The Miscellaneous Broadsides collection
At Newcastle University contains
A slim but scoopable seam of emigration
Odes, nineteenth century songs that frame
The Australian life, the American, as freedom
From Heap-blight, the four-line stanzas propose
Space to slake the pains in the same rhythm
& rhyme they mock wives, trick up gold.
What is it with we Geordies now and home?
When did we stop slipping the staithes
In song & instead, in international tones,
Reserve for this local land our praise?
A cleat there is since in northern hearts,
That with skill, as here, is quick broke apart.

by Simon Moore 
@sonnetreviews   
http://sonnetreviews.tumblr.com/ 
Guest Blogger for May

 

’Tis May. & for this stretch of thirty-one days
Guest blogger I, at Live Theatre Newcastle,
Where on earlier eves I have been dazzled
By Edinburgh previews and political plays.
These the subjects of my visitor's lays:
Joy Kills Sorrow and the Billy Mitchell Band
The iron clawed girl (I’ll take my niece to that) 
& This Way Up (that too if her mam ‘yes’ says).
The guest blogging concept raises the question 
Of whether I’m free to bestrew my invention 
Or’ll find myself ’strained by the withering hands 
Of either politeness or Editing Man;
Will rhymes be much wounded, or gain they more clout?
By the time of Utopia we’ll all have found out. 

by Simon Moore 
@sonnetreviews   
Guest Blogger for May 

Introducing our guest blogger for May...

Simon Moore writes sonnetreviews.tumblr.com, the world's leading 14 line rhyming review portal. He also researches Restoration prose and poetry at Newcastle University.

 

I jumped at the chance to see behind the scenes of Live Theatre. To begin with I must mention Carole Wears, our tour guide, who brought the tour alive with her friendly personality and extensive knowledge. She also gave us a fantastic insight into the past, present and future of Live Theatre. Thanks Carole.

We started off at the front entrance and were informed that parts of the inside of Live Theatre used to be on the outside, a cobbled street once used by horse and carts is now walked on by theatre goers. In many parts of the building there were visual clues to the previous inhabitants and signs of the work that used to happen in years gone by. As we moved through the theatre and attached buildings I realised just what an important part of social history Live Theatre is.

Earlier in the week I had seen Geordie Sinatra and amongst a number of items laid out in the bar area as part of the tour was the mock up of the stage design for that show. Brilliant. The tour lasted for about an hour and it was great to see and hear how the old mixes with the new and creates the place we know as Live Theatre.

If you want to know more about Live Theatre and its history why not go along to the next Open Day Tour. It’s well worth the effort. Plus the tour is free. Next one is planned for Thursday 5 July at 2pm.

There is also a great exhibition on at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle called In the limelight: Newcastle’s theatrical history. Which includes lots of interesting items and information on the histories of several theatres in Newcastle including Live Theatre. It runs until Sunday 16 September 2012.

Alan

(Guest blogger for April)

 

Organised by Jumpin’ Hot Club this event in the studio theatre was packed out with people, there like me to watch Kevin Welch (USA) and George Welch. Kevin Welch is from the USA, a singer songwriter who has had his songs recorded by the likes of Garth Brooks and Johnny Cash. George Welch is from Byker a local singer, songwriter, musician and as it turns out a comedian.

First on stage was George Welch. From the outset he engaged the audience with tales of his life and experiences of Tyneside. Then once he started to play and sing it was obvious why he is so popular. As an introduction to him and his music it made me want to find out more about him.

If you’d like to find out more about George visit www.georgewelch.co.uk

In the second half Kevin Welch took to the stage, alone except for his guitar and the microphone. It started with laughter when he forgot which city he was in but that broke the ice and he went on to perform old and new material. Again not someone I had heard of before this but the songs he sang were atmospheric and heartfelt and I really enjoyed the show.

More can be learnt about Kevin and his music by going to www.kevinwelch.com

Why not visit www.youtube.com and put their names into the search function and watch some of their previous performances captured on film.

Alan

(Guest blogger for April)

 

I like the idea of Scratch Nights; they provide an opportunity for work in development to be shared with an audience. You’re never quite sure what you’ll see but that’s part of the excitement for me. So I went along last Thursday to see work by Sleepdogs and Paul Sellar.

The Bullet and the Bass Trombone by Sleepdogs and Green Cabaret by Paul Sellar couldn’t have been more different. But both of these works made me aware of people and places that I hadn’t known of before.

