Preview: Mixtape: Halloween at Newcastle Live Theatre

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Mixtape: Halloween

Newcastle Live Theatre

Friday 30^th November 2015

Having played to sell-out audiences at the Underbelly (as part of this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Mixtape return to Live Theatre this October with a ‘graveyard smash’ Halloween edition of their bite-sized comedy show. Audiences are invited to grab their broomsticks, sharpen their fangs and polish their cauldrons ready for a night of remixed spooky tunes. Guess what songs inspire the ghoulish comedy sketches to be in with the chance of winning a special, limited edition, Halloween Mixtape.

On Friday 30^th October Mixtape perform their unique comedy quiz show inspired by music on Live Theatre’s main stage. The performers, called Mixtapers, take songs and using only the song’s lyrics create mini comedy sketches. The running time of the sketches must not be longer than the tracks that inspired them. The words from the songs can be reordered and repeated in any way that the Mixtape writers choose, but no additional words can be added to form the script (bar the occasional improvised ad-lib).

Mixtaper Amy Foley

Audiences can play along in teams, or individually, to be in with the chance of winning one of the highly coveted Golden Mixtape awards. To win players need to guess which song or band / solo artist inspired each short sketch. The team, or individual player, with the most correct answers will walk away with that night’s Golden Mixtape prize.

Mixtaper Steven Blackshaw

For this edition, audience members are encouraged to ‘dress to distress’ by wearing Halloween attire. The player or team with the best Halloween costume, as picked by the Mixtapers, will win some additional spooky prizes on the night.

Mixtaper Zoe Hakin

Conceived by theatre director and writer Melanie Rashbrooke, Mixtape is a fun night out which is written and performed by some of the most exciting writers and theatre makers around. In addition to the sketches written by Melanie each Mixtape also features a selection of sketches written by guest writers. For the Halloween edition these include Traverse 50 writer Alison Carr (Fat Alice, Traverse), Lee Mattinson (who won the Royal Exchange’s inaugural Hodgkiss Award in 2014), Nina Berry (Rendezvous, Live Theatre) and Live Theatre’s Creative Producer Graeme Thompson.

Mixtaper Chris Foley

Mixtape is the perfect night out for comedy, music, theatre and pub quiz fans. Don’t miss this night full of tricks, treats and things that go bump in the night!

The Mixtapers regularly upload comedy sound-bites, videos and images to their Twitter @ukmixtape and website www.mixtapetheatre.co.uk

Mixtape are a North East theatre company based in Newcastle upon Tyne. 

Join the conversation on Twitter #MixtapeHalloween

Tickets:

Mixtape comes to Newcastle’s Live Theatre on Friday 30^th October 2015 at 19.30 Full price: £8 Conc: £6

Tickets and details: http://www.live.org.uk/whats-on-book/mixtape-halloween

Booking online:

It’s easy to book tickets online, via this secure website. An average booking will take 5 minutes, tickets can be booked 24 hours a day, seven days a week and there is no booking fee. Tickets can be mailed out, at an extra charge of £1, or can be collected from the box office. https://www.live.org.uk/pp/performance?id=11989&syos=1

By phone or in person

Call Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232 or to book in person visit the theatre, situated on Broad Chare, just off Newcastle’s Quayside.

Box Office Opening Times:

Monday to Friday 10am to 5.30pm (10am to 8pmwhen there is an evening show)

Weekend evening show only 5 to 8pm

Weekend matinee days 12 to 8pm

Preview: Mixtape - Edinburgh Festival

Bite-sized comedy inspired by music

Mixtape - Edinburgh Festival Preview

Newcastle Live Theatre

Friday 24^th July 2015
 

Mixtape - Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Edinburgh Belly Laughs, at Underbelly Cowgate (venue 61)

Thursday 6^thto Sunday 30^th August 2015 

Mixtape is altering the comedy circuit with their unusual bite-sized sketches inspired by music. Part theatre show and part music quiz Mixtape is the perfect night out for comedy, theatre, music and pub quiz fans.

After a succession of sell-out shows at Live Theatre in Newcastle, and a successful festival tour in 2014 (to the Secret Garden Party, Hijack and Larmer Tree Festival), Mixtape are proud to announce their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut. They are bringing their unique brand of comedy to the Underbelly (venue 61) from the 6^th to 30^th August.

