That ideal we call ‘privacy’ appears to now, more than ever to be a thing of myth. If you’re not being filmed by CCTV cameras then you’re having to reply to a barrage of work related emails. Those quiet, unassuming moments are a luxury, a means to recuperate and prepare for the following days obstacles. We’re taught to build up a wall, to keep problems and concerns to ourselves, but what happens when everything gets too much, and you need somebody to talk to?
So you’re doing your weekly shop, leisurely scanning through the frozen foods aisle when suddenly the seemingly casual shop assistant breaks out into a song and dance. Before you know it, you’re surrounded by a crowd of unassuming customers turned undercover professional dancers who all miraculously appear to perform a perfectly choreographed sequence in unison! Cue the era of the Flash Mob! A momentary break out into the unexpected, the exuberant and the usual!
Going down to The Place to see a set of three of Mamoru Iriguchi’s performances soon became a rather dream-like surreal experience. As one enters Mamoru’s world one must be prepared to absorb the new found logic in his twisted and unusual scenarios. Throughout the evening the consistent feelings were of uncertainty, confusion and awe.
“For about half of you here, those that have never been to a poetry show, you might totally hate this!” Mark Grist‘s hilarious tale of how an eager English Teacher became, and dealt with becoming, a Youtube sensation, world famous battle rapper and the poet laureate of Peterborough. As he eagerly tells the story, he weaves in the poetry and raps, sometimes apologetically but always amusingly.
‘Ten Women’: An unusual title for a play with a cast of sixteen, but still strong with a critical message of changing perceptions in a time where the media appears to call the shots. Bethan Dear has written and directed this pioneering production as a way to make people question their own perceptions of beauty, and to ask the audience, “What is real?” By using ten women to relay the story of one, reinforcing that we all face the same issues, is an amiable attempt at rocking the boat – but just how successful is this work in progress at actually achieving its goal?
Say cheeeeese! Whether it’s your class photo or a family portrait; that awkward need to smile or portray a staged sense of joy can prove to be quite the task! That well known saying about images speaking a thousand words couldn’t be anymore true! Now, more than ever, we live in an image obsessed era where we, ourselves have become our very own photographers. Images hold an array of memories and keep our identity in tact, but can you truly tell what lies behind a photograph? What the subject is truly thinking?
With the 450th birthday celebrations of one of our most celebrated playwrights well and truly underway, each play serves as a reminder of just how influential Shakespeare’s part has been in the worlds of both the English language and the landscape of theatre making. Founded 2 years ago, Zoe Ford‘s theatre company, Hiraeth Productions has sought to bridge the gap between the Elizabethan/Jacobean era in which Shakespeare thrived, and the technological, forward thinking era in which we now live. Ahead of Zoe’s production of Hamlet, I was able to speak to the Director about her prison inspired interpretation, her inspirations for founding Hiraeth and why being a Text Assistant for Shakespeare’s Globe has proved invaluable!
As founder of Hiraeth Artistic Productions, what inspired you to create the company?
Starting a theatre company was an idea that came to me at drama school; studying theatre performance was the first time I was exposed to the process of theatre creation – production, direction etc. It fascinated me, the thought of starting my own company was exhilarating, so I plunged in head first.
A Shakespearean classic, Hamlet is home to probably one of the most uttered lines in human history! But with the world of Shakespeare often feeling like an anomaly all of own, how can the themes of 400 years ago be in anyway relatable to todays issues? Hiraeth Productions answer this by updating the dramatic classic, setting the play in the gritty and male dominated confines of Her Majesty’s Prison, Liverpool. Typically the shy and retiring heroine, actress Jessica White redefines the role of Ophelia as a strong and independent psychiatric Mental Health Carer. Ahead of the production, I was able to speak to Jessica about Ophelia’s new found strength, her love for Stage Combat and why motion capture is the cinematic future!
You’re currently starring as Ophelia in Hiraeth’s production of Hamlet. How are rehearsals going for that?
They’re going brilliantly! We’re a couple of weeks in, all of the ideas are on the table, and we’re still in the playing stage, which is fun!
What’s the first thing you think of, when you think of a major city in the world? Towering skyscrapers? Affluent transport systems? Unlimited job opportunities? We’re constantly presented with the ideological glossy veneer of what a cosmopolitan should be and what it has to offer, but what of the places within a city that are neglected, that don’t receive much coverage…
During our lifetime, we’re taught that our GCSEs, A-Levels and University Degree’s will bring us that one step closer to attaining our dream job role. However, in the real world, this couldn’t be further from the truth. With the issue of youth unemployment being a divisive topic within politics and the media, what can be done to combat the situation? Ahead of the large scale Tangled Feet production One Million, which tackles the youth unemployment issue, physical theatre performer Jessica Andrade speaks to Theatrefullstop about returning to the production, why it’s important to make theatrical experiences more accessible and why she will never be defined as a conventional circus performer!
You’re currently touring with Tangled Feet in their production of One Million. Could you describe what the production is about?
One Million is a show about the unemployed youth from 16-25 (years of age). As we all have the experience of going to school, going to Uni, getting your degree; its that time where everyone thinks the world is their oyster and you find out it isn’t. Doing the show, we reflect on the emotions that you go through after graduating and you think the world is a playground. We go through a playground state where we’re just playing and seeing what it’s about. You realise how many people are applying for the same job, so we reflect that in the show by the amount of people. We’ve got 9 full cast members, 40 young people, they’re our participation lot, then we’ve got a 9 man band and a poet.