The Exeter Daily - THEATRE

Devon-based contemporary circus theatre company announce first shows

News Desk — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 22:48:15 +0000

New North Devon-based contemporary circus theatre company Kook Ensemble has announced its first two shows: premiering in Devon and touring, Filibuster, is a solo show created with and performed by gentleman juggler Tom Gaskin and inspired by silent movie physicality.

The show premieres and plays several venues in Devon, and tours to venues including Jackson’s Lane in London. It will be followed in 2025 by Sand, a show about coastal erosion and dementia. Kook Ensemble, which aims to create character-driven circus theatre, was founded to by Michaela O’Connor and Sean Kempton, two international circus and theatre artists whose decades of experience include companies including Cirque du Soleil and venues including the Royal Albert Hall, South Bank Centre, West End and Broadway.

Filibuster is created with and performed by gentleman juggler Tom Gaskin. Inspired by the silent movie comedy giants like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, it brings to life a funny and sometimes downright absurd story of fantasy, hope and love. Bertie needs to escape. Turning his back on the chaos of the world around him, he leaves his home for a derelict cottage in the woods. Here he waits with his wildly playful imagination…hoping love will arrive before the chaos catches up with him.

Sand plays with comedy and tenderness, a playful story of love and loyalty, against the backdrop of erosion, of both our landscape and sometimes our identities. It is the story of Myles, who has dementia, and Dilly, who must watch the love of her life drift away. They revisit their past together, remembering the battles and laughter, rediscovering a joy that keeps them connected for whatever future they have left. The development process took place in part at memory cafes in Barnstaple.

Kook Ensemble is a North Devon-based contemporary circus theatre company that makes character-driven, compelling and playful work. It was founded in 2023 by Michaela O’Connor and Sean Kempton, drawing on decades of international circus experience, including with Cirque du Soleil. Michaela is a physical actor, aerialist and director, whose work has taken her from the Royal Albert Hall and West End to Broadway. Credits include Le Reve Franco Dragone, Barnam Cameron Mackintosh, Opening Ceremony for London Olympics and most recently directing work for Secret Cinema. Michaela is also leading teaching faculty member on the Degree Course at the National Centre for Circus Arts.Sean’s most recent work includes Secret Cinema, Cirque du Soleil, Underbelly South Bank London, Roald Dahl Story Company, London Mime and Vamos theatre. He was an original cast member and comedy creator for Franco Dragones iconic Le Reve in Las Vegas.

Co-director Sean Kempton said, “For many years, both Michaela and I have been creating work for other people. After 25 years of developing our own approach to building shows and how we integrate performance with physical work, we felt fully ready to set up a company. So much of our work has been international, and Kook was an excellent opportunity to start basing ourselves back home in North Devon. We had always started building and scratching our work here, and it felt important to continue this trend.”

Co-director Michaela O'Connor added, "We have created a unique way to develop work that is both visually creative and emotionally rich while serving the heart of the story. We are lucky enough to have worked with creatives with years of experience, which allowed us to build a company that can work in a truly collaborative way. This includes bringing in the community. We have an open-door policy in rehearsals where the public can come in, watch, ask questions and give feedback as much as possible. We want the creative world to be inclusive for all.”

Local performances include:

14 September: The Landmark Theatre, Ilfacbome. www.northdevontheatres.org.uk/landmark.php
24 September: Exeter Phoenix. www.exeterphoenix.org.uk
25 September: Beaford, Barnstaple. www.beaford.org

For details visit https://www.kookensemble.com.

Humble Boy

Genevieve Trickett — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 13:19:15 +0000

Humble Boy

By Charlotte Jones

An Exeter Drama Company Production

“You know, Felix, bumble bees shouldn’t be able to fly… They don’t obey the laws of physics. But they fly anyway.”

All is not well in the Humble Hive.

Following the sudden death of his father, astro-physicist Felix returns to his middle England home and his difficult and demanding mother, and soon realizes that his search for unity must include his own chaotic home life.

