ONLINE PLAY READING: ORLANDO BY NEIL BARTLETT
Criterion members are invited to join a fun and informal online play
reading of Orlando by Neil Bartlett on Tuesday June 11th at 8pm.
Online play readings are open to all to attend and read or listen.
Please just indicate you're coming along by using this registration
link.
[https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkcumsqTwiHtfWOPKjO4lHdsq-Gz6PfAHY]
ABOUT THE PLAY:
From a teenage encounter with Elizabeth I, through infatuations,
voyages and even a change of gender, Orlando lives out five centuries
of life and love before they finally find the courage to truly be
themselves.
Neil Bartlett's sparkling adaptation of Virginia Woolf's famous
fantasy finds powerful contemporary relevance in her vision of equal
rights to love for bodies of every kind – and brings it to life on
the stage with a kaleidoscope of theatrical styles, overseen by the
haunting figure of Woolf herself.
It premiered at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End in November
2022,
[https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/dec/05/orlando-review-emma-corrin-garrick-theatre-virginia-woolf]in
a production directed by Michael Grandage and starring Emma Corrin in
the title role. Written for a diverse ensemble of nine or more actors,
this adaptation will appeal to any theatre or company looking to
entertain their audiences with a bold new take on this iconic tale of
love and transformation.
'_Neil Bartlett's fleet-footed, wildly imaginative but wonderfully
disciplined adaption shines literal and metaphorical light on
contemporary ideas of identity... an outstandingly original theatrical
pleasure' Variety_
_'Joyful and groundbreaking... a triumph' Independent_
_'Neil Bartlett's adaptation captures all [the novel's] sexiness and
spirit... it's splendid in every sense: passionate, camp as Christmas
and as warmly celebratory, too' iNews_
_'An adaptation full of joy and hope and sense of possibility for the
future' WhatsOnStage__ _
Any questions please feel free to email the facilitator Lucy
via lucyhayton@hotmail.com
In the Comfort Of Your Home
11th June from 20:00 to 22:00
Hi all,
Well, it’s all hands on Deck at the moment! As usual, there is a lot
going on, so I thought it a good time to give a quick overview of all
that is happening.
A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to welcome the Deputy Mayor to
the theatre for the official launch of ‘Who turned out the
lights?’, the new audio book from the creative writing team at the
Resource Centre for the Blind. I am very proud of the Theatres
relationship and work with the Resource Centre, and this was a
wonderful evening to launch this important collaboration that has
taken a lot of hard work, creative talent, and effort to achieve.
The pieces, written by the creative writing team at the centre led by
the lovely Jessica Eastman, voiced by three experienced Criterion
actors under the direction of our own Richard Warren, and recorded by
Media Mania, is the first of what we hope will be several
collaborations between us all. Further details are on the Criterion
website under ‘News’ or on the Resource centre website: Who
Turned Out The Lights | Coventry Resource Centre For The Blind
(bandcamp.com)
[http://email.criteriontheatre.co.uk/c/eJwUzT2ShCAQQOHTYKYFLaITEEziPfhphVqEqbbZrb39lNGrF33RGo1qQKtWpWe1bkYPyUYwWzz89pIQIJpl2Zw5gjTu8IdHmIdsQYKWGja1gIZ5UhJVXNWqYZEvVCi0DJQZKbfKCR0TTqFN_WcoNjF_bjG_BewC9tB-sTL9E96tU8DwHB6NOKEvucbJuxqDuz5TaJeA3RXfn_6lNnKninFsnUdOOJZ8Jr4Hsu_rFFqeuRR3jSch1oe_vgEAAP__N0JNNw]
Our fantastic Customer Experience team and volunteers are busy
preparing for May Day, with which we have timed the Springboard
Festival week. May Day is always a good day for the theatre, and we
will have all the usual events happening around the building, as well
as showcasing and activities for Springboard. Obviously, this means a
lot of work for all our members but especially the Customer experience
team. There has never been a better opportunity to get involved and be
a part of something special. Please do come along and support us or
volunteer to help staff in what will be a very busy week.
