Funding Initiative aims to Provide all UK Neonatal Units With Personalised Video

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Frostie

Personalised video specialists, vCreate, today announce a new funding initiative aimed at ensuring that all 200 UK neonatal networks are equipped with personalised video by 2018. According to Bliss, the UK’s special care baby charity; over 90,000 babies are admitted to neonatal care in the UK because they have either been born prematurely, or full term but sick.

The decision to look for corporate sponsors to fund the provision of secure video within neonatal units will make technology, that would have previously been out of reach due to unavailable budget, accessible for the wider neonatal community.

Ben Moore, founder of vCreate, explains why he believes this innovative approach to funding will make all the difference: “It’s clear from our discussions with medics that digital technology such as this has huge potential to transform the way services are delivered across the NHS. Delays or lack of central funding can leave the people who deliver the care hamstrung; there’s a proven case for a solution, a need for change, but budget for such initiatives isn’t readily available.”

The team at vCreate is in search of corporate sponsors to fund instances of vCreate by neonatal region. With vCreate, staff are able to send short videos of babies to parents when they are away from this hospital. Ben added: “We’ve already seen how secure video is enhancing patient care following the successful pilot programme at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, and there’s been widespread media and public interest in the project.”

Royal Glasgow Hospital for Children is the first in the UK to trial vCreate in their neonatal unit.

Neil Patel, Consultant Neonatologist, explains how vCreate is supporting mums and dads through what can be an extremely stressful time: “The idea originally came from a parent of one of our patients. He uses personalised video in his work to connect with clients and asked if we could send him video updates of his own baby. We then asked more families who all told us there is nothing more reassuring than actually seeing their baby. It’s a personalised video platform that makes it quick and simple to create a video which can then be securely accessed by the baby’s parents on any device at any time.”

vCreate believes that the funding proposition delivers for both the public and private sectors. The public sector gains innovative video technology when they need it, and private sector sponsors have the opportunity to support families of premature babies.

As part of the sponsorship package, corporate sponsors can expect to see their company logo across the vCreate application which would be seen by the parents logging in to watch the videos; plus media coverage across multiple channels, and positive brand and CSR association.

For corporate sponsorship enquires in relation to vCreate, get in touch on 0333 121 8422 or via email at theteam@vcreate.tv.

Interview with Sarah Beeny for How To Live Mortgage Free

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Frostie

Your new show is How to Live Mortgage Free. Explain what it’s all about.

Obviously with no money, you can’t own a house. But if you have some assets, let’s say you’ve saved up enough for a deposit, or you’ve got some capital in your home with a big mortgage, is there a way of living in proper low-cost housing? Is there a way of looking at things in a slightly different way, and instead of having a home that will cost you £300,000, can you do it for a tenth of that cost? Can you get a home for less money, so you don’t have a massive mortgage?

And what is the answer? What alchemy are you recommending?

It’s all about finding slightly alternative ways of living. If you want to go the standard route where you live near Starbucks and the tube in a three bedroom Victorian terrace, you probably can’t live mortgage free, because you need more money for that. But a lot of people spend an awful lot of money on rent. If you can stop paying rent then you save an extraordinary amount of money. So we have one girl on the show who pays £20,000-a-year in rent. She saved about £25,000, but that, as a deposit, was nowhere near enough to be able to buy a flat where she lived in London. So she ended up buying a barge for £168,000 and refurbishing it, and living on the water. There are a couple of people in the series living on the water. There are other places and other ways that you can live which are much lower cost, which either enable you to save up for a bigger deposit and a smaller mortgage, or you can just buy outright. We’ve got somebody else who’s bought a double decker bus and turned it into a home, which is really cool. And there’s another guy who’s turned the back of a lorry into a home. He does live on a farm in Wales, so he’s got the luxury of the fact that he can use his parents’ land. Land is the biggest cost involved – if you’ve got a piece of land with planning permission, that’s the biggest hurdle overcome.

