Below are past listings from the CRN:UK arts section:
The Overwhelming
a new play by J T Rogers
In association with Out of Joint
You are seeking answers in a country you do not know, without a language to understand it. And yet you wish me to send my soldiers. You would like us to run through the city, flashing guns, asking, ‘What has happened?’
'The Overwhelming acheives the emotional impact that TV news bulletins and newspapers rarely manage.'
Evening Standard
Seizing the opportunity to research a book, Jack Exley uproots his family from illinois to Rwanda in early 1994. Alarmingly out of depth, Jack begins a fervent search for his dear and missing friend while his wife and teenage son find trouble of their own. As Jack involves himself in the local politics, he discovers a pattern of brutality and beliefs that jeopardizes the lives of everyone around him.
A gripping story of a country on the brink of genocide.
From 9 May
World Premiere
Lost Childhood
From: 12 August 2006
To: 10 September 2006
This exhibition features striking and evocative photographs taken by photojournalists in the midst of conflicts all over the world, from Iraq to Sierra Leone, alongside rap music by and about child soldiers, a programme of film screenings, and a decomissioned AK47.
Using interactive compents and visual learning resources, we aim to educate and inspire both children and adults about the global problem of child soldiers, and the issues that surround it. This multi-dimensional exhibition will be a fresh, exciting and memorable experience that people of all ages will be interested in exploring.
Event Type Art exhibition
Event venue Museum of Childhood, Edinburgh
Website http://www.cac.org.uk/
Price Free of charge
KOLBE'S GIFT
a new play by DAVID GOODERSON
New Farbham Repertory Actor's Company
19 - 21 September 2006 at 7.30pm
Matinee: Thursday 21st at 2.30pm
POSK Theatre
238-246 King Street, Hammersmith
London W6
Tickets: £13, £14, £15 conc. £10
Box Office (untill 3rd Sept.): 01252 712672 (24 hrs)
Box Office (from 4th Sept.): 020 8741 0398
and 020 8741 1887 (24 hrs)
KOLBE’S GIFT
Auschwitz 1941. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest, volunteers to take the place of another prisoner in the starvation cell... What motivates such extraordinary self-sacrifice? And what are the consequences for the survivor? This important new play explores the heights and depths of human experience. Since 9/11 and the 2005 London bombings the themes of martyrdom, sacrifi ce and survival have an urgent topicality.
“Raw uncompromising history and drama of the highest distinction... I have rarely been more moved... I cannot recommend it too highly”.
Nigel Pascoe QC Counsel
For more information, please visit the Polish Cultural Institute by clicking here.
Community Arts North West and Exodus announce the:
EXODUS ARTS FESTIVAL 2006
Date: Sat 24 June 2006
Time: 12noon – 6pm
Place: Hulme Park, Stretford Road, Hulme
Admission: FREE
A unique celebration of arts and culture by Greater Manchester’s diverse refugee communities.
Featuring world music and dance from Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Congo, India, Kurdistan, Liberia, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe and other countries across the globe.
Plus interactive workshops, children’s activities, international food, world crafts and stalls.
Over 2000 people from both refugee and local communities attended the festival in 2005. Outside of London, Exodus is fast becoming the largest programme of creative and cultural exchange with refugee communities in the UK.
For further information about Exodus, Greater Manchester Refugee Arts Partnership: www.can.uk.com/exodus
Contact Erin McNeaney, Exodus Coordinator, Community Arts North West, T: 0161 234 2987 erin@can.uk.com
The Exonerated
Riverside Studios
21 February - 11 June 2006
By Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen
Directed by Bob Balaban
Imagine everything you did between the years of 1976 and 2002. Now remove all of it.
Those 16 years were taken away from Sunny Jacobs, convicted and sentenced to death for a crime she did not commit.
But her story is not unique. The Exonerated shares the true stories of six innocent survivors of death row.
Their stories, told in their words.
Heart-breaking and uplifting verbatim theatre The Exonerated is a powerful take on the death penalty culled from interviews, letters, transcripts, case files and the public record. Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen The Exonerated played off-Broadway to sell-out audiences for two years, has toured across the US and received rapturous applause, standing ovations and further critical acclaim at last year’s Edinburgh Festival.
This UK production of The Exonerated is timely. It highlights and brings closer to home what makes the death penalty a persistent topic of debate for the media, human rights activists and legislators. Today approximately 3,400 people are under the death sentence in the US, but since 1973 more than 115 people have been released from death rows throughout the States due to evidence of their wrongful convictions. In 2003 alone, 10 innocent defendants were released from death row.
