This year, legendary artist David Bryne is curating Meltdown. He cued his intentions to showcase experiment and the most avant-garde aspects of contemporary culture by appointing one of the first slots to Bianca Casady and the C.I.A.
This year, legendary artist David Bryne is curating Meltdown. He cued his intentions to showcase experiment and the most avant-garde aspects of contemporary culture by appointing one of the first slots to Bianca Casady and the C.I.A.
In the heart of East London, there’s a family of two lamenting the loss of a loved one, which in turn results in the unwelcome arrival of an estranged loved one. Well, in the case of Ché Walker’s The Etienne Sisters, this appears to be the character’s realities. Theatre Royal Stratford East will play host to walker’s fierce and fiery family centred tale, accompanied by a soundtrack courtesy of both singer and songwriters, Sheila Atim and Anoushka Lucas, whom have a proven track record with the critically acclaimed, Klook’s Last Stand, showing last year at the Park Theatre. Ahead of The Etienne Sisters premiere at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, Theatrefullstop were lucky enough to talk to Walker about the amount of strong female roles on offer theatrically, themes explored in the play and his inspiration for writing the piece.
Toby Peach is reciting his own eulogy. Or rather he is reciting his own anti-eulogy, a refusal to give in to the threat of cancer and a celebration of his life. This is a deeply personal show, written and performed by Toby himself about his experience of being diagnosed with the disease as a young man. Strange then that I came away feeling slightly frustrated, having expected to have a more emotional response to what is on the face of it a moving story of survival.
How to review a play that dictates reality so thoroughly on its own terms? Marsha: A girl Who Does Bad Things invites us into a claustrophobic world where logic does not obtain and reason has no purchase. In so doing, the operetta offers a palpable experience of mental disturbance and some rather oblique insights into the topic…It also offers, a headache to any reviewer trying to describe the experience!
For an onlooker to observe a piece of art and to recognise the artist at the blink of an eye is testament to that artists contribution to their field. The Persistance of Memory is notably, if not Salvador Dali‘s most famous work, a portrait depicting a number of melting clocks in a barren landscape renders a series of question marks. The man behind the portrait is celebrated for his contribution to the surrealist movement, however many may not be as aware about his wife and muse, Gala Dali.
With the theatre scene in the UK, especially London, we are most definitely spoilt for choice. The UK offers a wide range of theatrical genres and festivals for theatre lovers to choose from. This October, both Rich Mix and the Barbican will witness a selection of shows, courtesy of CASA Festival 2015, showing off the theatrical landscape of Southern America. Performances hail from Brazil to Mexico, offering a slice of Latin American culture. Ahead of this year’s festival, Theatrefullstop were lucky enough to speak with Artistic Director and Founder of CASA, Daniel Goldman about how shows are chosen for the festival, the inspiration for CASA’s creation and what events CASA has to offer.
Rebounding Hail is full of original ideas and an entertaining narrative. Telling the story of a girl living through fiction, Disparat Theatre’s debut show is a unique and timeless tale.
Pop and quirk; bright lights, electric costume and pink hair, welcome to the contemporary Eastern theatre company, Theatre Margot. The stage is bare, bar a black door at the back; the door that symbolises a bleak view from the Cherry Orchard.
The Grimeborn Festival at the Arcola Theatre is back for its ninth year. Offering reimagined classics, obscure masterpieces, and interesting new work, Grimeborn is one of the summer festival highlights in London, taking opera aficionados on a journey of discovery. One of the productions definitely worth seeing is Gariné by Dikran Tchouhadjian, the first opera composer of the Ottoman Empire and known during his lifetime as “the Armenian Verdi” and “the Oriental Offenbach”.
It’s rare to walk down a high street without spotting either a bookies, or a chicken and chip shop. It’s a sign of our times at present, a marker of 21st century London. Both seemingly unassuming settings, what dramatically could happen? Well, in Lynette Linton’s refreshing new production, Chicken Palace, the chicken and chip shop setting is given a lease of life. Having made her debut at new writing festival, Angelic Tales, 3 years ago with her production STEP, Linton has gone from strength to strength in her writing career. Ahead of Chicken Palace‘s debut, Theatrefullstop were lucky enough to speak to the playwright about her inspirations for the play, working with Theatre Royal legends Rikki Beadle-Blair and John Russel Gordon, and offers advice to aspiring playwrights!
Hi Lynette! How are you feeling ahead of the first performance of your new play, Chicken Palace, due to show at Stratford East Theatre Royal?