Heroic prowess can come in many different guises, whether that be your everyday hero making the right decision at the right time, individuals who have shown exemplary acts of heroism, friends and family who despite hardships are there for others and get on with the day to day no matter what… the list goes on. The concept of the hero a fun yet multi-faceted one, and one that Piers Black’s Catching Comets comments on further.
Hero – (noun) a person who is admired for great brave acts or fine qualities. The ‘hero’ is an archetype often portrayed within our literature, from fairy tales, to fantasy novels, to comic books as being the idealised embodiment of perfection, the one that ends up defeating the bad guys and saving the day. I’m sure, however, within our daily lives, we all have our very own ideas as to what heroes look like to us, and what this concept means within the real world. Exploring this concept of the ‘hero’ within his show Catching Comets, writer and director Piers Black tells us more about revisiting the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe piece, working with the creative team to realise the production and what we can expect!
They say home is where the heart is, but where is home? Is it where you were born? Is it a place you build up an affinity with? Is home a state of mind? Being plucked out of your comfort zone, and having to assimilate to a completely different way of life has to be one of the most challenging experiences we as humans can go through, however many do it. Letters to CentreStage‘s Olu places this phenomena under the microscope, and starts up a very intruiging conversation on a multitude of themes.
Moving from a place that you have grown up in for years can be one of the most difficult experiences you’ll have to face. It’s one thing moving house, city or country due to seeking a change from the environment around you, however it’s another thing if the social and political climate you once deemed as being safe has now given you no choice but to flee. Welcome to Pipeline Theatre‘s Transports, a timely piece shedding a subtle light on the impact of immigration on those who have been forced to leave their previous lives behind.
Down and Out in Paris and London is a brand new theatrical take on George Orwell’s autobiographical novel, with a modern twist. It is in collaboration with PIT and Greenwich Theatre, with supporting funds from Arts Council England. Written and directed by the New Diorama Theatre’s artistic director, David Byrne and co-directed by Kate Stanley, it is now experiencing sell out performances at the Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh.
In the last century, Brazilian Augusto Boal developed Theatre Of The Oppressed, which would later be dubbed as Forum Theatre to help the underprivileged around the world. Cardboard Citizens have been making theatre for the homeless and underprivileged for 23 years now, and are the leading UK based maker of Theatre Of the Oppressed.
It’s a rainy day, and yet there doesn’t appear to be anything better to do apart from stare at the continual rain drops trickling down the window. As Sally and her brother obediently wait for their mother to return home, what better way to spend the time than to help out with the housework, or catch up on the latest homework due in for the next day… not!
