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Birmingham’s regional branch of The Young Actors' Company introduce . . .
Tragical
Magical Theatre presents: Hopeless high – Class of
chaos!
Jinnkx Theatre presents: Rivalry Road.
Jinnkx Theatre and Tragical Magical Theatre are
companies formed from the Junior and Senior groups
of the Birmingham branch of The Young Actors Company
franchise. With four other branches in Colchester,
Norwich, Peterborough and Nottingham, The Young
Actors Company has helped members gain success on
both stage and screen. The biggest achievements
include its regular contributions to the NT
connections program, film roles such as, Karl in
Boy in The Stripped Pyjamas
and former member,
Himesh Patel, gaining the role of Tamwar Masood
on BBC’s
Eastenders. The groups are open to auditions from anyone aged
between 5 and 18, and focus solely on drama. If you
would like to know more about YAC, please visit:
www.youngactorscompany.co.uk.
In
March of 2010, both the Senior and Junior group will
show work from this term. Both groups have been
devising their own plays; writing scripts; working
lights; designing costumes, props and sets as well
as directing and producing their pieces.
Hopeless High – Class of Chaos
by
Tragical Magical Theatre
is a humorous look at
school life - as two senior citizens reminisce about
the fun they had as children! Whereas,
Rivalry Road
by
Jinnkx Theatre
is a tangled tale of family feud and sibling rivalry where arguments
always ends in tears. Both pieces have been written,
produced and directed by the young people in the
company.
This performance will take place on at
The Mixing Bowl Theatre
on Saturday 20th
March, at
12.30pm. Tickets cost
£3.00 and can be
brought via the RoguePlay Theatre website,
www.rogueplay.co.uk
or over the phone on
0121 2247545.
Cash and card are accepted on the door.
This afternoon will be an original, fun event, which
will be enjoyable for everyone; all ages are
welcome. If you think you'd enjoy coming to see
production, please do not hesitate to contact
Kim Charnock
at RoguePlay Theatre who run
the branch based at the Mixing Bowl Theatre, The
Custard Factory on the
above numbers or via
Kim@rogueplay.co.uk.
Title:
Young Actors Company Term Show.
Where: The Mixing Bowl
Theatre, Birmingham, B9 4AA.
When: 20/03/2010, 12.30pm.
Cost: £3.00. |
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What's On at the Custard Factory "Funbags Comedy Cabaret",Mixing Bowl Theatre, Custard Factory, Admission £5
A brand new comedy night with a
good old fashion pick ’n’ mix of stand up,
improvised horseplay and character sketches complete
with an opportunity to win a utterly useless prize
with a public holiday poll!
"Take a Hike", Mixing Bowl Theatre, Custard
Factory, Admission £7
Have you ever felt rejection,It
pushes you further away,Not like affection,It goes
ina different direction,Just leaves you standing
there,
"Portrait of an Actress As..." Mixing Bowl
Theatre, Custard Factory, £7/£5
We all
know a career in the arts is a relentless struggle
for artistic integrity plagued by underpaid roles.
RoguePlay presents a shamelessly bitchy collection
of comedy sketches about the joys of life on the
stage.
"Not Just a Suitcase" Mixing Bowl Theatre,
Custard Factory, £6/ £3
A big imagination and a bigger suitcase equals one huge journey. Join Kim on her voyage of discovery as she treks the length and breadth of the world. A fast paced and family friendly piece of physical theatre suitable for ages 6+.
Rosie Wilby: The Science of Sex. Mixing Bowl
Theatre, Custard Factory, £10.
