Preview: Declining Solo at ARC Stockton

Two Destination Language present  

Declining Solo 

ARC Stockton

Thursday 15th June 2017

From the makers of Near Gone and Manpower comes a new, highly visual show, Declining Solo. 

What is it like to be a child to a parent who is changing, aging; no longer the person our memories carry. 

Katherina Radeva (born in Bulgaria) explores her father’s decline in a new work using music, text and dance. Using memories of her father, Kat’s experience of living far away from her place of birth – and experiences in a fast-changing world, Declining Solo is a deeply honest show about our mortality and how we feel it most keenly when watching those we love change.  

Inside a set built of huge pieces of paper suspended from the ceiling, Alister Lownie narrates, representing the stream of consciousness in Katherina’s mind, as she travels through the story of her relationship with a father she no longer recognises, and a world that seems increasingly unwelcoming. Video taken in Katherina’s father’s home is intertwined with stories of her childhood, through to the present day where she finds the man who taught her how to navigate the world can no longer navigate his. 

Two Destination Language have adopted a way of working that suits the current climate for theatre makers, bringing in practitioners from specialisms across the theatre spectrum to help get ideas onto the stage. Led by artists Katherina Radeva and Alister Lownie, Two Destination Language’s work explores questions of identity, belonging and culture. 

Creative team: 

Devised and performed by Alister Lownie and Katherina Radeva 

Music Tim Blazdell 

Choreographed with Robbie Synge

Praise for Manpower: 

“immensely thought provoking and very funny" – Quiet Man Dave 

 
Praise for Near Gone:  

“A big, beautiful heart-thump of a show” – Matt Trueman 

WINNER Total Theatre Award for Innovation, Experimentation and Playing With Form 

“Near Gone is a near-perfect show” Total Theatre – Dorothy Max Prior 

WINNER the inaugural Pulse Ipswich Suitcase Prize 
 

Praise for Landed:  

“the power to subvert normality” – Daily Telegraph 

On The Web:

• Follow Two Destination Language on Facebook
• Follow Two Destination Language on Twitter
• Visit Two Destination Language's website

Tickets:

ARC Stockton, Thursday 15 June  

Online bookings: http://arconline.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-dance/declining-solo

Box office 01642 525199

Please note: This performance will be BSL interpreted
This performance is priced on a Pay What You Decide basis, click here to find out more. 

Preview: Contained at Newcastle Northern Stage

England’s largest learning disability theatre company take critically acclaimed show to Northern Stage.

Contained

Newcastle Northern Stage

Thursday 4^th - Saturday 6^th May 2017

Following appearances at the Crossing the Line Festival in Roubaix, France and West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds Mind the Gap’s critically acclaimed show Contained is heading to Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tynefrom 4 – 6 May.

The production, which originally toured to small venues across the UK in 2015/16 has undergone a significant period of development and has been transformed for larger venues

thanks to almost £50,000 worth of funding from Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Programme.

Mind the Gap created Contained in collaboration with director Alan Lyddiard (Former Artistic Director of Northern Stage and Artistic Director of the Performance Ensemble) and Denis Darzacq (award-winning French Photographer) and together, they produced a gritty, honest and thought-provoking show that aims to reflect the lives of people with learning disabilities in today’s society.

Director Alan Lyddiard says " I am really looking forward to being back in Tyneside. My time at Northern Stage was an extremely exciting period of my life. We created some amazing projects with an incredible team of people. My last show in Newcastle was a community project 'City of Sanctuary' at John the Baptist Church in Newcastle City Centre. I worked with some wonderful groups like Lawnmowers from Gateshead and Better Days from Newcastle. We plan to be working with both groups again during a series of workshops and events when visiting Northern Stage with Contained in May. My time at Northern Stage taught me a lot and I carry those lessons with me in all the work I am doing today."