This is the second Springboard festival, building on last year’s
groundbreaking event, a week of one act plays, poetry, music, and art,
bringing together amateur and professionals in one space, with in
house company performances and community/Criterion collaborations
alongside external artists, musicians and theatre companies, poetry
workshops and art exhibitions, it looks to be a truly exciting and
interesting week. The hard work and effort that goes into the
planning, scheduling and delivery of this event is immense and I would
like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has worked so hard. I
would ask you all to support us by coming to see us one evening (or
them all!) It promises to be very special. Tickets are available
online now, along with details of each evening’s events.
Talking of our hard-working Customer experience team, they have gone
through some changes just recently, with Natalie Harrat having to step
down from running the box office, as she and her family are relocating
out of Coventry. Natalie has been a longstanding member of the
theatre, previously sitting on the board as Finance Director,
appearing in several shows and being a valued member of the Customer
Experience team. On behalf of the board and the entire theatre I would
like to say thank you to Natalie, you will be sorely missed. I would
also like to thank Emma Padfield for stepping into Natalie's role and
Helen McGowan for picking up the cleaning rota.
I’ll mention it again…The Customer experience team are always
looking for willing volunteers to help, many hands make light work, if
you think you could support us now or in the future please do get in
touch.
You may have noticed our theatre looking a little better after some
work to the frontage. This is the first stage, timed for May Day and
the Springboard Festival, to improve the look of our theatre. You will
see the original brickwork to the front has been revealed, repointed,
and the woodwork repaired and painted. This has been completed in
record time to hit our target and I must give a big thanks to Barabara
Sowerby for being the driving force and to everyone involved with this
achievement. This is not only the start of the work on the frontage,
we are not finished yet, but also some other major improvements
around the place and is a small part of what has and is going on
behind the scenes. I will be updating in detail on development, on a
more regular basis, as we move forward.
Finally, I would like to say thank you to everyone who is working so
hard in and around the theatre in so many areas. It really is
impossible to mention by name everyone who is going above and beyond
to keep our wonderful theatre moving forward. You make the theatre the
place it is. You know who you are, thank you all.
I hope to see you all soon, and please do not hesitate to get in touch
with any questions or suggestions, chair@criteriontheatre.co.uk
Regards,
Jon, April 28th 2024
29th April
A NEW AUDIOBOOK FROM THE CREATIVE WRITING GROUP AT COVENTRY RESOURCE
CENTRE FOR THE BLIND HAS BEEN RELEASED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE
CRITERION.
In the original print version of this book, 13 Coventry-based writers
described their personal experiences of sight loss: from fearful to
thoughtful, from feisty to wise, in poetry and prose.
Now three actors from the Criterion Theatre - Anne Houston, Helen
McGowan and Jon Elves- have brought these vivid personal stories to
life in a new audiobook, directed by Richard Warren.
The original book was praised for its honest, moving and often funny
descriptions of living in a sighted world. This new audiobook means
that people with sight loss can also enjoy the insights the writers
share here.
Recorded and engineered by Media Mania producer Dave Mills at
Powerhouse Studios, this is the first of what we hope will be many
collaborations between the three organisations.
The audiobook can be purchased (£4 or more) from
COVENTRYBLIND.ORG.UK/BOOKS.
[https://coventryresourcecentrefortheblind.bandcamp.com/album/who-turned-out-the-lights] All
proceeds from this audiobook go to CRCB to support further creative
projects for people living with sight loss.
To celebrate the release of the audiobook, the Criterion hosted a
number of invited guests on Saturday evening (6th April) including Vic
Minett from BBC CWR. Vic also invited Jess and Derek from the CRCB to
talk about the audiobook on her Monday show, which you can hear via
BBC Sounds [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0hjmsgq]. The interview
runs from 1.36.43 - 1.57.03.
9th April