Company member Meghan Doyle said: “We are so pleased to have worked with The Lowry so far on this show and we can’t wait to get it in front of an audience.”
Five Feet in Front is at The Lowry on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th June.
The show starts at 8pm. Tickets are £12 (£2 off for concessions).
Kathryn Hunter in Kafka’s Monkey. Photograph Tristram Kenton
Date: 17 JUNE 2015
Upstaged Rating:
There are not many performers who could accomplish what Kathryn Hunter has achieved in this version of Kafka’s A Report to an Academy, interpreted for the stage by Colin Teevan and masterfully directed by Walter Meierjohann – her transformation to a monkey is beyond physically impressive. Hunter is wholly mesmerising throughout the performance- from the top of her jaunty bowler hat right down to the tips of her crooked fingers when she extends her hand to greet. She holds a command over the language and projects it with a rich and expressive tone of voice and incredible physicality. From the moment that we first see her shuffle across the stage, her body depicts a bewildered beast trapped halfway between ape and human. Hunter performs with wit and precision – furrowing her brow, her arms swinging and contorting uncomfortably and her loping gait – every sinew of her body works to create an entity trapped between the two different states of being. Startled by the world, she exhales heavily through her nostrils admitting that questioning freedom “leads to the most profound disillusionment”.
Monkey tells the story of an ape that is captured in Africa and in order to survive decides to learn how to behave like a human being. It is a solo performance that runs for just under an hour during which Kathryn Hunter’s Monkey addresses an audience in a lecture hall. We are that audience and we are referred to as ‘esteemed members of The Academy’.
Hunter is supported by Nikola Kodjabashia’s hypnotic piano score and Steffi Wurster’s simple set design which uses a projection of a monkey caged by a light box, this allows the monkey to relate to her former self, before she decided to behave like a human, and also gives the sense of a contemporary academy. Mike Gunning’s striking lighting design moves through from a crisp spotlight during a jovial tap dancing routine to majestic silhouettes which appear to tower down over the half-woman, half-ape.
This is a rare treat for a Manchester audience and if there is anything that you need to see at the theatre this summer – Kafka’s Monkey is that. And now I am totally convinced that this production puts our new arts space HOME on the map and most certainly for me ‘there was no place like HOME’ yesterday evening.
-Kristy Stott
Kafka’s Monkey is running at HOME until 27 June 2015.
Constellations, written by Nick Payne, follows the relationship between a man and a woman from the first time that they meet each other at a barbeque. The play is built on the quantum multiverse theory and goes on to visit Marianne and Roland at six different points in their relationship – exploring how certain situations, conversations and decisions can change the course of their lives together.
Constellations first premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in January 2012 and it is hard to compare it to anything that I have ever seen. The trick of the play is that the two highly talented actors remain visible on stage for the whole 70 minutes duration and they constantly replay scenes in their relationship. Their conversations and experiences take place in the multi-verse, where the past, present and future exist at the same time. It is an intimate comedy about connecting and relationships, the funny and the tragic but there is an overwhelming sense of spontaneity – Marianne and Roland inhabit a place where anything could happen.
Louise Brealey, probably best known for her role as Molly Hooper in Sherlock, is especially captivating as Marianne alongside the easy going bee-keeper Roland, played wonderfully by Joe Armstrong. Set to the beautiful backdrop of a stage filled with balloons, this play is a real showcase for Louise Brealey and Joe Armstrong’s outstanding acting skills.
Nick Payne’s script is truly magnetic as we watch Marianne and Roland’s relationship unfold before us – it’s like a powerful collision between science and nature, as we watch the quantum scientist and bee-keeper explore their relationship through a series of different moments in their lives. Each situation plays out slightly differently each time due to the decision that the characters make and as the audience we are fascinated to see which turn their story takes next.
The wonder of this production is that we do not know which way the story will play out until we do reach the final moments with Marianne and Roland. In the whole 70 minutes we have laughed and been moved by their relationship and the turns that it has taken. Ultimately, in my cosmic universe Constellations is a dazzling, thought-provoking and intelligent triumph.
