Sheffield-based performance artist, Jess Gibson, is looking to reduce the stigma around mental health using theatre and creative workshops as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!
Sheffield-based performance artist, Jess Gibson, is looking to reduce the stigma around mental health using theatre and creative workshops as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!
Sheffield’s Blowfish Theatre company will bring their latest production, Trump the Musical, to Theatre Deli in May, after touring in London, Birmingham and Manchester. The satirical show takes on US politics follows last year’s success with the company’s first production, Boris the Musicals. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to co-artistic director Laurence Peacock and actor David Bercot.
Independent arts venue DINA is hosting a festival of post apocalyptic theatre with a series of productions and installations exploring the end of the world and the building of news ones. Four theatre companies have contributed to the event with a unique mix of immersive and interactive performance. Sheffield Live! reporter Nick Coleman spoke to Sara Hill of Mesters Events.
Eight local artists are performing in a contemporary art event at the old Woolies on The Moor in Sheffield. You decide which piece you want to see and how much you want to pay for it. A short theatre piece on the child exploitation taking place in Rotherham called Did you call the Police? is being performed in one area of the former shop. While other performers specialise in other art forms.
Chatsworth House hosts series of short stories read by world famous actors
Word Theatre will be presenting performances of short stories, read by some of the most famous actors of our time, in the stunning surroundings of Chatsworth House this Saturday 5th July, from 6pm to 9pm.
Performances will include:
The evening has been directed by Kirsty Peart and Cedering Fox – one of the most recognised voices on American television and the “Voice of the Oscars.”
What a treat it was to see Bob Golding’s portrayal of one half of the duo Morecambe and Wise who became the Nation’s favourite funnymen in a partnership lasting some 43 years, write Sheffield Live!’s Paul Gregory and Kevin Resley.
A one man show forged in the West End and brought to Sheffield for an all too brief visit, well suited to the Lyceum stage, it showed the development of Eric Morecambe from a “lanky-shire” lad to comedy genius.
Brilliantly written by Tim Withnall, Directed by Paul Hendy and produced by Gary Morecambe, the one-man show incorporated Ernie Wise “Little Ern” by way of clever use of a puppet. So well integrated as the diminutive straight man it was easy to accept and contributed much to the performance.
Touching on his mother’s guidance and support, it charts the beginning and end of the partnership through war, setbacks and the vagaries of showbiz to the heights of a career where over 28 million watched their Christmas special.
Touching, funny, engaging and totally believable as Eric, Bob Golding had the audience singing the pair’s theme tune “Bring me Sunshine.”
Fantastic and you couldn’t see the join. Pure sunshine from start to finish!
Andy Cooper and Julia Harrigan
This week the kids from Fame have taken over Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre.
So we sent along our own all-singing all-dancing double act from Thursday’s Communities Live show, Andy Cooper and Julia Harrigan to find out more and bring us this review:
Whether you know them from the original movie, the spin-off TV show or the recent motion picture re-make, there can be few people in the world who haven’t heard of ‘Fame’ and its colourful cast of characters. Set in New York’s High School for the Performing Arts (known simply as PA in this new production) the story follows these young hopefuls throughout their student years.
If you were expecting to be reunited with your favourite characters from the 80’s TV show then you’re set for a little disappointment as this stage production has moved on to tell the continuing story. It’s now 2014 and the latest class to enroll at PA are set to be the last before the school moves out of its historic home and into a new building.
However the spirit of the original Fame survives thanks to original creator David De Silva and the musical numbers, many of which are unique to the stage show, are just as toe-tapping as ever.
There are also nods to the script of the original film with certain storylines involving the new characters closely following those of their predecessors. Tyrone is a great dancer just as Leroy once was, but is also dogged by the same problems in his more academic studies, and the production contains plenty of other references to the original film while still being fresh and different.
There’s also much more comedy in this production than any other incarnation of Fame. Molly Stewart’s portrayal of Mabel Washington has some of the funniset stage moments. But watch out for subtle one-liners and back references to the movie and TV show from the rest of the cast. “If you want to go outside and dance on cars then you’ve come to the wrong place!”
Tempering the comedy is the knowledge that fame costs, and this aspect of a performer’s life is vividly portrayed by Jodie Steele as Carmen Diaz. Her dark exit is a real shock in an otherwise very upbeat production.
In short, any fan of Fame will most definitely not be disappointed in this cleverly thought out production. The final five minutes with a capacity audience at the Lyceum all up on their feet and belting out the theme tune is worth the ticket price alone!
EmmaWassinterviewsStacySampson.mp3
Sheffield Live! reporter Emma Wass interviews Stacey Sampson from Dead Earnest Theatre, an applied theatre company in Sheffield who create bespoke theatre and interactive workshops to address a range of social issues. Most recently they devised a performance for the Accommodation and Campus Services Department of the University of Sheffield around the issue of staff absence and returning to work interviews.
In this interview, Stacey talks about the Creative Sparks programme, an initiative for children funded by Sheffield City Council. Over the past two weeks they have been delivering free drama and art and craft workshops in Firth Park and the city centre.
For more information about the Creative Sparks workshops, email Stacey on stacey@deadearnest.co.uk.
The report was aired on Communities Live on August 27, 2010.