This funny, poignant and charming play will be performed at Longdown Village Hall on 27th, 28th and 29th June at 7.30pm.

Tickets are only £9. Book now at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ExeterDrama

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Event Date

Thursday, June 27, 2024 - 7:30pm to Saturday, June 29, 2024 - 7:30pm

Venue

Longdown Village Hall

William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing

News Desk — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 22:43:31 +0000

Exeter Little Theatre Company’s forthcoming production of Much Ado About Nothing opens this month!

For those unfamiliar with the text, the story revolves around two romantic pairings that emerge when a group of soldiers return from war triumphant. With matchmaking and misunderstandings comes mayhem as the lovers navigate their way to marriage. The title’s play on words references the secrets and trickery that form the backbone of the play’s comedy, intrigue and action.

However, this production is given a different spin on two counts: by being set in the 1990’s rave scene on London’s South Bank and with the exploration of alternative portrayals, with some parts being played by actors of a different gender to the characters originally created – yet the production retains Shakespeare’s original storyline and language.

From the company that brought recent sell out hits including The Vicar of Dibley, Little Shop of Horrors and Nativity! The Musical, this production of Much Ado About Nothing is a must see for any Shakespeare enthusiasts and those studying The Bard and his other texts alike. This vibrant production will be sure to draw in audiences of all ages and the setting makes for a nostalgic look at the play through the hedonistic era that was London’s rave scene in the 90’s, for those who remember the decade!

Tickets available at www.cygnettheatre.co.uk

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Event Date

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 - 7:00pm to Saturday, March 23, 2024 - 7:00pm

Venue

Cygnet Theatre, Exeter

Shotgunned - UK-Wide Tour Kicks Off in Exeter This Weekend

kangaroocourt — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 17:39:24 +0000

Shotgunned, a brand new play written and directed by Matt Anderson, starts its 37 night UK-wide tour this weekend at Barnfield Theatre in Exeter.

Shotgunned tells the story of Dylan and Roz, a couple who unexpectedly fall out of love. It is a poignant and humorous reflection on the messy and the beautiful in relationships and how we can come up against a dead end, no matter how much we care for each other. It also speaks about our dreams and the courage and resilience it takes to follow them. In equal parts hilarious and heart-breaking, Shotgunned is a relatable and intimate piece of theatre about the people we lose that shape who we become.

The show is brought to the stage by Kangaroo Court - a creative studio specialising in theatre and film production. Off the back of a successful three-night run in Falmouth and Truro last year, the team at Kangaroo Court have been busy building a self-funded UK-wide tour of the show. Now, as things stand, Shotgunned has 37 shows performing at theatres in Cornwall, Exeter, Bath, London, Brighton, and Edinburgh.

Secure your tickets for this spellbinding new show on Exeter Northcott's official website by searching for Shotgunned. Performance dates are Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd March, 7:30pm.

Be sure to keep up-to-date with all things Shotgunned by following @roocourt on Instagram.

Shotgunned

kangaroocourt — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 15:54:44 +0000

Shotgunned tells the story of Dylan and Roz, a couple who unexpectedly fall out of love.

It is a poignant and humorous reflection on the messy and the beautiful in relationships and how we can come up against a dead end, no matter how much we care for each other. It also speaks about our dreams and the courage and resilience it takes to follow them.

In equal parts hilarious and heart-breaking, Shotgunned is a relatable and intimate piece of theatre about the people we lose that shape who we become.

Written and directed by Matt Anderson, Shotgunned is Kangaroo Court’s debut production. It comes to The Barnfield as part of a UK-wide tour, performing at theatres in Cornwall, Devon, Bath, London, Brighton, and Edinburgh.

