News: Winter Tales – Bringing A Little Of The Live Tales Fun And Magic Into Classrooms

 

Winter Tales – Bringing A Little Of The Live Tales Fun And Magic Into Classrooms

A brand new online offer to support teachers in the North East has been created by Live Theatre, Newcastle. Winter Tales is a series of four weekly sessions for key stage 2 teachers designed to support their lesson plans to explore creative writing exercises, games and play.

The four sessions delivered to teachers via Zoom in November and December 2020 are free and led by Live Theatre’s highly acclaimed Live Tales Team. The programme will support teachers to take their learning forward themselves with their pupils. The outcome will be the creation of brilliant stories and will bring a little of the Live Tales fun and magic into their classrooms. Winter Tales will spark the imaginations of pupils with each participating class creating a completely original and unique story.

A Live Tales illustrator will create unique pictures to bring each class’s story, setting and characters to life in wonderful colour and as an added bonus the illustrator will send bespoke video messages to each class to keep pupils engaged with their tale.

Photo: Jill Tate

Helen Green, Children and Young People’s Lead at Live Theatre said: “Sadly, Covid19 restrictions have meant that Live Theatre has been unable to deliver our hugely popular Live Tales creative writing workshops at our Newcastle and Sunderland studios. Many teachers have told us that they have really missed Live Tales so we came up with the idea of Winter Tales. This interactive and unique lesson plan is a fantastic opportunity to get behind the scenes of Live Tales and bring smiles and excitement to the children in the run up to Christmas.”

Winter Tales supports literacy, socialisation and communication in class and can help build confidence with creative writing, without the worries about spelling, punctuation or grammar, only creative ideas.

On completion of the sessions, each school will be presented with a full colour, illustrated copy of their completed winter tale and each pupil will receive a copy to take home as a gift.

Full details of the Winter Tales Zoom schedule and FAQs for teachers can be viewed at https://www.live.org.uk/winter-tales-key-stage-2-teachers-live-theatres-live-tales-team. With only 15 spaces available, teachers are advised to register their interest early for this exclusive free Winter Tales offer. The deadline for booking is 6 November 2020. To register email: livetales@live.org.uk

News: ARC Stockton is one of 50 arts organisations to be funded to host a Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries Fellow

 ARC Stockton is one of 50 arts organisations to be funded to host a Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries Fellow

·         The role of Artist of Change at ARC will help the Stockton-on-Tees arts centre to create art with and for their community, and is now open for applications

·         The programme is targeted at applicants from a working class background, who are under-represented in the arts and cultural sector

ARC Stockton is to host a Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries Fellow as part of a programme to get more people from working class or lower socio-economic backgrounds into cultural careers. Across the UK there will be 50 exciting opportunities to develop a career in the arts, with each role playing an important part in the host organisation. ARC is welcoming applications for the role of Artist of Change (salary £20,000, full time for a 12 month period), which will involve helping ARC to create art with and for their community.

Even before the pandemic wreaked havoc on career prospects in the arts, those from middle class backgrounds were 2.5 times more likely to end up in creative occupations than their working class peers. This is a situation which has not improved since records began in 2014. Social mobility is a greater issue in the cultural sector and wider creative industries than across the economy as a whole. The wider creative industries have created over 300,000 jobs over the past five years, yet the number of creative workers from working class backgrounds has increased by just 33,000. Just as with the impact of the 2008 financial crisis, it is expected that those who are already finding it difficult to make their way in the arts will be the worst hit by the impact of COVID-19.

The Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries aim to redress the balance by funding 50 paid, year-long artistic and creative Fellowships as well as an organisational development programme run by people make it work to embed inclusive practices for the host organisation, with three members of the host team taking part, including a board member and a senior executive.

This is the fourth edition of the programme, which has been running for over 10 years and has 125 alumni to date, many of whom have forged successful careers. This edition of WJCB is the largest yet, with support from Arts Council England’s Transforming Leadership Programme, Garfield Weston Foundation, Art Fund, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland, and PRS Foundation.

Lilli Geissendorfer, director of Jerwood Arts, explained ‘I’m delighted that ARC Stockton has been selected to host a Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries Fellow. ARC applied to be part of the programme before COVID-19 had been identified, so it is heartening that making their organisation more diverse and inclusive is still high on their agenda despite the additional challenges they are facing. It speaks to the resilience I have been inspired by from all corners of the arts and cultural sector in recent months to find the silver linings in the bleakest of times and commit to creating a stronger sector that everyone will benefit from.’

