UK Theatre Network

--------------------------------------------------- SECRETS........SECRETS.......SECRETS OF THE NETWORK --------------------------------------------------- JULIAN ROBERTS CAN BE SEEN....... .....playing the part of Reddie Siddiqui in HER ALABASTER SKIN by Nick Green until 8th May at Barons Court Theatre, The Curtain's Up, 28 Comeragh Road, W14. Tube Barons Court, Box Office 020 8932 4747 This play was described by Time Out as "Barbed, perceptive and moving." The Independent described it "This is a nasty piece of work." --------------------------------------------------- OPPORTUNITIES....OPPORTUNITIES....OPPORTUNITIES.... --------------------------------------------------- The Boudoir Noir are producing a profit-share production of Martin Crimp’s “Attempts on her Life” at the Diorama Theatre in central London from 19 October to 7 November. Premiered at the Royal Court in 1997, this exciting work, rarely produced on the fringe, basically concerns attempts to construct and define identity. And it requires the director and cast to do the same from a text which provides no specific characters and almost no clues to action. The project has been in its early stages since last autumn, and we are now developing a sound score and unique physical language. We are looking for four actors now to form a core group for secondary devising work over the weekends of 22/23 May, 6/7 June and 19/20 June in central London. Of course all four will be guaranteed a part in the October production. We shall be advertising again in August/September for the remainder of the cast, and will announce main rehearsal dates then. The play is episodic in structure, so everyone will get the chance to feature in a leading role.Four very fit trained actors and dancer/actors of any size and age, especially those with a feel for language, knowledge of epic theatre techniques and other physical storytelling methods are sought for the devising phase. At the moment we are able to offer travel expenses, but there is a fundraising event planned for September, from which all proceeds will go to the performers, in addition to any share of the show’s profits. All we require for now is a CV (no photo) and covering note emailed to theboudoirnoir@hotmail.com Many thanks Name: Theboudoirnoir Email: theboudoirnoir@hotmail.com ----- Unconventional Productions are currently casting for an upcoming production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which is to take place sometime in late autumn or winter in Glasgow, Scotland. The exact dates and venue for auditions are not definate as yet, though they will be in Glasgow, but if you email Julia at No1BroadwayBabe@aol.com with your name, character etc then you will have a definate audition and will be notified of the date at least 2 weeks before. The parts we are casting require good musical skills. There are 3 parts, all male. Skszp (pronouned as Ski Shop without the vowels): Guitar and keboard player. Electric guitar mainly, but some acoustic. Goth-guy in his twenties, dark hair, expert gum-chewer. Jacek (the 'c' is K sounding, not S): Guitar player. Punk/poppunk style, blonde hair. Early twenties. Both of these parts have small amounts of backing vocals. Krzyzhtoff (sort of pronounced Christov): Bass player, dark hair, late twenties/early thirties. The characters are eastern european immigrants in America performing in a band called the Angry Inch, and are sort of mean n moody and ignorant of their surroundings at the same time, Jacek particularly, who is daydreaming a lot. All actors and musicians must be able to provide their own guitars/bass and amps. Bring them along to the auditions, along with a song to play of the rock/punk genre. We are aiming for a run of six shows, and the fees are around £700. This is a wonderful and exciting show to be involved with, and everybody who has been in it says part of their character has stayed with them. There is a movie of this play if you would like to get an idea of it. Thanks, look forward to seeing you there. Julia Romano Unconventional Productions ---- We are planning to make feature film in September. The film I N T R U D E R is a crime thriller to be filmed in the North West. The filming will take place over a twenty day period on the Wirral in September. This is an actor driven thriller. The plot revolves around four elderly people holding a séance. This thread runs through the film giving the audience the impression that the Intruder is of a spiritual form. We need one strong powerful actress to play the leading part. i.e. Gwen Taylor, Judi Dench, Diana Rigg, Ann Reid, Jane Asher, Claire Bloom, Rula Lenska, Claire Higgins, If you represent any of the following please let us know before we finalise the cast. Simon Callow, Gillian Anderson, Dawn French, Jennifer James, Georgia Taylor, and Lisa