Hot on the heels of sellout
shows at Edinburgh Fringe, Camden Fringe and
Cambridge Comedy Festival, former Funny Women
Finalist Rosie Wilby presents her brand new show. In
it, she dons her lab coat and safety goggles to
investigate the science of attraction, sexual
chemistry and sexual identity with spoof
experiments, graphs and handmade props. |
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Poetry at the Cafe The Margaret Abri Cafe, Digbeth High St, Digbeth
A FULL house in this latest, Stuart Rox promoted, series was rewarded with a sparkling array of talent, old and young, familiar and new. Such was the roster, that circuit veterans Richard Bruce Clay, Louis Campbell and Brendan “Shopping” Higgins watched rather than add their considerable firepower to proceedings. Sam Hunt beguiled once again with her intensely personal observations on absent mothers and maternal love. Radio DJ’s seem to have a penchant for Performance Poetry with Smooth FM’s Charlie Jordan establishing herself as a force on the circuit. Rhubarb Radio DJ, Gary Dring is the latest to forsake an anonymous console for an audience that he can see, and his sharp witty pieces were well received. Another emerging talent is comedienne and Poet, Naomi Paul who reprised her recent “Rhymes” set with a few extras.”GreyRabbit”, her tale of an Englishwoman who hit the hippy trail a decade too late stood out once again, as did an intriguing offering about disappearing books. Delivery is as important as content with Performance Poetry, and Naomi’s shrewd balance of recital, storytelling, and at one stage acapella singing bore testimony to her stagecraft. Commanding the stage with personal reflective poetry is tough, but Brendan O’Neill succeeded with a wonderful set, centred in Ireland, focused on lost love. His Irish brogue perfectly complimented windswept Irish coastlines and an equally storm lashed heart. Delivered without notes, he engaged and delighted. A “Poetic Possee” of Birmingham University students were in attendance and presented a bewildering array of fresh, innovative talent. Unusually they deserve credit as a collective for their enthusiasm, quality and attitude. It is impossible to do justice to them all, but Becky Birch’s delightful tale of her mercenary inspired trips to her grandma was ably supported by the likes of Hannah and Matt Turner. Sean Colletti stood out though. A West Coast American, with a voice combining authority and pathos, he stole the show with “The lanyard” and “Quack” the highlights. And that only scratched the surface of both performers, and performance. If you want to find out more about Start Favill, and a Veteran Rock styled poet who looked like a slim Billy Connolly, but embodied the spirit of Allen Ginsberg and The Grateful Dead be there next time on Thursday 4th March at 8.30pm. 04-02-10 Gary Longden |
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Measure for Measure Mixing Bowl Theatre Custard Factory, Digbeth Director Kim Charnock unleashed a powerful modern abridged version of Shakespeare’s morality tale in this striking promenade production around the inside and outside of the Custard Factory environs. The audience were assembled by whores outside, before being brought inside into the reception to be confronted by the Duke of Vienna’s desk on a high raised platform with shredded paper cascading down as the City degenerates into Administrative chaos. The colourful cohort of whores importune, and then escort the audience around several settings in a physical recreation of a decadent, and decaying Vienna, as the story unfolds. Chief whore is Mistress Overdone, gloriously played by Jenny Stokes, whose colourful and earthy presence illuminates the production. Disguise, deception and death are the central themes, as the Duke, played with imperious swagger by Graham Brookes, leaves Vienna to be cleaned up by his appointee, Angelo , ( Alex Nikitas) and then returns incognito to see how he is getting on. The audience, cast lowlifes, and principles mingle seamlessly to great dramatic effect, with David Ault’s raffish “Lucio” a particular delight. FLOATING PRISON A physical highlight of the production is a floating prison on the Courtyard lake used to incarcerate the hapless Pompey ( Danny Hoxton ) and Claudio ( Tom McCarron ) whose waterborne trial went beyond what the script required. A RoguePlay Theatre Company production, credit is due to Lorna Meehan who managed to edit and abridge the text and story without losing the lyricism of the words, or the context of the story. Inevitably the dynamic of this production produced an episodic result, yet completeness was compensated for by pace. The closing scene in which the Duke physically ties Angelos’ hands and has him dancing like a puppet was inspired and typical of the inventiveness which was consistently displayed. E Scales info@rogueplay.co.uk, 0121 2247545.i |