And one of the ways of doing that is to build on a brownfield site [land previously used for industrial or commercial purposes]. How do people go about finding such places?

Well, that’s the key. You need to be a dog with a bone. This is not the easy path, which is why it’s not the normal path. You have to hunt around. One of the things I’ve learned in housing is that the big wins go to the people who take the big risks. Brownfield sites are really interesting. It’s an easier planning battle to get a home on a brownfield than a greenfield site, and you end up with a much cheaper property. Quite a lot of people in the series are selling their homes with a mortgage and buying a new home for a lot less money.

What was your favourite solution that someone came up with for going mortgage free?

The double decker bus is really cool – we’re going to go and film the finished article in a couple of weeks, and I can’t wait to see it. But I think the lorry-back is really cool. Everyone knows you can build a home out of a container, but the lorry back was really interesting to me. Everyone knows you can build a home out of a shipping container. But the lorry back is very clever. It’s mobile, which means you can take it with you in the future. It’s not simple to move around, but you can move it. And if you use a container, it’s difficult to put in the windows and doors, because a lot of the structure is in the walls. But a lorry back is effectively a frame, and in-filling a frame is so easy, anyone could do it. My kids could do it. And you can fit it with any size of windows or doors. You need a low level of skill to turn a lorry back into a home. So I thought that was really clever.

If you were starting out now, what route would you take to being mortgage free?

I lived in the back of a van for a bit with my husband, back when he was my boyfriend. You’re so flexible when you’re young. What I would do now is I’d start young and save from a really young age. I had an ex-council van, and we slept in the back of the van for quite a long time, on and off, and that was fine because we were young. I wouldn’t want to do it now!

Was there something quite romantic and adventurous and fun about it at the time?

Yeah. God, it was brilliant. I was completely free. You’ve got no responsibilities and no tiers. It’s the only time in your life when you can just go anywhere and do anything and risk everything. The first flat we bought, we had an outside loo and no bathroom. I was 19 at the time. And where we wanted to put the bathroom was the door to the outside yard. So we blocked up the door to build the bathroom, which meant to get to the only loo you had to climb through the window to go to the loo. It was a really amazing and exciting adventure. So I’ve lived through what these people are doing, and that’s why I find it so inspiring. If you really want to do it, you just can’t take the normal path in life.

There’s a relatively conventional way of doing it, as with the family who simply paid off their mortgage by living very frugally for a while. But in doing that, they’ve saved an extraordinary amount compared to what their mortgage could have cost them, haven’t they?

Yeah, exactly. We live in such a consumer society now, we think we’ve got to spend all the money that we spend. But you can pay off your mortgage way, way, way quicker if you save harder. And saving doesn’t mean you have to sit around doing nothing. There are a billion things you can do that are free out there, or very low cost. The Victorians invented consumerism, and we’ve taken it to the next level. Shopping is now an activity, like going for a walk. You should go shopping because you need to buy something.

It’s not just about practicality this show, is it? It’s also about beautiful and ingenious design, like Grand Designs but without panes of glass that cost £70 grand and have to be brought in from Antwerp.

[Laughs] Exactly. There’s some amazing and very inspiring design, at a low cost. I’ve seen so many houses in my work, and I don’t get as inspired as often as I used to, but I can honestly say that every single one of these was absolutely amazing. They’re very creative people. But I don’t think you have to already be very creative to do this stuff.

So you’re saying, with a bit of hard work and sacrifice, this is genuinely stuff that people can do?

Definitely. And if you’ve got the confidence to give something a try. It’s not going to be a walk in the park, and you won’t have to work hard, but anyone can do it.

What takes up the most of your time – your TV work or your business ventures?

At the moment it’s Tepilo [Sarah’s online estate agents] that takes up most of my time. That’s running at 1000mph. I’ve never been involved in a business that has grown so fast. That’s really exciting. It’s probably a blend between Tepilo and, as the kids get older, they take up quite a lot of time as well. There’s those two and TV. I’m trying to do a bit less TV, because there isn’t that much time.

