a new spin-off from my reviews blog
THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL
Arthur Pita’s magical family show premieres at DanceEast for Christmas
12 – 24 December 2013
DanceEast, The Jerwood DanceHouse, Ipswich
Award-winning director & choreographer Arthur Pita premieres his new dance theatre show The Little Match Girl at DanceEast, Ipswich this Christmas, from Thursday 12 to Tuesday 24 December. A dance theatre adaptation after Hans Christian Anderson’s classic story, The Little Match Girl presents a magical festive treat for all ages 4 and above.
Arthur Pita’s new production tells the touching tale of an impoverished young street girl's hopes and dreams, beautifully told through dance, song and original live music.
A snowy stage sets the scene for an icy cold Christmas Eve, where The Little Match Girl paces the emptying streets trying to sell her matches. Cold, hungry and with just one final match flame to keep her warm, she sees a vision of her beloved grandmother. Leaving her troubled life behind, the little match girl is guided up into the night sky by her grandmother who takes her to the moon. Now, on a clear night, if you look closely, you might see the light of a shooting star, or is it a match burning brightly?
Arthur Pita (previously Associate Artist at The Place) has choreographed work for major international companies from the LA Opera to the Johannesburg’s Dance Umbrella and in the UK from the Royal Shakespeare Company to Phoenix Dance. His multi award-winning adaptation of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis has attracted critical acclaim since its premiere at the Royal Opera House in September 2011; winning Olivier, Southbank Sky Arts and Critics Circle National Dance Awards and has just enjoyed a sell-out run at the Joyce Theatre in New York this autumn.
Pita returns to DanceEast following his sell-out success with God's Garden in 2011. For The Little Match Girl, he is reunited with The Metamorphosis composer Frank Moon, who will perform his original score live on stage, with designs by Yann Seabra and lighting designs by Ed Yetton. Cast includes: Corey Annand, Valentina Golfieri, Kip Johnson, Frank Moon and Angelo Smimmo.
Open Heart Productions and DanceEast present The Little Match Girl with funding by Arts Council England.
Cinderella, the most magical pantomime of all, plays at the Civic Theatre from Wednesday 4 December 2013 to Sunday 5 January 2014.
Cinderella has just lost her beloved father and has been put in the care of her stepmother who has two daughters of her own. To pay her way Cinderella is made to live below stairs and do all the cleaning, mending and cooking for her lazy step family! Will Cinderella be rescued by her prince and live happily ever after?
Oh yes she will!
Meet the awful and elaborately dressed Ugly Sisters, Cinderella’s wicked Stepmother, Buttons, the Fairy Godmother, the dashing and handsome Prince Charming and of course, beautiful Cinderella herself. There will also be a special appearance from two Shetland ponies who will be taking Cinderella to the ball in her sparkling coach!
In association with the Chelmsford Civic Theatre, One From The Heart brings another action-packed family show to Chelmsford, featuring all the traditional pantomime ingredients; sparkling storybook sets, energetic song and dance routines, beautiful costumes, plenty of audience participation and the most important ingredient of all – a generous helping of pantomime magic!
You can reserve your seats by calling the Box Office on 01245 606505 or book online at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/theatres. Tickets are £20.00 (full-price) and £17.00 (concession) with special rates for groups, families and schools.
A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens adapted for the stage by John Bush
20th – 23rd November 2013 at the Memorial Hall, Little Baddow at 7.45pm
Charles Dickens created the essence of Christmas in his story, ‘A Christmas Carol’: Bob Cratchit’s family gathered round goose and pudding, Fezziwig’s Christmas Eve dance, the portly gentlemen collecting for charity.
Underneath the festivities lies Dickens’ anger at the meanness of business men like Scrooge and the suffering of the poor and overworked multitudes at the bottom of the heap. We could ask whether much has changed since the 1840s.
‘A Christmas Carol’ was on stage two months after it was first published. Dickens developed dramatic readings of the story and it’s constantly re-invented as a play, musical or film.
Little Baddow Drama’s version is faithful to Dickens’ words as the story moves quickly from Scrooge’s lonely bachelor dwelling to his school days, his failed romance and his encounters with poverty, suffering and the inevitability of his own death.
There’s no better way to start your own preparations for Christmas than this vivid reminder of its true meaning.
LITTLE BADDOW DRAMA’s production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL runs from Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rd November 2013 in the Memorial Hall at Little Baddow.
Tickets: £8.00 Wed; £9.00 Thur, Fri and Sat
Box Office: 01245 225509 Tickets from 28th Oct: 6.30pm-9.30pm
There’s a bar and plenty of free parking at the Memorial Hall.
This October Vivid Theatre Productions present RENT. With a stunning cast performing this ground-breaking ROCK MUSICAL by JONATHAN LARSON in the intimate auditorium of BRENTWOOD THEATRE you'll be swept into the wild bohemian East Village of New York City.
The cast consists of ex-professionals, newly trained performers and some of the best amateurs in the local area. This semi professional production is full of energy and sincerity that you will be taken on an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end. Containing the classic songs Seasons of Love and La Vie Boheme this show is not to be missed so book your tickets now...
Brentwood Theatre Box Office - 01277 200305
or
online http://vividmusicaltheatre.ticketsource.co.uk
The Incredible Adventures of Clown Slut
Mon 14 October 8pm in the foyer of the Queen's Theatre Hornchurch
“Let me get this straight, I’m getting kicked out of a nightclub for dancing too aggressively?"
This is one girl’s journey through the confusion and mayhem of growing up - dancing her way from the sticky floors of the under 18s disco to the luminous lights of Abra-Kebabra (via Freshers' Week), will Clown Slut ever figure out what it takes to fit in? Muscles will be pulled and trousers will be split as this stand-up theatre piece explores what it means to be a woman today. To wax or not to wax? That is the question...