First up was a piece by Sleepdogs, a single man, Timothy X Atack was centre stage with keyboard and computer and proceeded to tell the story of the City Symphonia, a British concert orchestra who were caught up in a military coup in Yalacay M’orbai in 2002. Using a mix of music and words the story unfolded and was narrated by several survivors via recorded interviews. I found it a powerful piece. Images were formed by descriptions of life and death experienced by members of the orchestra who were spread across Yalacay M’orbai in different hotels when the coup happened. The music helped to set the tone and pace and I was affected by the way the music punctuated with voices and descriptions heightened my emotional understanding of this story.

Next up on stage was work by Paul Sellar and performed by Joe Caffrey. Again a single man on stage, except his props were notebooks, bottle of water and what looked like throat lozenges. It was difficult to figure out what was real or performance to begin with as Joe talked at the audience and chatted with a particular individual in the crowd. It slowly dawned on me that this was part of the performance. As it developed the audience was given an insight into the life of Barry MacSweeney an English poet and journalist born in Newcastle upon Tyne who achieved sudden but fleeting fame in the mid 60’s. Joe morphed into a number of characters and was able to give enough of a biography that cemented the poet and journalist into his history.

Following the performances and with feedback sheets completed it was good to chat with other people to get their views on what they had seen. It’s also good that the writers and actors are really keen to talk to members of the audience and find out what they thought about the work they had just seen performed. It was a good night and I will definitely be going along to another one.

Alan
(Guest blogger for April)

Geordie Sinatra certainly did it his way, with or without his trousers on. This new play by Fiona Evans has a nostalgic feel to it. Set in the rundown Sands Hotel in Whitley Bay, we get to see how lives fall apart and eventually reach a point where people recognise the value of living in the moment.

The star turn is Geordie Sinatra. In his day Geordie had been a ‘somebody’. But now his body is being taken over by Lewy Body Dementia, a form of dementia that I wasn’t aware of before hearing about this play.  As he struggles to make his comeback, the various characters give us a glimpse into their complicated and secretive lives.

Anthony Cable as Geordie Sinatra keeps the momentum going as he moves between Geordie and his alter ego Frank Sinatra. The other cast members have a job on their hands to switch between the multiple characters they play and to their credit they manage to give us a flavour of life at The Sands.

A creative mix of flash backwards and then forwards helps place the different characters in time. The use of live music sets the scene and plays out as their lives unravel before our eyes, maybe a bit like Geordie’s mind. His decline into fantasy is matched by his struggle to live in the here and now.

Overall it was an enjoyable evening followed by lots of interesting discussion on dementia. Without giving anything away, there are a couple of reveals in the story that stretch the imagination but apart from that it is a fascinating insight into a difficult subject. Looked at with humour and sensitivity it doesn’t ignore the horror faced by those affected directly or indirectly by this form of dementia.

Go on, get down to the Sands Hotel and let Geordie Sinatra entertain you.

Alan
Guest blogger for April

 

CALLING FOR BLOGGERS

The Heights, by Lisa McGee, proved to be an interesting and welcome diversion from the awful weather. It was blowing a snowy gale along the quayside on the night I visited Live Theatre. Once inside the main stage I settled myself into my seat and waited.

The set resembled a run down urban estate with steel scaffolding and dark and dingy corners, which created suspense as no one, could be sure who or what was going to come out of the shadows. Sitting on the scaffold sat a young man who it turned out was Jacob the narrator of this story. Niek Versteeg, who played Jacob, successfully carried the audience with him as he told us the story of Lillie Lee.

Throughout the next 60 minutes a collection of talented young actors from Live’s Youth Theatre gave us a taste of what life is like for a lost generation. By their creative use of props they transported us from outside on the street to inside the corner shop and then into the living room of the fat twins flat. With a mix of fast forward and rewind we were left guessing as to what was real or imagined. There was also an appearance of the glass puppet, Iona Douglas did a great job in bringing the puppet to life and in her short time on stage her performance was captivating.

The lighting and music also helped create a claustrophobic atmosphere.  Even the large lampshade in Lillie Lee's bedroom captured my imagination as being the moon that sat above the Heights estate. Without giving too much away, the ending could well have been real.  In fact there were times I thought I might be inside Lillie Lee's mind.

What did I think of The Heights? Actually quite a lot and I left the Theatre with numerous thoughts about what I had just seen. I’m not sure I’ve figured it all out yet but that’s part of the experience, being affected by something enough, that it leaves with you when you exit the theatre.

Alan
(Guest blogger for April)

 

Image from The Heights by Lisa McGee, Showing at Live Theatre until 5 April.