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27/08/2015

Preview of the Autumn 2015 Season at Newcastle’s Dance City



 
Preview of the Autumn 2015 Season at Newcastle’s Dance City Theatre

Dance City the North East’s leading theatre for dance is excited to announce its autumn 2015 Season. The biggest dance performance programme outside London, sees some of the UK’s leading dance companies performing live in Dance City’s purpose-built theatre.

Ockham’s Razor’s Tipping Point Photo: Nik Mackey
  
The season includes Ockham’s Razor’s Tipping Point, an impressive and dynamic new piece with circus tricks, theatrics and aerial dance; Joss Arnott Dance perform an incredible triple bill including a live performance with GRAMMY award-winning Dame Evelyn Glennie and music and dance combine for a stunning evening where Scottish Ensemble and Andersson Dance perform the extraordinary Goldberg Variations.

The season has three great shows for children and families which will also appeal to an adult audience. Two performances form part of Juice Festival:-  Shhh!by C-12 Dance Theatre is a lively, visual and fun piece that tells the tale of a local community who come together when their local library is threatened with closure and Just Jam Intl: Jam and Juice, a celebration of North East and International Hip Hop talent. The Little Match Girl is a stunning festive show based on the classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen, with great contemporary dance, live music, fabulous sets and beautiful costumes.

Tickets:

Tickets are available online at www.dancecity.co.uk, in person by popping into Dance City or by calling the Ticket office on 0191 261 0505. Ticket prices start at just £5.

Book 2 shows for £22, 3 shows £33 or 4 shows £44. Book tickets for both Shhh! and The Little Match Girl for £10.


Performances:

Dance Edits
Thursday 24 September, 6pm
Age: all
Tickets: £5

Dance Edits is a night of new work by dance makers based in the North East. The pieces are all short (5-10 minutes), and the work will be extremely varied. There are 8 different pieces commissioned by Dance City in a range of styles. If you want a snapshot of contemporary dance it’s a really good event to attend to explore dance and find out more. Dance Edits features work by Adam Russell, Surface Area Dance Theatre, Newton's Ladder, James Southward, Tim Rubidge, Lizzie J Klotz, Viv Wood & Co and Tess Chaytor.
#danceedits



Autumn Tour
National Dance Company Wales
Saturday 3 October, 8pm | Sunday 4 October, 2pm
Age: all
Tickets: £15, £12.50 concession, £6 students & under 18’s

Wales’ National Dance Company are coming back to Dance City, with three contrasting pieces by three leading choreographers. Enjoy the theatricality of Walking Mad, the humour of Tuplet and the rock soundtrack of A Mighty Wind. This brilliantly fun production will leave you feeling full of life, inspired and with a smile on your face.
#NDCWales15


DANCE CLASS: a performance
Gillie Kleiman
Thursday 8 October, 6.30pm & 8.30pm
Age: 14+
Tickets: £5

This dance class wants to be a show (it wants to shine, be in the limelight). In the dance class performance all the participants do some dancing and do some watching (even at the same time). Open to all levels of dancers and spectators. Come in comfortable clothing and be prepared to watch and dance without shoes. You won’t sweat too much, honest. 
#danceclass


Falling in Love with Frida
The Life, Loves and Legacy of Frida Kahlo
Caroline Bowditch
Thursday 15 October, 7.30pm
Age: 16+
Tickets: £12.50, £9.50 concession, £6 students & under 18’s

Falling in Love with Frida, merges visual arts, spoken word and dance and you’re given an insight into Frida Kahlo’s life that will not only open your mind, but reflect on how other people are viewed in society. It’s a unifying experience for the entire audience. Glasgow based performance artist and choreographer, Caroline Bowditch, describes herself as a performer, maker, teacher, speaker and mosquito buzzing in the ears of the arts industry in the UK and further afield. This performance will be BSL interpreted.
#FridaTour


Shhh!
C-12 Dance Theatre
Wednesday 28 October, 2pm & 4pm
Age: 7+ and adults
Tickets: £6

A story of love, flying overdue library books and a dancing librarian. Shhh!is a lively, visual and fun piece that tells the story of a group of people whose local library is at the heart of their community. When a developer wants to knock it down they come together to try and save it. Expect dancing, jumping, climbing and acrobatics. Children and adults will be enthralled. Presented as part of Juice Festival. For details of accompanying workshops visit www.juicefestival.co.uk 
#Shhh!