-Kristy Stott
Constellations is at The Lowry, Salford from 9 June 2015 until 13 June 2015
At 3.40pm on May 11th 1985, a small fire broke out in the main stand at Valley Parade football ground during the final match of the season. Within four minutes the wooden structure was ablaze.
The Bradford City football ground fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of English football and this year marks its 30th anniversary. Fifty four Bradford City supporters and two Lincoln City supporters lost their lives in this tragic event. Sheffield based FYSA Theatre Company have produced this remarkably moving piece of documentary theatre wholly from real life testimonies and interviews with witnesses. This unique theatrical experience brings the audience closer to the raw emotions of the survivors and provides a truthful retelling of individual stories.
Under Matt Stevens Woodhead’s uncomplicated direction, the three actors give powerful and poignant performances as they look directly out into the crowd, each sharing their traumatic accounts – from the first signs of smoke through to their experiences in the hospital burns unit. The stage is set very simply with a wooden football stand construction and there is little movement from the performers, except when they move into the stand for a section of the play – it all makes for a fitting and respectful tribute.
Perhaps what makes this courageous play all the more authentic is the way that TomLodge, Will Taylor and Danni Phillips deliver the tiny details and idiosyncrasies of everyday speech. The piece also has a strong sense of camaraderie and pride and is freckled with humour, which makes for a convincing and touching representation, revealing solidarity, strength and community in the face of overwhelming tragedy.
The 56 certainly moved many people in the audience to tears on the night that I attended. However, the company also managed to establish a resounding sense of Yorkshire pride, bravery and community when they described people helping each other to safety during the atrocity and then supporting one another through the aftermath.
The 56 is a considerate and emotional tribute to all who were affected by the fateful events on May 11th 1985. If you do get the opportunity to see this production, I would urge you to go.
All profits from The 56 are donated to the University of Bradford Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit.
Manchester’s newest arts centre HOME thrust open its doors for its official HOMEwarming celebration last week. Following the merger between the Manchester’s Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company, the first theatre production at the new venue is perhaps a fitting fusion of old and new. The Funfair is Simon Stephens‘ new version of Ödön von Horváth‘s masterpiece, Kasimir and Karoline. There has been a huge build-up for this production and the stakes have been set quite high and sadly, The Funfair does not live up to its expectations.
Directed by Walter Meierjohann, The Funfair follows twenty four hours in the lives of two young lovers who are on the verge of splitting up. Cash (Ben Batt) has recently lost his job as a chauffeur and now fears that he will lose his girlfriend, Caroline (KatieMoore) too. In a strange and twisted parallel relationship, Frankie Marr (Michael Ryan) and Esther (Victoria Gee) already inhabit the lowest depths of despair, a world of unemployment, anger and dirt – surviving in the only way that they can.
Set in Manchester, to the backdrop of the recession and massive social unrest, the characters are unable to free themselves from the disorientating reality of the funfair. TiGreen‘s dark and distorted stage design suggests the hopeless and cyclical world which the characters fight to exist in – a revolving stage, haunting carousel and dark figures watching on from the hidden corners in the set, all manage to create an unsettling and uncomfortable atmosphere, complemented by Mike Gunning’s lighting design.
The Funfair is relentlessly bleak and despite the odd grasp at humour and the wonderful live band playing a soundtrack of popular songs – it is awkwardly politically defined and too repetitive. There is little hope for any of the characters, who are reduced to caricatures, particularly the women who are victims of abuse and are objectified in an uncomfortable sexist world. Victoria Gee’s portrayal of Esther is perhaps the only exception to this – her impressive performance is stripped back, we care about her and she gives us the only shard of hope for the future.
The Funfair is a bold first production by HOME which makes me feel thrilled to be part of the Manchester theatre scene. However, it left me feeling as if I had overindulged in candyfloss and then taken the wildest ride on the waltzers. A sensory overload but nevertheless an arresting showcase for HOME’s production capabilities which makes me very excited for the future.
-Kristy Stott
The Funfair is on at HOME, Manchester (2 Tony Wilson Place, M15 4FN) until 13 June 2015.
