I call an old friend and tell him I’m going to do a bit of blogging for Live Theatre. Between hysterical giggles, he squeezes out the words: “gaffer tape.” Ok, that doesn’t make sense. Let me explain. Sometime in the late 1990s we went to the premiere of an off-West End drama. In the bar […]
Hello Live Theatre blog! What’s happened last since we met? Thanks for asking. I’ll let you know in a minute. In the meantime, woah! You’ve been busy… …reviewing Incognito…exposing us to 10 Minutes To…promoting Ian Mclaughlin’s one-man show…spotlighting new plays by Lee Mattinson and Paddy Campbell…talking to Joe Caffrey about, err, being Joe Caffrey …and…many […]
I think we’ve found our level…or…why I’ll always remember the Never Forget rehearsal “This is not for your benefit” said director Rosie Kellagher, and my heart sank a bit. Do you mean top up-and-coming performer Adam Donaldson didn’t just uncross his legs forcefully to make sure I knew he definitely does not “sit like a […]
Working magic – making Wishbone “A hill…sticks…Tom has my old walkman from school.” Really? “Something unspoken…like a recording of the past on repeat.” Err, ok. “Clever director…generous writer.” Right. “Bluidy McKenzie…being a teenager in Edinburgh is gruesome – Rosie and Laura said so…bodacious…was rad a thing?” Sorry, what? Sometimes, when I read my hasty scribbles […]
We’re delighted to welcome back theatre director Rosie Kellagher to Live Theatre with her BITESIZE Play Wishbone. Written by Laura Lindow, the show is on in our Studio Theatre on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 March at 8pm. Here’s what Rosie had to say about the show… What is the show about and what can people […]
Choo choo, choo choo ch’boogie. Take me right back to the track…John. I know. Re-writing Louis Jordan is criminal. But in my defence I was kinda drunk at the time. No, not in the way you’re thinking! I’d just spent three hours in Hexham watching The Next Train To Depart in rehearsal. That afternoon I […]
Since being asked to blog for Live Theatre, my mobile phone has had a brilliant time. It flashes gleeful reminders at me: “put your boots on fella, there’s a path between the bar and a cabaret seat needs walking.” And walk I did, into all kinds of exciting stuff. Into shows by musicians I didn’t […]
Cooking with Elvis Review Well bless my soul what’s wrong with me, I’m feeling like a man who can’t see the wood for the trees. I’ve been trying to write about Live Theatre’s excellent Cooking With Elvis revival for hours. I can’t find an angle that does it justice. I’m sad sack, frustrated by a […]
…no, lift it, remember your eyes are in your chin… …then hips. HIPS! You know you’ve got it in you… …now everyone grab Elvis! Get a handful of that chest. Feel that Elvis! Own that Elvis! And hold. Let the applause reach the top… It started as an average overcast October afternoon. I left a […]
Let’s talk about new writers. Bubbling with important stories and dramatic inventions, they inspire and stimulate. Like, say, Northumberland based Allison Davies who’s first one act play Weather To Fly premiered at Live Theatre last week. While we’re at it lets talk about indie theatre companies. Locally engaged, forging creative relationships, building from the roots […]
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