Press for this production

‘Both actors did an amazing job… Roz and Dylan’s story is told with a healthy mix of charm and wit. You find yourself laughing out loud one moment and gripping for tissues the next… Shotgunned breaks your heart, patches it together and then breaks it again.’ FalWriting

‘Despite focussing on a break up, Shotgunned is very funny throughout.’ ★★★★★ The Packet

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Event Date

Friday, March 1, 2024 - 7:30pm to Saturday, March 2, 2024 - 8:45pm

Venue

The Barnfield Theatre, Exeter

Exeter Northcott Theatre launches spectacular Spring/Summer 2024 season

Exeter News Blog — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 23:11:16 +0000

Exeter Northcott announced today over 100 exciting new events at its Northcott and city centre Barnfield theatres from January until June 2024, including:

Musical extravaganzas: smash-hit parody Unfortunateand Windrush celebration RUSH: A Joyous Jamaican Journey.
Laughs for all: must-see comedies The Time Machineand The Importance of Being... Earnest? and stand-up from Georgie Carroll and Romesh Ranganathan.
Social justice spotlights: Women’s History Month brings powerful stories Protest and WANTED
Family entertainment: Belongings, a moving journey of self-discovery, and monster mayhem in Dragons and Mythical Beasts.
Insightful talks from Ben Fogle and Simon Reeve.
Exclusive dance offers: big savings for a boundary-pushing season of dance.

Season highlights

Thought-provoking theatre and new takes on timeless tales

Exeter Northcott launches its new theatre season with Chris Thorpe’s (Talking About the Fire) compelling nuclear disarmament drama A Family Business (1 – 2 Feb, Barnfield). Legendary Welsh storyteller Shôn Dale-Jones (The Wonderful World of Hugh Hughes) then searches for human connection in dark comedy Cracking (9 – 10 Feb, Barnfield), and ThickSkin (How Not To Drown) challenge consumer culture in Peak Stuff(27 – 28 Feb, Northcott).

During Women’s History Month in March, three schoolgirls stand up to social norms and inspire change in Hannah Lavery’s (Lament for Sheku Bayoh) Protest (11 Mar, Barnfield). Then, Gazebo Theatre weave together history, heart and humour to explore the extraordinary stories of five trailblazing women in WANTED! (19 - 20 Mar, Northcott).

March also brings Miracle Theatre's comical Cornish whodunnit, Hells Bells (21 – 22 Mar, Northcott), while April audiences can unravel Agatha Christie's iconic murder mystery The Mousetrap (15 – 20 Apr, Northcott) during its 70th-anniversary UK tour.

Exeter Northcott also hosts a laughter-packed line-up of classic stories with modern twists. Original Theatre (Murder in the Dark) reimagine H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine (5 – 8 Feb, Northcott) with chaos, wit, and a sprinkle of Cher. Say It Again, Sorry? (Easel Peasel) tease Wildean charm with play-within-a-play The Importance of Being... Earnest? (14 – 16 Mar, Northcott). New Old Friends (Crimes on Centre Court) spellbind audiences with Houdini's Greatest Escape (14 – 16 May, Northcott), a side-splitting thriller in the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps.

Moving on to musicals, critically acclaimed Little Mermaid parody Unfortunate (4 – 8 Jun, Northcott) surfaces at the Northcott in summer. The wickedly fresh spin on the ‘real story’ beneath the waves stars Shawna Hamic (Orange is the New Black, Netflix) as Ursula and River Medway (RuPaul's Drag Race UK, BBC) as Ariel.

John Simmit’s (Upfront Comedy) musical Windrush celebration RUSH: A Joyous Jamaican Journey (15 Jun, Northcott) rounds out Exeter Northcott’s new theatre season.

Homegrown talents at the Barnfield

The Barnfield Theatre continues to elevate South West artists, enabling them to showcase new and vital works.

Devon’s Stowaway Theatre pay homage to Britain’s first female crime syndicate in roaring 20s musical crime caper 40 Elephants (22 – 24 Feb, Barnfield). Stowaway developed this production during its participation in Exeter Northcott’s Futures programme last year.