Tarbuck. Kind regards Rosemary Allen Assistant Producer mail@standishfilms.com --------- Perth Theatre will re-emerge as a producing house this year under the artistic leadership of Ken Alexander. For our 2004/05 season we are looking for dedicated and creative people to join our production team. We invite applications for the following posts: Starting 19 July 2004 Stage Manager (until end of Mar 05) Deputy Stage Manager (until middle of Feb 05) Assistant Stage Manager (until middle of Feb 05) Master Carpenter (until end of Jan 05) Starting 26 July 2004 Wardrobe Assistant (until end of Jan 05) Chief Scenic Artist (until end of Jan 05) Assistant Scenic Artist (until end of Jan 05) Please apply in writing with a cv detailing your training and experience to Patrick Dalgety, Production Manager, Perth Theatre, 185 High Street, Perth, PH1 5UW or e-mail:pdalgety@perththeatre.co.uk. Closing date for applications 10 May 2004. --------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S ON........WHAT'S ON........WHAT'S ON........ --------------------------------------------------- 'A View from the Bridge' by Arthur Miller, presented by Insight Theatre at 'The Charles Cryer Theatre', Carshalton On 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 May, 2004 at 7.45 pm Tickets: £8.50, £6 (concs) (Monday, 10th May all tickets £6) Box Office: 020 8770 6990 "The child has to grow up and go away, and the man has to learn to forget. Because after all, Eddie - what other way can it end? "Insight Theatre bringing modern drama and set texts to local venues" ------- THE CAT AND THE CRAYFISH Written and directed by Rebecca Clamp “THERE IS NOTHING MORE SATISFYING THAN BOILING CRAYFISH ALIVE” (LADY BAOST) Thursday 3rd – Saturday 5th May Corpus Playrooms Box Office: 01223 503333 Rebecca Clamp presents The Cat and the Crayfish, a new dark comedy at the Corpus Playrooms. Compelling performances from local young actors, and unique stage imagery are combined in a venue that is Cambridge’s hidden gem for nurturing groundbreaking new theatre. A ragged wild man leaps out of a Greek myth into the heart of Paris. Two glamorous tourists check into the only English hotel. An old man is drawing a portrait on a pavement Of a woman he’s been waiting to meet all his life And he’s about to meet her, but neither of them know it yet. There’s a spy, and a busker, and a hotel manager, and a crayfish, And cruelty is just a passing amusement when you’ve been alive a thousand years. Rebecca Clamp’s story unfolds against the romantic backdrop of a quiet Parisian street, but the events of the play are far from peaceful. Ancient mythology blurs in a disorientating way with modern day Paris. Who is creating who? Who is in the position of power? In the symbiotic relationship between god and mortal, tourist and hotel manager, the lover and the beloved, where one cannot exist without the other - who is in control? And when everyone’s lives are turned upside down, how will they cope with the absurd and strangely comic consequences? With live music and startling physical theatre, The Cat and the Crayfish is a wickedly dark comedy that takes you on a sensuous route through Paris and beyond. For more information, interviews and images, please contact Rebecca Clamp on 01223 578919 or e-mail rebeccaclamp@hotmail.com --------- THE ZOO STORY by Edward Albee A chance meeting in Central Park forces two men from different corners of New York into a dialogue about their opposing views of society that is in turns disturbing and exhilirating. A new production of this rarely performed hour-long play is going on at the Etcetera Theatre, Camden, from 27th April - 2nd May. Directed by Eleanor Green and starring Giles Fagan and Peter Stern. £7 (£5 concs), 9.30pm Tues-Sat, 8.30pm Sun. Further details at www.idiotlamp.com/zoostory ------- NEW LOOK FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST - BIRMINGHAM - NEXT WEEK! ENCORE THEATRE COMPANY, a brand new company based in Birmingham have taken Wilde's classic The Importance of Being Earnest and shaken it around to produce a refreshing production that starts next week at Highbury Hall in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Show time is 7.30pm on Wednesday 28th to Friday 30th inclusive. Ticket prices are £15 or £12 concessions. Ticket price includes entrance to the hall and access to its bar... as well as the show of course. To book log on to www.encoretheatre.co.uk or call 0121 440 7126. Be there for the opening night and take a new look at Wilde! Alice James ------ BLUE EYES presents: The Atheist’s Tragedy or The Honest Man’s Revenge Written by Cyril Tourneur Directed by Amanda Cooper At the White Bear Theatre, 20th April to 9th May 2004 Press Night: Thurs 22nd April 2004 @ 7.15pm Blue Eyes will be the first company on record to ever stage Cyril Tourneur’s little known