The show Idomeneus has its UK Premier at the Gate Theatre, opening on June 19^th. It has been directed by Gate Associate Artist Ellen McDougall. I spoke to cast member Alex Austin about the show and his career… 

You are currently working on Idomeneus at the Gate’s Head Theatre, how are the rehearsals going?

Its good thank you, we’re in the fourth week of rehearsals, getting ready to get in to tech for next week. There’s been a lot of exploring and that but it’s going good.

How would you describe the overall rehearsal process?

It’s very ensemble focused. We spent the first two weeks working very closely with the director, Ellen (McDougall) and the design team. They’ve been in rehearsals for a lot of the time so we’ve been working very closely as a group creating the language of the play, which flips between narrating and characters. It’s exciting it’s the UK premiere and it’ll be wicked to be a part of that!

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Most novels, movies and plays about crime focus on the criminal; the police that are trying to catch the perpetrator, or even the victim. There is a fourth group however, the innocent bystanders that happen to live in the area. When the Ipswich Serial Murders occurred in 2006, the people of London Road found themselves in surprisingly the most infamous streets in England, through no fault of their own.

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A talented singer and song writer in her own right, Sheila Atim has always had a passion to act. With both the Theatre and Music worlds working hand in hand, Sheila has been able to showcase her musical abilities within theatrical arena. She’s currently starring in award winning playwright, Ché Walker’s production of Klook’s Last Stand, where she plays the feisty Vinette. Ahead of press night, I was able to speak to Sheila about working with Ché, working in a small cast and why it’s important to surround yourself with artistic people!

You’ll be starring in Ché Walker’s play, Klook’s Last Stand at The Park Theatre (from Wednesday 11^th June). Could you describe what the play is about?

The play is a love story between two people who are in very interesting places in their lives. I’d say the experience that they share together will change the course of their life, both of them forever.

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Ché Walker’s newest work presented at the Park Theatre is yet another breath of fresh air in the scope of London’s music theatre. Set in an intimate space the audience becomes part of a conversational performance – a play with songs – in which the actors unpretentiously tell us their story, their past converging to a present of togetherness.

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On first walking in, the set of Khandan seemed clean and tidy to an almost clinical level – not the sort of place you would find in a normal family home. However, as the play began, a clutter started to build up and the set burst to life. There was something so believably real about the suburban kitchen I found myself sitting in. It was easy to forget you were watching a play, and not simply the lives of real strangers. The audience were entirely included in the set as photos in frames and wall lamps took up all four walls of the theatre, not just the wall at the back.

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25 years ago, a loveable yet unconventional family took to our screens. Disbanding the typical framework of the prim and proper Walton-esque family, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson threw caution to the wind, becoming the much needed breath of fresh air that would go on to define a genre. Making its debut on the Tracy Ullman Show, The irreverent cartoon has captured the imaginations of millions, defining and entertaining a generation with its unashamed humour, popular culture references and the hundreds of vibrant characters that adorn the neighbourhood of Springfield.

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Part of LIFT 2014 at the Artsdepot Centre, Super Premium Soft Double Vanilla Rich promised to be an exploration of Japanese Consumerism through humour and dreamlike movement. Set in a Japanese convenience store, we meet the workers and Branch Manager and are given an insight into the working environment they have to contend with. However, whether or not this explored Japanese Consumerism is questionable.

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The Flying Roast Goose melded charming storytelling and aesthetic experimentation, but ultimately lacked bite. Conceived by Paula Siu in association with Out of Chaos and Yellow Earth Theatre, the production followed the story of a Cantonese street-food stall owner and her pet goose Yong Yong through the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in the 1940s. Playful and very watchable, The Flying Roast Goose was certainly a good entry into a topic that some audience members may know little about, with Eastern stories often being neglected on the Western stage.

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Today marks the beginning of one of the most talked about sporting competitions of the last 4 years. As the world gears itself for a summer of heartbreak, triumph and union, it’s fair to say to say that the next month will shape up to be quite an interesting one. Located in the heart and soul of one of the most celebrated footballing nations in the world, Brazil will welcome the world’s media to revel in the pitch side dramas of the tournament, but whilst the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are admired the world over, it may become very easy to forget about the important issues such as homelessness, and the millions of young people that face this as a reality…

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Following a highly successful run first at the Nottingham Playhouse then at London’s Almeida theatre, Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan’s Nineteen Eighty-Four transfers to the West End’s London Playhouse Theatre, in collaboration with Headlong.

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