Just Jam Intl: Jam and Juice
Bad Taste Cru and Juice Festival
Saturday 31 October, 7pm
Age: All
Tickets: £12

Jam and Juice is a celebration of North East and international hip hop talent. Incorporating workshops during the day and a performance in the evening, this festival of B-boy and B-girl culture is a joyous collection of all things hip hop. It’s great fun. Commissioned by Juice Festival. For details of the full programme visit www.juicefestival.co.uk 
#JustJam8


Tipping Point
Ockham’s Razor
Wednesday 4 November, 7.30pm | Thursday 5 November, 7.30pm | Friday 6 November, 7.30pm | Saturday 7 November, 8pm.
Age: all
Tickets: £14-£18, £12.50 concession, £6 students & under 18’s

Ockham's Razor create original and ground breaking physical theatre and dance work. They return with their fourth full length production Tipping Point. The show is set in the round, the five performers enclosed within the circle of the stage. They take the simplest of equipment, 5 metre metal poles, and transform them into a rich landscape of images - a thin path picked through a mountain, the swell of the sea, a forest balancing on the tips of fingers…The performers balance, climb, spin and cling to this teetering, changing world, supporting each other as they wrestle and play with the moment when things begin to shift and tilt towards the tipping point. The audience are drawn close to the action as the toppling poles are cast out beyond the circle of the stage and over their heads. Produced by Turtle Key Arts.
#tippingpoint2015


5|0
Joss Arnott Dance and Dame Evelyn Glennie
Friday 13 November, 7.30pm | Saturday 14 November, 8pm
Age: all
Tickets: £20, £15 concession, £6 students & under 18’s

This autumn, critically acclaimed Joss Arnott Dance present a triple bill that will take you on a gripping journey through powerful, precise and heart-pounding choreography that has made the company one of the most exciting voices in British contemporary dance. Joss Arnott Dance has joined forces with GRAMMY award-winning and 2015 Polar Music Prize laureate Dame Evelyn Glennie, who has collaborated with the company's Musical Director James Keane, to create the thundering score she will perform live onstage for the climax of the triple bill - Wide Awakening. 5|0 is a birthday celebration marking the company’s 5th and Dame Evelyn’s 50th so expect a high-octane, adrenaline-fuelled evening of dance and live music. 5|0 is a co-commission between Blackpool Grand, DanceEast, Swindon Dance, Pavilion Dance, South East Dance, CAST and developed with Dance City. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England and PRS for Music Foundation.
#fiveO


Goldberg Variations
Scottish Ensemble and Andersson Dance
Friday 20 November, 7.30pm & Saturday 21 November, 8pm
Age: all
Tickets: £20, £15 concession, £6 students & under 18’s

Eleven musicians. Five dancers. One stunning new interpretation. 
This great Baroque piece of music, meshed with contemporary dance creates a passionate and inspired piece of music and dance. It’s a pleasure to watch how the dancers respond to the musician’s emotional rendition of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. A magical combination. The 11 musicians and 5 dancers perform Goldberg Variations as equal partners – both choreographed, the result is a singular experience of musician and dancer performing as one.
#goldberg2015


The Little Match Girl
Arthur Pita
Tuesday 1 December, 7pm | Wednesday 2 December, 1pm | Thursday 3 December, 1pm | Friday 4 December, 1pm | Saturday 5 December, 1.30pm & 6pm
Age: 5+ and adults
Ticket: £6