Click here to visit the Exonerated website.
Thu 18 May - Sat 3 June
Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
NO MEAN CITY
By A McArthur and H.Kingsley Long
Directed by Jeremy Raison
Designed by Lucy Hall
The story of Johnnie Stark, the son of a violent father and a downtrodden mother, who became the 'Razor King' of Glasgow's pre-war underworld.
In the Gorbals there were no Queensbury rules and when violence erupted, any weapon was used
The savage descriptions and raw character portrayals bring to life a story that is fascinating, authentic, convincing and tragic.
Signed performance Saturday 27 May 2.30pm
Audio described performance Thursday 1 June 7.30pm
Dates: |
Thu 18 May - Sat 3 June |
Ticket prices: |
Wed & Thurs £12 Full Price, £6 Concession, £3 Gorbals Citizens’ Cardholders |
Click here for the Citizens Theatre's website.
My Name Is Rachel Corrie
The writings of Rachel Corrie
Edited by Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner
Cast :Megan Dodds
Director:Alan Rickman
Produced with the kind permission of Rachel Corrie’s family.
Why did a 23-year old woman leave her comfortable American life to stand between a bulldozer and a Palestinian home?
My Name Is Rachel Corrie tells the story of her short life and sudden death, from the words she left behind.
The journals and e-mails of Rachel Corrie have been edited by for the stage by Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner with the kind permission of Rachel Corrie’s Family.
Previews from: 29 March 2006
Opening night: 30 March 2006
Booking until: 7 May 2006
Times: Tue-Sat 20:00, Sun 16:00
Running time: 1h25
Click here to visit the Play House's website.
18 - 22 April 2006
Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London
30 Bird Productions present
Majnoun
by Mehrdad Seyf
Following their free ‘rough’ performance of The Persian Revolution , in January, 30 Bird Productions return to the Lyric with their critically acclaimed show, Majnoun , prior to a UK tour.
No sex, no booze, no techo? Majnoun blasts the popular Western image of Iran through the roof in a surreal and comic collision of images, music and text exposing the peculiar marriage of modernism and tradition in modern day Iran.
‘Playful, absurdist and comic . . . Majnoun is so deftly staged and so appealingly performed, it is impossible not to like’ The Guardian.
Part of theMIX, a groundbreaking season of new work in the Lyric Studio, supported by Deutsche Bank.
Suitable for ages 12+
Click here to visit the Lyric's website.
The Same Difference Film festival is a week long festival showcasing films based on the themes of conflict, conflict resolution and community. The festival will include local and international short and feature length films.
The festival also hopes to nurture talent in the field. A short films competition will take place at the West Wing Arts Centre. The competition has garnered entries of outstanding quality from all over the world. The judging panel will be made up of Screen South, Pinewood Studios and Filmmakers and a prize of £500 will be awarded to the winner.
The Festival will open with Turtles Can Fly. Shot on location in an Iraqi refugee camp on the Turkish border, Director Bahamn Ghobadi's powerfully moving third feature is the first film to come out of Iraq since the collapse of Saddam's regime.
Other films being shown include Pavee Lackeen, Le Grand Voyage and Kirikou and the Soceress.
For more information please visit the festival website by clicking here.
Turtles Can Fly
Bullet Boy
Earth
Breakfast With Mugabe
Soho Theatre
Box Office: 0870 429 6883
In the run up to the 2002 Zimbabwe elections President Mugabe seeks help from a white psychiatrist. The psychiatrist attempts the dangerous job of analysing the president, while being alternately threatened and charmed by Mrs Grace Mugabe.
Antony Sher directs Fraser Grace's play, which examines the differences between African and European values and the conflict between despotism and liberalism.
Author: Fraser Grace; Director: Antony Sher; Producer: Royal Shakespeare Company;
Previews from: 11 April 2006
Opening night: 12 April 2006
Closing: 22 April 2006
Times: Various - please check schedule
Prices: 11-15 Apr £15, 17-22 Apr £20, Mats £10
Paper Thin
by Amaz Dar February/March 2006
Mushtaq's student visa is about to run out but he's desperate to stay in London so he can support his family back home. Working two jobs back to back he saves enough money to pay Laila, who has a flourishing business in arranging marriages of convenience. But Mushtaq's dreams of a perfect life with a perfect wife are shattered by the reality of greed as Laila's cunning plans unfold…
Paper Thin is a fresh new play that looks at the complexities of immigration and the lengths one man is prepared to go to fulfill his dreams.