revenge play The Atheist’s Tragedy in London. First published in 1611, The Atheist’s Tragedy has no recorded performance in London at the time it was written, nor any since. However, successful productions in Coventry and an award winning run in Birmingham have shown it is highly performable. Writing in The Guardian in 2002, Michael Billington included it in his prescription to save the RSC: “…why not use the main Stratford stage to explore other classics - the Marlowe, Jonson, Webster, Tourneur repertory - to complement the Shakespeare canon? Wouldn't it be good to see The Atheist's Tragedy or The White Devil, say, on the main stage instead of the umpteenth Midsummer Night's Dream?” The Atheist’s Tragedy studies the rise and fall of D’Amville, the younger of two brothers, as he eliminates his elder sibling and schemes to align his house with that of his neighbour Belforest in a bid to increase his wealth and power. With his elder son unable to perform his conjugal duty and provide an heir, D’Amville takes this upon himself, and attempts to rape his daughter in law. Can such a man commit these heinous acts without censure? Will he be haunted by his villainous crimes? Or will his victims seek revenge? Following their sell out success with Molière’s The Critique, Marivaux’s The Will, and Anouilh’s Eurydice, Blue Eyes return to the White Bear Theatre. Amanda Cooper’s bold staging of the play places it in the heat, passion and violence of Italy at the turn of the century, with sex, death, greed and revenge forming the cornerstones of her powerful production. Dates & Times: 20th April – 9th May @ 7.15pm Venue: White Bear Theatre Club, 138 Kennington Park Road, London. SE11 4DJ Box Office: 020 7793 9193 Tickets: £10, £8 concessions Transportation: Tube: Kennington - Bus: 133 & 159 --------------------------------------------------- REVIEWS........REVIEWS......REVIEW......REVIEWS.... --------------------------------------------------- Mixed Feelings NEW VICTORIA THEATRE WOKING 19 – 24 April Box Office: 01483 545900 THEN ON TOUR Married for years, Vernon and Jan are in a rut until Vernon suddenly disappears for six months. When he returns, it's clear that he's a very different person indeed! The reactions to Vernon's big decision are as comical as they are touching, producing a series of hilarious misunderstandings and absurd manoeuvrings. Eric Chappell has written a very funny play which is more about a complete life-style change than a mid-life crisis as the publicity synopsis above suggests. The first scene between Vernon (Paul Nicholas) and Jan (Mary Tamm) is one of the most interesting I’ve seen recently. As an occasional Acting Coach I’m looking forward to getting a copy of it because it is both a classic example of farcical scene-setting and an excellent piece of writing which could be played either as genteel comedy or as high drama. Indeed as the play is mostly a series of duologues there is much in it for the aspiring actor to study particularly in the way of comic timing and character reversals. In fact nearly all of the characters get a chance in this witty play to show two aspects of their character. Unfortunately we don’t get to see the daughter, (played by the feisty Sarah McCardie), in her previous incarnation as a tattooed, pierced punk for she has now transformed into a Stepford Wife but the others all get their chance to reveal a secret in their lives. In the second scene between Vernon and Eddie (John Benfield) there are some wonderful moments of comedy based on the fact that the audience now shares Vernon’s secret and can revel in Eddie constantly putting his foot in it. For me the performance of the play was that of Carol Holt (Karen) who has a sense of style for this sort of comic playing that immediately energises a stage. For some reason the night I saw it (the one after press night) the pace was a little slack but once Karen was on stage the level lifted. Paul Nicholas as Vernon has a very difficult task which I thought he executed brilliantly. The play is about Vernon and he is on stage throughout, yet nearly all the comic lines are delivered by the rest of the cast. He is in fact the straight man in this series of duologues and he plays it with perfect understatement. Vernon is calm and centred and makes acting look effortless. The best lines of the play are reserved for Jan (Mary Tamm) who has a biting wit. There is a subtle difference between underplaying and lack of energy and in this particular performance the actress was a little muted. The play was directed by Jeremy Meadow who I see, from the programme notes, has been a resident director on The Archers and for other radio dramas. Although he has done much stage work too in this particular production he appears to have used too many of the techniques found in radio drama. The production is far