A Magical Dance Theatre Show and Festive Family Treat from celebrated Director and Choreographer Arthur Pita. Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic story, this touching tale of an impoverished young street girl’s hopes and dreams is beautifully told through dance, song and original live music by Frank Moon. A snowy stage sets the scene for an icy Christmas Eve where the Little Match Girl paces the emptying streets, shivering and desperate, trying to sell her matches. Cold, hungry and with just one final match flame to keep her warm, she sees a vision of her beloved grandmother, who guides her on a journey through the night sky to the moon, leaving her troubled life behind. Now on a clear night if you look closely you might see a shooting star….. or is it a match burning brightly? Suitable for children aged 5 and over and adults who love a great story, beautifully told.
#TheLittleMatchGirl




Preview: Simon and Garfunkel Story at Darlington Civic Theatre




 CIVIC THEATRE FILLED WITH THE SOUND OF SILENCE

The Simon and Garfunkel Story
Darlington Civic Theatre
Tuesday 8th September 2015

The music of Simon and Garfunkel comes to the Darlington Civic Theatre on Tuesday 8 September with The Simon and Garfunkel Story – 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Has it really been 50 years since the most successful Folk/Rock Duo of all time recorded their first number one hit single 'The Sound of Silence'?

Following it’s West End success at the Leicester Square Theatre, London in February 2015, ‘The Simon and Garfunkel Story' is currently the biggest and the most successful touring theatre show celebrating the lives and career of Folk/Rock sensation Simon and Garfunkel.

Featuring seasoned West End, award-winning leading man Dean Elliott (Buddy Holly in 'Buddy - The Musical') and a full cast of talented actor- musicians, 'The Simon and Garfunkel Story' takes you back through the 'Groovy' times of the 1960s. It tells the story of both Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel from their humble beginnings as Rock n Roll duo 'Tom and Jerry', right through their massive success, dramatic break-
up and finishing with a stunning recreation of the 1981 Central Park reformation concert.

Using a huge projection screen, the show features 1960’s photos and film footage whilst a full live band perform all their hits including 'Mrs Robinson', 'Cecilia', 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', 'Homeward Bound', 'Sound of Silence' and many more!

Tickets:
The Simon and Garfunkel Story is at Darlington Civic Theatre on Tuesday 8 September.

Tickets* are £20 and £18.

*All ticket prices include a £1 restoration levy.

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk

  

Preview: Twist and Shout! at Whitley Bay Jam Jar Cinema


 A live concert celebrating the best British singers and songwriters

Twist and Shout!
Whitley Bay Jam Jar Cinema
Wednesday 2nd - Saturday 5th September 2015
 
After the huge success of 'The Song That Goes Like This' CS Productions is back with their brand new show 'Twist and Shout!' at Jam Jar Cinema, Whitley Bay.

Photo: George William Knox
CS Productions was set up 2 years ago by local musical theatre actress Caroline Sabiston. Her last venture was 'The Song That Goes Like This', a live concert featuring music from the musicals. The show sold out and prompted Caroline to start planning 'Twist and Shout!' after she returned from performing as lead vocalist on the Seabourn Odyssey this year. "We always have such a fantastic week at Jam Jar Cinema and I couldn't wait to start planning 'Twist and Shout!'. We have a new Musical Director, Andrew Soulsby, who has done some amazing arrangements of the best British pop and rock hits. We're going back to the 60's and right through to today, with songs that are bound to get everyone's toes tapping! We just can't wait to get it in front of an audience and hear how it sounds with our fantastic band."

CS Productions always strives to bring the best performers to the North East and this year is no exception. Back for a second year is Jack Montgomery. Jack started performing at an early age and originated the role of Michael Banks in the hit West Endmusical 'Mary Poppins'. Since then, Jack has had various roles on stage and in BBC TV shows 'Torchwood', 'WPC 56' and 'Doctors'.

Photo: George William Knox
Completing the line up is local lad, Adam Strong. Washington based performer Adam trained at London School of Musical Theatre and has performed all over the world. He toured the UK and Australia with the arena tour of the hit show 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and created, directed and performed in 'The World of Musicals' which has had sell out tours in Germany and China.

Tickets:
'Twist and Shout!' runs from Wednesday 2nd  - Saturday 5th  September (including Thursday matinee) and features songs by Tom Jones, Adele, Take That, Queen, Sting and many more.
Tickets are priced at £13 (concession) and £15 (full price) and are available from the Jam Jar Cinema box office and online at www.jamjarcinema.com. This event is expected to sell out, so make sure you book in advance.


