HighTide reveals further details on the industry leading response to the crisis and announces stellar cast for Love In The Time of Corona

The cast for the five monologues written for Love In The Time of Corona, as part of HighTide’s Lighthouse Programme, have now been released. Aisha Zia’s (No Guts No Heart No Glory, UK tour, BBC 4, Fringe First Award winner) piece will be performed by Jade Anouka (Last Christmas) while Katie Lyons (Manhunt, ITV) takes on Olivier Award nominee Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s work in the first of the monologues to be released on Thursday 9 th April.

Sophie Melville (Bang, S4C) will share Ben Weatherill’s (Jellyfish, Bush Theatre and National Theatre, now in development with BBC) piece, BAFTA nominee Dawn King’s will be presented by Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street, ITV) and spoken word artist Debris Stevenson (Poet In Da Corner, Royal Court and UK tour, Evening Standard Best Newcomer nominee) will perform her own monologue.

All five of the writers of Love In The Time of Corona are currently developing full-length plays for Suba Das’s inaugural HighTide Festival in 2021.

Filmed and edited through support from HighTide’s sponsor Lansons, one of the world’s leading reputation management companies, the first of these digital productions created by HighTide will be available for free from next week on their channels.

The scripts will also be available royalty free for actors and directors to make their own digital versions and will be showcased on HighTide’s social media channels. HighTide’s Lighthouse Programme consists of free, brand new projects and programmes for artists, audiences and communities, specifically created to bring light in the weeks ahead.

HighTide are the first NPO to launch such a comprehensive programme of support for the sector, offering a range of programmes to help artists. These strands reflect the values that sit at the heart of HighTide: to introduce audiences to new work that speaks to the times we live in by the most exciting and diverse writers in the UK; to support emerging writers on their journey; and to engage communities in their home region in Suffolk.

Artistic Director of HighTide, Suba Das comments, Over 200 individual artists and companies have engaged with our Lighthouse Programme since we raced to create this new support programme the week that the theatre’s began to close; and our supporters have already donated £16,000 to these efforts, totally smashing all of our expectations. That tells us plainly that what we’re doing matters. It’s a strange and distressing time, but we’re so heartened that we’re helping provide a sense of focus and community. It’s an honour to have world class writing talents like Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Ben Weatherill; and actors such as Jade Anouka and Katie Lyons supporting our efforts. It’s equally important that we’re reaching and supporting an emerging generation who risk losing the opportunity to fully develop their talent with the shutdown in place.

So whether that’s with Dawn King’s livestreamed playwriting classes; or our Cancellation Catalogue through which we hope to rescue some shows that will no longer go to Edinburgh; or the online participatory work we’ll be doing with the Suffolk Young People’s Health Project; we hope that isolation doesn’t also mean silence. The Lighthouse Programme also includes: For writers from the East of England and/or from a socio-economically deprived background, Write That Play is a new programme to help new and emerging writers learn about playwriting craft and work towards completing a first draft of a new play. HighTide writer and BAFTAnominated Dawn King will lead a live-streamed weekly workshop over ten weeks taking the group through playwriting exercises and tasks. At the end of the course, their completed draft can be submitted for notes.

Applications for this exciting opportunity close on Tuesday. Playwright Crisis Support Programme will see HighTide’s incredible alumni, including Luke Barnes, Kenny Emson, Anders Lustgarten, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Vinay Patel and Nick Payne, adopt an emerging writer. Over twelve weeks, the small group of writers will be looked after by the HighTide team and an alumni. The focus is artist wellbeing during this period of crisis and individuals goals will be set with each playwright; these could range from completing a new draft, facilitating for a writer to hear their work out loud, navigating the financial support available to freelance artists. Preference will be given to applicants from the East of England and/or from a socio-economically deprived background and applications close on Wednesday.

To further support playwrights moving forward with their practice, HighTide’s newly appointed Associate Artists, Aisha Zia, Chinonyerem Odimba, Chris Sonnex and The Queer House, have committed to regularly reading and feeding back on scripts. The Script Reading Service is open to all UK playwrights during submission windows, however priority will be given to writers who are based in the East of England and/or are from socio-economically deprived backgrounds. A hundred scripts were received in the first submission window last week, further windows will be announced in late April and June. HighTide’s Cancellation Catalogue is for premiere runs of British new writing that were cancelled due to Corvid-19. Giving shows new life where opportunity was ripped away by circumstance, the pieces will be placed on a priority list for programming in the next HighTide Festival in Spring/Summer 2021.