Later, Scratchworks (The Grimm Sisters) return to the Barnfield with locally inspired witch-comedy Hags: A Magical Extravaganza (17 – 18 May, Barnfield). The South West theatre company unearth stories of the last three women accused of witchcraft in the UK, put on trial in Exeter over 300 years ago, through live magic and music.

Fun for all ages

Families are treated to everything from a celebration of a legendary children's TV icon to mind-blowing monster puppetry.

Sooty celebrates a lifetime of magic, mischief, and mayhem inThe Sooty Show 75th Birthday Spectacular (12 Feb, Northcott).

All ages can find the perfect pet in Rod Campbell’s Dear Zoo(1 – 2 Apr, Northcott) and discover the joy of play in Tangled Feet (Butterflies) and Rowan Tree’s Belongings (3 – 4 Apr, Northcott).

Approaching summer, a musical stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book (10 – 12 May, Northcott) and epic half-term encounters with earth-shattering puppets in Olivier Award-nominated Dragons and Mythical Beasts (28 – 30 May, Northcott).

Dance odyssey

Audiences can embark on a rhythmic adventure with Exeter Northcott's multibuy ticket offer for dance events: book tickets for two eligible events and enjoy a 10% discount. Adding more events increases this discount.

Exeter Northcott opens its new dance season withMotionhouse’s digital magic-infused Nobody (5 – 6 Mar, Northcott). Then, Graziano Di Prima charts his journey from Sicilian vineyards to Strictly Come Dancing stardom in Believe(9 Mar, Northcott) and Ockham’s Razor transforms Thomas Hardy's Tess (11 – 12 Mar, Northcott) into a feminist circus spectacle.

In May, Dani Harris-Walters sketches a reflective coming-of-age story through hip-hop dance in Happy Father’s Day (8 May, Northcott). Shechter II explore the tensions of English identity in From England with Love (11 – 12 May, Northcott). Ballet Cymru stage a daring adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo a Juliet (25 – 26 May, Northcott), and KVN Dance Company magically reimagine Coppelia (29 May, Northcott).

Closing Exeter Northcott’s new dance season, Rendez-Vous Dance tell the untold story of a 1930s Parisian lesbian cabaret with flirtation and flair in The Monocle (26 Jun, Northcott).

For more information on Exeter Northcott’s dance multibuy offer, eligible events and groupings, please visitwww.exeternorthcott.co.uk

Also coming up this season:

English Touring Opera return to the Northcott with radical and inventive re-interpretations of Giacomo Puccini’s Manon Lescaut (23 – 25 May, Northcott) and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress (24 May, Northcott).

Hilarious nights out await Exeter stand-up comedy fans fromAdam Rowe (20 January, Barnfield), Romesh Ranganathan(23 Jan, Great Hall), Babatunde Aléshé (28 Jan, Northcott), Gail Porter (3 Feb, Northcott), Janey Godley (9 Feb, Northcott), Frankie Boyle (10 Feb, Great Hall), Jimeoin (14 Feb, Northcott), Miles Jupp (21 Feb, Northcott), Melanie Bracewell (22 Feb, Barnfield), Troy Hawke (23 Feb, Northcott), Count Arthur Strong (25 Feb, Northcott), Scott Bennett (28 Feb, Barnfield), Tom Allen (8 Mar, Great Hall), Dom Joly (8 Mar, Northcott), Joe Wells (9 Mar, Barnfield), Tim Vine (23 Mar, Northcott), Lloyd Griffith (30 Mar, Northcott), Georgie Carroll (5 May, Northcott), Rachel Parris (18 May) and Michelle Brasier (31 May, Northcott).

