Review: The Rooms at Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre

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The Rooms
Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre
Until Saturday 31^st October 2015

The Alphabetti Theatre is a real hidden gem in the centre of Newcastle. The Rooms are 3 short plays that take full advantage of the unique space that exists underneath New Bridge Street.

Three talented young actresses are able to hold the audience in their grasp. The strong scripts often provide more questions than answers.  The loose ends suggest a greater depth to the subject matter.

The audience is divided up into three groups, each group enjoying the 3 shows in a different order.

First up tonight was Dreaming Is Free by Michael Brown. As you enter Jessica Johnson is lying on her single bed.  She has woken up in a room but isn’t entirely sure how she ended up there.

As with all 3 productions, the audience is stood up around the space as the performance unfolds. Jessica springs from her bed and draws the audience into her performance. As she stands up, and stares you in the face, you will become drawn into the performance. Under Matt Jamie’s direction this is not a passive form of theatre.

The monologue suggests a captive girl who dreams on seeing the outside world. The person that she describes as a “kind friend” is probably far from it. There are many questions that are left unanswered as you leave and that is perhaps what makes it such a powerful realization.

After a short interval the group were escorted into another room to see Paper Walls by Nina Berry. A number of comments about The Rooms on Twitter refer to the intense experience. Indeed as Arabella Arnott rips the paper off the walls whilst looking for something one is drawn into a personal hell. A lady undergoing intensive treatment, a baby that is missing and a partner that has kept her in this place. Powerful and, indeed, it is very intense. Lee Rosher has directed a profound and passionate experience.

The third show had a change in pace. As Rosie Stancliffe led the group through the corridors at the rear of the venue it is clear that this is not going to be a conventional show.  

Meat Factory by David Raynor looks at meat production and convenience foods such as chicken nuggets. Rosie is Shirley Dobson OBE, one of the North East’s leading business women. Not shy to brag about her achievements she is looking for investment to increase production.

Rosie’s performance is as funny as it is shocking. As she stares maniacally into your eyes and offers you the food products you know something is not quite right. Director Ali Pritchard has created the most interactive of the three shows.

The three actresses were simply stunning. Jessica Johnson, Arabella Arnott and Rosie Stancliffe are both believable and captivating. The audience is very close up to the action, sometimes painfully so. The tickets are limited and already audiences are booking return visits with new groups to share an experience like no other in town. 

The Rooms are three experiences that are well worth seeking out.

Read the original North East Theatre Guide Preview: http://nomorepanicbutton.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/preview-rooms-at-newcastle-alphabetti.html

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for the North East Theatre Guide from Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

The Rooms: Video Trailer -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOBECiKaPiU

Performance Details

When:
Bar Opens 6.30pm. Performance starts 7.30pm

Where:
Alphabetti Theatre, The Basement 18 Newbridge Street West Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AW
Ticket Price:
£8 / £6
Running Length:
Approx. 1 Hour 15 minutes (including 3 x 15 minute intervals)

Capacity is limited –booking is essential.
Please be advised that this a promenade production, where audiences will be watching the show on their feet.

Website: http://www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk/whats-on/24-whats-on-articles/144-the-rooms

Ticket website: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/100136

Preview: The Rooms at Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre

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The Rooms
Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre
Monday 19^th- Saturday 31^st October 2015

The Rooms is a harrowing and chilling immersive promenade production created for Halloween made up of three short plays situated in three rooms not normally accessible to the public, in the depths of Alphabetti Theatre – underneath the old Odeon Cinema.

Paper Walls written by Nina Berry
Directed by Lee Rosher
Performed by Arabella Arnott
Mary is trapped, with thoughts that aren't hers. A truth buried beneath false stories and harsh punishment. She knows the answer is somewhere, and if these walls could talk...they'd tell everyone.

Dreaming is Free written by Michael Brown
Directed by Matt Jamie
Performed by Jessica Johnson
I do not remember getting to this room. Just waking up in bed with my kind friend sat in that chair. He was very sad and told me it was too dangerous to live with him anymore. It would not be safe to leave the room until he said so. I was desperate to get out to see the moon and stars….But he brought them to me.

Meat Factory by David Raynor
Directed by Ali Pritchard
Performed by Rosie Stancliffe
Here at Quick N Easy Meat Based Products Ltd there are no problems, only opportunities. Come and look around...taste the future.'

