The Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship awards poets funding to help support their creative practice for the year. Awarded to talented practitioners who have been recognised as being able to open up poetry to new audiences, making the form a lot more accessible to all, the award concludes its five year run with its third and final round of recipients. One of three to receive the final round of awards, which also follows their Evening Standard Future Theatre Fund Award win in Directing/Theatre-Making earlier on this year, scriptwriter/screenwriter and essayist Jamie Hale continues to inspire and trailblaze. Having just hosted CRIPtic Pit Party at the Barbican, a culmination of a year long programme run by his CRIPtic Arts organisation supporting d/Deaf artists and having published his pamphlet Shield about disability, treatment prioritisation and the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Jamie looks forward to continuing exploring various pertinent within his practice. Jamie tells us more about what it means to have won the award!
Recently, the Kammerspiele presented the world premiere of Nora Abdel-Maksoud’s satirical play Jeeps, which she also directed. Abdel-Maksoud was born in Munich and has been writing and directing her own plays since 2012. Her darkly humorous dramas criticize the crass unfairness in our society.
Courtesy of Armin Smailovic.
Shamanism is a term used to describe a healer’s ability to interact with a world otherwise unseen to the naked eye, a world inhabited by a whole host of spiritual energies. An aspect of humanity that has been practised for thousands of years, and continues to be in many indigenous communities, this is a practice typically carried out by men. Emmy award-winning Lynette Wallworth crafts an innovative foray into the world of Hushahu, the first woman shaman of the Yawanawá located in the Amazon with Awavena. A ground-breaking film documenting a ground breaking moment for the community and wider world.
The delusion of lust is a fascinating thing, convinced you’re in the throws of love – yet not, it can be an earth shattering experience when this all very quickly unravels. Love on the other hand brings with it its own chaotic complications, yet brings with it a beauty also. An exploration of the tangential nature of love and lust Terence Rattigan‘s When the Sun Shines receives a revival at the Orange Tree Theatre.
Courtesy of Ali Wright.
A staple of the West End theatrical scene, Theatre Royal Drury Lane boasts 358 years of dramatic history. Having been built initially during the English Restoration (1660-1685) under the orders of English dramatist Thomas Killigrew and officially opening in 1663 during the reign of King Charles II, the venue is the capital’s oldest theatre building to still be in use. With significant events such at The Great Fire of London changing the face of London’s architectural landscape. Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s most recent renovation of the premises, starting in 2019, marks the venue’s fourth rebuild by architects Haworth Tompkins. Now offering tours of the Georgian (1812), inspired Grade I listed building, Theatre Royal Drury Lane welcomes all to share in their journey so far.
Having been awarded the Evening Standard Future Theatre Fund Award in Directing/Theatre-Making and one of three to receive the Jerwood Compton Fellowship this year alone, multi-talented writer and theatre maker Jamie Hale has very rightly been recognised for his work and contributions to the arts. The founder of CRIPtic Arts, an organisation established in 2019, dedicated to nurturing art made by d/Deaf and Disabled creatives, Jamie’s commitment to support fellow artists has been exemplary. A culmination of a year’s development programme, CRIPtic Arts present CRIPtic Pit Party, a powerful evening of sharing and performance.
Miss Jacqui.
One of the world’s instantly recognisable musicals, Cameron Mackintosh’s Les Misérables returns with a UK and Ireland tour, starting off at the Glasgow Theatre Royal from Tuesday 23rd November and concluding at Wales Millenium Stadium Cardiff on Saturday 14th January 2023. Taking on the role of the iconic Eponine, musical theatre talent Nathania Ong makes her theatrical debut! Ahead of the tour, Nathania tells us more about what to expect.
Hi Nathania, you’ll be starring in the UK and Ireland tour of Les Misèrables from late November. How are you feeling ahead of the run?
During what was an unpredictable time for creatives due to the impact of the pandemic, this left many professionals out of work in need of financial support. Inspired to help their fellow industry by curating a publication comprising of images and anecdotes from the industry’s broad spectrum of talent, Exeunt: The Stage Door Project documents the voices of some of the industry’s leading luminaries including Dame Judi Dench, Simon Callow, Michael Sheen, Robert Lindsay and Zoë Wanamaker amongst others. A hardback collector’s, Exeunt: The Stage Door Project is currently available to pre-order, with proceeds going to The Actor’s Benevolent Fund, ArtsMinds and the Theatre Artists Fund! Ahead of the release, Lloyd and Salvatore tell us more about the creation of the thoughtful book!
With Christmas just upon the horizon, the festive season offers us a chance to celebrate the end of the year with a foray of magical events. Closing the year with an ensemble of incredible circus talent, LA CLIQUE presents displays of strength, stamina and fearlessness – awe inspiring acts that add a dash of sparkle to the West End’s Spiegeltent space.
Courtesy of Scott Chalmers.
Craig Reid aka “The Incredible Hula Boy” is the award winning hula-hoop circus performer from Scotland, UK. Credited with “Best Specialty Act” from the London Cabaret awards, Slaughter and May “Performer of the year award” and multiple Guinness world records. He has just arrived back into London from Las Vegas where he has been performing with the hit show Absinthe at Caesars Palace. Craig from a young age had an extensive background in gymnastics, dance and theatre and has created performances that have been seen internationally. He Studied at The National Centre of Circus arts (Formally called Circus Space) where he graduated with a BA Hons degree in Circus arts specialising in hula-hoop. Past performances include the world famous La Soirée (West End London), American’s Got Talent, CabaRAE (Honolulu, Hawaii), Opium (The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas) and the Sydney Opera house with the show Velvet starring the disco icon Marcia Hines. Craig can currently be seen taking part in circus show La Clique at the Leicester Spiegeltent until the 8th January 2022. Craig tells us more about what to expect from the show!