Packed with gripping tension and cultural divides aplenty, Arthur Miller‘s hard hitting play about identity and masculinity pushes our protagonists deep into disgruntlement, and soon to be violence. If you wonder what it is like to allow jealousy to build up inside your physique, and the consequences of letting it spread, then this performance is truly for you.
Courtesy of Johan Persson.
It felt rather monumental being in the room at the Royal Court last night. Caryl Churchill is without doubt one of our greatest living playwrights, and after amassing such a huge amount of hits under her belt, her latest offering is just as superb. Throughout the evening, four very different plays are presented. They discuss lots of interesting things: Gods, murder, clocks, magical creatures, addiction, accountability, perception – the list goes on.
Irene Danner-Storm hailed from a family of circus performers. One of few Jewish families to own a circus business, the Lorch family would suffer greatly from the horrifying rise of antisemitism and the Nazis’ rise to power; the devastating climate leading to the beginnings of WWII. A decline in business and facing the possibility of being sent to a ghetto or concentration camp, Irene would be the first within her family to flee to the Althoff Circus as a means of survival. Inspired by Irene’s incredible story, performer and theatre maker Stav Meishar presents her solo show The Escape Act – A Holocaust Memoir, a production close to Stav’s heart, having trained in circus arts and being the descendant of Holocaust survivors, we learn more about how Irene’s story has impacted her both personally and professionally.
We all have our own stories to tell, our lives a mixture of circumstances and obstacles that have shaped our present. Inspired by a childhood friend’s tough circumstances, musical performer and theatre maker Jeannette Bayerdelle crafted her award winning one woman show ‘SHIDA’, a show focused on family, friendship and love. Currently showing at The Vaults, the recently Off West End Award nominated show integrates rock, R&B, jazz and gospel music to give voice to her friend’s story. Ahead of the run, Jeannette discusses her creative process, working with Joshua Zecher-Ross and Noam Galperin on the musical aspect of the show and what she’d like for audiences to take away from the show.
In a matter of weeks, Boris Johnson will foresee the UK leaving the European Union after three years of unpredictable twists and turns within parliament, as well as an extension from our original leave date, 29th March 2019. One of, if not the most significant of political decisions made post WWII, we face a post EU era of uncertainty.
On 10th April 1998, The Good Friday Agreement was signed by Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, Mo Mowlam and David Andrews. After decades of political and societal unrest and setting into motion the Northern Ireland peace process, the agreement was a significant step forward for creating a united Northern Ireland and securing prospects for the nation. However, two decades on, present generations live under the strain of previous political and societal unrest, a third of the population live on or under the poverty line and mental health issues, especially within the working classes are sadly sidelined. Drawing from her experiences of living in Belfast, playwright Alice Malseed’s Jade City highlights these pertinent issues, having written the show as a ‘matter of urgency. Currently showing at The Bunker, Alice tells us more about what to expect from the show.
Little did I know when attending the press conference in June, that the Münchner Kammerspiele would be voted “Theatre of the Year 2019” by the critics of the highly esteemed theatre magazine “Theater heute” only two months later. “Theater heute” also chose the impressive 10-hour production Dionysos Stadt by Christopher Rüping as “Production of the Year”and Nils Kahnwald as “Actor of the Year” for the same production. Best newcomer awards went to Kammerspiele ensemble members Gro Swantje Kohlhof and Benjamin Radjaipour. Lena Newton‘s stage design for Susanne Kennedy’s adaptation of Three Sisters was also considered the year’s best work. A triumph for Artistic Director Matthias Lilienthal who presented his final season at the Kammerspiele.