Contained features nine learning-disabled performers, including Liam Bairstow (Alex in ITV’s Coronation Street) and Jez Colborne (lead artist of Mind the Gap’s Irresistible, Gift and Trickster) who has written original music and lyrics for the show. Together they present nine interwoven true stories about family and friendships, love and loss, the everyday and the extraordinary.

Combining live performance, film, photography, music and dance, Contained explores those small moments in life that suddenly become meaningful: moments that teach us about ourselves and the world that we live in.

“It forces us to rethink the dominant narratives around disability, defiantly and joyously trashing any idea of lives diminished and less fully lived and experienced.” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian As well as four performances of Contained at Northern Stage, Mind the Gap will hold a series of free events for anyone who has purchased a ticket to the show including workshops, discussion events and an exhibition (see full list below).

Following its appearance at Northern Stage, the show will continue its strategic tour to two other venues in the North of England: The Lowry, Salford (25 May) and Square Chapel Centre for the Arts, Halifax (8 & 9 June).

Activities at Northern Stage

4 May 7pm – 7:30pm TBC Performance Platform for people wanting to see new work by aspiring learning disabled performers http://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/contained-performance-platform

4 May 7:45pm CONTAINED; followed by Post Show Discussion

5 May 10am – 11:30am CONTAINED: The Workshop for artists and performers, led by Director Alan Lyddiard

5 May 1pm CONTAINED

5 May 3:30pm – 6:30pm Tea & Trailers for learning disability arts organisations to come together and share work http://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/contained-tea-trailers

5 May 7:45pm CONTAINED

6 May 10am – 5pm A Day of Workshops & Sharing for everyone: a series of exploratory workshops and activities http://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/contained-actors-workshop

6 May 7:45pm CONTAINED

For more information about these events or the performance, visit www.mind-the-gap.org.uk/contained

Tickets:

Tickets: £15.50 / £13.50 concessions

http://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/containedor call 0191 230 5151

Preview: Mark Murphy's V-Tol: Out of This World at Newcastle Northern Stage

 WORLD-CLASS, GENRE-DEFYING THEATRE COMES TO NORTHERN STAGE

Mark Murphy's V-Tol: Out of This World

Newcastle Northern Stage

Friday 26^th – Saturday 27^th May 2017

Out Of This World is action packed theatre, set in the mind of a woman in a medically induced coma. Within a world of projected film and animation, it combines stunning aerial choreography, explosive special effects and edge of the seat storytelling to create a show that is both psychological thriller and heart-rending, medical drama.

The show propels its audience through one woman’s descent into the depths of a medically induced coma. Once safely cocooned, she discovers a shocking truth that forces her to escape her subterranean safe house in a very real fight for life.

It is created by Mark Murphy, celebrated internationally for genre-defying shows combining his skills as writer, director, designer, filmmaker and choreographer. In recent years, he has led ambitious, large-scale outdoor events and international ceremonies for audiences in excess of 70,000, including the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony (featuring 1500 Glaswegians alongside stars such as Kylie Minogue, Lulu, Deacon Blue and Dougie Maclean). Out Of This World marks his welcome return to the stage for the first time in ten years.

Out Of This World has been researched with a Consultant Neurosurgeon, a Consultant Anesthetist and the clinical lead for the West Midlands Air Ambulance, with a development period that has taken Mark from a neurosurgical operating room to aerial rehearsal rooms in Buenos Aires.

Creator Mark Murphy explains ‘Out Of This World’s heroine Ellen is not only the main character but, intriguingly, also the location for the show – as much of the action takes place deep within her injured brain. It can be a playful place although often it is terrifying; and ultimately it is revelatory. A profound truth lies in the revelation that the pain endured, the tests faced and skills acquired while she is deep under the heavy blanket of a medically induced coma demonstrate the extraordinary capacity of the mind to equip the human heart with all it needs to survive outside of this deep sleep. I want audiences to dive deep with her on this journey into herself and be thrilled and stunned by the action she and they encounter.’

