Hampstead Theatre announced today that, in the light of the 100% cut in its Arts Council grant of £766,455, the theatre will need to change direction and can no longer continue solely as a new writing theatre. As a consequence, very sadly, Roxana Silbert has decided to step down as Artistic Director.
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is a type of Assistive Reproductive Technology (ART) used specifically for couples whereby the chances of natural reproduction are small. A procedure pioneered in the late 70s, IVF has gone on to support many hopeful couples become parents, the notion now that IVF is a possible option for families a cultural phenomenon. American Biochemist and Geneticist Dr Richard Myers has been integral to the treatment’s innovation, his ‘Human Genome Project’ giving the world a better understanding of the structure, organisation and function of the complete set of human genes. Receiving its world premiere at the Hampstead Theatre, Alexis Zegerman’s The Fever Syndrome is an appreciation of how far we’ve come scientifically, and how discovery continues to drive the everyday.
We’re by-products of the heartfelt folk songs and tales of our ancestors, narratives passed down through the generations that resonate and pass through our veins, our every breath, our every action. Every culture bringing with it it’s own rich and diverse cannon of songs passed down through the ages, details having changed from the original source due to mispronunciations, mishearings and context – however still retaining at the core the song’s heart and soul. Delving into the folk songs collected from Somerset between 1896 to 1905 by Cecil Sharp, Principal of then Hampstead Conservatoire of Music, now known as Central School of Speech and Drama, Nell Leyshon brings to light the song composition process from the eyes of two very different perspectives in Folk.
As a teen, we’re at odds with the world. We’re no longer a child, and therefore refuse to be conned by the fairytales and feigned truths that once gripped our imaginations. We begin to fight the opinions of our nearest and dearest, whilst coming to grips with both physiological and emotional changes, let alone educational expectation. Add the universal feeling of struggling with identity and contending with societal expectation and there you have a recipe for complete and utter emotional mayhem. This is a rite of passage that Meera Syal‘s 1997 novel, Anita and Me manages to warmly encapsulate.