In partnership with the Suffolk Young People’s Health Project (4YP) and Company Three’s groundbreaking Coronavirus Time Capsule programme, HighTide will create an online youth theatre space for some of the most vulnerable and isolated young people in the East of England. With sessions and content delivered by some of the UK’s most exciting theatremakers, and linking up similar youth projects all over the world, Let’s Create seeks to widen participants’ horizons, even during a time of lockdown. Throughout the crisis and in partnership with Nick Hern Books, HighTide will share a regular programme of simple playwriting tasks and exercises created by great playwrights past and present to help keep boredom at bay. The traditional period of a quarantine was 40 days so HighTide will be sharing 40 simple standalone playwriting tasks across their social channels with 40 Plays / 40 Nights. They invite all writers with a wi-fi connection to share their responses for feedback, discussion and celebration.

Twitter @_HighTide_ Instagram @HighTideTheatre Website www.hightide.org.uk

Donations www.hightide.org.uk/support-us/ Write That Play Apply: https://hightide.org.uk/lighthouse-programme/write-that-playplaywriting-programme/.

Deadline: Tuesday 7th April, 10am Playwright Crisis Support Programme Apply: https://hightide.org.uk/lighthouse-programme/playwright-crisissupport-programme/ Deadline: Wednesday 8th April, 10am Cancellation Catalogue Submission: https://hightide.org.uk/lighthouse-programme/cancellation-catalogue/HighTide

HighTide is a theatre company and charity based in East Anglia that has an unparalleled twelveyear history of successfully launching the careers of emerging British playwrights. Their alumni include: Luke Barnes, Adam Brace, E V Crowe, Elinor Cook, Rob Drummond, Thomas Eccleshare, Theresa Ikoko, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Anders Lustgarten, Joel Horwood, Ella Hickson, Harry Melling, Nessah Muthy, Vinay Patel, Nick Payne, Phil Porter, Beth Steel, Al Smith, Sam Steiner, Molly Taylor, Jack Thorne and Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig. They have staged productions with the highest quality theatres across the UK, from the Traverse in Edinburgh, to the Royal Exchange in Manchester, Theatre Royal Bath and the National Theatre in London. They discover new talent, provide creative development opportunities for playwrights and other creatives, and stage high quality theatre productions both in their region and nationally through their festivals and touring. They enable new and underrepresented playwrights to express their visions of contemporary politics and society, demonstrate their creative potential and therein showcase the future of theatre.

Britain’s oldest remaining teddy bear manufacturer is supporting the NHS and the coronavirus fighting fund thanks to a special souvenir bear and his cuddly companions. 

Bevan the Bear, originally created to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the NHS, is making a comeback and will be joined by a selection of Merrythought’s traditional, British-made teddy bears to raise funds for the NHS Charities Covid-19 Appeal and SATH, the company’s local Hospital Trust in Shropshire

The ‘Blue Ribbon’ campaign collection also includes Merrythought’s best-selling London Curly Gold bear, together with  Oxford, Traditional Cheeky and of course Bevan – named after founder of the NHS,Aneurin Bevan. Paying tribute to the NHS frontline heroes, Merrythought has chosen only teddy bears that wear a blue ribbon, with a minimum of 20% of all online sales to be donated to the charities.

“While a Merrythought teddy bear is the ideal companion to get you through challenging times such as these, choosing a special bear for either yourself or a loved one will now also help the NHS and those affected by Covid-19,” said fourth-generation managing director of Merrythought Sarah Holmes.

“Bevan is a particularly special bear for us and we were very proud of our collaboration with Shrewsbuy and Telford Hospital Trust, our local NHS Trust. We now want to build on this to help  the wider NHS as it faces such an unprecedented crisis.

Merrythought, which marks its 90th anniversary this year, is famous for crafting the finest, British-madeteddy bears, which are adored by children and adults across the world.

