Here’s another brilliant show for younger audiences from the pioneering Little Angel Theatre.
Families with little ones can enjoy this puppet retelling of Ross Collins’s much loved, award-winning picture book, THERE’S A BEAR ON MY CHAIR, created by Toby Olié, in association with Little Angel Theatre.
Watch as Mouse employs a series of hilarious antics to remove an unwitting polar bear from his favourite chair.
Toby Olié is a director, designer and puppeteer. He is also co-artistic director of Gyre & Gimble, a theatre company specialising in puppetry. Work as director includes: The Wolves in the Walls (Little Angel Theatre) Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Hartlepool Monkey (Gyre & Gimble, UK tour), The Elephantom (National Theatre/West End) and associate puppetry director of War Horse (West End).
The show lasts approximately 10 minutes and is available until November 1st
How good it is in Black History Month to tell you that The Black British Theatre Awards will be broadcast live on SkyArts Freeview channel on Sunday October 25th at 9.00pm GMT (UK)
With theatre stalled and the Black Lives Matter debate raging, this is a useful time to remind ourselves of the wealth of great Black British talent which has recently come to the fore.
My personal choices within the nominations include Nadia Latif for Best Direction of the Pulitzer-winning FAIRVIEW (produced by the Young Vic) which carefully dissects white attitudes to race. Sharon D Clarke’s deeply-rooted performance as Linda Loman is Best Female Actor in a Play- nominated for the Young Vic’s production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN.
It’s interesting to see that these two productions are also nominated for BEST PRODUCTION PLAY; here FAIRVIEW is definitely my winner (read my review here). Best Supporting Female Actor in a play in my opinion should definitely go to Cherrelle Skeete for her brilliant performance in Temi Wilkey’s play THE HIGH TABLE co-produced by the Bush Theatre (read my review here). Disability Champion Award nominee Rachel Nwokoro has recently won The Stage’s Debut Award for her performance in LITTLE BABY JESUS at the Orange Tree, Richmond, which she thoroughly deserved (read my review here).
Congratulations to all the nominees and eventual winners!
The full list of nominees are below:
BEST DIRECTOR AWARD FOR A PLAY OR MUSICAL
Clint Dyer, Death of England, National Theatre
Nadia Latif, Fairview, Young Vic Theatre
Ola Ince, Appropriate, Donmar Warehouse
Roy Alexander Weise, ‘Master Harold’… and the boys, National Theatre
BEST PRODUCER AWARD
Adrian Grant, Thriller Live, Lyric Theatre
Nicole Raquel Dennis and Ryan Carter, Turn Up, Cadogan Hall
Tobi Kyeremateng, My White Best Friend (and Other Letters Left Unsaid), Royal Court Theatre
BEST CHOREOGRAPHER AWARD
Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy MBE, REDD, Barbican Theatre
Lanre Malaolu, Pass Over, Kiln Theatre
Shelley Maxwell, ‘Master Harold’… and the boys, National Theatre
BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE IN A DANCE PRODUCTION AWARD
Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy MBE, REDD, Barbican Theatre
Marcelino Sambé, The Cellist, Royal Opera House
BEST DANCE PRODUCTION AWARD
Ingoma, Ballet Black, Barbican Theatre
REDD – Boy Blue, Barbican Theatre
Some Like It Hip Hop – ZooNation, Peacock Theatre
BEST USE OF INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Nicole Raquel Dennis and Ryan Carter, Turn Up, Cadogan Hall
LIGHT AND SOUND RECOGNITION AWARD
Carmen Wright
Simeon Miller
Tony Gayle
COSTUME DESIGN RECOGNITION AWARD
Jodie Simone Howe
Maybelle Laye
Natalie Pryce
BOOK AND LYRICS RECOGNITION AWARD
Arinzé Kene
Roy Williams
Shirley Thompson OBE
MUSICAL DIRECTOR RECOGNITION AWARD
Ian Oakley
Sean Green
Shiloh Coke
CASTING DIRECTOR RECOGNITION AWARD
Isabella Odoffin
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A PLAY
Lucian Msamati, Master Harold’… and the boys, National Theatre
Paapa Essiedu, Pass Over, Kiln Theatre
Valentine Olukoga, The Fishermen, Trafalgar Studios
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A PLAY
Rakie Ayola, On Bear Ridge, Royal Court Theatre
Ronke Adekoluejo, Three Sisters, National Theatre
Sharon D. Clarke MBE, Death of a Salesman, Piccadilly Theatre
BEST SUPPORTING MALE ACTOR IN A PLAY
Arinzé Kene, Death of a Salesman, Young Vic Theatre
Nari Blair-Mangat, Cyrano de Bergerac, Playhouse Theatre
Reice Weathers. The Upstart Crow, Gielgud Theatre
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE ACTOR IN A PLAY
Cherrelle Skeete, The High Table, Bush Theatre
Michele Austin, Cyrano de Bergerac, Playhouse Theatre
Rosalind Eleazar, Uncle Vanya, Harold Pinter Theatre
BEST PRODUCTION PLAY
Death of a Salesman, Piccadilly Theatre
Fairview, Young Vic Theatre
Three Sisters, National Theatre
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL AWARD
Jason Brock, Thriller Live, Lyric Theatre
Jonathan Andrew Hume, Come from Away, Phoenix Theatre
Noah Thomas, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Apollo Theatre
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL AWARD
Aisha Jawando, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, Aldwych Theatre
Maiya Quansah-Breed, Six the Musical, Arts Theatre
Miriam-Teak Lee, & Juliet, The Shaftesbury Theatre
BEST SUPPORTING MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL AWARD
Arun Blair-Mangat, & Juliet, The Shaftesbury Theatre
Nicholas McLean, Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre
Tarinn Callender, Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL AWARD
Melanie La Barrie, & Juliet, The Shaftesbury Theatre
The highly-respected Finborough Theatre, currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, has been awarded the title London Pub Theatre of the Year 2020.