In amongst all of these time pressures, do you manage to get down to Rise Hall much?

Yeah, that takes up a load of time as well, thinking about it. That’s a really big business now, with lots of weddings. We’re diversifying just now, we’ve got new management in there, we’re looking at all the other aspects of business we can do at Rise Hall. It’s really exciting. We’re opening it up so that people can go there for tea, and during the week as well. Weekend weddings it’s fairly full, so now it’s a question of making use of the house for the rest of the time, during the week.

Lastly, you’ve got multiple businesses, you’ve got property interests, and you’re a TV personality. Are you the next Donald Trump?

[Laughs]Do you think I should have a go? I reckon if he can do it, I should have a go. I’ve always said I’d hate to be Prime Minister, but I wouldn’t mind being a dictator. It was meant to be ironic, at the time, but now it doesn’t seem quite so funny. I like to think perhaps I’d be a more benevolent dictator than Donald Trump would aspire to be.

Don’t Be Afraid of Disability: A Guide on Acceptance And Inclusion

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Frostie

Credit: wikipedia

There are approximately 40,000 people with Down’s syndrome living in the UK, and over 10 million people with disabilities in Britain*. Therefore, with 15% of the population living with a disability, it is essential that people are understanding and knowledgeable when it comes to inclusion. Inclusion is relevant to everybody through all stages of life, right through from the playground to the workplace, to new social situations. Most people will have felt excluded at some point in their lives, and if somebody has a disability this experience may be heightened.

It is common to be afraid and anxious of disability, not sure how to act or what to say, particularly if you don’t have previous experience. However, it is better to admit nerves and pledge to learn about disability, than remain ignorant and in the dark. Every disability is different, as is every individual, and so there is no ‘one size fits all’ method of knowing how to behave around a person with a disability. However, Carol Boys, CEO of the Down’s Syndrome Association has provided her expert advice for helping make sure that everyone in society is accepted and included.

Understand everyone is different

There are a broad range of disabilities, encompassing mental and physical, and therefore, it is important to remember that everyone is different. People with Down’s syndrome have a learning disability, but even within this specific type of disability, this can be mild or severe. Interacting with people who have a learning disability is likely to be different to interacting with people who have a physical disability, and acknowledging that everyone is different is the first step of working towards a society that promotes inclusion, after all, the world would be very boring if we were all the same! Understanding that the different people we encounter throughout our lives can enrich our experiences, and help us to learn new things and make new friends is so important. There is still a lot of work to do to ensure people with Down’s syndrome, and other disabilities, have many of the same life chances that the general population take for granted, and this is why we at the DSA work to educate the general public and show that people with Down’s syndrome have the same feelings and moods as everyone else, and thus, should be treated as individuals.

Ask questions

As there is such a broad spectrum of disabilities, it would be very difficult to be knowledgeable about every disability you come across. Some disabilities aren’t visible, nor would you necessarily realise someone had a disability until a certain situation occurs, therefore it’s important to not to be afraid of asking questions to help you understand. If you don’t feel comfortable asking questions to the person with the disability directly or you think it would be inappropriate, do look at resources online to assist you. The DSA website has an extremely useful FAQ section which will help offer some clarity http://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/about/general/. Fear often comes from the unknown, and therefore they more we know, the less scared we will be of disability.

Be respectful

This is probably the most important piece of advice to take on board. Being respectful to anyone, whether they have a disability or not, is the best way to interact with others. Every individual has a different personality type (some we might click with and others we may not!) but never be disrespectful by talking down to or patronising someone with a disability. It’s important to note, for example, that everyone with Down’s syndrome needs some level of support at some point in their lives, whether this is a couple of hours help a week on their schedule, or 24/7 care. It can be difficult to get your heads around the balance of how much support to offer without treating people ‘differently’. However, being respectful, sensitive and considerate will always be appreciated no matter the situation.