Azma Dar is establishing a growing reputation for tackling difficult and often taboo subjects in a moving, frank and entertaining way. Kali presented Azma’s Chaos in April 2005.
On tour to:
Brentford Watermans
23 February – 5 March
40 High Street Brentford TW8 0DS
Box Office 020 8232 1010
Croydon Clock Tower
7 & 8 March
Katharine St
Croydon CR9 1ET
Box Office 020 8253 1030
Finchley Arts Depot
9 – 11 March
5 Nether Street
Tally Ho Corner
North Finchley
Box Office 020 8369 5454
Birmingham MAC
14 & 15 March
Presented by SAMPAD
Cannon Hill Park
Birmingham B12 9QH
Box Office 0121 440 3838
Crawley Hawth
16 & 17 March
Hawth Avenue
Crawley RH10 6YZ.
Box Office 01293 553 636
Film
EDWARD SAID: THE LAST INTERVIEW (NC)
Synopsis
Edward Said was a renowned writer and political activist whose outspoken views on the Palestinian cause outside the Middle East were almost as famous as his internationally acclaimed books on literature and politics. In November 2002, less than a year before his death from leukemia, Said spoke exclusively to British filmmaker Mike Dibb about his extraordinary life. Over the course of remarkable three days, he discussed the onset of the disease and his most intimate thoughts about his work.
Another travelling exhibition is available from The Peace Museum, Bradford, UK
“My Country is the Whole World”
Women Peacemakers
With the title being a quotation from Virginia Woolf's book 'Three Guineas', and covering a range of women peacemakers past and present, this travelling exhibition of 28 A2-sized panels (24" x 17") has been created by The Peace Museum and was launched on 11th July 2005.
It is the latest in a series of five such travelling exhibitions from The Peace Museum.
It is available for free borrowing (+ mailing & insurance costs).
(A small A4 sized version is available to view in The Peace Museum itself)
It is believed that this is the first exhibition on the subject, and certainly the first travelling exhibition. There have been 'women and war' type exhibitions by others.
With text and illustrations, the panels present an inspiring, thoughtful, and challenging overview of both individual women peacemakers and women's peacemaking groups, both then and now.
Women Peacemakers asks questions of women and of men.
Some of the women and organisations shown will be known to many people.
Some may be known by a few people.
Some may be very little known. However, all have played key roles in peacemaking.
From the mythical Lysistrata, to Quaker women, to the first woman Nobel Peace Prize winner exactly 100 years ago, through the war times both hot and cold, through the anti-nuclear and Greenham Common times and to present day women and women's organisations, the display is sure to generate interest, questions and surprise. The 1000 Peace Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 panel is of particular current interest because the names of the thousand were released in July 05.
Peace Museum trustee Carol Rank said: " There will be substantial interest in this travelling exhibition. With its interesting combination of the well-known and lesser known, its informative and questioning approach, this perspective on peace is tackled in quite a different way in comparison with our other exhibitions. It will be of interest to men as well. Indeed, it will also stimulate good discussion and understanding both within and between the sexes on the issue of peace.
Our other exhibitions have been requested by groups, conferences, galleries, schools and events actors across the UK, also in Europe and further afield. We think this one will certainly travel just as widely."
The Women Peacemakers exhibition is free for hire but costs approximately £34 each way (inc insurance) to send (in a box) with Parcelforce. Personal collection may be possible. It is in landscape style, laminated with Velcro tabs on the back. A leaflet giving more details and a black & white reduced size photocopy for initial consideration are available on request. There are educational worksheets for schools if desired.
The Peace Museum Office, Jacobs Well, Manchester Road, Bradford, BD1 5RW
01274-434009
The Peace Museum is an independent charitable trust. Registered charity no. 1061102 and registered company no. 3297915
The Sugar Wife-UK premiere
Rough Magic and Soho Theatre Company present
The Sugar Wife
by Elizabeth Kuti
directed by Lynne Parker
17 January-11 February, 7.30pm
Book before 10 December and get a free published playtext (RRP £7.99).*
'Excellent... a moving play whose themes of charity, colonialism and morality resonate deeply.' The Guardian
We are delighted to welcome Rough Magic for the UK premiere of Elizabeth Kuti’s intelligent and moving new play. Set in 19th Century Dublin and tackling the most contemporary of concerns, The Sugar Wife looks at the coffee trade, the emancipation of slaves and the nature of morality. A huge hit in Ireland, this play tells a heart-rending story whilst setting up an urgent and timely debate.