The Rooms: Video Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOBECiKaPiU

Performance Details

When:
Bar Opens 6.30pm. Performance starts 7.30pm

Where:
Alphabetti Theatre, The Basement 18 Newbridge Street West Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AW
Ticket Price:
£8 / £6
Running Length:
Approx. 1 Hour 15 minutes (including 3 x 15 minute intervals)

Capacity is limited –booking is essential.
Please be advised that this a promenade production, where audiences will be watching the show on their feet.

Website: http://www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk/whats-on/24-whats-on-articles/144-the-rooms

Ticket website: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/100136

Review: DieHard Gateshead at Gateshead Caedmon Hall

"Battle It Out Until I

Get My Own Way"

DieHard Gateshead

Gateshead Caedmon Hall

Thursday 16^th July 2015

Ruth Raynor has written a dynamic play about the life, during the current austerity, for some women in Gateshead. It works brilliantly because it keeps both a clear sense of perspective and a wicked sense of humour which frequently had the packed Gateshead crowd laughing.

Ruth has based the story around some of the women that she has met. As the story opens it is clear something is wrong as the leader of Gateshead Women’s Centre, Lesley, is taking a phone call. She quickly reverts to her happier face, with positive mental attitude, once the first 2 participants arrive. Sandra, who hates yoga, and the mother of 6, Katie, are at the centre of many of both the light hearted and difficult moments of the play. Julia comes across as positive but she also has her reasons for attending the centre.

One of the key reasons why this production works is that whilst each character is identifiable, they are not just simple, lazy stereotypes. When Rosie appears on the scene to lead 6 weeks of drama with some “games to get in the right zone”, the characterisations of the centre’s regulars have already been accepted by the audience. Each character is likeable, which helps, and there hasn’t been an overload of unnecessary exposition. 

The story then unfolds as the ladies plan to put on a play about a fishmonger with Bruce Willis attributes that saves the staff at Tescos from an extremist attack with many funny consequences.

Each character was wonderfully portrayed and the only complaint is that I wanted more. Surely DieHard 2 is on the way?

The production then leaves some interesting questions. Have the creative industries got as much to offer people who don’t normally participate as those people have to offer the creative industries? Are the arts something that can be cut in a recession or should it have equal status to other services through the impact that it has. Which services should be cut back in austere times? DieHard Gateshead leaves many questions unanswered.

The Gateshead performance was then followed by musical performances by 3 sets of musicians. Another Penny performs 3 songs covering 3 centuries of austerity in a fine folky way.  They were followed by Ribbon Road who retained the folk sensibilities with the songs included tales about the miners’ strike. The final performer was the superb multi-instrumentalist Joe Solo, who is based in Scarborough. He remains ever the optimist and his engaging style eventually lead to the packed room standing on their chairs, shaking instruments and singing along to one of his catchy songs about the workers struggle. He is at the centre of a movement to have gigs on the weekend of the 2^nd October with the positive refrain “We shall overcome”. The three sets of musicians fitted in well with the overall concept of the evening.

A wonderful night with a strong message.

Read the original North East Theatre Guide preview: Preview Link

This review was written by Stephen Oliver  the North East Theatre Guide Preview from Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

Cast

DieHard Gatesheadfeatured a cast of five:

Zoe Lambert

Christina Berriman Dawson

Judi Earl

Arabella Arnott

Jessica Johnson

Preview: DieHard Gateshead

DieHard Gateshead

Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre - Tuesday 14^th July 2015

Washington Arts Centre - Wednesday 15^th July 2015

Gateshead Caedmon Hall - Thursday 16^th July 2015

There’s enough drama at the Women’s Group and some people are losing the plot.  If  Noel Edmonds and Bruce Willis can’t help, who can?

A women's group is closing and Leslie, the leader, is under pressure. She wants to tell them but things keep getting in the way. Time is running out. If Geordie Bruce Willis can’t help, and Noel Edmonds is no good either, who will save the day? 

Based on the real-life story of a Tyneside women’s group, Ruth Raynor’s new play DieHard Gatesheadis about finding light through the rubble and the mess. It’s about avoiding promises of a better life that actually makes things worse. It’s about searching for moments of laughter and understanding in the noise and confusion. It’s about women’s lives in an age of austerity…

Ruth Raynor uses drama to understand womens lives in the context of austerity. She is a PhD student in the Geography Department at The University of Durham and she has previously worked in theatre and arts management as a designer, writer and facilitator, and translates this experience into her research.