The Mixtape Team

The performers, called Mixtapers, take songs and using only the song’s lyrics create mini comedy sketches. At the Fringe, they’ll be presenting a selection of shows inspired by different music genres in the Underbelly’s Belly Laugh space at 10.20pm every night. The themes include The 80’s, Brit Pop, Girl Bands vs. Boy Bands and Rock ‘n’ Roll Jukebox. 

The rules? Only the lyrics from the song can be used to form the script and the running time of the sketch must not be longer than the track that inspired it. The lyrics can be reordered and repeated in any way that the Mixtape writers choose, but no additional words can be used to form the plays script (bar the occasional improvised ad-lib). 

Audiences can play along and every night they have the chance of winning the highly coveted Golden Mixtape if they manage to correctly guess the songs and bands or solo artists that inspired each short sketch. The players with the most correct answers will walk away with that evening’s Golden Mixtapetrophy. Plus, for the Fringe, they will also be awarding a limited edition purple Mixtape (a colour inspired by the Underbelly) for the best musically inspired costume. The team or player with the best outfit will win the Mixtape costume contest and receive this limited edition cassette tape.

Conceived by theatre director and writer Melanie Rashbrooke, Mixtape is a fun night of theatrical madness written and performed by some of the most exciting writers and theatre makers around. In addition to the sketches written by Melanie each Mixtape also features a selection of sketches written by guest writers. For the Fringe these include Traverse 50 writer Alison Carr (Fat Alice, Traverse),Lee Mattinson (who won the Royal Exchange’s inaugural Hodgkiss Award in 2014) and Nina Berry(Rendezvous, Live Theatre).

On Friday 24 July Mixtape will preview a selection of their favourite Edinburgh Fringe sketches at Live Theatre in Newcastle. This is a chance to see some of their Edinburghsketches first, before they head to the Underbelly for the summer.

Cast & Creatives:

Artistic Director and writer: Melanie Rashbrooke
Performers: James Barton, Steven Blackshaw, Adam Donaldson, Amy Foley and Zoe Hakin
Writers: Lee Mattinson and Nina Berry 

On The Web:

Follow updates on Twitter @ukmixtape or on Facebook at /mixtapetheatre

Tickets:

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL PREVIEW
Date:                Friday 24 July 2015, 7.30pm
Venue:             Live Theatre, Newcastle 
Tickets:             £8 full price, £6 concession
Box office:        0191 232 1232 
Internet:           www.live.org.uk

SUITABILITY: 14+ contains some explicit content 

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE
Dates:              Thursday 6 to Sunday 30 August 2015, 10.20pm
Venue:             Belly Laughs, at Underbelly Cowgate (venue 61) 
Tickets:             £11 - £7 full price, £10 - £7 concession
Box office:        0844 545 8252 www.edfringe.com 
Internet:           www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk

SUITABILITY: 14+ contains some explicit content 

Preview: Mixtape at Newcastle Live Theatre

C’mon everybody!
Mixtape Rock n’ Roll at Live Theatre

Mixtape: Rock n’ Roll Jukebox

Newcastle Live Theatre

Friday 20 March, 7.30pm 

Mixtape: Solo Stars 

Newcastle Live Theatre

Friday 22 May, 7.30pm 

Mixtape is altering the theatre circuit with their bite-sized micro-plays inspired by music. Part theatre show and part pop quiz Mixtape is the perfect night out for theatre, music and pub quiz fans. Conceived by theatre director Melanie Rashbrooke, Mixtape is a night of theatrical madness written and performed by some of the most exciting writers and theatre makers in the north east.

After a succession of sell-out shows at Live Theatre and a successful festival tour in 2014 (to the Secret Garden Party, Hijack and Larmer Tree Festival) Mixtape are back presenting their sketches at Newcastle’s premiere new writing venue Live Theatre. Due to popular demand Mixtape has now moved from Live Theatre’s Studio Theatre into the Main Theatre.  

First up, on Friday 20 March, audiences will be invited to don their prom dresses and T-Bird style jackets for a special 1950s inspired edition of Mixtape called Mixtape Rock n’ Roll Jukebox. Join the Mixtapers for this high-octane trip down the Rock n’ Roll hall of fame. See Elvis battle it out against Buddy Holly and Connie Francis in this night of musically inspired mini-plays. 

For this edition the Mixtapers will take songs by Rock n’ Roll bands and solo artists and, using only the song’s lyrics, create short theatre sketches that can be no longer than the tracks that inspired them.  The Mixtapers can only use the lyrics from the songs to create the play’s scripts. The lyrics can be reordered in any way that the Mixtapers choose but no additional words can be used apart from the occasional ab-lib!