Local Girl Productions bring you their latest piece of original theatre - created as a response to a remark from a stranger on a bus:
"Do you know what you are? You're a slut - trapped in the body of a clown".
Written and performed by Joanna Griffin
Directed by Lauren Bracewell
The Incredible Adventures of Clown Slut is about 1 hour and a half (inc interval) long.
Dark Earth: a historical drama staged at Flag Fen
Acclaimed theatre company, Eastern Angles are returning to Peterborough with Dark Earth, a magical and atmospheric new production performed at Flag Fen. Written, directed and produced by Eastern Angles’ professional creative team, the cast will be made up of performers drawn from the local community including members of Mask Theatre group. The play will be staged in a special covered auditorium with full stage, lighting, sound and tiered seating in the grounds of the historic archaeological site.
Dark Earth by Scottish playwright Forbes Bramble, is set in the Fens during the 1600s and tells of the drainage of the land and the story of two young lovers against the background of the discovery of a disturbing archaeological find. The play shows how the expertise of Dutch engineers was used to transform the landscape in an enthralling play that sets priest against churchgoers, landlords against tenants and engineers against eel-catchers.
Eastern Angles are delighted with the level of local support for this new venture. Produced in association with Vivacity, the production has been enthusiastically supported by local community performers all keen to get involved. This exciting and unique project will become an example of how Peterborough’s community performers and professional theatre-makers can successfully come together to create fantastic new work.
Director Naomi Jones said, “The atmosphere is the rehearsal room is great – very lively and positive. We have attracted a really good mix of actors, some with lots of experience of the local amateur dramatic scene, others are pupils from local schools like Jack Hunt. It’s a really good dynamic.”
“These people are telling an atmospheric story all about their local area, and some cases their ancestors. It gives the whole project a very special feel.”
Naomi Jones has directed many shows for Eastern Angles, including Return to Akenfield, Lincoln Road, The Long Way Home and most recently Private Resistance. Formerly with Out of Joint, for whom she directed Flight Path, she has also worked extensively for Oxford School of Drama and seen her productions performed at Hampstead Theatre Studio, Clerkenwell Theatre and Southwark Playhouse.
Writer Forbes Bramble worked with the prestigious new writing venue The Royal Court in the 1960s before training to become an architect. Based in Suffolk, his East Anglian connections led him to write this historical new play set in the Fens.
The show will also include puppetry from Polly Beestone (Spielgel Tent, Unicorn Theatre, Eastern Angles) and music by Chris Warner (RSC, The Lyric Theatre Belfast, Grand Opera House in Belfast).
Under the banner Platform Peterborough, Eastern Angles have been creating and performing nationally-acclaimed new theatre work inspired by the people of Peterborough for the last four years. Highlights have included the play Our Nobby, which featured the city’s best-loved tramp, Lincoln Road, based on stories from people living in the city, I Heart Peterborough, which took the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by storm and Parkway Dreams a critically-acclaimed musical documentary based on interviews with Peterborough Development Corporation employees.
Dark Earth will be performed at Flag Fen
from September 12th – 15th and from September 19th – 22nd.
Preview tickets £8 (Thursday 12th Sept)
Tickets: £12 (£10)
Vivacity Heritage Pass Holders £8
Ring: 01473 211498 or book online www.easternangles.co.uk
Autumn/Winter season
Civic and Cramphorn Theatres
Our city's theatre are set to open after the summer break with a rich mix of theatre, music, comedy, dance, film and much more
The Civic stage hosts an impressive roster of big name comedians in the biggest comedy series ever staged in Chelmsford. Phill Jupitus, Russell Kane, Alexei Sayle, Josh Widdicombe, Andy Parsons and Chris Ramsey will be performing their latest stand up shows. The Cramphorn studio theatre is the venue for more comedy including duo Peacock and Gamble with all their fun, idiocy and handsomeness, Andrew Lawrence the supreme misfit and even stand-up Comedy Club 4 Kids in a new venture that promises to be great comedy but without the rude bits. Plus there will be more monthly Comedy Showcase events featuring more of the UK’s best comedians on the comedy circuit.
There will be gritty drama in the form of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, a depiction of the mystery behind the infamous East End murders in The Ripper Files and powerful theatre in an innovative new staging of Dracula.
Musically, there will be blasts from the past in Soul Legends featuring favourite covers from the likes of James Brown, Tina Turner, Sam and Dave, Barry White and many more; The Bay City Rollers Story will bring original ‘Roller’ Les McKeown to the stage; The Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular Show will be recreating the purveyors of cool and some of the greatest music of the 20th century; Arrival UK perform the ultimate Abba tribute and there will be original music from 90s hit maker Beverley Craven and regular favourite Joe Brown. Wonderful sitar music will be played in a superbly unusual evening of music in Indian Dimensions and Balkan and gypsy music band Dunajaska Kapelye lead by Polish jazz violinist Piotr Jordan perform a wonderful musical journey. Not forgetting another season of M&G Civic Concerts staring with the City of London Sinfonia.
To keep the little ones entertained Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s book The Snail and the Whale will be coming to life and there is more popular children’s entertainment with Aliens Love Underpants in a zany stage show.
A one off special day of back stage tours will be taking place on Saturday 21 September. The tours will take people behind the scenes of the Civic Theatre with an introduction to the technical side of what goes on as well as a demonstration of the digital projector at the Chelmsford Picture House. Tickets must be booked early to avoid disappointment.
To find out about all the shows on at Chelmsford City Theatres and to book tickets visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/theatres or call the Box Office on 01245 606505.