  

Directed by Neil Armstrong who Neil is an award winning actor, writer and director from Seaham Harbour.  He has directed for companies such as Cloud Nine Theatre, The Customs House South Shields, and his own company Theatre of Moths.  His plays have been performed across the region and include Remember Jim, The Dark Side of the Half Moonand Nefairyus.  As an actor he has appeared in all of the regions theatres and his TV credits include George Gently (BBC), Vera (ITV) and, Wolfblood (CBBC) among others.  This year Neil is also co-writing, directing and starring as the Baddie in Durham’s Gala Theatre’s pantomime, Cinderella.

This show is produced by Christina Berriman Dawson who has appeared in George Gently, Electricity and The Magdalene Sisters as well as appearing in many theatre productions across the region. She will be appearing in Key Change (Open Clasp) at Summerhall with Northern Stage at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. Christina also runs Stage Tynemouth which provides Performing Arts training for young people aged 5-18.

Cast

DieHard Gateshead features a cast of five of the region’s leading actresses:

Zoe Lambert

Christina Berriman Dawson

Judi Earl

Arabella Arnott

Jessica Johnson

Tickets:
Tuesday 14^th July

Alphabetti Theatre

8pm (Bar 6.30pm)

Tickets £7/£5

www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk

(With a post-show discussion)

Wednesday 15^th July

Arts Centre Washington

7.30pm

Tickets £8.50/£6

0191 219 3455

http://www.artscentrewashington.co.uk/production-details.aspx?id=705

(With spoken word and poetry)

Thursday 16^th July

Caedmon Hall, Gateshead

7.30pm

Pay what you can on the door

(With music from Joe Solo, Ribbon Road and Another Penny.)

Review: Frank Sumatra at South Shields Customs House

Charity Begins At Home

Frank Sumatra

South Shields Customs House

9^th March 2015 and on tour

Imagine what would happen if your charitable cause suddenly decided to deliver the animal that you used to sponsor to your home. Keith had originally bought his wife, Bev, a sponsorship of an endangered orang-utan. Little did he realise that a few years later the bundle of hairy orange fun would land on their doorstep armed with an iPad that acts like a speak and spell. Any teenager will often have attitude but this simian can also literally swing off the lampshades.

Mike Yeaman, whose writing credits include Lucky Numbers, has written another comedy cracker which frequently had the audience laughing. Presented as a recording of a radio show in which the voices are separated from the sound effects, a number of the laughs come from that partitioning. Indeed the audience’s imaginations are allowed to explore the scene being described in the same way as one would listening to a play on the radio. Director Bev Fox is therefore able to weave a scene of chaos and the pace is not held up for a prop to arrive. It is an interesting delivery which works very well.  Our sound engineer, Mat Hobbins, finds himself producing many of the sounds that Frank would produce with tight comic timing.

In the centre of the story is a couple that is trying for a baby. Bev, played by Jessica Johnson, is strong willed and enthusiastic. She is not always sympathetic the needs of others such as her elderly kleptomaniac mother.  Her other half Keith is less than enthusiastic about his lot, worrying more about the contents of the bin than trying to conceive a new child. Pip Chamberlin is engaging as the bloke for whom quickly changing circumstances are taking things beyond his control.  His cynicism is typified by his outburst “I don’t want to be oppressed by simian overlords!” Much humour is gained by the banter that often goes on in relationships behind closed doors.

The short play is a real gem that frequently made the audience laugh. It might answer questions such as whether an alpha male can drive a Fiat Punto or if an orangutan can be mistaken for Mick Hucknell? The radio play format adds to the humour and the actors did a fine job presenting the pandemonium of an teenage bundle of joy who refuses to tow the line.

Frank Sumatra is a wonderful comedy riot highlighting the discord in relationships.

Frank Sumatra was commissioned by Queens Hall Hexham.

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

Original Jowheretogo Preview: http://nomorepanicbutton.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/preview-frank-sumatra-on-tour.html 

Cast: Jessica Johnson, Mat Hobbins, Pip Chamberlin. 

Directed by Bev Fox.

Remaining Tour Dates:

12/13 Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre Venue website link

14 Bedlington Community Centre Venue website link

Preview: Frank Sumatra On Tour

Frank Sumatra

On Tour Across The North East

Imagine Paddington Bear gone wrong. And not a bear. Bev and Keith are a nice young couple who do their bit for the environment and pay 10 quid a month to the World Wildlife Fund to sponsor an orphaned orangutan. They’re also trying very hard to have a baby but when their orangutan turns up on the doorstep they find themselves parents to a hairy, unruly teenager.

A dark and surreal comedy written by Mike Yeaman (Lucky Numbers, Canoeing for Beginners) performed live in the style of a radio drama.

Frank Sumatra is a new One Act play, commissioned by Queens Hall Hexham.