Tickets: http://rftk.bigcartel.com/

www.facebook.com/AcousticCircus

Preview: Jersey Boys at Sunderland Empire




Rock n Roll - New Jersey Style

Jersey Boys
Sunderland Empire
Tuesday 8th- Saturday 19th September 2015

Jersey Boys has been seen by over 22 million people worldwide and is firmly established as one of London's longest running and most popular shows, where it continues to play at the Piccadilly Theatre.


Sam Ferriday, Stephen Webb, Matt Corner and Lewis Griffiths
Photo: Helen Maybanks
Jersey Boys is the remarkable true story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and their rise to stardom from the wrong side of the tracks. These four boys from New Jersey became one of the most successful bands in pop history, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and sold 100 million records worldwide, all before they turned 30.  The show is packed with their hits, including Beggin’, Sherry, Walk Like A Man, December, 1963 (Oh What a Night), Big Girls Don’t Cry, My Eyes Adored You, Let’s Hang On (To What We’ve Got), Bye Bye Baby, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Working My Way Back to You, Fallen Angel, Rag Doll and Who Loves You.   

Darlington-born Matt Corner will play the role of Frankie Valli in the ongoing UK and Ireland tour of Tony, Olivier and Grammy Award-winning Best Musical Jersey Boys (Matt previously played the role at certain performances). Sam Ferriday as Bob Gaudio, Lewis Griffiths as Nick Massi and Stephen Webb as Tommy DeVito will continue in their roles. Sunderland’s Michael Pickering will also join the cast to play the role of alternate Frankie Valli at certain performances. 
May be inappropriate for ages 12 and under due to strong language. Jersey Boys contains authentic New Jersey language.

Tickets:
Tickets available in person at Sunderland Empire Box Office, by calling 0844 871 3022* or by booking online at www.ATGtickets.com/Sunderland* plus a transaction fee applies. 


Tickets for Cherie Currie: http://rftk.bigcartel.com/

Preview: Our Ladies at Newcastle Live Theatre



Lee Hall’s latest play, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour is a sell-out and critical success at the Edinburgh Fringe

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour
Newcastle Live Theatre
Thursday 1st to Saturday 24th October 2015

l to r. Kirsty MacLaren (Manda, Karen Fishwick (Kay),
Melissa Allan (Orla), Frances Mayli McCann (Kylah),
Caroline Deyga (Chell, Dawn Sievewright (Fionnula)
Photo: Peter Dibdin
 
Live Theatre’s first ever co-production with National Theatre of Scotland, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour written by Billy Elliot and The Pitmen Painters writer Lee Hall has been a sell-out success at its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The play was sold out in advance of its two week run at the Traverse Theatre and has garnered critical acclaim from reviewers and audiences alike. It has gained seven five star reviews, a Herald Angel Award and an Acting Excellence Award from The Stage to date. Our Ladies… has its English premiere at Live Theatre, Newcastle from Thursday 1 to Saturday 24 October, the play’s only dates in England.


Photo: Manuel Harlan
Based on The Sopranos by cult Scottish novelist Alan Warner, and adapted for the stage by award-winning writer Lee Hall, Our Ladies is about six girls on the cusp of change. It follows the choir’s trip to Edinburgh as it goes badly wrong when love, lust, pregnancy and death all spiral out of control in a single day.


Photo: Manuel Harlan
The soundtrack of classical music and 70s pop rock, sung by the six cast members and performed by an all-female band features music by Handel, Bach and ELO. Our Ladies… is an outrageous piece of new music theatre with Tony-winning Martin Lowe (Once) as Music Supervisor.


