The lockdown experience was, of course, an infinitely lonely and disturbing one for many and involved living life rather differently. It was also a time for making discoveries about oneself and that is one of the key themes running through Talking Hands, five short pieces (average playing time, 20 minutes) from Deafinitley Theatre.
‘Entertaining & educational’: TALKING HANDS – Deafinitely Theatre (Online Review) ★★★★★
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Deafinitely Theatre, Talking Hands has been created in partnership with Paines Plough, allowing five deaf writers to share their stories of lockdown.
‘Let’s hope industry leaders listen’: CASTE-ING – Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Nouveau Riche, creators of the hit show Queens of Sheba that confronts systemically ingrained misogynoir, now focuses on the experience of being a Black woman actor in Caste-ing. Using music, beatboxing and spoken word to expose the micro-aggressions and racism that shape their working lives, the show is a rallying cry for change within theatre and film.
‘Fantastically good fun’: Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder – Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Musical comedy Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder by Jon Brittain and Matthew Floyd Jones at Roundabout @ Summerhall is a hilarious caper that embraces the genre’s fans, life’s unexpected heroes and the quest to find yourself.
FEATURED SHOW: ‘Spell-binding’, ‘jaw-dropping’ Coventry-set May Queen is back. Read the reviews!
Have you read the reviews for Frankie Meredith’s May Queen yet? Originally premiered last year as part of Paines Plough’s Roundabout season, this ‘spell-binding’ piece set in Coventry is now back for one week only at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre.
‘The idea was really rooted in Coventry’: Frankie Meredith on her play May Queen, now returning to Belgrade Theatre
Originally premiered last year as part of Paines Plough’s acclaimed Roundabout Season, May Queen returns to Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre for a strictly limited season. Midlands writer Frankie Meredith tells us more about the modern folk tale and how growing up in Coventry influenced it.
NEWS: Belgrade Theatre restages Paines Plough May Queen in Coventry, 25 Jun-2 Jul
After its successful premiere last year as part of Paines Plough’s Roundabout Season, Midlands writer Frankie Meredith’s May Queen returns to Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre for a strictly limited season this summer.
‘The writing is always perceptive & convincing’: SESSIONS – Soho Theatre
Intense, but inconclusive: this powerful new play about black men’s mental health fails to reach a satisfying resolution.
‘Consistently holds the audience’s attention’: MAY QUEEN – Paines Plough Roundabout
Leigh’s doing her GCSEs but all she and the girls at school can talk about is the upcoming May Day event, where Leigh’s playing the May Queen.
NEWS: Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre will reopen in May 2021
The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry has announced that its doors will reopen to the public on 17 May 2021, with socially distanced audiences able to enjoy Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw in John Godber’s April in Paris, which kicks off its UK tour at the venue.
NEWS: Paines Plough makes a ‘Promise to 2021’ with plans for new season
Artistic directors Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner have announced plans for Paines Plough 2021. The year’s programme will see the company return with a team of trailblazing writers in theatre including Chris Bush, Vickie Donoghue, Phoebe Eclair-Powell, Ifeyinwa Frederick, Chinonyerem Odimba, Frankie Meredith and Amy Trigg.
NEWS: Theatres Trust supports 40 more UK theatres in final round of reopening fund grants
The Theatres Trust has awarded a further £155,265 of grants to help theatres with costs of Covid-secure reopening, including changes to the building to reduce congestion, improvements to ventilation systems and simple measures like installing hand sanitisers and screens.
‘Makes you think about what ‘you’ did during lockdown’: IN TANDEM – Paines Plough (Online review) ★★★★
The brilliant cast of In Tandem gives authentic and realistic portrayals of ordinary people enduring life and finding new ways of living.
NEWS: UK’s leading touring theatre companies will join forces to present Signal Fires
The UK’s leading touring theatre companies are uniting this autumn to present Signal Fires, a nationwide project inspired by one of the original forms of theatre – storytelling around a fire.
‘Great play, great revival’: THE CLAIM – Shoreditch Town Hall
In the era of Brexit, and the government’s new immigration proposals, Tim Cowbury’s The Claim feels suddenly even more relevant.
‘Never really catches fire’: YOU STUPID DARKNESS! – Southwark Playhouse
A new play about optimism, You Stupid Darkness! is compassionate in conception, but repetitive and frustrating in performance.
A Roundabout rundown: Six Paines Plough shows at Edfringe
The Paines Plough Roundabout is the most reliable, new writing venues at the fringe. With a collection of work that represents the width and breadth of the UK both geographically and thematically, this year’s offerings are universally strong.
NEWS: Nadia Fall’s second season at Theatre Royal Stratford East features 10th anniversary production of Sucker Punch
Theatre Royal Stratford East has announced Nadia Fall’s second season as artistic director to run from autumn 2019 to summer 2020.
Pint-Sized Playwriting Podcast: James Grieve of Paines Plough
The Pint-Sized Playwriting Podcast exists to help emerging playwrights understand how to get ahead in the world of new theatre. This latest episode is with the superb James Grieve, the joint artistic director of Paines Plough.
‘The focus is on excellent new writing that’s relevant’: A round-up of the Roundabout – Edinburgh Fringe
The six shows at the Roundabout exemplify Paines Plough’s focus on excellent new writing that’s relevant and thematically diverse.
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