Mixtape is part theatre show and part music quiz. Audiences play along and have the chance of winning the highly coveted Golden Mixtape if they manage to correctly guess the songs, and bands or artists, that inspired each short sketch.

The Rock n’ Roll Jukebox performers include Newcastle based actors James Barton, Steven Blackshaw, Amy Foley, Chris Foley, Lewis Jobson, Caroline Liversidge, Katie Powell and Zoe Hakin. The writers for this edition include Melanie Rashbrooke (the company’s founder), Lee Mattinson, Nina Berry and Stu Nimmo.

Get your Teddy boy swagger on and rock around the clock with the Mixtapers on Friday 20 March.

Plus, on Friday 22 May Mixtape return to Live Theatre to celebrate solo stars. Audiences will be tested to see if they know Sting from Madonna and Michael Jackson from Lady Gaga.

Reviews of past gigs

★★★★★

‘Innovative, imaginative, inventive, entertaining, that‘s an evening at a Mixtape event…The stage sparkled with creative talent and abounded with endless energy and dynamic delivery; most pieces were like a shot in the arm with an occasional calming, sedate one, so delivering a balanced evening’s entertainment. Laughter came thick and fast from the full, appreciative audience. The evening proved to me, yet again, the incredible amount of creative talent the area has.’
Remote Goat

‘The audience was caught up in an exhilarating whirlwind of quick-fire sets, which were beautifully paced throughout. Mixtape works really well.  I had a brilliantly entertaining night and my companion left with the coveted Golden Mixtape, so all in all, a huge thumbs-up’
Alliterati Magazine

‘Theatre director Melanie Rashbrooke is onto a winner with this concept and the inclusion of both young writers and performers is one which pleases me; giving young people a platform to show off their talents results in a funny, clever, well thought out evening of new theatre.’
Cuckoo Review

‘Love, love, love it! I’ve never been to anything quite like it. You’ve made a fan out of me!’
Audience member

Cast

Artistic Director and writer: Melanie Rashbrooke
Performers: James Barton, Amy Foleyand Steven Blackshaw

On The Web:

Website: www.mixtapetheatre.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ukmixtape

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mixtapetheatre  

Hashtag #MixtapeRocknRoll #NowThatsWhatICallMixtape

Tickets:

MIxtape takes place at Newcastle’s Live Theatre on Friday 20 March & Friday 22 May, 7.30pm
Duration: 1 hr 30 minutes including interval
Suitabilty: 14+
Tickets are £6 and can be booked online at www.live.org.uk  or www.mixtapetheatre.co.uk.

Review: Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay at Newcastle Live Theatre

 A Suprise For Dinner

Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay

Newcastle Live Theatre

Until 21^st February 2015.

Live Theatre is playing host to a double bill written by Robin French, who wrote the screenplay for the recent BBC3 hit Cuckoo, produced by the new local company The Six Twenty. Director, Melanie Rasbrooke, was involved in the initial work in-development showings in London and wanted to bring the full versions to the North East.

Choirplay is very much an ensemble piece that examines our need to buy things we don’t need. The cast of nine starts the show with a series of randomly spoken line such as “I bought a CD today as I was feeling unhappy. I put it next to the CD I bought last week” or “achieving my dreams is only a question of wanting it enough”. There messages are either a desire for material goods or what is apparently a better, more successful life.

There are times when Choirplay comes across more as an artwork than a drama piece. It is unusual, working best when sentences are being completed by different actors around the room and, perhaps, less so when talking in unison. An exploration into the Ikea generation – it is a brave piece on consumerism.

The second play, Breakfast Hearts, works much better as it unveils a set of values, which are unlikely to be shared by the audience, to comic effect. Sarah (Katie Powell) and Roy (Steven Blackshaw) are much in love but Sarah is hungry. She doesn’t feel a need to visit the shops nor does she fancy the corned beef in the cupboard, so she kills Roy and eats him instead. Breakfast Hearts quickly presents its darker core.

Philip (Stan Hodgson) is missing his dead wife so his mate Gary (Chris Foley) suggests a dinner date with his wife Charlotte (Alex Tahnée) and, the now single, Sarah. During the meal they discuss cannibalism as if it is a normal state of play. Carving up the new members of staff and leaving body parts lying around is seen as a practical joke.

