The pinnacle of the film industry calendar, the Academy Awards will return for their 94th edition on Sunday 27th March at the Dolby Theatre, LA. With a total of 24 categories being recognised, the evening offers a chance to celebrate the great work produced by creatives devoted to their craft. Having won his first Academy Award – a Student Academy Award as a recent graduate of The Danish Film School at the time with short film Feeding Desire in 2001, before winning his second for This Charming Man in 2003, member of AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) filmmaker Martin Strange-Hansen returns with his latest production On My Mind – a tale of loss drawing from his own personal experience of this. Announced as an Academy Award 2022 finalist on Tuesday 8th February in the ‘Best Live Action Short Film’, Martin tells us more about how he feels post announcement, working with double Academy Award® Winning producer Kim Magnusson and performers Rasmus Hammerich, Camilla Bendix and Ole Boisen and what he’s taken away from his varied career within film!
An idea born out of the need to reconnect during the lockdowns of the pandemic, powerhouses Sophia A Jackson – founder of Afridiziak Theatre News renowned for her championing of Black Theatre within the UK, and Nina Malone, founder of influential digital platform Dope Black Mums, set up to bring a community of women together to share their experiences of motherhood have joined forces to introduce the Afridiziak Theatre News x Dope Black Mums Meet-Up, an opportunity for mums to meet and watch a show in collaboration with Soho Theatre. Having hosted their first ever event on Tuesday 15th February, where the collective met up to watch award winning production Queens of Sheba by Nouveau Riche, the next meet up will have the collective introduced to award winning production Shedding a Skin by Amanda Wilkin on Saturday 19th March 2022. Ahead of the meet up, Sophia and Nina reflect on the first event and tell us what their hopes are for the event moving forward!
An outrageously funny and philosophical piece of gig theatre which incorporates an eclectic mix of performance art, live music, stand-up comedy, and video installation with smoke machine galore and plenty of white discomfort to go around. South African born, Swiss based Ntando Cele comes on as her alter white ego Zimbabwean Bianca White in a dragged-up inversion of blackface. Refreshing and a must catch on until Saturday 12th March at the brand spanking newly revived theatre Brixton House, formerly Ovalhouse, they’ve opened the season strong with Black Off.
Six years on from NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s brave decision to take the knee in protest to police brutality and inequality, particularly post pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, movements revolving around civil rights continue to take shape, conversations on race pertinent as we rebuild moving forward. Announced winner of Theatre503’s International Playwriting Award during the height of the pandemic, graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and activist Pravin Wilkins receives his much deserved debut of play Moreno, a commentary on theatre of sport and political protest.
Courtesy of Adiam Yemane.
Nominations have been announced for the Olivier Awards 2022 with Mastercard, British theatre’s most prestigious honours, which take place on Sunday 10 April at the Royal Albert Hall.
Having created a much needed space for the first hand experiences of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers within the UK to be heard, PSYCHEdelight have presented a series of crucial works placing these stories centre stage. Currently presenting Mohand and Peter, drawing on company member Mohand Hasb Alrosol Abdalrahem’s real life experience of leaving his native Sudan to seek asylum, the devised piece, created by fellow company member Peter Pearson and artistic director Sophie Bertrand Besse blends clowning and visual poetry to explore explore cultural identity and the traumatic effect of long-term exile as well as celebrating refugee home countries. Ahead of the production, showing at the Southwark Playhouse from the 9th March until 9th April, Mohand and Peter tell us more about exploring this pertinent story, what it means to have a platform such as PSYCHEdelight to tell these stories and how the team have approached creating the show.
Lyndsey Turner’s revival of After the End couldn’t have been better timed, what with post-lockdown, outbreak of war, the scandals in the Met office and the rise of “incel” culture. Dennis Kelly’s play premiered in 2005 and that’s what the reviews said then. I guess this might make After the End timeless.
Courtesy of The Other Richard.
A tale inspired by her very own grandmother’s story of being ostracised for her African spiritual retentions, award winning performer Julene Robinson presents The Night Woman, a culmination of folklore, poetry and songs drawing from her native Caribbean heritage. Initially due to play at this year’s VAULT Festival, which was sadly cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic, the production receives its much deserved debut at The Other Palace Theatre from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th 2022 as part of their VAULT Fest 2022 transfer season. Ahead of the production, Julene tells us more about the show’s two year development journey, exploring her grandmother’s legacy and what to expect!
Tyrell Williams’s first full length play directed by visionary Daniel Bailey makes its stunning debut at the Bush Theatre to rapturous applause, laughter, and cheer. As I join the audience in their standing ovation, I struggle to find a single piece of constructive criticism. I whoop and whistle even though my throat is parched from laughing throughout. This play is perfectly written, perfectly produced, and perfectly performed by three incredibly talented young men who tell Williams’ story with comedic genius, high energy, and emotional mastery.
Courtesy of Craig Fuller.
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.