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Radio Wildfire - New Broadcast There’s a new mix of material in The Loop on Radio Wildfire now playing 24/7 with a completely new selection of poetry, comedy, story, spoken word and music @ www.radiowildfire.com From the mellifluent, near-gothic sorrow of an Inuit myth to the sorry unit of mither known as Melinda Deathgoth: log on to the new edition of The Loop for an exploration of identity, loss, stars and ultimately … promise. David Calcutt is a playwright, novelist, storyteller and poet whose work stretches from community plays to young people’s fiction. In one of his two contributions to The Loop he tells an Inuit myth, and turns it into the poem She Is Trying To Get Back To What She Was. In the other section he talks about his work as a novelist and, amongst reading other examples from his wide-ranging output, expands upon the spell he weaves as an OED Word Wizard. You won’t know whether to laugh, cry or cringe at the Radio Wildfire interview with Melinda Deathgoth. A mix of US trailer park trash and UK holiday camp naff, she raises the monosyllabic answer to an artform. Her poetry is the fumes rising off the profane gas heater in an unventilated caravan, but as she says … whatever. Warning: may contain strong language and nuts. There’s more on who we are from performance poet Spoz with his Identity Poem (a job’s not who you are); and storyteller Dez Quarréll explores place in Lake ( a place in Shropshire, as it happens). Other poetry comes from Beth Somerford with Circles; John Edgar with Smoking; and, with musical backing, Deep Obeah from the late Roi Kwabena. Songs in The Loop come from Ian Marrey with Euthanasia; Michael W.Thomas with his version of St James' Infirmary; Sally Crabtree looking out to the Stars; and Carol Widenbar with Promise. And there are play-on-demand tracks on their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/radiowildfire - plus you can always ensure you get reminders of upcoming shows on Radio Wildfire by following them on Twitter. Listen by going to www.radiowildfire.com and clicking on The Loop Gary Longden |
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Mixing Bowl Theatre, Custard Factory Digbeth
Rhymes entered the New Year much as it had left the last, with a solid bill of Poetic talent. Two past Birmingham Poet Laureates, Spoz and Dreadlock Alien, with current holder Adrian Johnson in the audience, opened proceedings by launching “The West Midlands Youth Poetry Slam Project”, an exciting slam competition for the under 18s culminating in a Grand Final in October. Full details are available at www.youthslamwm.com Dreadlock Alien then went solo with his trademark pieces combining sharp observation, clever word play and a style which teeters on rap, but then draws back ,”Peace” and “3” being the highlights. In turn he then introduced a “Rhymes” debutante, school student ,Kim Ngeyeu who with a short set featuring “My Life” delivered an assured, confident, thoughtful performance which augurs well for the future appearances she will surely make. Second “Rhymes” debutante was Naomi Paul, whose previous performance experience elsewhere showed as she oozed calm whilst delivering, “The Truth About The Goddess of Rhythm”, “House” and “The Grey Rabbit”, the latter an atmospheric reminiscence of a bohemian Stateside hippy bus trip. Before the break we were entertained by the exciting, and innovative talent of Ddotti Bluebell who embraces the traditions of performance poetry, rap and gospel singing into a poetic smorgasbord of delight featuring, “For the Attention of Creation”, “Dread” and “V for Villain”. The second half of the evening was a proverbial triple whammy. Young Birmingham Poet Laureate, Matt Windell vindicated his title with a waspish, fast paced set. But in a triumph of programming by MC Lorna Meehan, Charlie Jordan grabbed all the attention with a wonderful performance of, “Buddhism and Ben & Jerry’s” ,complete with props ranging from a bell, to an item normally sold in discreet packaging. This wistful tale of lost love for a man, but new love for Ice Cream is an absolute gem, which benefits considerably from the staging which is eerily reminiscent of Jackanory! A past Birmingham Poet Laureate herself, as well as a famous broadcaster and Breakfast DJ, her unassuming manne,r combined with a fierce dedication to performance continues to win her many fans. Top of the bill was the irrepressible, and ever reliable Spoz, who careered through his customarily entertaining set. No doubt buoyed by a forthcoming support slot to the legendary John Cooper Clarke, all the old favourites were aired, along with a new composition about Bromsgrove which whilst being achingly funny and sharp, is unlikely to win him the freedom of the Town! A thoroughly entertaining evening, the next Rhymes, at the same venue, is at 8pm, 25-02-10. (28/1/10) |
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Performance Poetry, “Rhymes” Thur 25/2/10, 8pm, Mixing Bowl Theatre, Custard Factory, Gibb St, Digbeth. Admission £5.
Sun 21/2 @4pm Sunday Xpress, Adam & Eve Pub,
Bradford St, Digbeth
A bohemian, eclectic, anarchic happening of
performance including spoken word, comedy and
music......and a whole load of other stuff.
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