Fortunately the disturbing nature of the subject matter is nicely countered by a dark sense of humour that had the audience laughing on numerous occasions. The silliness includes sawing workmate Marilyn (Amy Foley) in half and building a heart shaped swimming pool despite an inability to swim. The craziness is exemplified by an accountant with is rubbish at numbers but doesn’t feel there is a need to use a calculator. A nice part of the meal scenes is the reaction to the contents of their meal as they pick at their teeth.

The young cast were entertaining and Breakfast Hearts worked well as satire. Provocative and engaging, I look forward to the next production by The Six Twenty.

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

The show preview originally appeared: http://nomorepanicbutton.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/preview-breakfast-hearts-choirplay-at.html

On The Web:

Website: www.thesixtwenty.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesixtwenty

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesixtwenty

Cast:

Steven Blackshaw

Glen Collier

Jessica Dawson

Amy Foley

Chris Foley

Zoë Hakin

Stan Hodgson

Katie Powell

Alex Tahnée

Creatives:

Writer: Robin French

Director: Melanie Rashbrooke

Technical Manager: Charlotte Woods

Producers: Ellie Claughton & Eleni Venaki

Lighting & Sound Design: Charlotte Woods

Tickets

The double bill appears at Live Theatre’s Studio Theatre from  Wednesday 18 February to Saturday 21 February  at 7.30pm. Tickets for Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay cost £8 full price and £6 concessions and can be booked by contacting Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232 or by visiting www.live.org.uk. 

Preview: Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay at Live Theatre

A pioneering new theatre company present a double bill of plays by award-winning writer Robin French

Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 October, 
Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay
Presented by The Six Twenty
Written by Robin French 
Directed by Melanie Rashbrooke

Due to demand the run of Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay is being extended at Live Theatre. They've added two extra performances on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 February. The Wednesday and Thursday performances are now sold out.

From Robin French, the award-winning writer of Bear Hug (Royal Court) and screenwriter of Cuckoo(BBC 3), comes a double bill of piercingly funny and irreverent plays about what it means to live and love in the 21^st century – with Ikea and cannibalism.

Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay is presented by The Six Twenty from Wednesday 18 February to Saturday 21 February at 7.30pm in Live Theatre’s intimate Studio Theatre. The Six Twenty is a pioneering new theatre company, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, created by theatre director Melanie Rashbrooke.

Breakfast Hearts is a dark and disturbing comedy following two mismatched couples determined to find love. This sharp satire offers a startling exploration of the harsh realities of relationships. And cannibalism.

Breakfast Hearts features an exciting cast of up-and-coming north east talent including Alex Tahnée, one eighth of north east theatre company The Letter Room, as a wife that can’t swim who is obsessed with buying a pool and Chris Foley (10 Minutes To...Take Off, Mixtape and Write Stuff, Live Theatre) as a loud-mouth insurance broker who saws his secretary (Amy Foley) in half. They’re joined by an innumerate accountant (Stan Hodgson) and his obsessive girlfriend who has unexpected urges (Katie Powell) and her first husband (Steven Blackshaw). Joining the Breakfast Hearts cast in Choirplay are Glen Collier, Jessica Dawson, Zoë Hakin and Hannah Walker.

Choirplay is an audacious experiment with form and style in which the eternal problem of finding happiness is pitted against our insatiable modern desire for never-ending choice. Featuring a cast of ten, Choirplay takes a wry and cynical swipe at our endless battle with wanting more. Society’s individuals blend to become one in this hauntingly compelling play of voices searching for the ultimate fulfilment of true happiness.

The plays were originally produced as work-in-development showings at Theatre503 in 2007, by Tickle Productions. The Six Twenty are previewing the shows for the first time as full scale productions.

As Melanie Rashbrooke, The Six Twenty’s artistic director explains:

“I’m thrilled to be previewing this double bill at Live Theatre early next year as The Six Twenty’s first official production. Ever since I was involved with the initial work-in-development showings of Robin’s plays, at Theatre503, I’ve always wanted to direct them and see them produced as full scale shows. I’m particularly excited to bring the double bill to Newcastle and preview them at Live Theatre, which is a powerhouse of bold new theatre. We’ve got a fantastic cast of emerging north east talent who are going to bring these piercingly funny and poignant plays to life. I hope you can join us”

Robin French’s first play, Bear Hug, was produced at The Royal Court in 2004, and he was one of Paines Plough and Channel 4’s Future Perfect writers. He was chosen by The Observer as one of Britain's brightest up and coming talents in 2005. He has twice been chosen as a Broadcast Hotshot (2006 and 2008). His short film Crocodile won production funding from the BFI and was nominated for a BIFA for Best British short. In 2014, the completed film went on to win awards at Cannes, Encounters, and Guanajuato festival in Mexico.He’s also recently co-written the hit BBC3 sitcom Cuckoo with his best friend from school, Kieron Quirke.

