 |
| www.facebook.com/carliolphotography |
Follow North East Theatre Guide on
Twitter at https://twitter.com/NETheatreGuide and
on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NETheatreGuide. Read
about JoWhereToGo and its PR and photography services here.
The Future
of Theatre is Bright
A Suitcase. A Toothbrush.
A Ball
Newcastle Live Theatre
Saturday 4th
March 2017
Tonight
was the first of 2 nights of productions which have been devised by the Live’s
Youth Theatre. Whereas some youth theatre programmes have already chosen the
pre-written script that will be used, the young participants at Live have a
role during each stage of the process. They select the theme for that year’s
performances. With the help of professional drama facilitators, they devise the
show and then they perform it. Each performer has had a chance to add their
input into the show. The result is that
each of the 10 groups produces a brand new short play in the home of new
writing.
It
is time for a disclaimer. My son has been attending these sessions and
performed tonight. This has given me an insight into the process behind each
play. Having also experienced other youth drama schools he has said there is a
much bigger focus in making the young people confident and in looking at the
process of making a show rather than just how to read some lines.
The
process has produced 5 very unique stories that were performed tonight. Each
one had their merits and were worth watching in their own right. The young
people clearly have developed and they did a good job of entertaining the
audience. It is a shame that the names of each cast didn’t feature in the
programme.
Truthpaste (11-13 Theatre East
Group)
Director Stephen Durkin
Assistant director Hannah
Parsonage
The
opening piece involved an unruly class being asked to bring something suitable
for a show and tell. The teacher got a
few laughs as he brought his class to attention whilst discussing his domestic
arrangements. It is funny to see how students view their authority figures, do
teachers really want their kids to fail? In order to fit in some students
exaggerate about their lives and the play looks at why they might lie and the
consequences. A fascinating look into whether you’d want beef or cheese
flavoured toothpaste.
Unattended (14-16B Live Theatre
Group)
Director Hannah Parsonage
Assistant director
Bridget Ladyman
It
is impressive how a short story can be layered up. Unattended considered 3 different ways an inanimate object, such as
the suitcase, could be involved in different people’s lives. What stories could
it tell? Again, we have a few laughs as the case found itself on the Bingo bus!
The Event (17-25B Live Theatre
Group)
Director Ben Ayrton
Assistant director Sian
Armstrong
The
oldest group of the evening had a mature look at the nature of human
relationships. A mutual friend of the cast had died a year ago and each member
of the cast looks at how they feel about the deceased, the manner of their
departure and the unfinished business with them. Always interesting.
Knowledge Is Power (11-13 Live Theatre
Group)
Director JonLuke McKie
Assistant director Joanna
Geronimo
Possibly
the most topical of the evening’s 5 shows, the young people creating this show
have clearly been watching the news. Zero hour contracts, working conditions in
warehouses, workplace bullying and overly ambitious target setting all
feature. Another great cast gave the
audience further chances to laugh, though should we be laughing at bad
treatment of staff or a caricature of the USA’s president? Like the
other plays, a number of scenes segue nicely in a well produced play with a
number of strong performances.
The Girl (14-16A Live Theatre
Group)
Director Toni McElhatton
Assistant director
Isabelle Hutchinson
The
final show was the most conceptualised. When her mothers suffer from a
relationship breakdown, a girl seeks comfort from her books. Eventually new
friendships are established. This tale shows that young people are capable of
creating a piece that is not a traditional narrative.
All
5 shows tonight are a credit to the young people that devised and performed in
them. Paul James and his team of creatives need to be congratulated at both
giving the next generation of theatre makers a chance but also in the high
quality of the end product. The crew and technical staff have also done a great
job of supporting 5 different shows in one day. The shows are worth seeing and
we look forward to tomorrow’s offering.
Review
by Stephen
Oliver.
 |
| www.facebook.com/carliolphotography |
No comments:
Post a Comment