Exeter Northcott is also turning back time with a celebratory live music journey through the decades with The Magic of Motown(13 Jan, Northcott), A Century of Swing (27 Jan, Barnfield),Guitar Heroes (31 Jan, Northcott), The Marvin Gaye Songbook (16 Feb, Northcott), 90s Live (24 Feb, Northcott), Nashville at Heart (27 Feb, Barnfield), Fastlove (6 Apr, Northcott), Dracula in Space (19 Apr, Barnfield), Sweet Caroline (27 Apr, Northcott), The Magic of the Bee Gees (17 May, Northcott) andGet It On (1 Jun, Northcott).

Plus, engaging talks from Antiques Roadshow’s Charlie Ross, Charles Hanson, Christina Trevanion and Philip Serrell (30 Jan, Northcott), free solo climber Pete Whittaker (14 Feb, Barnfield), TV survivalist Ben Fogle (12 Mar, Great Hall), Post Office scandal journalist Nick Wallis (20 Apr, Barnfield), adventurer Simon Reeve (26 Apr, Great Hall) and astronomerAdrian West with his stratospherically successful The Night Sky Show (28 Apr, Northcott).

Tickets for all these events and more are now on sale atwww.exeternorthcott.co.uk or 01392 72 63 63.

Full list of events at Exeter Northcott Theatre:

January

Sat 13 The Magic of Motown

Thu 18 - Sat 20 EUTCo: Alice

Wed 24 - Sat 27 Footlights: Singin’ in the Rain

Sun 28 Babatunde Aléshé: Babahood

Tue 30 Antiques and a Little Bit of Nonsense

Wed 31 The Story of Guitar Heroes

February

Fri 2 The Comedy Store Players

Sat 3 Gail Porter: Hung, Drawn and Portered

Mon 5 - Thu 8 The Time Machine (audio described performance – Thu 8)

Fri 9 Janey Godley: The Not Dead Yet Tour

Sun 11 ICCA Quarterfinal

Mon 12 The Sooty Show

Wed 14 Jimeoin: The Craic!

Fri 16 The Marvin Gaye Songbook

Wed 21 Miles Jupp: On I Bang

Fri 23 Troy Hawke: The Greeters Guild

Sat 24 90s Live!

Sun 25 Count Arthur Strong

Tue 27 - Wed 28 Peak Stuff

March

Fri 1 Sophie McCartney

Tue 5 - Wed 6 Motionhouse: Nobody

Fri 8 Dom Joly: Conspiracy Tourist

Sat 9 Graziano Di Prima: Believe

Mon 11 - Tue 12 Ockham’s Razor: Tess

Thu 14 - Sat 16 The Importance of Being… Earnest?

Tue 19 - Wed 20 WANTED!

Thu 21 - Fri 22 Hell’s Bells

Sat 23 Tim Vine: Breeeep!

Mon 25 - Tue 26 Feel Me (captioned performances)

Wed 27 - Thu 28 Stewart Lee: Basic Lee

Sat 30 Lloyd Griffith: Baroque and Roll

April

Mon 1 - Tue 2 Dear Zoo

Wed 3 - Thu 4 Belongings (relaxed performance – Thu 4)

Sat 6 Fastlove

Mon 8 - Sat 13 EMS: Carousel

Mon 15 - Sat 20 The Mousetrap (British Sign Language interpreted performance – Sat 20)

Thu 25 The Horne Section’s Hit Show

Sat 27 Sweet Caroline

Sun 28 The Night Sky Show

May

Wed 1 - Sat 4 Stage by Stage: The Little Mermaid

Sun 5 Nurse Georgie Carrol: Sista Flo 2.0

Wed 8 Dani Harris-Walters: Happy Father’s Day

Fri 10 - Sun 12 Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book

Tue 14 - Thu 16 Houdini’s Greatest Escape (audio described performance – Thu 16)

Fri 17 The Magic of the Bee Gees

Sat 18 Rachel Parris: Poise

Thu 23 ETO: Puccini’s Manon Lascaut

Fri 24 ETO: Stravinsky: The Rake’s

Sat 25 ETO: Puccini’s Manon Lascaut

Tue 28 - Thu 30 Dragons & Mythical Beasts (audio described and BSL-interpreted performances – Wed 29)

Fri 31 Michelle Brasier: Reform

June

Sat 1 Get It On!