Clue up on the terminology

To ensure you are sensitive in any situation, it is important to never use offensive terminology when discussing disability, either to the person with the disability themselves or with others. Assigning people with a label can be ignorant at the very least and highly upsetting at the worst. At the DSA, one of our objectives focuses on educating the public and the media on the correct way to talk about Down’s syndrome. For example, you should never say ‘this person suffers from Down’s syndrome’, as the word ‘suffer’ has negative connotations of illness. Instead, people ‘have’ Down’s syndrome. Alongside this, it is important not to define people by their disability. Don’t introduce people by name and their disability – a simple ‘this is my friend Sophie’ is sufficient – just like other people in your life.

Do what you can to help

Trying to make sure people aren’t afraid of disability can come in all different forms. This may start with informing people if they use the wrong terminology or volunteering at groups to provide support and assistance. If you are keen to get more involved, this year for World Down Syndrome Day, you can purchase ‘LOTS OF SOCKS’ socks to show your support of people with Down’s syndrome and raise awareness on World Down Syndrome Day (21st March). https://worlddownsyndromeday.org/lots-of-socks

For more information visit: http://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk

* http://www.dlf.org.uk/content/key-facts

Down’s syndrome: Down’s syndrome is a genetic condition caused by the presence of an extra chromosome. Around one in every 1,000 babies is born with Down’s syndrome. There are over 40,000 people with the condition in the UK.

Everyone with Down’s syndrome will have some degree of learning disability. The most important thing to remember is that everyone with Down’s syndrome is an individual, with their own strengths and weaknesses and personality traits that make them who they are.

The Down’s Syndrome Association (DSA) is a registered (1061474) national charity that exists to provide information and support for people with Down’s syndrome, their families, carers and those with a professional interest. The DSA seeks to improve knowledge and understanding and champion the rights of people with Down’s syndrome. To find out more about the work of the DSA visit our website www.downs-syndrome.org.uk

Terminology: Down’s syndrome – What to say (and not to say)

We rely on the media to speak about issues relating to Down’s syndrome in a way that is both factually accurate and inoffensive to the general public, including people with Down’s syndrome and their families.

We are sure you share our concerns so please take a minute to check that your copy is in line with the following language guidelines and that you are not perpetuating any myths about the condition.

*DON’T SAY*	*DO SAY*
*Suffers* from OR is a *victim* of Down’s syndrome	Has Down’s syndrome
A Down’s baby/person/child	A person/baby/child with Down’s syndrome or who has Down’s syndrome
Retarded/mentally handicapped/backward	Learning disability
Disease/illness/handicap	Condition OR genetic condition
the risk of a baby having Down’s syndrome (in relation to pre-natal screening and probability assessments)	the chance of a baby having Down’s syndrome
Down’s (as an abbreviation)	DS (as an abbreviation if necessary)
*MYTHS*	*FACTS*
People with Down’s syndrome don’t live very long.	Today, people with Down’s syndrome can look forward to a life of 60 years plus.
Only older mothers have babies with Down’s syndrome.	Although older mothers have a higher individual chance of having a baby with Down’s syndrome, more are born to younger mothers, reflecting the higher birth rate in this age group.
People with Down’s syndrome cannot achieve normal life goals.	With the right support, they can. The vast majority of people with Down’s syndrome learn to walk and talk, and many are now attending mainstream schools, passing GCSEs and living full, semi-independent adult lives.
People with Down’s syndrome all look the same.	There are certain physical characteristics that can occur. People with Down’s syndrome can have all of them or none. A person with Down’s syndrome will always look more like his or her close family than someone else with the condition.
People with Down’s syndrome are always happy and affectionate.	We are all individuals and people with Down’s syndrome are no different to anyone else in their character traits and varying moods.

CanO Water Opens Educational Hub to Encourage Londoners to Think about Swapping Single Use Plastic Bottles

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Frostie

CanO Water, the alternative to single use plastic bottles, is launching a new campaign to encourage Londoners to be more environmentally friendly. The #canthebottle education hub, in Old Street station, will raise awareness of the damaging effects of using plastic. The campaign encourages Londoners to visit the hub, and drop off their plastic bottles, receiving in return, a more sustainable can of water.

The Stats

In the UK, we consume 18 billion plastic bottles a year and only a quarter of these are recycled.

38 million plastic bottles end up in landfill every day and drinking one bottle of water a day has the same impact on our environment as driving a car for a kilometre.

Plastic water bottles also contribute to several health issues due to BPA which is the industrial chemical that is used to make plastic. The ripple effect of BPA on our health effect your sleep, mood and has even been proven to promote risk of breast cancer cell growth.

A report published by the NHS reveals that it also increases risk of lower sperm count or creates an erectile dysfunction. By making smarter choices with such a simple swap, CanO Water is encouraging people to become part of a much bigger movement and come down to #canthebottle.

The temporary space features powerful imagery, showing the current state of our beaches and oceans, contrasting with projected imagery from 2050, highlighting the devastating consequences of continuing to use plastic bottles. There will be educational talks hosted by a range of experts, as well as drop in opportunities to speak to the founders about their mission.

The educational hub runs until the 20th. Come down to take part in the #canthebottle campaign and learn how you can make a difference.

CanO Water launched in 2015 hoping to inspire other millennials to work together in hope to ban ‘eco-unfriendly’ products. Determined to offer everyone an alternative to single – use plastic bottles, CanO Water created a simplistic and stylish aluminium can. Aluminium has the highest recycling rate of any drink on the market, recycle your can and it could be back on the shelf in as little as 6 weeks. Cans provide a long shelf life by protecting products inside from light, oxygen and other factors that can affect taste, and product safety. The ‘can’ also has a smart releasable lid making it the perfect on – the – go product.

CanO Water has recently caught the eye of several high profile environmentalists such as David Gandy, Ellie Goulding and Dougie Pointer by offering a simple alternative that can really make a difference. Most notably, the brand was flown by Vanity Fair to feature at their prestigious Vanity Fair’s 2017 Oscar party. The state of California has banned plastic bottles, and the guest list for the event included well known sustainability personalities, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Meryl Streep.

Carol Smillie & The Underwear Changing Women’s Lives

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Frostie

It is not easy being a woman. First there are periods, then possible post maternity leakage (do this pelvic exercises now!) or other bladder issues. But help is at hand at last: DiaryDoll are a range of protective underwear with a concealed waterproof layer which offers girls and women that extra peace of mind and comfort.

DiaryDoll is a pioneering range of pretty clever pants and the brainchild of TV presenter Carol Smillie. With teenage daughters dealing with their monthly cycle, Carol originally developed the range for young women who might be worried about heavy periods whilst at school, playing sport and sleepovers. They definitely serve a great purpose for this but also stress incontinence (which an estimated 1 in 3 women suffer with), during / post-maternity and SUI, commonly known as ‘sensitive bladder’, or ‘pelvic floor weakness’ (which is believed to affect approx 9 million women in the UK).

Just like any other pants in the drawer, they are soft, comfortable and machine washable. They are available in black, white, pink and blue online and in 122 Boots stores across the UK. They sold over 400 pairs in 8 minutes on QVC.co.uk and are available in Debenhams.com, JohnLewis.com and pharmacies across the world.

When Kate Winslet openly admitted ‘by third sneeze, it’s game over’ on Graham Norton’s chat show, sales rocketed.

Carol comments, ‘Sales have really taken off, over 35,000 in fact, but not without a little resistance. We underestimated the level of taboo that still surrounds this whole topic. The launch into Boots is a huge deal for us – it’s a big step towards getting this sensitive but very common problem out in the open and getting more people talking about it.’

Knowing Frost is popular with mothers, and women in general of course, we decided to ask to see the underwear. Was it comfortable and discreet? Well yes and yes. The underwear looks good and is comfortable. We were worried there would be rustling but the pants are luckily noise free when you walk. If I was not pregnant I would definitely wear these pants when I had my period. Although be advised that they are to be worn with sanitary protection. The pants are machine washable, very soft and streamline. I would say order a size bigger than you are. They fit small. I always buy underwear bigger than my actual size and I found the 12 I was sent to be a bit snug.

Diary Doll underwear is available here.

www.diarydoll.co.uk

It Happened To Me: A Tampon Got Lost In My Body

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Frostie

There is nothing like sharing stories to make you feel like you’re not alone in a situation – we can all identify with a bit of true-talk after all. Not only that, being open and honest about real things that happen to real women is the fastest way to smash taboos and get us all talking about tricky topics. Femcare subscription service Pink Parcel speaks openly to a current subscriber about a particular time a tampon got lost in her body.

Here, Kay, 24 tells us about the time a tampon got lost inside her…

“I was right at the end of my period. You know, that time in the month when you’re still bleeding a tiny bit but not really enough to justify wearing a tampon. Usually I’d just whack on a panty liner, but I decided to use a lite tampon to be on the safe side. I had a work event that day and wanted to wear a pair of tight, light grey trousers that I’d bought especially. I really didn’t want to risk any potential accidents with a squiffy pad.

“The day passed in a hectic blur. I was rushed off my feet and the event finished with drinks with my team. The glasses of wine I drank went straight to my head, but that wasn’t surprising. It had been a busy day and I have a low tolerance to alcohol around the time of my period. I said goodbye to my colleagues and went off to meet my boyfriend in another bar. It was a friend’s birthday so we ended up drinking some more and danced – the weekend had arrived and all I wanted to do was let my hair down and then sleep! It’s safe to say I was pretty tipsy and after a few hours my boyfriend and I went home to my flat, had sex and crashed out.

“At that point, I still hadn’t taken out the tampon I’d put in early that morning, in fact I’d totally forgotten about it. Yes, even during the sex. My boyfriend didn’t realise that I had a tampon in either. I’m still not sure how, but he didn’t.

“I woke the next morning with a hangover, but sorted myself out with a big breakfast and a long walk by the river. I honestly never gave the previous day’s tampon another thought.

“Fast forward a month and I noticed something wasn’t right when I started spotting. I’d bleed for a day but then it would stop, only to start again a few days later. I even thought I might be pregnant and did a test. It was negative, but I knew something weird was going with my periods. I was no longer regular and just couldn’t understand why. My cycle had been like clockwork for years.

What’s going on?

“So I went to the doctors. As it happens, I was due to have a smear test so booked one in for the following week. I was anxious in case it revealed something sinister but the results came back after a couple of weeks and they were all clear. A relief.

“But the irregular bleeding and low tummy cramps continued and were a complete mystery to me. Another month or so passed this way and my boyfriend marched me back to the doctors. He knew something wasn’t right too.

“They sent me for a scan. An internal one known as a ‘transvaginal ultrasound’ where a three-inch probe was inserted into my vagina to get a good look at my cervix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes – everywhere that could possibly be causing me this problem. I was told the ultrasound usually detects cysts, fibroids, pelvic infections, ectopic pregnancies and even cancer. I was preparing myself for any of these scary sounding things.

“But when I was sat back in my doctor’s surgery, getting the results, I couldn’t believe it when he said they showed nothing abnormal. Internally my lady bits were the picture of health.

“So I went back home no wiser, wondering then if I’d been over-exaggerating and that maybe the spotting was just normal girl stuff. Not so. For the next month, things seemed to get worse. I didn’t know from day to day if I’d be bleeding or not and it started to take over my life.

“When I went back to my doctor a final time in tears, he referred me to a female gynaecologist to take another look.

