At a ceremony last night at the Prince of Wales Theatre hosted by Jodie Prenger and Tom Read Wilson, the winners of the 22nd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards were announced – the only major theatre awards decided entirely by the theatregoers themselves.
The Collaboration is a paint-by-numbers sort of a play. Simple yet satisfying. The show is set up as a boxing match between two of the greatest artists of the 20th Century, Andy Warhol (Paul Bettany) and Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeremy Pope):
- Warhol and Basquiat’s art-dealer, Bruno Bischofberger (Alec Newman), sees an opportunity to make a lot of money by getting them to work together.
- Warhol, the cynic who is all about money, is reluctantly convinced to work with Basquiat.
- Basquiat, the new kid on the block, unsure of what to do with all their money, is reluctantly convinced to work with Warhol.
- Warhol is intimidated by Basquiat’s freedom.
- Basquiat is frustrated by Warhol’s lack of soul.
- Basquiat softens Warhol.
- Warhol falls for Basquiat.
- They end up making art together and living happily ever after.
Courtesy of Marc Brenner.
Courtesy of Stuart McClymont.
Formed in 1985 by the Theatre Peckham Company, the theatre troupe would go on to found what we currently know as Theatre Peckham in 1991, it’s initial incarnation a single story building located next to the Peckham Town Hall. Fast Forward to 2014 whereby the company would relocate to the 2nd floor of Peckham Library before settling on Havil Street in 2016, its focus of reflecting the lives of its local community a through-line that to this day powers what they do. With a continued commitment to further its reach, both on a local and wider scale, Theatre Peckham have recently announced a new appointment to their board, Dr Anni Domingo bringing with her a wealth of experience in the fields of academia, law and the arts. Having recently had their first board meeting, Anni reflects on what needs to be done to achieve the venue’s aims of reaching wider audiences!
Having received its UK premiere at the Orange Tree Theatre last year, Michele Lee’s award winning Australian drama Rice explores the interweaving worlds of Nisha – a highflying executive of Golden Fields, Australia’s largest producer of rice and Yvette, a cleaner at the company fuelled with ambition herself, however faced with challenging circumstances as her daughter faces court after participating in a protest. An observation on ambition, family, gender and cultural heritage, RICE offers a rich narrative placing the experiences of a company’s first Indian female CEO and a chinese migrant to the fore. Currently on a UK tour, the show’s next stop is at Stephen Joseph Theatre from Friday 4th until Saturday 5th March, before playing at the Crucible Theatre (7th to 9th March), Unity Theatre Liverpool (17th to 19th March), Theatre Royal Bath (24th to 26th March) HOME Manchester (29th to 30th March), Northern Stage Newcastle (1st to 2nd April) before concluding at York Theatre Royal (13th to 14th April). Taking on the role of Nisha – Anya-Jaya Murphy and Yvette – Angela Yeoh, both performers tell us more about starring in the production.
The 12th annual theatre awards took place online on Scenesaver for the second year whereby anyone could view the ceremony live from their own homes for free. Presented by the director of the Offies – Geoffrey Brown, from Battersea Arts Centre the award ceremony receives hundreds of submissions and recognises talent from otherwise unseen talent, companies and shows. It is a sprawling beast of an awards ceremony with more than 40 awards which feels apt given it reflects the Off West End landscape in London, the UK and beyond. Founded in 2011 to shine a light on the importance and value of Off West End theatre.
The premiere of Dipo Baruwa-Etti’s An Unfinished Man at The Yard Theatre is an exciting one because it brings to the surface the complex interplay of culture and mental health which many children of migrants (including myself) will find validating.
Courtesy of Camilla Greenwell.
New play by Hannah Kennedy makes their stunning debut at the charming Barons Court Theatre this week with excellent performances across the board. It is astonishing that an emerging writer is able to confidently deliver an instant classic tackling universal themes of love and partnership in a contemporary context whilst staying honest, thoughtful and heartfelt. An urgent must see and talent to watch.
Announced during the height of the pandemic, Theatre503’s International Playwriting Award winner Pravin Wilkins would have been due to have had his pertinent play Moreno staged shortly after. However, due to the unpredictability of what was happening globally at the time, would have to wait for this to finally happen. Nearly two years post the announcement, Moreno receives its much deserved debut – a piece following American footballer Luis Moreno’s struggle to overcome injury whilst battling whether to use his platform to take a stand post Civil Rights Activist Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 monumental decision to do so on the world’s stage. Ahead of the production, which will be staged from 1st March at Theatre503, Pravin tells us more about how it feels to have won the playwriting award, his inspirations for the play and his hopes for the future!
Published 25 years ago now, Eileen Browne’s well loved storybook Handa’s Surprise continues to inspire imaginations. Set in East Africa, Kenya, the book’s lead takes on a soon to be memorable journey to visit her best friend Akeyo in a neighbouring village. The book, a fun, humorous tale with a heartwarming message of friendship, generosity and the element of surprise and unpredictability has currently been adapted for the stage by Marleen Vermeulen and starring Rujenne Green and Hannah Akhalu at the Little Angel Theatre until Saturday 16th April. The family show is a lovely addition to the children’s theatre genre, and a great way to spend half term and the upcoming Easter Holidays. Currently available to book now, Eileen tells us more about her inspiration for the book, the book’s theatrical adaptation and celebrating the story’s longevity.