Daniel Mitchelson, Producer at ARC added 'We're excited to be working with Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries to host this new role, and we can't wait to see the impact that the Artist of Change will have on our staff, community and artists.'

The Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries 2020-2022 programme is designed and produced by Jerwood Arts. It is funded and supported by Arts Council England’s Transforming Leadership Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Art Fund, Arts Council of Wales, The National Lottery through Creative Scotland, British Council, Jerwood Arts and PRS Foundation.

In addition to the role of Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries Fellow, ARC is also inviting applications from artists for a freelance contract (fee £10,000) to be delivered on a flexible, part-time basis over 12 months as part of their Artist of Change programme, exploring what artistic leadership in an arts centre, committed to creating positive social change, should look like.

Full information for both roles and details on how to apply can be found on ARC’s website: www.arconline.co.uk/artists-of-change.  

News: The Customs House receives grant from Government

 

South Shields Arts Centre The Customs House receives grant from Government

The Customs House has been awarded £255,000 as part of the Government’s  Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary has announced today.

The Customs House is one of just 588 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support – with £76 million of investment announced today. This follows £257 million awarded earlier in the week to 1,385 organisations, also from the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.

The Customs House is based on the banks of the River Tyne in South Shields. As a charity, every penny of its profit is reinvested to help support the local community, deliver education projects, nurture new creative talent and maintain the Grade II listed building it’s situated in.

This grant will help sustain The Customs House’s future post-Covid, as well as plan for its future programme and create a safe environment for audience members to return to the venue.

It will enable the charity to continue the work it does throughout the year in the community, with young people, new writing, emerging talent and creating first-rate entertainment which is often said to be ‘punching above its weight’. The grant will also support the shortfall from the closure of venue during the pandemic with more than 200 performances being cancelled.

Chair, Arts Council England, Sir Nicholas Serota, said: “Culture is an essential part of life across the country, helping to support people’s wellbeing through creativity and self-expression, bringing communities together, and fuelling our world class creative industries. This latest set of awards from the Culture Recovery Fund builds on those announced recently and will help hundreds of organisations to survive the next few months, ensuring that the cultural sector can bounce back after the crisis.  We will continue doing everything we can to support artists and cultural and creative organisations, with further funding to be announced in the coming weeks.”

Customs House Executive Director Ray Spencer said: “We are both relieved and delighted to have received this support from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund through Arts Council England. Delighted for the people of South Tyneside and relieved that this grant will support our remaining staff through a very difficult winter and hopefully give us the springboard to serve our community and with our partners, South Tyneside Council, be here for culture.”

As a charity every penny of profit at the Customs House is reinvested to help us support the local community, deliver education projects, nurture new creative talent and maintain our Grade II listed building. The Customs House has inspired individuals across all ages and all areas of our communities to engage in the creative arts, being inspired to try something new and whose well-being has been enriched through their involvement with The Customs House.

For more information visit www.customshouse.co.uk.

 

Preview: Chris Cross: DRIVE-IN at Morpeth Town AFC Craik Park Stadium

Tricks & Treats as Chris Cross Stages a Drive-In Magic Show

Chris Cross: DRIVE-IN MAGIC EXPERIENCE!

Morpeth Town AFC Craik Park Stadium, Morpeth. Thursday, 29 Oct 2020

Tickets are available from our affiliates See Tickets for the magic show: https://tinyurl.com/MORPETHChrisCross #Ad

Tickets for follow on movie: https://tidd.ly/342XL7i #Ad

One of the North East's most prolific magicians, Chris Cross, 31, has had the majority of his 2020 shows postponed or cancelled, due to COVID-19, which means he's had to experiment with some brand-new ways of presenting his live performances. This Halloween October half-term, Cross will be hosting what is probably the World's first ever drive-in Magic Show, on 29th October at Morpeth Football Club.

In this hour-long live performance, ticket holders will be tricked by some sleight of hand and close-up magic, which will be projected on to a huge LED video wall screen. They'll then get the opportunity to learn some magic for themselves, as Cross explains how to perform some easy but baffling tricks with cards and everyday objects. Upon entry to the event, each car will be given a pack of cards and some tricks to take home with them, so they can practice along with Chris Cross in the safety and comfort of their own car, then take the tricks away to fool their friends.

After the magic performance and lesson, there will be a short interval, followed by a screening of Edward Scissorhands, which is one of Cross's favourite films - and an appropriate choice to celebrate the beginning of the Halloween weekend early. Tickets for the magic experience can be purchased, with an add-on option of the film screening right afterwards. 