The big reveal

“I wasn’t expecting what that appointment would reveal. As I lay there, with my legs in stirrups and with a trainee male doctor looking on, the gynaecologist inserted a speculum into my vagina and got out her light. “Do you think you might have left a tampon in?” she asked, “I think I can just about see the string.” My mind whirred. No, surely not?

“In the next moment she went in with an instrument and whipped out what I can only describe as a soggy, grey mass. It was disgusting and was taken away before I could see it properly or smell it. Thankfully.

“My mind then did the maths. That tampon has been inside me for four months. Four months! In which time I’d inserted other tampons as normal and had sex. Not to mention had a smear test and an ultrasound scan. When I asked the gynaecologist where it had been all that time, she said it was lodged sideways at the top my vagina near my cervix, compressed with the moisture. Apparently it happens way more often than you think, but she was surprised I hadn’t experienced any unusual discharge or odour. I said if I had I might have suspected it sooner.

“I’ve only told my best friend and my mum this story and of course my boyfriend could hardly believe the outcome either. He feels guilty as he played a major part in pushing it ‘up there’. Any other time in my life I’ve always changed my tampon every few hours and wouldn’t have thought it was possible to lose one. Let alone for four months! It just goes to show what can happen with a crazy-busy day, a few drinks and forgetfulness. I won’t be doing that again.”

First look at The National Theatre Salomé trailer

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Frostie

SALOMÉ – a new play by Yaël Farber

Previews from 2 May, with Press Night 9 May. Continuing in the repertoire until 15 July. Broadcast to cinemas by NT Live on 22 June.

The story has been told before, but never like this.

An occupied desert nation. A radical from the wilderness on hunger strike. A girl whose mysterious dance will change the course of the world. This charged retelling turns the infamous biblical tale on its head, placing the girl we call Salomé at the centre of a revolution.

Internationally acclaimed director Yaël Farber (Les Blancs) draws on multiple accounts to create her urgent, hypnotic production on the Olivier stage.

Salomé is designed by Susan Hilferty with lighting design by Tim Lutkin, music and sound by Adam Cork, movement direction by Ami Shulman, fight direction by Kate Waters and dramaturgy by Drew Lichtenberg. Cast includes Philip Arditti, Paul Chahidi, Ramzi Choukair, Uriel Emil, Olwen Fouéré, Roseanna Frascona, Lloyd Hutchinson, Shahar Isaac, Aidan Kelly, Yasmin Levy, Andrew Lewis, Anna Lindup, Theo T J Lowe, Isabella Niloufar, Lubana al Quntar,and Raad Rawi

Hundreds of Travelex tickets at £15 available per performance.

nationaltheatre.org.uk

@nationaltheatre

Debra Messing ‘Pressured’ to Go Nude in A Walk in the Clouds

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Frostie

Debra Messing has revealed she was “pressured” to shoot a nude scene in 1995 film A Walk in the Clouds by the director Alfonso Arau and the film’s producers.

The Will & Grace star starred opposite Keanu Reeves in the film, it was her first major film and was not a pleasant experience. She also said that she contacted her agent about the directors request and was then informed she would likely be fired if she said no.

She went on to say that she was berated after approaching Arau about the scene. “Your job is to get naked and to say the lines. That’s it,” he reportedly said. When the time came to film the scene the filmmaker made her feel uncomfortable “He lifts (the sheet up), scans my naked body, then drops the sheet on top of me like a used Kleenex,” she said at the MAKERS conference in California, “He walks away without a word…The whole thing was a power play, a game. And the goal, to demean me, to strip me of my power and make me feel on a cellular level his dominance over me.”

In the end only her back was exposed in the film. The 48-year-old actress also reportedly had issues with Alfonso after he berated her for how she looked.

“How quickly can we get a plastic surgeon in here’, ‘Her nose is ruining my movie! I can’t do this! Look at this!”‘ Alfonso reportedly said.

Messing was “frozen, horrified, mortified” and “felt deep shame” about her Jewish heritage after his comments.

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