The Long Now is a timely reminder to support the arts, especially fringe theatre, as we emerge from a dry spell for live performance. I do hope that this timeless production will return in some form as it really was the perfect reintroduction to the theatrical world.
Mates blogger: Violet Mackintosh
Violet Mackintosh is one of over 45 theatre bloggers who are part of the MyTheatreMates collective. This page features Violet's posts on MyTheatreMates. Take a look at our full list of theatre bloggers and our aggregated feed of all our Mates' posts. We’re always looking for new theatre bloggers. Could that be you? Learn about how to join us.
Violet Mackintosh has experience as an assistant stage manager for the National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) and as a production assistant at the Edinburgh Fringe. She pursues her interest in theatre through her blog: www.thevioletcurtain.com, also following global theatre, particularly in Germany. Violet lives in London and is a student at the University of Toronto.
The latest from Violet on MyTheatreMates
’A beautifully narrated meditation of lockdown thoughts’: BREAKING UP WITH REALITY – Living Record Festival (Online review)
We needn’t search further than Nod At The Fox’s production of Breaking Up With Reality. Not only does this audio drama give us a sense of what it would sound like, but also the soothing soundscapes and intense narration allow us to know what it would feel like, look like and be like.
‘A charming musical monologue’: HOLLOW – The Space UK (Online review)
If you are wondering what a ‘musical monologue’ is – look no further. Hollow is a charming twenty-minute musical journey.
‘A glimpse at the darker side of creative genius:’ Mood Music – The Old Vic (Online review)
It is not often that we see the messy workings of entertainment law and intellectual property that lurk behind the glossy exterior of the music industry.
‘Real, personal & touching’: BLACK WOMEN DATING WHITE MEN (Online review)
A beautiful selection of Zoom conversations about what it means to be a black woman navigating the messy and complicated world of interracial love…
Recalling Claire Foy & Matt Smith in LUNGS: ‘If you think that ignorance is bliss, this one probably isn’t for you’
If you are thinking of experimenting with this strange new medium and want to worry about global warming instead of a pandemic for a change, read on for what I thought back in October.
Book Review: Twenty Theatres to See Before You Die by Amber Massie-Blomfield
In the treasure hunt for the most magical theatres in the country, Amber Massie-Blomfield provides a compilation of bite-sized chunks of captivating theatrical history…
‘We are made of stardust & dreams’: ELECTROLYTE – Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (Online review)
This week is National Mental Health Awareness Week and never before has it seemed so needed. Locked away from the distractions of normality, we have been faced with our own four walls for weeks on end, with only social media keeping us connected to those we miss, and those we don’t…
‘I am completely shaken by the terrifying stillness of this play: CYPRUS AVENUE – Royal Court Theatre (Online review)
Five minutes ago, I finished watching Cyprus Avenue and I am bursting to write something, anything, down.
‘The numbing brilliance of this play raises awareness of the current health crisis” TIGER COUNTRY, Hampstead Theatre (Online Review)
I couldn’t think of a play more apt to raise awareness of the health crisis we now find ourselves in. Tiger Country is a blunt and beautiful portrayal of the real lives in an NHS hospital.
Why The Phantom of the Opera still has our hearts: History, mishaps & memories of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic
“Close your eyes and let the music set you free” – The Phantom of the Opera Last week I was reminded of my first theatre memory. I was eight and my parents took me to see The Phantom of the Opera for a Saturday matinee. I don’t remember the performance itself, but what I do recall is sitting in the dress …
‘I have never before truly appreciated the blinding power of physical theatre’: THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE – Gecko Theatre (Online review)
If you, like me at the moment, feel you are missing out on some of the familiar repetitiveness of life, this is thirty minutes you need to watch.
‘It reminds us of the necessity of patience, resilience & love – a message we all need at this time’: JANE EYRE – National Theatre (Online review)
I wonder how the defiantly independent Jane Eyre would have coped with the prospect of self-isolation, a reality which had 62,000 people tuning in to watch her journey of romance, betrayal and self-discovery.
‘It transported me away from the grim news & into another world’: ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS – National Theatre (Online review)
Just as Hollywood produced slickly sweet, happiness-filled films during the Great Depression, this was the National’s attempt at lifting the nation’s spirits during the darkest times most of us have ever known – and it was a great success.