39 Steps - New Vic Theatre

I love a good piece of theatre and this is a fabulous piece of theatre.

And one that can only exist on stage as the joy is in the theatricality and conceit of 4 actors playing 120 roles between them….

From the New Vic Website:

Following on from our hugely successful productions of Around The World In 80 Days and Astley’s Astounding Adventures, thrilling spy drama The 39 Steps gets the New Vic treatment!

Richard Hannay, upstanding gent and all-round good guy, finds himself in a bit of a pickle when he wakes up to find a mysterious woman in his apartment. Dead. Now on the run, pursued by all manner of suspicious characters, can Hannay evade capture and clear his name of murder before it’s too late? Will he fall in love along the way? And what exactly are The 39 Steps?

A thrilling, inventive, fast-paced caper, four actors will play over 120 characters in this side-splitting comedy based on John Buchan’s famous  spy novel.

Starring New Vic favourites: Rebecca Brewer (Playhouse Creatures), Gareth Cassidy (Treasure Island), Michael Hugo (Around The World In 80 Days) and Isaac Stanmore (Peter Pan In Scarlet).

Rehearsal Photography : Beryl - New Vic Theatre

I was across at the New Vic Theatre in Stoke again on Tuesday afternoon to photograph rehearsals for Maxine Peake's play 'Beryl' which opens next week.

" Maxine Peake’s critically acclaimed first play – a warm and witty celebration of the life of unsung sporting legend Beryl Burton. A working class mum from Leeds, she cycled her way into the record books, becoming the greatest ever woman on two wheels. But her remarkable story was, largely, forgotten – until now!

Nobody expects young Beryl Charnock to amount to much. She never makes it to grammar school and, after a serious illness, is told to avoid exercise. Then she meets keen young cyclist, Charlie Burton, and finds herself smitten – not only with Charlie, but with the thrill and freedom she finds on her bike.

With husband and daughter at her side, the determined Beryl defies the world, embarking on a journey that leads to true sporting greatness. She dominates cycling throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s, becoming five-time world champion and best British all-rounder for 25 consecutive years. And still makes it home in time for dinner!"

Directed by Gemma Fairlie

The Snow Queen : New Vic Theatre

I had the chance to photograph this gorgeous adaptation of 'The Snow Queen' at The New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-lyme at the end of November. It's a classic Christmas show and visually a joy to photograph.

This week's Guardian as well as running the photos made it the number one show to see in the UK - great stuff:

"The Guardian - Friday Dec 16th 2016

1. The Snow Queen

Once again, Theresa Heskins delivers a wonderful festive show. This tale of friendship, self-sacrifice and adventure should thaw the most wintry of hearts as Gerda sets out to save her friend Kai from the clutches of the icy Snow Queen, with Heskins drawing as much on Dickens as she does on Hans Christian Andersen’s original tale."  - Lyn Gardner 

Theatre Photography : Treasure Island - Hull Truck Theatre

This year's Christmas show at Hull Truck Theatre is a great adaptation of Treasure Island. Hull Truck have started a great tradition of presenting a play for children rather than a pantomime over the festive season and this production is certainly continuing that.

A great revolving set forms the backdrop for a capsule company presenting this great tale of adventure.

Have a peek at some of my production photography from this fun, colourful and exciting show.

Rehearsal Photography : Cinderella - Lawrence Batley Theatre

Today was a trip to The Lawrence Bately Theatre in Huddersfield to photograph rehearsals of 'Cinderella', their Christmas Pantomime. I love it when the Christmas shows begin because that really marks the start of the festive season for me!!

From their website:

In a fairy-tale kingdom, poor Cinderella is a servant to her cruel stepmother and ugly stepsisters. When a handsome prince invites all the maidens of the land to his party, she only has rags to wear. With the help of her friend Buttons, and a sprinkling of magic from her Fairy Godmother, will she make it to the ball after all?

This classic rags to riches story includes everything you love about a traditional pantomime - sparkling scenery, stunning costumes, plenty of audience interaction, well-known songs and live music - with two dames for twice the laughs. 

New to the LBT this Christmas, CINDERELLA is the creation of pantomime royalty Joyce Branagh and Andrew Pollard. 

Rehearsal Photography : Treasure Island - Hull Truck Theatre

Yesterday evening I popped across to Hull and Hull Truck Theatre to photograph rehearsals for their Christmas show. I love it when it gets to this time of year as lots of theatre companies are gearing up for Christmas and it really gets me in the festive spirit!