’A thoughtful, intelligent piece of work.’ Sunday Independent
’Rough Magic shines with its production of Elizabeth Kuti’s marvellous new play, a richly woven piece of work… which stays with you long, long after it has come to an end.’ Sunday Tribune
To book: call 0870 429 6883 and quote 'mailing offer'.
*One free playtext per booking and only if booked before 10 December. Subject to availability. The playtext will be available for collection from the box office with your tickets.
Theatre Royal Stratford East and Sheffield Theatres present
GLADIATOR GAMES
Dramatised by Tanika Gupta
2nd November - 12th November2005
One of Britain’s pre-eminent writers traces a family’s pursuit of the truth behind the death of a young British Asian in Feltham Young Offenders Institute.
Zahid Mubarek, a young British Asian man, was a local lad from Walthamstow, just a couple of miles up the road from this theatre. He got into trouble with the law and found himself in Feltham Young Offenders Institute. Little did he or his family know that he was about to be dealt a death sentence. On the eve of his release, Zahid was attacked by his cellmate. One week later he died of his injuries. How was this allowed to happen?
Click here for more information.
Clean Break presents
Mercy Fine
by Shelley Silas
Directed by Natasha Betteridge
Designed by Bernadette Roberts
Mercy Fine is in her prison bed at midnight. In just over 24 hours she’ll be going back home, but home was the family she destroyed. As Mercy’s future looms, her past haunts her...
MERCY FINE is the new production by Clean Break which each year commissions a play from a female playwright on issues relating to women in the criminal justice system. Writer Shelley Silas researched the play with women prisoners in HMP East Sutton Park.
Shelley Silas’s stage plays include Shrapnel, Falling and Calcutta Kosher. Her plays for BBC Radio Four include The Sound of Silence and a co-adaptation of The Raj Quartet.
“Written with the passion, deep understanding and emotional intelligence of a writer who is not afraid of anything” The Sunday Times on Falling
Previews: 8th & 9th November 2005 at 7.30pm
The London Shakespeare Workout & LSW Prison Project in association with Intermission proudly present the World Premiere Production of
Black Atlas
St. Saviour’s Church
Walton Place, Knightsbridge, SW3 1SA
Closest Tube: Knightsbridge (Piccadilly Line)
Directions: http://www.intermission.org.uk/location.htm
Wed 26 Oct 2005, 7.15 pm
Thurs 27 Oct 2005, 7.15 pm
Wed 2 Nov 2005, 7.15 pm
Thurs 3 Nov 2005, 7.15 pm
Minimum Donation £5 on Door
Reservations Essential:
Call 0207 793 9755
E-mail: blackatlas@europe.com
Inspired by George McDonald Fraser's novel 'Black Ajax', BLACK ATLAS tells the true story of Tom Molineaux - a slave from Louisiana who died a British hero having become the first notable Black Prize Fighter in England. Spanning three continents, BLACK ATLAS depicts key figures from the Regency period (Molineaux, George III , The Prince Regent, Paddington Jones, Beau Brummel, Tom Cribb, Pierce Egan) as well as a colourful assortment of wholly fictional characters. Dramatically shaped/written using LSW's unique developmental process by individuals inside and out of criminal justice regimes, BLACK ATLAS additionally includes a dose of very real Regency slang, quotes Shakespeare and encompasses a healthy range of period songs. Lasting one hour and twenty minutes, BLACK ATLAS is performed by an all-male ensemble of professionals and ex-offenders and proudly premieres an original score by Tim Williams.
Playing With Fire
by David Edgar
Dates: 12 September - 22 October
Venue: Royal National Theatre, South Bank, London, SE1 9PX
Tickets: £10 and £25
We used to be a place’d sometimes get to the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Now, I mean like for a laugh like, we pick up the phone and say “Good evening, Beirut Hilton”. When the District Council of Wyverdale fails to satisfy a government audit, New Labour high-flyer Alex is sent north from London to formulate a robust recovery plan. But websites, faith festivals and council leaflets in Bengali seem beside the point to the Labour old guard, struggling to provide the basics to an alienated and divided electorate. What begins as a metro-versus-retro comedy of misunderstanding soon becomes a chilling drama about multicultural Britain. Racial tensions soar and good intentions have fatal consequences.