For those of us who aren’t jetting off to sunnier climes during the Whitsun school holidays, there is an abundance of good stuff going on. I’ve helpfully compiled the best picks of theatre, film and creative activities for families happening in Manchester from 22nd May until 7th June 2015…
The Lowry
Remember Basil Brush? Well “Ha ha ha! Boom! Boom!” – he is coming back to The Lowry in Salford for a performance on 24th May 2015. Currently, he is super busy on his UK tour, a brand new specially written ‘live’ stage show, which promises to be packed with laughs, storytelling and song. He’s celebrating over 50 years in show business and he’s back With a boom in The Basil Brush Show. Suitable for ages 3 and up.
One Little Word also heads to The Lowry for 4 performances on 24th and 25th May 2015. A play from local M6 Theatre Company, who are internationally renowned for producing high quality, dynamic and relevant theatre for young audiences. One Little Word is a moving and beautiful story about friendship, power struggles and the rich world of creative play.
Stick Man Live on Stageheads to The Lowry from 26th May until 31st May 2015. It’s suitable for ages 3 and up and tells the charming tale of Stick Man, as he tries to escape playful dogs, nest building swans and even a fire, in a bid to get back to the family tree.
Also, at The Lowry on the 6th June 2015 is The Bounce. This is a multi-sensory and highly interactive show, using trampolines, video projection and live music, for young people from 3-19 who are defined as having Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities or who are on the Autism Spectrum.
This half term also brings the usual fun and frolics with Half Term Little Actors, who will be swimming in rivers and rolling through forests with The Hedgehog and her Hoglet and Half Term Little Artists who will be making their own characters inspired by Julia Donaldson’s book Stick Man. Sessions are suitable for ages 5-11 and run from 11:00-12:30 from 25 May until 29 May 2015 at The Lowry.Each session costs £3.50.
For ages 11-18 there is Wicked – Half Term Musical Theatre Madness running from 26 May 2015 from 10:30-15:30. Over the 3 days young people will work with a professional Musical Theatre director and performer to stage well known musical theatre hits and perform them at the end of the course for family and friends. No experience is necessary.
Waterside Arts Centre
Flyaway Katiezooms into the Waterside Arts Centre in Sale on the 28th and 29th May 2015. Based on the popular Children’s book by Polly Dunbar and with music by Tom Gray of Gomez – Flyaway Katie is an inspiring flight of fancy about the power of imagination.
Forensic Science in Action is back at Waterside Arts on the 30th May– the event is led by experienced forensic scientists and is suitable for children aged 7-11. Ticket price is £20 which admits 1 adult & 1 child to the session. (Every child MUST be accompanied by an adult).
Birds Nest Theatre presents My Friend Moleon the 31st May at Waterside Arts. This hour long show also includes a stay and play and is suitable for ages 3-6.
In addition to this, Waterside Arts Centre are also having film screenings of Paddington and The Goonies on Wednesday the 27th May 2015.Visit their website for times and prices.
The Edge Theatre and Arts Centre, Chorlton
The Journey Home, the acclaimed children’s book by award winning author Frann Preston-Gannon, is brought to life through puppetry, lyrical music and transformative design in this new production by Little Angel Theatre.
The Journey Home is at The Edge on the 22nd May 2015 (11:00am/1:30pm) and Z-Arts in Hulme on the 23rd May 2015 (2:30pm/3:15pm) – with a running time of 45 minutes, it is perfect for ages 2 and over.
Casa comes to The Edge on 4th June 2015 with 2 showings at 11:00am and 1:30pm. It is advised for ages 1-5 years and tells the surreal story of a grown-up and a child who meet, get to know each other and start to build. Building turns into play, and little by little, while playing, they build a story. For more information click here.
Z- Arts
The Journey Home arrives at Z-Arts on the 23rd May 2015 (2:30pm/ 3:15pm). Please see listing above, The Edge for the trailer and more information…
Tarsa by Dorna Theatre is also showing at Z-Arts from 26th May until 28th May 2015. This play is suitable for ages 14 and up and features live music and dance. More information can be found here.
Z-Arts also have a number of events available for those families with a Bright Sparks Membership. Membership costs just £15 per year per family and gets you discount on some shows as well as free access to all of the regular activities at the centre.
Bolton Octagon are offering two workshops during the half term break.