Tue 4 - Sat 8 Unfortunate (BSL-interpreted performance – Sat 8)

Tue 11 - Wed 12 Shechter II: From England with Love

Sat 15 RUSH – A Joyous Jamaican Journey

Mon 17 Punt & Dennis

Wed 19 - Sat 22 The Tragedy of Madame Bovary

Mon 24 - Tue 25 Ballet Cymru: Romeo a Juliet

Wed 26 Rendez-Vous Dance: The Monocle

Sat 29 KVN Dance Company: Coppelia

Sun 30 Theatretrain: Around the World

Full list of events at the Barnfield Theatre:

January

Sat 20 Adam Rowe: What’s Wrong with Me?

Fri 26 The Comedy Store

Sat 27 A Century of Swing

February

Thu 1 - Fri 2 A Family Business

Fri 9 - Sat 10 Cracking

Wed 14 Pete Whittaker: Fine Lines

Thu 15 - Sat 17 Shotgun: Carrie the Musical

Thu 22 Melanie Bracewell: Forget Me Not

Thu 22 - Sat 24 40 Elephants

Tue 27 Nashville at Heart

Wed 28 Scott Bennett: Great Scott!

March

Fri 1 - Sat 2 Kangaroo Court: Shotgunned

Wed 6 - Thu 7 Maynard School: Spamalot

Fri 8 An Actor Convalescing in Devon

Sat 9 Joe Wells: King of the Autistics

Mon 11 Protest

Sat 16 Encompass: Rhythms of Us

Sun 17 UpClose Theatre: ART

Sat 23 Anthos Arts: The Macbeths

April

Wed 10 - Sat 13 Exeter Gang Show

Fri 19 Dracula in Space

Sat 20 Post Office Scandal: The Inside Story

Fri 26 The Comedy Store

Tue 30 Here to There Theatre: Hedda

May

Wed 1 - Sat 4 Here to There Theatre: Hedda

Thu 9 Jackie Fabulous

Fri 10 Simply Barbra

Wed 15 - Thu 16 Polly: The Heartbreak Opera

Fri 17 - Sat 18 Hags: A Magical Extravaganza

Tue 21 - Wed 22 The Passion of Living Spit

Thu 23 Six Chick Flicks

June

Fri 14 South Devon Players

Sat 15 The Dad’s Army Radio Show

Tue 25 - Sat 29 ELTC: And Then There Were None

August

Fri 30 - Sat 31 Northcott Young Company: Pizza Wars

Full list of events at the Exeter Great Hall:

January

Tue 23 - Wed 24 Romesh Ranganathan: The Warm-Ups

February

Sat 10 Frankie Boyle: Lap of Shame

March

Fri 8 Tom Allen: Completely

Tue 12 Ben Fogle: Wild

April

Fri 26 Simon Reeve: To the Ends of the Earth

For more information visit www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

The Exeter Daily - THEATRE

Devon-based contemporary circus theatre company announce first shows

Humble Boy

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Event Date

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Venue

William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing

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Event Date

Category

Venue

Shotgunned - UK-Wide Tour Kicks Off in Exeter This Weekend

Shotgunned

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Event Date

Category

Venue

Exeter Northcott Theatre launches spectacular Spring/Summer 2024 season

Season highlights

Thought-provoking theatre and new takes on timeless tales

Homegrown talents at the Barnfield

The Barnfield Theatre continues to elevate South West artists, enabling them to showcase new and vital works.

Fun for all ages

Dance odyssey

Also coming up this season:

Full list of events at Exeter Northcott Theatre:

Full list of events at the Barnfield Theatre:

Full list of events at the Exeter Great Hall: