George Carlin said: “Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.”
Having trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Rocky Rodriguez Jr is no stranger to the stage or big screen, having worked on Hollywood Blockbusters such as Kick Ass 2 to Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. However, it is his innovative work as artistic director and founder of C.R.A.F.T Theatre that has really seen the performer turned director stand out from the crowd. Placing an emphasis on cognitive neuroscience, which combines both neuroscience and cognitive science to examine the intricacies of how the brain functions, C.R.A.F.T Theatre look to push the boundaries of theatre making by creating thrilling, original and emotionally charged theatre. Ahead of their production of Dante’s Inferno, which will show at the Rag Factory from Thursday 8th January, Theatrefullstop were able to talk to Rocky about his unique adaptation of the classic, using exhaustion as a means to create theatre and his advice to aspiring directors.
I’ve heard that The Gruffalo is one the most fearsome animals in the woods with its gigantic paws, its horrifying eyes and its grotesque horns and tusks…Or perhaps we have more to worry about as I’ve heard that there’s an even bigger and scarier creature on the loose. It has gargantuan ears, piercing dark red eyes… apparently… and squeaks like you have never heard before! Beware of the Big Bad Mouse!
TIMBER!!! Watch out for the grand fir tree ready to collapse at any given moment! There’s nothing quite like the great outdoors, however during these winter months, we may all beg to differ. An arduous, yet rewarding lifestyle, picture spending your working day heavy lifting, carving and chopping wood in order to literally create a roof over your head as well as to make a living… I’d imagine many of us would prefer to visit our local well known branded store than to even consider the alternative. Cue Timber! a show that infuses a sense of fun and vitality to the lifestyle and profession.
Meow Meow ‘s Apocalypse Meow: A Crisis is Born – and much of its audience – was as camp as a mass of pink tulle. The audience, bubbling with gentle, knowing anticipation, greeted each other with kisses and “dahlings” all over the theatre.
The Pheasantry, or “The Peasantry” according to our compere, is the grandest Pizza Express I have ever been in, or at least it looked like it would be until I entered. Once inside, it is just like all the other Pizza Express restaurants that litter the country. While perfectly acceptable for a pizza chain, this means that the atmosphere is not the most appealing for cabaret. How were Cabaret Confidential going to play this one, I wondered…
Lion Boy is an adaption of the eponymously titled hit series of novels by Zizou Corder, alias of authors Louisa Young and her daughter Isabel Adomakoh Young. Playwright Marcelo Dos Santos has revived the original 2013 production, strengthening and refining the storytelling to recreate the vivid and whimsical world of the books at The Tricycle Theatre.
This Is Not A Christmas Play is an occasionally hilarious piece of theatre that struggles to be witty and clever while striking gold whenever it goes silly and nuts. It involves two out of work actors, a caricature of a femme fatale and in the middle of it, a desperate guy that thinks that his ex is going to return.
A Winter’s Tale at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre (Kentish Town) follows paranoid and jealous King Leontes as he accuses his wife of adultery and the repercussions this causes. The production has been given a steam punk make-over which, although it was a struggle to make a link with, was very asthetically pleasing. The production has been directed and adapted by Ross McGregor and runs at a concise two hours including the interval.
Pantomime is integral to local theatre at Christmas. It’s so well-loved a tradition that the sight of a dame makes me feel very festive and British. Having been immersed in the slightly more sordid world of student pantomimes these past few years, I was excited to see Cinderella at the Grand Opera House in York.