In a virtual ceremony (due to prevailing conditions) hosted by London Pub Theatres, the awards celebrate London’s historically thriving fringe pub theatre scene, this year also awarding its Standing Ovation Awards for shows presented in London pub theatres.
Here is a list of the winners and awardees
LONDON PUB THEATRE OF THE YEAR 2020, FINBOROUGH THEATRE, Artistic Director NEIL MCPHERSON
RUNNER-UP FOR LONDON PUB THEATRE OF THE YEAR 2020, WHITE BEAR THEATRE, Artistic Director MICHAEL KINGSBURY
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD to JOHN and KATIE PLEWS for their work UPSTAIRS AT THE GATEHOUSE
COMMENDATION FOR SERVICES TO PUB THEATRES to TESSA HART, REBECCA PRYLE, and VELENZIA SPEARPOINT at the BREAD AND ROSES THEATRE
STANDING OVATION AWARDS 2020– shortlists (winners in red) Comments in brackets after the show titles are evaluations and opinions of London Pub Theatres team only)
BEST PRODUCTION (London based companies)
CHAPLIN BIRTH OF A TRAMPby Ross McGregor at Brockley Jack Theatre
NUCLEAR WAR/BURIED AND GRACELAND at Old Red Lion Theatre
CALL ME FURY by Sasha Wilson (further devised by the company), Produced by Out of The Forest Theatre at The Hope Theatre
AT LAST by James Lewis & Alexander Knott at Lion and Unicorn Theatre
TRYST by Karoline Leach at Chiswick Playhouse
THE HOUSE OF YES by Wendy MacLeod at The Hope Theatre
BEST REDISCOVERY / ADAPTATION
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Charles Dickens) at Bridge House Theatre
THE WIND OF HEAVEN by Emlyn Williams at Finborough Theatre
MOBY DICK by Herman Melville adapted and directed by Douglas Baker at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre
BEST TRANSFER / SHOW ON TOUR FROM OUTSIDE LONDON
THE VIOLENCE SERIES TRIPLE BILLby The Other Room Theatre (Cardiff) at Theatre503
A PRAYER FOR WINGS by Sean Mathias, transferred to The King’s Head from Swansea Grand Theatre
FOR OUTSTANDING THEATRICALITY
TRYSTby Karoline Leach at Chiswick Playhouse
THE HOUSE OF YES by Wendy MacLeod at The Hope Theatre
BEST INNOVATIVE PLAY
EMPTY IN ANGEL by James Woolf at White Bear Theatre (skewering the gig economy – The set was a fixed-wheel messengers’ bicycle on rollers and two screens to project the GoPro footage provided by real-life courier Giovanni ‘Overkill’ Adebay)
MOBY DICK by Herman Melville adapted by Douglas Baker at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre (environmentalism, and active graphics, presenting a very big book on a very small stage)
CALL ME FURYby Sasha Wilson (further devised by the company), Produced by Out of The Forest Theatre at The Hope Theatre (looks at women and witchcraft through the ages, It’s thought-provoking & has outstanding musicianship)
THE NOISES by Jacqueline Saphra at Old Red Lion Theatre, Presented by Liam McLaughlin productions (audio-described introduction of the set, costume and movements plus other innovation to include the visually impaired – story told from the point of view of a dog)
COMEDY
OOPSY DAISY by Holly McFarlane at Katzpace Theatre
THE INVISIBLE MAN by HG Wells at Jack Studio
HAPPILY EVER POOFTER Created and performed by Rich Watkins at King’s Head Theatre
BEST NEW PLAY RAISING AWARENESS
NETFLIX & CHILL by Tom Stocks at Drayton Arms Theatre (suicide of young men)
EMPTY IN ANGEL (Chris) by James Woolf at White Bear Theatre (skewering the gig economy)
THE BEVIN BOYS (Richard) by Viv Edwards at Pentameters Theatre, Hampstead, 12-21 July 2019 (young men conscripted to go down the mines during the Second World War)
QMUL Quorum are holding what promises to be an interesting online event on Thursday 22 October at 8.00pm BST. Dr Kirsty Sedgman, an audience researcher and lecturer at the University of Bristol, will be talking about the value of the arts and the often overlooked value of theatre studies and researchers.
This should prove an engaging statement of the worth of the arts, as well as being useful to all of us who want to support and champion the return of the performances that we love so much.
Here’s another brilliant show for younger audiences from the pioneering Little Angel Theatre.
FLYBOY AND THE ROBOT is an original story from multi-disciplinary artist and musician Matthew Robins.
Matthew has been writing and performing an on-going series of stories about Flyboy for the last 10 years. Using black paper, a scalpel, and a piano they are his own home-made way of recreating all the things he loves – 1950s science-fiction films, Sesame Street cartoons, the Beano, old Tom Waits records. This story (Flyboy and the Robot) is one of Matthew’s favourites to perform as it combines many of his favourite things, i.e. crocodiles, robots, and sausages, and lots of diminished-seventh chords.
When there isn’t a pandemic Matthew also performs with the other musicians in his band, but in this special performance filmed at the Little Angel Theatre in London, he has to do it alone – with some help from Tim Spooner operating the puppets.