too static especially concerning the scenes between Vernon and his boss Fletcher (Alan Granville). These scenes broke all the rules of theatre and unfortunately not to the productions advantage. In their first scene together, which felt like it lasted ten minutes, both characters stood facing each other throughout which meant that half the audience couldn’t see one or the other’s facial expression and the lack of any movement whatsoever made it visually uninteresting. That sort of staging just does not work in comedy. That aside Mixed Feelings is a highly enjoyable adult evening’s entertainment. It’s not as biting as a Noel Coward play nor as manic as a Ray Cooney but it is an original comedy which I am sure will become a favourite for many local theatre groups (3 men, 3 women). On a personal note it was really good to see a new play on tour as the vast majority of the productions that come to The New Vic are musicals. This is understandable because my local theatre is so vast and cannot possibly have the intimacy of say the Theatre Royal Brighton which is far more suitable for small scale plays. They’re getting “Dinner” later in the year – wish we were! Carrie Cohen ----------- Full Circle - Milton Keynes Theatre I was full of expectations of seeing Joan Collins, and in this production, she doesn’t disappoint. Although no longer doing the splits on stage, (as she did in Private Lives not many years ago,) I think we would all like to look like Miss Collins when we are in our seventies! She knows how to command a stage and her presence and star quality are undeniable. John Quayle was wondrous as Sir Michael Anstruther. He is a pure joy and delight to watch. Nickolas Grace provided us with a superb over-the-top performance that fitted his character wonderfully. The play moves swiftly along and the plot is easy enough to follow. The set and costumes were sumptuous. The scene change between Act I and Act II is performed on stage and in half-light by the actors. Very clever. Its not often these days that you see a touring play with a cast of 12 plus 3 walking understudies, so we must all thank Miss Collins for still being able to put enough bums on seats to employ so many actors. I wonder how many would have attended if Miss Collins had not been the draw? It is therefore a little unfortunate that Miss Collins doesn’t sign autographs in-between shows, especially as the majority of the matinee audience were there because they are the same age as Miss Collins and have grown up with her… Go and see Full Circle if you can, as it is marvellous that a legend of the stage and screen is prepared to tour in this country. Most of them just stick to the West End, so we mere mortals in the sticks never get a chance to see them without braving the West Coast Main Line… Reviewer: Sarah Bowron ------- Behind - Stantonbury Theatre, Milton Keynes “Behind” is a fun and entertaining evening out. Produced by Goodnights Entertainment, Behind is the latest production following on from their previous success “Girls Night”. The trend seems to be lovely meaty parts for women. The writer, Louise Roche, brings out both the tragedy and humour that make our lives what they are. The comedy works because we have been in those situations and felt those feelings and we are laughing at ourselves more than anything. The play is set in the dressing room of the Friday night venue where “The Diamonds”, a three-girl group, perform every week. The girls are all best friends, and then, inevitably, men and children rear their ugly heads and begin to shape them. They still remain friends, but have secrets and tell lies to cover the secrets. Serena is an obsessive and timid character who is constantly doing something, be it cleaning or eating strange food. She’s the piggy in the middle and knows the other two’s secrets. We have great empathy for Serena and Cathy McManamon is great at playing her and has a powerful voice to match. Sadie is the one who wishes she was the lead singer, but instead falls in love with the lead singers fiancé. Natasha Seale really comes into her own in the second act when she has some meaty scenes and emotional songs. Lois is the lead singer, who seems to succeed in her career but not much else. Lisa Howard is a superb actress who is very easy to watch. The play zips along at a smart pace and has a very realistic set to match. There was a full house the night I went, so someone’s doing something right, as this is the Premiere of a new play with a relatively unknown cast and Joan Collins is at the main theatre in Milton Keynes. Catch it if you can. Hopefully, someone will fund this play with fab middle of the road songs, so the rest of the country can see it. Behind is at Stantonbury Theatre, Milton Keynes, until this Saturday, 24th April. Box Office: 01908 324422. Reviewer: Sarah Bowron -----