“We appreciate the difficulties that families and the NHS are facing at the moment, and are keen to see the Merrythought teddy bear giving some financial and emotional support to those affected by Covid-19. Merrythought is very much a business which has been at the heart of the community for the last nine decades, and we hope to continue to be so for generations to come.”

While the Merrythought Shop in Ironbridge has had to close in line with current Government restrictions, orders can still be placed online.

“We are proud that our teddy bears are British made, and we appreciate all the efforts across the community to support British businesses as we all try our best to get through this crisis together.” 

Bevan is on sale for £89, and is available alongside the rest of the Blue Ribbon Collection at www.merrythought.co.uk. 

Interesting and heartwarming news today:

Firefighters will be able to deliver food and medicines, drive ambulances, and retrieve dead bodies during the coronavirus outbreak in an unprecedented agreement between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), fire chiefs, and Fire and Rescue Employers.

For the first time, all three stakeholder groups have agreed a joint national approach to the crisis. The fire service organisations say that the measures in the agreement reflect the scale of the national crisis and the urgency of the response required.

Under the agreement, firefighters will be able to:

·         Deliver essential items like food and medicines to vulnerable people

·         Drive ambulances and assist ambulance staff

·         Retrieve dead bodies, should the outbreak cause mass casualties

Firefighters will continue responding to core emergencies, such as fires and road traffic collisions, but under the agreement can now provide additional services specifically related to COVID19. The agreement states that core responsibilities must be maintained throughout the crisis.

The organisations will meet weekly to discuss any additional requests for assistance made by Local Resilience Forums and Strategic Coordination Groups. Any activities considered will be risk assessed with fire and rescue personnel being given any necessary additional training and the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

The additional work taken on by firefighters will be temporary to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially in place for two months, the agreement can be extended or shortened if agreed between all parties.

The agreement between National Employers, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and the FBU follows measures to limit cross-infection between firefighters and the public, agreed earlier this week.

There are around 48,000 firefighters and emergency control staff in the UK.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said:

“We face a public health crisis unparalleled in our lifetimes. The coronavirus outbreak is now a humanitarian emergency and firefighters rightly want help their communities.

“To get through this, we must find ways to work together with other emergency services. Firefighters are fantastic at teamwork, are experienced in driving emergency vehicles and, as a service rooted in the community, may be best placed to deliver essential items to the most vulnerable.

“Many fear the loss of life in this outbreak could be overwhelming– and firefighters, who often handle terrible situations and incidents, are ready to step in to assist with body retrieval.

“Firefighters and control staff have always stepped in when the public has been in danger and this crisis is no different. The strain on all emergency services will be great, but we can and will get through it together.”

Roy Wilsher, Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said:

“All fire services are working to protect communities during COVID-19 and they will use their wide-range of capabilities and skills to ensure community reassurance and support; doing what they can to support people through this crisis.

“This joined-up approach is testament to the three organisations working together, to ensure fire and rescue services can be at the forefront of the response to the current situation. I look forward to continuing this joined-up work with the National Employers and FBU.”

Cllr Nick Chard, Chair of the National Employers, said:

“We have worked at pace to bring an extra resource to the battle against the impact of COVID 19, working collaboratively with the FBU and NFCC for the benefit of local people.”

“Fire and Rescue has always played its role in meeting seemingly insurmountable challenges and this crisis is no exception.  We can immediately step up our assistance to support our over stretched public sector colleagues, especially ambulance services, with our can do attitude and sense of community spirit.”

Dead Man’s Daughter by Roz Watkins   HQ pb £7.99 eBook and audio.

A thriller set in the Peak District, which is of course, beautiful but can be challenging. Just like this book, because a child is involved. I find thrillers involving children ‘on the edge’ of my comfort zone. I think Watkins has pulled it off. Read it, and see what you think.

DI Meg Dalton isn’t prepared for her latest case – a child found running through woods, her nightdress covered in blood. Nearby her father is also found, stabbed, dead.

Just as most would, Dalton thinks of a violent intruder but there are complications. The father was obsessed with odd statues in the woods. Added to this was his obsession with his daughter’s recent heart transplant. Watkins begins to ask herself if the new heart has altered the child? This leads to the big question: who exactly was the donor? How did he/she die? Is there a killer out there? Is the child safe?