Photo: Manuel Harlan
The Artistic Director of Newcastle’s Live Theatre, Max Roberts, said: ‘’As audiences will know Live Theatre has enjoyed a long and fruitful creative relationship with Lee Hall so we are delighted to collaborate with the National Theatre of Scotland in this co-production of his latest work the adaptation of The Sopranos by Alan Warner entitled Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour. I was completely knocked out by the production directed by Vicky Featherstone at The Traverse Theatre and it proved to be one of the highlights of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It is hilarious, shocking and tearfully emotional in turn and its exciting, young all female cast deliver Martin Lowe’s brilliant musical arrangements superbly. It is quite simply a dazzling piece of theatre. I’m sure our audiences will be delighted to witness its English premiere here in Newcastle before it begins its inevitable life as a national and international smash hit to follow Billy Elliot and The Pitmen Painters.’’


Photo: Manuel Harlan
Writer Lee Hall said: “I am delighted to be working for the first time with the National Theatre of Scotland. This is a project I've wanted to bring to the stage since I first read the book 17 years ago. Alan Warner's view of the world chimed so much with my own experience of growing up in Newcastle so it seemed a perfect project to work on as a co-production with Live Theatre where I have a very long association. I think the Scots and Geordies share a common understanding of the world. A robust sense of humour, an appetite for a good time and a lack of pretension about what Art should be. The Sopranos is filthy, manic, hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure - all the things I think theatre should be. Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour is a show full of music from the most exquisite classical choral pieces to foot stomping disco classics and much else in between. This is a very special show and very much a labour of love for Vicky Featherstone and I who have been working on this for several years now.”


Photo: Manuel Harlan
Vicky Featherstone returns to the National Theatre of Scotland for the first time since her appointment as Artistic Director at the Royal Court Theatre, to collaborate  with Lee Hall, (Billy Elliot and The Pitmen Painters), to create a funny, sad and raucously rude production about singing, sex and sambuca.


Photo: Manuel Harlan
Warner, whose 1995 debut novel Morvern Callar became a literary phenomenon, continues his themes of being young, lost and out of control in this musical play about losing your virginity and finding yourself.  Alan Warner wrote The Sopranos in 1998, followed by its sequel The Stars in the Bright Skywhich was long listed for the 2010 Man Booker Prize. He has written eight novels and is best known for Movern Callar which was made into a film starring Samantha Morton in 2002. His most recent novel is Their Lips Talk of Mischief, published by Faber in 2014.



Photo: Peter Dibdin

A cast of young Scottish musical theatre actresses take on the roles of Fionnula, Kylah, Kay, Manda, Chell and Orla. The cast features  Dawn Sievewright (Legally Blond)  and Karen Fishwick  (The Overcoat for Gecko Theatre and Caucasian Chalk Circle for The Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh) , who return to work with the National Theatre of Scotland, having both previously appeared in the award-winning musical, The Glasgow Girls. They are joined by Caroline Deyga who most recently appeared in Lucy Porter’s Fair Intellectual Club, Frances Mayli McCann (National Theatre’s Here Lies Love and Priscilla Queen of the Desert in the West End), Kirsty MacLaren (Piltochry Festival Theatre season)and Melissa Allan who is making her professional debut in the production.  The cast will be joined on stage by a trio of young female musicians, Amy Shackcloth, Becky Brass and Emily Linden.

 

 

The cast will be joined on stage by a trio of young female musicians, Amy Shackcloth, Becky Brass and Emily Linden.



Adapted by Lee Hall from The Sopranos by Alan Warner
Directed by Vicky Featherstone
Music Supervisor Martin Lowe

Designed by Chloe Lamford
Lighting Design by Lizzie Powell

Choreography by Imogen Knight

On The Web:
Join the conversation:#OurLadies

Tickets
After a sell-out run at the Traverse as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and a tour of Scotland Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour opens at Live Theatre on Thursday 1 October and runs until Saturday 24 October. 

For more information on Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour and to buy tickets costing between £26 to £10, over 60s concessions £16 and other concessions between £18 to £6 call Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232 or see www.live.org.uk.

Tour Dates: 
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, (18 to 30 August);
Tron Theatre, Glasgow (8 to 12 September);
Lemon Tree, Aberdeen (15 & 16 September);
One Touch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness  (18 & 19 September); 
Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy, Fife (22 & 23 September);
The Brunton, Musselburgh (25 & 26 September);
Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne (1 to 24 October).


Love?hate tickets: http://rftk.bigcartel.com/