London Theatre News Today: Monday 21 December | Official London Theatre (original) (raw)

Deafinitely Theatre announces bursaries for deaf and hard of hearing theatre freelancers.

Deafinitely Theatre today announces a special project offering bursaries to support deaf or hard of hearing freelance theatre practitioners and performers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The organisation will award 20 bursaries of £1000 to support freelancers at any stage of their career to develop their practice in Spring 2021, and will provide recipients with networking and keeping-in-touch sessions to monitor their personal development.

Artistic Director Paula Garfield today said, “I know how incredibly difficult this period has been for all self-employed theatre makers, especially those who have upsettingly fallen through the funding gaps. Many freelance deaf and hard of hearing artists have been in touch with me about the challenges they have been facing during lockdown and my heart goes out to them. Thanks to the fantastic Arts Council Cultural Recovery Fund, Deafinitely Theatre is so pleased to be able to offer financial assistance to support 20 deaf freelance theatre practitioners and performers with paid time to develop their creative practice at the start of 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be an incredibly difficult period for the arts and we are determined to come out of it with brilliant work for audiences across the country to return to, with deaf and disabled theatre makers front and centre.”

Supported by the Arts Council Cultural Recovery Fund, the bursaries are open to deaf and hard of hearing theatre practitioners and performers aged 18 and over at any stage of their career. Applicants must be self-employed, not in full-time education, live in the United Kingdom and have a UK bank account.

Applications are now open, to apply please complete a written application or submit a BSL video to [email protected] by Monday 11 January, midday. For the application form and full information, please visit www.deafinitelytheatre.co.uk/deaf-freelancers-bursary.

Tall Stories recorded live-streamed performances of The Gruffalo stage production will be made available to watch at home until 3 January.

Due to the huge success of the live-streamed performances of ‘The Gruffalo’ as well as the very sad news that the ‘in-person’ run of ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ at Alexandra Palace had to be cancelled due to London’s Tier 3 restrictions, leading family theatre company Tall Stories is proud to be able to make the recording of ‘The Gruffalo’ live-stream performance available to audiences across the country. This recording will be available to watch around the world ‘on-demand’ for a limited time only.

The recorded performance was originally broadcast live from the Tall Stories Studio in London on 13th December 2020. The performance lasts approximately an hour and once a ticket has been purchased (tickets priced from £10 per household), customers will have five days to watch the show, much like purchasing a movie via other on-demand services. The show is available to purchase until 3rd January 2021.

This recorded version of the live-stream promises to bring some monstrously festive theatrical sparkle to living rooms all over the world, whilst at the same time providing audiences with the opportunity to support Tall Stories, a registered charity which like so many others in the theatre industry, has been badly hit in the wake of Covid-19 this year and relies on income from ticket sales to survive.

Directed by Olivia Jacobs and Toby Mitchell, this wildly fun recorded live-stream features an exclusive video introduction from the author Julia Donaldson and a special afterword from illustrator Axel Scheffler plus a free printable activity pack filled with ways to make your at-home theatre experience extra special.

A captioned recording of ‘The Gruffalo’ will also be available to purchase, as well as a captioned recording of ‘The Snail and the Whale’ live-stream which enjoyed a hugely successful virtual tour over October half-term. Both captioned recordings also feature a British Sign Language introduction and will be available from Monday 21st December to Sunday 3rd January.

Join Mouse on a daring adventure through the deep dark wood in Tall Stories’ magical, musical adaptation of the classic picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Searching for hazelnuts, Mouse meets the cunning Fox, the eccentric old Owl and the high-spirited Snake. Will the story of the terrifying Gruffalo save Mouse from ending up as dinner for these hungry woodland creatures? After all, there’s no such thing as a Gruffalo – is there?

A perfect family treat, this much-loved stage adaptation of ‘The Gruffalo’ is based on the classic book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler and presented in association with The Lowry in Salford. Click here to grab your tickets.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) with the Young Vic and Theatre For A New Audience present Swingin’ The Dream

The RSC have teamed up with London’s Young Vic and Theatre for a New Audience (New York) to bring you a concert that will help you swing into the new year in style.

Telling the story of an intriguing Broadway musical adaptation of Shakespeare. This jazz-infused version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream opened in 1939 with a heady mixture of talent, including Louis Armstrong and Maxine Sullivan, and musical contributions from Count Basie and Benny Goodman.

The concert will feature a selection of original songs from the 1939 production, performed by RSC musicians Neil Charles (Bass), Peter Edwards (MD/Arranger/Piano), Chris Storr (Trumpet) and Zara McFarlane (Vocals). The cast comprises; Alfred Clay, Andrew French, Kemi-Bo Jacobs, Cornell S John, Georgia Sanders, Mogali Masuku, Baker Mukasa and Anne Odeke.

This concert performance of Swingin’ the Dream, presented by Young Vic Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, will be streamed live from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage at 7pm on Saturday 9 January 2021.

Click here to book your tickets or to find out more!