Family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances fill up the church service. The priest leads a thoughtful ceremony. Guests make their speeches, expressing moments that will live on forever as they fight back the tears. However, this is the last place you want to be. All of these stories although told with good intentions leaves you wanting to grieve on your own, without anyone watching, without noise, without the chaos.
It is strange to think that only recently photographs were a relatively expensive thing. Photographers had much more of a mystique attached to them and war photographers were stars. The original war photographers, Gerda Taro and Robert Capo are the subject of this new show by Idle Motion.
Aequitas Theatre Company takes on a Shakespearean double bill: Measure for Measure and Merchant of Venice, the latter being directed both by the creator of the company Rachael Bellis and director Sophia Start. At the core of this company there is a resolution to cast actors based alone on their performing ability and not their appearance – ‘You that choose not by the view’. This comes across entirely as actresses play male characters and vice-versa and young actors play older characters and I must say it is quite refreshing to see such bold decisions on casting, though for the audience it can be quite puzzling at first.
Creditors, originally by Strindberg, is now rewritten by Neil Smith for a first run at the Brockley Jack Studios. Unfamiliar with Strindberg’s plot in the first place I am uncertain of how much has changed to adapt the modern times, though there are a few obvious references to today’s world.
It is safe to say that the production of These Trees are Made of Blood has surprised me in many ways. A very heavy story opens in a quite boisterous way as we find ourselves in the middle of Coup Coup Cabaret – an entrancing and welcoming set that places the audience in the middle and amongst the performers. This play is a carefully constructed piece of theatre and Amy Draper takes on bold and powerful choices with Paul Jenkins‘ formidable play text.
Hiraeth is the Welsh word for longing – a deep yearning of a place or a time – and the perfect title for this performance created by a Welsh non-actress, theatre designer Buddug James Jones and her actor friend Max Mackintosh along with director Jesse Briton. It tells the story of James Jones and her leaving Wales to come to London – her desire to break free and see the world.
The Buta Festival of Azerbaijani Arts returns to London, showcasing some of the country’s finest exports. At Sadler‘s Wells that means uniting Azerbaijani pianist Shahin Novrasli with English dancer Akram Khan for a night of jazz and dancing. Each evening Khan is accompanied by a different set of collaborators for improvised dances set to Novrasli‘s jazz.
From the 18th April to 28th June Little Angel Theatre and Polka Theatre‘s production of The Paper Dolls will be playing at the Little Angel Theatre. The play is based upon the book by Julia Donaldson, follows the story of a little girl who makes herself a string of paper dolls. They then go on to have magical and exciting adventures together!
From Sunday 1st to Sunday 8th March, The Southbank Centre marks the achievements of women the world over of both past and present as part of their 5th annual Women of the World Festival. Curating a unique and compelling festival of discussions, debates, performances, art installations and film showings, the festival’s aim is to shine a bright light on the accomplishments of unsung female heroes.