“Blazingly funny, intensely disturbing and audaciously ambitious”
The Times on Bear Hug

Tickets

These bold and ambitious shows will be performed in Live Theatre’s Studio Theatre from  Wednesday 18 February to Saturday 21 February  at 7.30pm. Tickets for Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay cost £8 full price and £6 concessions and can be booked by contacting Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232 or by visiting www.live.org.uk. 

Preview: Live Lab Re-Launch at Live Theatre

Celebrate the re-launch of Live Lab
with a week of exciting new work
as it is shared for the very first time

Live Lab Re-Launch

Live Theatre

Sunday 25 to Friday 30 January, 2015
 

2015 marks the re-launch of Live Theatre’s Live Lab programme with more opportunities for budding writers, comedians, theatre makers and audience members to get involved. From Sunday 25 to Friday 30 January, audiences are invited to celebrate the re-launch of Live Lab with a week of exciting new work as it is shared for the very first time.

As Gez Casey, Live Theatre’s literary manager, explains:   

“Live Lab is an innovative and vital part of Live Theatre's talent development programme offering a forum for theatre practitioners to try out new material and gain insightful feedback, opening a dialogue between the people who watch work and those that make it. Since its launch in 2011 Live Lab has attracted some of the most original theatre companies and artists, creating work that is bold, ambitious and relevant. We hope you can join us this January as we expand our Live Lab programme and celebrate its re-launch"

To start the week, on Sunday 25 January at 8pm, 10 Minutes to... is back for another evening of new plays by new voices. Five north east based playwrights, matched with five local directors, are given the opportunity to create a 10 minute play that responds to a particular theme. To kick off the New Year, and a new Live Lab, the theme is Take Off! 

10 Minutes to... is the latest addition to Live Theatre’s Live Lab programme, giving writers and directors the opportunity to forge new creative partnerships, be showcased at Live Theatre and bring their work to a new audience. The plays, which are rehearsed in just one adrenalin-fuelled weekend, include Trolley Boy written by Dave Raynor and directed by Anna Ryder, The Flight by Nina Berry and directed by Melanie Rashbrooke, Fold. Throw. Repeat by Rebekah Bowsher and directed by Morag IIles, Coming Home Party by Josh Coats and directed by Sebastien Fumoleau and After School Cake Club by Ali Pritchard and directed by Lewis Grey.

The launch week continues, on Thursday 29 January at 8pm, when audiences are invited to see brand new work-in-progress in the first Scratch Night of the year. Jointly curated with The Empty Space, Scratch Night is a staple of the Live Lab programme giving theatre makers the chance to test new ideas out in front of an audience. This edition includes award-winning poet Kate Fox showcasing a new show she is developing for the BBC, a piece from theatre maker Greg Wohead featuring unrehearsed performers using pre-recorded audio and headphones and Newcastle based theatre collective Precious Cargo who make dynamic, thought-provoking theatre with a heart. They will also be joined by Eggman Theatre who will present a selection of scenes from their new show Baggage, which is about discovering and embracing your identity.

Founded in 2011, Scratch Night gives emerging and established theatre companies a forum to share short extracts of work currently in development and gain invaluable feedback from audiences and fellow theatre makers on their work.  Many of the shows, first showcased at a Scratch Night, have now gone on to be developed into full length shows. Previous Scratchers, who have gone on to do great things, include Kieran Hurley’s award-winning Beatswhich enjoyed a successful run at 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Alistair McDowall’s Captain Amazing, which was one of the winners of Live Theatre and The Empty Space’s bursary award in 2012. Plus, in 2013 Alison Carr’s The Soaking of Vera Shrimp was also awarded the Live Theatre and The Empty Space’s bursary to develop her show into a full length piece which was showcased at Live Theatre last year.

The re-launch week will culminate, on Friday 30 January at 8pm, with a special launch party for audience members, writers and theatre makers to informally share ideas about the future of Live Lab. Plus, some of the region’s most exciting voices will perform extracts of their work in this night of cutting-edge theatre, poetry, comedy and music. Anyone with an interest in having their say on the future of Live Lab should make sure they attend this event. 

Tickets:

A week pass to attend all of the events costs £12 or £5 tickets are available per event. To book tickets and to find out more about what is in store visit www.live.org.uk/livelab or contact Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232.