On 27th May 2015 there is Shake Up Your Shakespeare which is suitable for ages 11-18 and on 28th May 2015 there is The Magic of Masks, suitable for ages 8-11. Each of the workshops costs just £10 and runs from 10am until 4pm.
HOME
And finally, HOME are throwing open their doors on Thursday 21st May for a jam-packed long weekend of free events, art, theatre, film and music. On Sunday 24th May it is family day – bring your own picnic for First Street’s first street party. There will be lots of free events for all of the family to enjoy, including a whale and an incredible book-eating boy.
For more information please click to check out the fullHOMEwarming programme. It also has details of where HOME is and also advice on the easiest way to get there…
Eggs Collective Present 80’s favourite BIG on Sunday 24th May at 12:oo – Book your place for a special interactive screening, featuring fun and surprises from theatre group Eggs Collective.
Adapting Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, for the stage is a brave decision to make. The novel has recently celebrated it’s 50th anniversary and besides being a staple on the GCSE curriculum, it has been translated into 40 languages and sold over 30 million copies worldwide. This humble, poignant and charming stage adaptation by Christopher Sergel pays homage to the legacy of the novel and everyone who has read it.
With simple staging the cast present the story of racial injustice in a small-town community in the Deep South. Lawyer Atticus Finch is in seek of the truth when he represents Tom Robinson, who stands accused of rape. The narrative is told through the eyes of his daughter, Scout who is a feisty and inquisitive young girl.
The play opens with the whole of the cast holding various editions and well thumbed copies of the novel in an acknowledgement to the text. Under Timothy Sheader’s skillful direction, the company then remain visible throughout the production, each holding and reading their copies of the book at each side of the stage. All costume changes are all performed with little fuss on stage, in a bid to create the insular society that the characters inhabit. And musician Luke Potter plays a colourful folk soundtrack composed by Phil King, which hints at the slow pace of life in Maycomb.
The simple stage design by Jon Bausor creates a perfect canvas for the storytelling to shine, as the cast read excerpts from the novel, staying true to the texts original form. Daniel Betts gives a captivating performance as Atticus Finch, particularly during the court scene. Scout (Rosie Boore), Jem (Billy Price) and Dill (Milo Panni) certainly impress, especially when so much hinges on the quality of the child actors in this production.
Perhaps my only qualm is that the production does take for granted that the audience have all read the text – Boo Radley’s character is not really explored enough for us to fear him and as a result the ending does lack some depth. Nevertheless, this is a production which is definitely worth seeing and not just by those studying for their GCSE’s.
Different is Dangerous aims to give a unique insight into the lives of the Asian community living in Leeds. Devised and performed by Fadia Qaraman and Nyla Levy of Two’s Company, the piece aims to explore multicultural life, the challenges of ethnicity and present the voices of Asian Leeds locals.
Qaraman and Levy use a combination of fictional monologues and a technique called headphone verbatim as a means of presenting these personal stories from within the Asian community living in Leeds. The idea is that the performers each wear a set of headphones which relays an audio script to them – each actor then aims to recite this audio script not only word for word but with exact precision, capturing the nuances and speech patterns of the original interviewee. The idea is that there is as much information embedded in the way somebody speaks as the words that they actually use.
Setting is very minimalist consisting of just four chairs and Qaraman and Levy only have 2 scarfs as props, but this is the idea of this type of theatre – it is not meant to be highly visual. Both performers shift between the different characters with ease as they tackle subjects such as unprovoked attacks, relationships and politics. The two creator-performers also reveal some controversial viewpoints as well as some lighthearted and humourous conversation.
Qaraman and Levy certainly manage to keep the audience listening throughout the full 50 minute experience. And despite the performance style not being highly visual, you do still manage to get lost in the everyday voices, opinions and beliefs of the community in Leeds.
Different is Dangerous certainly succeeds in getting people to think and discuss cultural identity in Britain, raising the profile of a topic that some people still feel uncomfortable talking openly about.
The Contact Theatre in Manchester is renowned for its high quality and diverse artistic programme. With experimental and bold theatre at it’s core, Contact Theatre has joined forces with the National Theatre of Scotland, acclaimed champions of storytelling and creative risk taking to produce this powerful new play, RITES.
RITES is a verbatim piece of theatre, borne out of interviews conducted with real people who have been directly affected or have some experience of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The people who were interviewed to make this production are from all over the UK and are FGM survivors, medical staff, health and social workers, activists and campaigners.
When the play begins, Fara (Paida Mutonono) asks us to “start by listening” and it is her direct story of FGM which forms the backbone of the production. The other characters that are presented to us also provide their viewpoints and share their stories which furthermore enriches the play giving it integrity, balance and depth. The four other members of the cast (Janet Kumah, James Mackenzie, Beth Marshall, Eleni Pavli) play a range of vibrant characters which include a group of Somali women swigging tea discussing western media and guests on a talk show with differing viewpoints. Director Cora Bissett and Co-creator Yusra Warsama’s staging does not demonise or judge victims of FGM but asks us to step back and understand a subject which is not as straightforward as we are led to believe.
RITES is an accomplished example of verbatim theatre – performances are all strong with each character’s mannerisms, stumble for words and idiosyncrasies adding to their credibility. And despite the heavy subject matter, the play does have a scattering of humour too particularly from female Muslim Chaplain Abhaya (Elena Pavli) and midwife Vanessa (Beth Marshall).
Jessica Worrall’s set design is perfectly simple allowing each of the characters and their narratives to shine through. Projections are used on stark white hospital screens, some are powerful signifiers such as razor blades whereas as others simply suggest Fara’s search for reason and truth with images of her google searches and tense skype calls to her mother.
After the 90 minutes of theatre, I walked out into Manchester with a different mindset on the subject of FGM and definitely a deeper understanding. I also felt hopeful for the future – FGM cannot be condoned but in order for us to change it, we have to step back, listen and gather facts so that we can challenge it and eventually put an end to this abusive practice.
-Kristy Stott
Rites is at Contact Theatre until 14 May 2015 (with a women only performance on 13 May at 12:30pm) before continuing its tour at Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol from 19 May -23 May 2015 and then Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh from 26 May- 30 May 2015.
Contact Manchester’s Flying Solo Festival celebrates the ability of one artist to hold the stage and the interest of the audience for an entire performance. It makes for an intensive and rewarding experience for the theatre goers and this is particularly true of Jackie Hagan’s show, Some People Have Too Many Legs.
Just before Jackie starts her main show, she comes out onto the stage and introduces herself to the audience, who according to her, ‘look just like Facebook, little squares, only your faces are moving’. Her direct, honest and optimistic style makes her instantly likeable and when she tells us that she is pleased to be performing in the Contact Theatre on this side of Oxford Road, rather than residing as an inpatient over the road at the MRI- where she was 2 years ago when she developed blood clots in her right leg, we share her enthusiasm and appetite for storytelling and performance.
Jackie Hagan is a luminous storyteller, when she relays important happenings in her life – growing up, loss and grief and falling in love during challenging times – she does it with positivity and determination. She juxtaposes feelings of fear and sadness with her sparkly optimism and imagination – her well paced humour glitters throughout engaging our hearts and minds as we wonder what she might reveal to us next.
A white tent, equipped with fairy lights and white lace provide the staging for Jackie’s story. This setting works well as an intimate frame for flashbacks and as a stark and sterile backdrop for the hospital ward. Jackie explores the various coping methods that she found some comfort in when she became an amputee and she also animates a week by week account which assist us in understanding her experience. It is not self pitying but positive and uplifting especially when the performance becomes interactive and we are invited to open the envelopes that we were given at the start of the show. We all share in Jackie’s dream sequence as she holds up a handwritten banner which says “I know you have had to cope too.”
“You’ll notice that where most of you have got a tube of meat I’ve got a pillar of glitter”
Some People Have Too Many Legs is an inspirational show that can be appreciated by everyone. Jackie Hagan’s straight talking, bubbly and empowering persona translates well in performance – not every disabled person wants to be called brave or become a Paralympian. This show is testament that a very beautiful, amusing and cathartic piece of art can emerge from the most difficult of situations and sometimes we all have to “throw some glitter at it in the only way you can”.
-Kristy Stott
You can visit Jackie Hagan’s blog if you click here.