Cast: Jessica Johnson, Mat Hobbins, Pip Chamberlin. 

Directed by Bev Fox.

Tour Dates:

March 06 Hexham Queens Hall Venue website link

07 Bishop Auckland Town Hall Venue website link

08 South Shields Customs House Venue website link

12/13 Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre Venue website link

14 Bedlington Community Centre Venue website link

Review: North East Rising at Washington Arts Centre

Culture is a matter of perspective

North East Rising

WashingtonArts Centre

4^th September 2014

An evening of poetry and music showcased some of the great talent that we currently have in the region. Alix Alixandra opened up with her songs about love and meeting up with her ex’s best friend on her ukulele. Gentle songs with poetic lyrics provided a reflective start to the evening. 

Alix was the calm before the storm as Jessica Johnson took to the stage with her vitriolic punk poetry. Topics range from what it must be like to be married to a comic like Jim Davidson, through drinking with a sister who doesn’t shy from a fight, to being married to a photographer who uses your house to photograph various girls. It may have been her first performance for 2 years but the verse flowed like a torrent. 

It was really pleasing to see a packed house experiencing the culture on show tonight and Rowan McCabe delivered an entertaining yet very personal journey around the North East. He segued the introductions into the poetic compositions to provide a seamless journey around the both the undesirable elements of the region and some of the highlights. Stotties and Tony the Fridge are celebrated whilst Cheryl Cole and dodgy company in a nightclub provide a counter argument to what is great about the region. Joseph Swan need not have a nightmare. Culture in the North East is in safe hands as long as talent like Rowan, Alix and Jessica can continue to perform in packed venues.

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo 

On tour:

Sunderland Independent Tuesday 16^thSeptember

Northern Stage Tuesday 21^st October

ARC Stockton Thursday 23^rdOctober

The show will appear as part of Sunderland Stages at the Independent (27/28 Holmeside) on Tuesday 16 September, 7.30pm. tickets £8.50, £6 conc, £5  students are available from Arts Centre Washington, by calling 0191 219 3455 or online at www.sunderlandstages.co.uk.

It then continues to Northern Stage on Tuesday 21^st October, 8.00pm. Tickets are £7.50 / £5 (conc) and will be available from www.northernstage.comor by calling 0191 230 5151.

It will finish at ARC Stockton on Thursday 23^rd October, 7.00pm. Tickets are £8.50 / £6.50 (conc) and will be available from http://arconline.co.uk/ or by calling 01642 525199.

 

Preview: North East Rising at Washington Arts Centre

For all those sick of Geordie Shore… Please stand up!!!

 North East Rising

Arts Centre Washington Thursday 4^th September

Northern Stage Tuesday 21^st October

ARC Stockton Thursday 23^rdOctober

 

‘North East Rising’ is Rowan McCabe’s new show about North East identity and it opens at Arts Centre Washington on Thursday 4th September before touring regionally. 

Do you ever feel like the media is being a bit unfair about the North East? Like there’s a bit more to it than closed down mines and drunken Ken and Barbie dolls? Well, Rowan is pretty sure that there is and he’s on a mission to find the true heart of the region’s culture.

An energetic one person show of performance poetry, theatre and stand-up; expect hallucinatory tales, laugh-out-loud satires and a few pauses for thought as Rowan goes on a journey that shakes apart Northern stereotypes and celebrates the regions more quirky side. Prepare to meet a load of eccentric characters along the way, including: a down-and-out Cheryl Cole, an incredibly strange athlete and a criminal pensioner... oh, and there’s also a gangster rap about stotties.

The evening will be hosted by comic and actor Robbie Lee Hurst with support from Spoken Word artist Jessica Johnson, who will perform a series of explosive and hilarious poems with a distinct North East twang. The show will open with music from Alix Alixandra, who has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and has built a reputation as a singer songwriter with a beautiful voice and a knack for a catchy melody.

Ticket Details:

‘North East Rising’comes to Arts Centre Washington on Thursday 4^th September, 7.30pm. Tickets are £7.50 / £5 (conc) and are available from www.artscentrewashington.co.ukor by calling 0191 219 3455.

It then tours to Northern Stage on Tuesday 21^st October, 8.00pm. Tickets are £7.50 / £5 (conc) and will be available from www.northernstage.comor by calling 0191 230 5151.

It will finish at ARC Stockton on Thursday 23^rdOctober, 7.00pm. Tickets are £8.50 / £6.50 (conc) and will be available from http://arconline.co.uk/ or by calling 01642 525199.