This year Hull Truck Theatre are staging ‘Treasure Island’ and if rehearsals are anything to go by it looks like an action-filled musical treat!

Artistic Director Mark Babych says:

“Hull Truck Theatre Christmas shows are all about providing magical adventures in storytelling that all the family can enjoy. Highly visual, with great original music, our team creates that extra special bit of Hull Truck magic to bring familiar and wondrous stories to life in the intimate, welcoming surroundings of our beautiful theatre. Debbie Oates has created a sparkling new version of a great tale.”

Theatre Photography : The Gaul at Hull Truck Theatre

The second part of the Hull Trilogy recently opened at the Hull Truck Theatre and I was lucky enough to go along and photograph it.

From their website:

Kay’s Dad and brother both work on the ships, so having them come and go is part of the ebb and flow of life. Even so, as she helps Dad to pack for his next trip on the Trawler Gaul, Kay slips her Sindy-doll into his bag, just for luck.

When the 36-man crew is lost off the coast of Norway the close-knit community cling together in the search for the truth. Was the Gaul the victim of a storm, or a casualty of Cold War hostilities? Or is this a case of fault and blame? As the mystery ripples through the years and life moves on, Kay struggles to free herself from the tragedy and all that remains unanswered.

No trawler tragedy has caused as much controversy as the loss of the Gaul in 1974. This new play by Hull-born writer Janet Plater explores the journeys of the wives and relatives who were left behind, through the discovery of the wreck by a TV documentary crew in 1997 and the government inquiry in 2004 to the present day.

Rehearsal Photography : Kitchen Sink : New Vic Theatre

In the week when the New Vic Theatre celebrates it's 30th anniversary it was great to go back and photograph rehearsals for their next play - Kitchen Sink.

From the website:

"An irresistibly funny and huge-hearted play about marriage, families, making ends meet – and dodgy plumbing. One of the biggest hits of 2012, it helped Tom Wells win both the Critics Circle and the George Devine Awards for Most Promising Playwright. 

In their down-at-heel Yorkshire seaside town, things aren’t going to plan for Martin and the family. Bits keep dropping off his milk float, son Billy’s obsessed with Dolly Parton, whilst daughter Sophie’s dreams of teaching ju-jitsu are fast disappearing down the plughole. And something’s up with Kath’s kitchen sink.

Amid the dreams, the dramas and the dirty dishes, something’s got to give. But will it be Kath or the kitchen sink? And, if they all carry on as they are, maybe Martin’s milk float won’t be the only thing falling apart."

Rehearsal Photography : Educating Rita - Hull Truck Theatre

Yesterday it was across to Hull to join Mark Babych and the cast of 'Educting Rita' in their rehearsal room at Hull Truck Theatre. 

Simon Armstrong and Taj Atwal play Rita and Frank and I spent a happy hour their whilst they ran scenes and polished what promises to be a terrific production.

From their website:

"Rita is a twenty-something Liverpudlian hairdresser with a hunger for knowledge. Frank is her Open University tutor, a cynical failed poet who hides the whisky behind the Dickens. Captivated by her honest and enthusiastic approach to Chekhov, Eliot and Lawrence, Frank finds his love of teaching returning, until Rita’s newfound independence leads her away from him and into cultural limbo.

A British theatre classic, this hilarious comedy about the clash of two sections of society is as relevant today as when it was originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1980. The play won the Society of West End Theatres award for Best Comedy and Best Play and the film version, starring Julie Walters and Michael Caine, was Oscar-nominated and won three BAFTAs."

Rehearsal Photography : The Mountaintop - New Vic Theatre

It was across to the New Vic Theatre gain this week to photograph rehearsals for 'The Mountaintop' which opens in a week.

From the New Vic website:

" Intimate yet epic, winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play and a huge Broadway hit, The Mountaintop is a heartbreaking, powerful and surprisingly humorous re-imagining of events in the hours before the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

April 3 1968. The Lorraine Motel, Memphis, Tennessee. Tomorrow, it will be the scene of a nation’s tragedy. But tonight, it’s just another stopover motel room for Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

With a storm raging outside, a young maid arrives to deliver his cup of coffee. As they talk, King
is forced to confront his past, his ideals and his hopes for the future. But who is this mysterious young woman? And what is the true purpose of her visit? "