Chris Cross explains: ''I'm really looking forward to performing again. This show really will be fun for all the family and completely different to anything that anyone has ever done before. It'll be cool close-up magic that everyone will be able to see on the huge LED screen we have in place. It's the sort of screen you see on the backs of stages at big music festivals and gigs. Come and watch some magic tricks, learn a trick or two yourselves, then watch Johnny Depp, Vincent Price & Winona Ryder in Edward Scissorhands. A great early start to your Halloween weekend.

This Global pandemic has really hammered my business massively, as it has most other performers and other showbusiness professionals, too. It's been a real challenge to remain creative and keep my head above water in the process, but I think this will be a really fun event! Earlier in the year I was performing at The Dubai Shopping Festival at the Dubai Mall and I had a fully booked year of exciting gigs lined up, it's such a shame that COVID-19 has landed. Unfortunately, I can't make the virus disappear - but if I could I would!''

Chris Cross has performed all over the World for many celebrities, including Two-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Mike Tyson, The Arctic Monkeys, Knightrider Star David Hassellhoff, Rock Legend Alice Cooper, Celebrity Chefs the Hairy Bikers and he's even worked his magic for Prince Charles during his state visit to the region! He has self-published 'The Geordie Book & DVD of Magic' which he sells on his website. Cross made front page news in 2016 when he escaped from a straitjacket whilst hanging upside-down from the roof, 80ft in the air, suspended from Newcastle's Castle Keep. 

Hot drinks, food and alcoholic beverages will be available on-site, with an 'at-car' service in operation. 

There's only space for 45 cars at Craik Park Stadium (Home of the Morpeth Football Club) so to avoid disappointment, book your tickets now! Suitable for both children and adults. 

Tickets are available from our affiliates See Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/MORPETHChrisCross #Ad

Tickets for follow on movie: https://tidd.ly/342XL7i #Ad

Preview: Jack & the Beanstalk at Newcastle Tyne Theatre

Does the Tyne Theatre & Opera House have a Pantomime this year..?

 

Jack and the Beanstalk

Newcastle Tyne Theatre & Opera Theatre

Friday 18^th – Thursday 24^th December 2020

Tickets: http://bit.ly/NETGJack    #Ad

A new socially distanced Covid secure pantomime, starring the popular Charlie Richmond as Simple Simon, is coming to the Tyne Theatre for a very limited run in December.

The Tyne Theatre and Opera House have announced that they will be postponing their original 2020 Pantomime; Sleeping Beauty.

The theatre have said that this decision was made to avoid the need to restrict capacity beyond what had already sold and make significant changes to the show itself. In an announcement, they have said: “We have big plans for Sleeping Beauty and want you all to be able to see it as we had intended – for this reason we will be postponing the show until 2021.”

They have clarified that ticket holders will have their tickets transferred to December 2021, and should wait to be contacted by their point of purchase to arrange this.

Show organisers, Enchanted Entertainment, have said in their statement: “The team at Enchanted Entertainment are sad to say that we won’t be producing Sleeping Beauty this Christmas for our wonderful audiences at the Tyne Theatre & Opera House. We know how important the panto is for so many families in the North East as part of their Christmas celebrations.

However, we will now spend the extra time making sure that Sleeping Beauty sets her alarm clock and wakes up in time for our biggest and best panto yet for Christmas 2021!

We are always grateful that so many families turn out year after year to support this amazing theatre and our Christmas show and we’ll see everyone very soon for more singing, dancing and panto silliness.”

However it’s not all bad news, Tyne Theatre & Opera House have announced that they will be hosting a socially distanced Pantomime this year; Jack and the Beanstalk coming to the theatre for one week only from Friday 18^th – Thursday 24^th December 2020.

In a statement, the theatre have said: “It's clear that Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a traditional pantomime (…) We've been working incredibly hard to ensure that this can be done safety for our venue staff, panto cast/crew and audiences. This year’s production is a specially designed 75 minute rib-tickling festive treat for all the family, with a reduced capacity and no interval to minimise crowding.”

The theatre will be seating audiences in socially distanced groups of 2, 4 and 6. This will accompany a host of additional safety measures, details of which can be found on the Tyne Theatre website.

Despite restrictions, they promise a ‘GIANT of a show’, starring panto favourite Charlie Richmond as Simple Simon, with the rest of the cast of ‘North East’s best panto talent’ still to be announced.

Tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk go on general sale at 10am on Monday 19^th October 2020. Pre-sale tickets are available from 12noon on Friday 16^th October for Sleeping Beauty ticket holders. For full information on how to access the pre-sale, customers should see the Jack and the Beanstalk event page on the Tyne Theatre website.

Theatre Director Joanne Johnson has said: “We’ve had a lot of feedback from our audiences to suggest that people really want to see a show at Christmas this year. It has been a difficult year for everyone and for many of our customers, an opportunity for some panto fun and laughter in December is more important than ever.

Having hosted our first socially distanced shows this month, we have seen that it is possible to deliver live entertainment in a safe way. We are expecting tickets to sell quickly due to high demand on a limited run, with limited capacity. We advise booking early to avoid missing out. We absolutely can’t wait to welcome our panto audience back into the Tyne Theatre this Christmas.”

As an independent venue, the Tyne Theatre and Opera House relies entirely on ticket sales and donations to survive and keep the theatre’s 150+ year heritage alive. In addition to buying tickets for upcoming shows, you can also support the theatre directly by donating to their #SaveOurTheatres Crowdfunder campaign launched earlier this month.

On The Web:

Safety information for Jack and the Beanstalk: http://bit.ly/TTbeanstalk

 

Sleeping Beauty bookers pre-sale: Friday 16th October 2020 (if booked through Eventim, you will have received a link via email. If booked directly with the Tyne Theatre box office please email info@tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk with the name of your lead booker and performance booked for to be sent the link)
General on-sale: Monday 19th October 2020. Accessible bookings can be made by emailing info@tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk (please specify access requirements and which performance you would like to attend)

Tickets are available from our affiliates Eventim UK: http://bit.ly/NETGJack #Ad

Preview: The Soldier’s Return - Online

 

New opera film giving Wearside veterans a voice to premiere on Remembrance Sunday

 

The Soldier’s Return

Online

Sunday 8^th November 2020

When everything has changed in your world and your family and friends feel like strangers can you ever really feel at home again or will a part of you always be at war?

When the UK went into lockdown in March, Opera Sunderland had just recruited a 40-strong intergenerational community chorus to take part in the world premiere of The Soldier's Return. With venues closed and live performances cancelled, and after data suggested singing could be particularly hazardous in the potential transmission of Covid-19, the Opera Sunderland team had to radically rethink their plans.

Sunderland born Artistic Director Alison Barton explains, “We wanted to honour the commitment to our community participants, the veterans who shared their stories with us, our artists, team and funders by taking a radical, lateral view of the situation. So we came up with a new and completely safe way of making the production that we hope will prove to be even more inclusive and accessible than our original plan to stage the opera live here in Sunderland.

"We decided to collaborate with award-winning North East film makers Meerkat Films and sound engineer Ian Stephenson at Simpson Street Studios to produce The Soldier’s Return as a film instead of a live production. Social distancing rules have meant taking an approach more akin to producing a pop video than an opera, but although it’s quite an experimental approach in the classical music world, it is tried and tested in other genres such as pop and rock. It’s a case of the show must go on, and it will!”

Inspired by present day war veterans’ real life experiences, The Soldier’s Return is drawn from interviews with local people involved in past, recent and ongoing combat situations. It explores the impact of conflict when soldiers return home, not only on the soldiers themselves, but also their families and their relationship with the wider community. The film will premiere in November 2020 to mark Remembrance Sunday.

It follows the success of MIRACLE! An Opera of Two Halves which premiered in Sunderland in 2015. For this new production, Opera Sunderland has brought together many of the same artistic team, including Artistic Director Alison Barton, international award-winning composer Marcos Fernandez-Barrero, Director Annie Rigby and Musical Director Marco Romano. They are joined by T.S. Eliot prize-winning poet Jacob Polley who has written the libretto, Production Designer Imogen Cloët, Sound Engineer Ian Stephenson and Meerkat Films.

The cast are baritone Ian Priestley (The Man), mezzo-soprano Katherine Aitken (The Woman), tenor Austin Gunn (Voice 1) and bass-baritone Andri Björn Róbertsson (Voice 2).

Ian Priestley studied voice at Guildhall. He toured with the D’Oyly Carte and Carl Rosa opera companies and has appeared at the Buxton International Festival. Ian has also sung with Welsh National Opera, notably in their award-winning production of Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron and at the Savonlinna Festival in Finland, the Dutch Nationale Reisopera, Scottish Opera, Opera North, Royal Opera, as well as solo recitals with the London Mozart Players. In 2015 he played the roles of God and Larry Trench in Opera Sunderland’s award-winning production, Miracle!: An Opera of Two Halves.

Katherine Aitken is a graduate of the Royal College of Music and Royal Academy of Music, Lon- don where she sung roles including Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and La Ciesca in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Katherine’s recent highlights include Charles Grey (Georgiana compiled by Mark Tatlow) for Buxton Opera Festival, Tisbe (La Cenerentola by Rossini) and Pippetto (Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma!) for Opéra de Lyon, Pippetto (Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma!) for Grand Théâtre de Genève, Tisbe (La Cenerentola by Rossini) in the Edinburgh International Festival and Cher- ubino (The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart) for English Touring Opera. Katherine also recently premiered the role of Wild Woman in Aurora by Noah Moseley with Bury Court Opera and the Grimeborn Festival.

Austin Gunn has worked with English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Loughborough Festival Op- era, Berwick Festival Opera, Edinburgh International Festival and many others. He made his Portuguese debut in 2017 in the Musica Na Fabrica Festival in Lisbon directed by Max Hoehn, and his Swiss debut in 2018 as the spectre in Dvorak’s The Spectre’s Bride in Zurich. He has appeared in concert in France, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden and throughout the UK.

Andri Björn Róbertsson made his House operatic debut in the 2019/20 season with his native Icelandic Opera as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro and returns to the Dutch Opera as Der Einäugige in Die Frau Ohne Schatten. Last season, Andri appeared at both the Staatsoper Hamburg and Opera National de Lyon with Sir George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence following his house debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden with the world premiere of the same production. Róbertsson studied at the Royal Academy of Music and was nominated ‘Brightest Young Hope in Classical Music’ at the 2013 Icelandic Music Awards. He is currently a Harewood Artist supported by the Behrens Fellowship with English National Opera. Róbertsson’s awards include the Audience Prize in the Mozart Singing Competition in London and first prize in the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and Icelandic Academy of Arts Competition. Concert appearances include Christus (Bach’s St Matthew Passion) with Newcastle Bach Choir at Sage, Gateshead.

Formerly known as Music in the Minster, Opera Sunderland is a registered charity that believes opera is for everyone, making it available, attractive and accessible by creating exciting opportunities for the people of Sunderland. The commission is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and as with all of Opera Sunderland’s work, The Soldier’s Return is about local people taking part – from sharing their stories, to workshops and performance opportunities.

The Soldier’s Return will premiere online on 8 November 2020 to mark Remembrance Sunday. For more information visit www.operasunderland.co.uk/operas-events/the-soldiers-return

Photos: Mark Savage Photography

Preview: October Events At Darlington Hippodrome

 October Events At Darlington Hippodrome

 

Darlington Hippodrome announces a full schedule of events for all ages throughout October.

 

Having re-opened at the start of September Darlington Hippodrome has expanded its offer with a full schedule of events for all ages to enjoy throughout October.

The successful dance and fitness sessions will continue including regular Monday morning classes for those aged 65+ and dance fitness sessions each Tuesday evening. Further opportunities in dance include a contemporary dance taster session on the Hippodrome stage for adults (16+) on Saturday 3 October, a family taster session on Saturday 10 October and a Sling dance taster session for parents with young babies from 8 weeks of age which will take place on Thursday 22 October.

 

There will be two book group sessions on Wednesday 21 October when the text under discussion will be the gothic horror classic Dracula.

 

For those with an artistic flair there is another Lust For Life Drawing workshop on Monday 5 October and Sky Landscape Artist of the Year semi-finalist Brian Ramsey will hold a beginners’ drawing workshop on Monday 19 October. Quiz fans can book a spot in the Hippo Lounge for our popular Hippodrome Quiz on Wednesday 7 October which will also be streamed live on Facebook.

 

More classic cinema screenings are on offer in the Hippodrome auditorium with titles such as Sister Act, The Color Purple, Blade Runner, The Lost Boys, Hocus Pocus and The Woman in Black.

 

The venue’s box office, Hippo Lounge café and gallery spaces will be open from 10am to 2pm Monday to Saturday. The box office and Hippo Lounge will also be open thirty minutes before each ticketed event.

 

Councillor Andy Keir said “I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported events throughout September at the Hippodrome, it was fabulous to see so many people taking advantage of the wide range of sessions. The success of the September schedule has meant an increase in the offer for October and I would hope this is a trend that continues.”

 

Visitors to the Hippodrome can be assured that all possible measures have been put in place to make a trip to the Hippodrome safe and enjoyable. Capacity at all events is restricted and it is advised to book as soon as possible.

 

For full details of all the events taking place in October please visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk or call the box office on 01325 405405