David Edgar’s plays include Albert Speer at the National, and Destiny and Pentecost for the RSC.
Director: Michael Attenborough
Lighting Designer: Mark Henderson
Cast: Emma Fielding
Please click here for more information
From 'Rivers of Blood' to 'Playing with Fire'
29 September 2005
A panel discussion about the themes of David Edgar's provocative new play Playing with Fire, with leading public figures debating the relationship of multiculturalism and contemporary politics.
6.00pm-6.45pm, 29 September 2005
Olivier Theatre, National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1 9PX
Tickets: £3.50/£2.50. Telephone 020 7452 3000.
20 September - 8 October 2005
Ice and Fire Productions
Crocodile Seeking Refuge
by Sonja Linden
Lifting the lid on the asylum stories behind the headlines, Crocodile Seeking Refuge weaves together the lives of five people who have sought refuge in the UK.
From Darfur to Iraq each has been forced to flee in the
face of death and each is haunted in a different way by the past. Finding themselves in situations that veer from the comic to the tragic, they try to make sense of the British way of life.
For more information go to www.iceandfire.co.uk
Suitable for ages 12+
Ticket Office: 08700 500 511. Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, London, W6 0QL
Black History Month at Soho
In conjunction with Full Frontal Theatre and Talawa, we are delighted to present three inspiring events to celebrate Black History Month.
Soho Theatre presents
3 Days in July
18 –22 October, 7pm + 20 October at 2pm
’If these are my people
And these are your people
Watch your mind when it comes to treatment.
For, only through mutual respect and tolerance
Can your people and my people be equal.’
Khanya "Coruscate" Qoboshiyana, South African student
During the days of the G8 summit, Soho worked with South African and British school children, exploring their day-to-day lives over this turbulent time. These diaries, woven with reports from the summit, are presented in a thought provoking and insightful new show.
Tickets:
£10 (£8 concessions)
Under 18s: £5
Groups: Buy ten tickets, get one free
Call 0870 429 6883 or click here
Black History Month at Soho
Full Frontal Theatre present
Qabuka
to chance upon, to see suddenly, to see for the first time
6 – 8 October, 8pm
Qabuka is based on the true-life testimonies of Zimbabwean’s in exile. The last 4 years have seen thousands of people abandon a country in crisis – many fleeing persecution and torture - to become part of England’s asylum system. This production is a rough and ready show made in response to the current and changing events that affect those exiled. It tells their compelling stories with song, dance and lots of humour.
Tickets:
£10 (£8 concessions)
Under 18s: £5
Groups: Buy ten tickets, get one free.
Call 0870 429 6883 or click here
Black History Month at Soho
Talawa presents
Unzipped
13 –15 October, 5pm
A brand new forum for contemporary black play-writing
Talawa presents a rare opportunity to see seven new plays by Black playwrights, with the launch of this play-reading series and mini-symposium Unzipped. A series of discussions on the subjects linked to the plays will accompany the readings, led by theatre professionals including, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Femi Elufowoju and Karena Johnson.
For more information, visit: www.talawa.com
Tickets:
£5 (£3 concessions)
Call 0870 429 6883 or click here
The Almeida Theatre in association with the Actors Centre
Henry Goodman and Kerry Shale star in
My Dinner with André
by Wallace Shawn and André Gregory
directed by Matthew Lloyd
25 September, 7.30pm at the Almeida
A unique opportunity to see one of the most brilliant and engaging debates on theatre and life ever written. With gripping candour and dazzling wit, the two protagonists take each other on an extraordinary journey of mind and heart, commitment and daring, memory and yearning.
My Dinner with André was made into a cult movie by Louis Malle in 1982, and has not been presented live on stage since the authors performed it in 1980.
For further information call 020 7359 4404 * or visit www.almeida.co.uk
11 - 15 October 2005
Conspirators' KitchenThe Hot Zone
By Nirjay Mahindru
Three British Asian men are incarcerated in an unfamiliar land. Are they guilty or innocent? Truth and deception are woven together in this powerful
tale exploring today’s controversial approach to counter terrorism.
Inspired by the Guardian dossiers of interviews from Guantanamo Bay, this illuminating and daring new play looks at how the global ‘war on terror’ has rocked our perceptions of national and religious identity, and
challenged our preconceptions about freedom and democracy.
For more information please visit www.conspiratorskitchen.com
Suitable for ages 14+
Ticket Office: 08700 500 511. Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, London, W6 0QL