Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Street Party

07May20

On the 7th June 1977, in an event commonly seen across the UK, the residents of Naunton Close & Clover Road, (together with the Swarthmore residents who lived ‘down the passage’) gathered for a Street Party to celebrate 25 years since the Queen’s accession to the throne. I’m posting this because the current residents of […]


Today is the 23rd April 2020, and it would have been Fred Jeffs’s 101st Birthday. Episode 4 of Fred Jeffs: The Sweetshop Murder is now released to coincide with this anniversary. I started working with the team on this Episode in the summer of 2019, and I am sad to report that in the time […]


Michael John Rose 9th September 1937 – 19th February 2020 This Monday past, the 23rd March 2020, we said our goodbyes to dad at a Service at Lodge Hill Crematorium. The ‘Social Distancing’ in place at the time meant that all members of the congregation were sat 2 metres from one another, the Funeral Directors […]


A Winter treat this month, working with Coventry’s own Talking Birds on a site-based performance in collaboration with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. The piece, a spurious Festival re-imagining the rained-off, final day’s parade organised 250 years ago by David Garrick. At that Festival in 1769, Garrick – the pre-eminent actor of his generation – unveiled […]


A review of last week’s performance of The String Quartet’s Guide to Sex and Anxiety, directed by Calixto Bieito. A Birmingham REP production with Festival d’Automne, presented at Theatre de la Ville, Espace Pierre Cardin, Paris. https://bachtrack.com/critique-the-string-quartets-guide-to-sex-and-anxiety-bieito-heath-quartet-espace-pierre-cardin-paris-novembre-2019  


HUMANISTAN

15Oct19

HUMANISTAN is a programme of work, to be nurtured, curated, presented through the vision of Chris O’ Connell and Julia Negus at Theatre Absolute. As opener to the programme, and at the same time marking 10 years of the wonderful Shop Front Theatre, are two pieces created through the ‘Live Briefs’ professional practice module at […]


Don Quixote

31Aug19

Creation Theatre’s ‘Don Quixote’ opened last weekend in Oxford’s vibrant Covered Market. Jonathan Holloway has written, in characteristic style, a loose adaptation of Cervantes’s novel, in which two ageing friends, and hoarders, Dom and Sam, (performed by Eric MacLennan and myself) plot an adventure westwards along the A40. Here’s a first review from Catherine Flutsch, […]


Life Class

30Jun19

Images from a memorable performance of Life Class by Bodies in Flight, presented at Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham, on midsummer’s night, 21st June 2019, with support from a terrific team, Dance4 and the tea dancers of the elders group at Nottingham Mechanics. The performance was presented in tandem with an exhibition celebrating 30 years of […]


As our run of five shows at Birmingham REP comes to an end, I have a moment to reflect on the extraordinary journey so far, and to thank all those who have made the journey possible. I will post a full list of credits down below, but the core creative team of Steve Johnstone (director), […]


I’m pleased to announce a number of new performance dates for Fred Jeffs: The Sweetshop Murder, across the Black Country Boroughs. These are made possible thanks to the support of Black Country Touring.   Wednesday 5thJune, 7:30pm Glasshouse Arts Centre, Wollaston Road, Stourbridge, DY8 4HF Tickets: £8 / £6 Concessions Box Office: 01384 399408 Online bookings: https://www.rmlt.org.uk/Event/the-sweetshop-murder   Thursday 6th […]