CAST includes:

Sarah Swire,

Catherine Cusack,

Itxaso Moreno,

Anwar Russel

On The Web:

Website www.outofthisworldtour.co.uk

Twitter @OOTW_Tour

Instagram ootwtour

Youtube OOTW Tour

Soundcloud markmurphyvtol

Tickets:

Mark Murphy's V-Tol: Out of This World

FRI 26 – SAT 27 MAY, 7.30pm at Northern Stage, Newcastle

Tickets from £15.50

Recommended age: 14+

Box office 0191 230 5151 or online at www.northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/mark-murphys-v-tol-out-of-this-world

 

REVIEW: Grease at Sunderland Empire

Follow North East Theatre Guide on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NETheatreGuide and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NETheatreGuide.

“Chang chang changitty chang sha-bop”

Grease

SunderlandEmpire

Until Saturday 6^th May 2017

The Dress Circle was full for the musical voted “the number one musical of all time” in the Channel 4 chart of 100 Greatest Musicals. The tale of teenage love at Rydell High, with its memorable and catchy songs, continues to be a popular production after 46 years. Of course it is the 1978 film starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, which is in every fan’s collection, and is the benchmark which future stage productions will normally be compared. So how did the 2017 production, with Over The Rainbow winner Danielle Hope as Sandy and teen idol Tom Parker from The Wanted as Danny, compare?

Photo: Paul Coltas

The tale starts on the first day back at Rydell High.  Danny confesses to his mates, the T-Birds, that he had some summer loving with a girl at the beach during the Holidays. Meanwhile the new girl Sandy mentions meeting a new lad, called Danny, to the in-group of girls called the Pink Ladies.  Once the two teens realise that they’re in the same school there proceeds to be a catalogue of misunderstandings as they try to retain the respective reputations.

Photo: Paul Coltas

The Pink Ladies are marvellous. Frenchy (Rhiannon Chesterman) is charming, Marty (Lauren Atkins) is confident, Jan is lovelly , and Betty Rizzo is in control. Likewise the T-Birds are full of that adolescent charm and wrongly placed self-assurance that teens have. Special mention for this evening’s understudies Michael Cortez, as car-owner Kenickie, and Grant Thresh, as the experienced Sonny, who fitted in so well into their roles.

Photo: Paul Coltas

The first act had some funny touches from director Dave Gilmour and choreographer Arlene Phillips. In particular the 3 backing singers coming out of the showers raised a number of laughs. The two musical highlights of the show were both in the second act. Danielle Hope showed her fabulous singing skills during Hopelessly Devoted To You. She has real star quality.  The staging of Beauty School Dropout, with George Olney as the Teen angel, was much more satisfying than on the televised Grease Live show. 

I finished the show, not entirely convinced by Tom Parker’s vocals during a few of the songs. Perhaps it wasn’t his night however his acting skills made up for it.

Photo: Paul Coltas

This is a very slick production thanks, in part to the set design from Terry Parsons, and the lighting design from Mark Henderson. The costumes, designed by Andreane Neofitou, too were very much ‘of the period’ too. The combination of bright set and costumes worked well together. The dresses looked amazing during the big dance scenes.

Photo: Paul Coltas

The band is perched in the upper half of the set. They were given a chance to show off their skills at the start with a number of solos before hiding behind a screen for the bulk of the show. MD Griff Johnson kept a tight ship and the musicians didn’t put a foot wrong all night.

Photo: Paul Coltas

Overall Grease is a slick production that will please the fans of the show. The catchy songs and great dance routines performed in fabulous costumes make it a fun trip to the theatre.  

Review by Stephen Oliver

Website:

Photo: Paul Coltas

For more information, visit www.greasethemusical.co.uk

Please tag the account on twitter: @greasemusical

Tickets:

Tickets available from the Box Office on High Street West, via the ticket centre 0844 871 3022* or www.ATGtickets.com/Sunderland *calls cost up to 7p per minute plus standard network charges. Booking and transaction fees may apply to telephone and online bookings.