Give it a whirl. Watkins first book, The Devil’s Dice was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award and is optioned for TV.

Her Last Breath by Alison Belsham   Trapeze pb £8.99

Oh crikey – The body count is rising, the clock is ticking. Is this a classic page turner – a race against time?

When a young woman is attacked, but not quite killed. Can the police find her killer before she dies? What does her tattoo mean?

Then another woman disappears. Is there a serial killer trawling the streets of Brighton?

Detective Francis Sullivan and his team suspect Alex  Mullins, the son of Francis’s lover. Oh lord… What does Francis do? Yep, read it, you will turn the pages.

One Fatal Mistake by Tom Hunt   Orion. pb £8.99

I find this sort of crime far too realistic to read with equanimity. Because … because … Would we all cover up, if our son killed someone in an accident, and ran away from the scene? Joshua Mayo  and his mother do just this – but that never works, does it. Or does it? Will someone find out, if so what will they do? Will the weight and increasing complexity of the deceit ruin them anyway. Read it, and find out.

A knock at the door but no-one there, instead a bottle of wine, and note from a neighbour. ‘Look after yourselves.’

The day before, a knock at the door. No-one there, instead homemade pate, and a note: ‘Thought you’d enjoy this.’

Texts offering shopping as we old ducks are self-isolating as instructed for those of our age. So, thank you, our wonderful neighbours. We have become an end Crescent full of phantoms who knock knock, leave something, and disappear.

Our local cafe now shut, has creatively diversified, and is delivering homemade ready meals. We had one today. Cottage pie, for two. Actually, it will do for four. Just ten pounds, arriving at the door. Knock knock, no-one there, but a lunch, and in a separate paper bag, chopped sausage for the dogs.

As well as foolish people out there, there are many more who are not. Let’s be thankful for them all.

Thank you, Jacqui and Izzie at Bliss Cafe 

Before

Jenny Kennedy- beautiful, brilliant but troubled- is the pageant queen of New England. From ages Five -Thirteen, she won more prizes than any of her competitors, inspiring admiration and envy in equal measure. Jenny has more than a few secrets of her own, but what thirteen-year-old girl doesn’t?

After

But now Jenny is dead, in a murder that has rocked a perfect town and a perfect family. Virginia Kennedy, whose relationship with her half-sister was far from close, finds herself thrust into Jenny’s spotlight as she becomes a suspect in the brutal killing.

In a small town where death is public property, it’s up to Virginia to uncover the truth behind her sister’s murder, and she soon realises that maybe Jenny’s life wasn’t so perfect after all…….

Within the first few chapters I was hooked, Green’s writing style is brilliant, it’s very easy to read as each chapter varies from Jenny to Virginia changing from Virginia’s life after her sisters brutal murder to Jenny’s life and what resulted in her untimely death.

The more I read the more secrets of the “picture perfect family” were unearthed. Green does a fine job in portraying realistic characters, in real life everyone has their own flaws or internal battles and this is also true for the characters from Linda’s(Jenny’s mother) mental state to Calvin’s(the father) deep dark secret that he has kept for 30 years .

I would recommend for fans of ‘Have you seen her’ by Lisa Hall and those who enjoy a good old Who done it.

Paperback £7.99

eBook & Audio available

The Vaults, Leake Street, London, SE1 7NN. Tuesday 10^th – Sunday 15th March 2020

Madison Clare

Photo credit Lidia Crisfulli

Written by Cat Kolubayev and directed by Anastasia Bruce-Jones this is a fast paced, all female dark comedy, a story of loyalty, revenge and secrecy.

Francine and Marla are on the hunt for a new hazardous waste removal apprentice.

Having just escaped a life of misfortune, Belinda walks in, ready for her interview.

The position isn’t quite what it seems and the advert may have missed a few pertinent details. Showing the nasty side of an already filthy job, someone is about to find themselves in a very sticky situation.

Adeline Waby

Photo Credit: Lidia Crisfulli

A new job at a hazardous waste removal company means Belinda’s going to have

to get her hands a little dirty.

Bin Juice romps about with mess and grime and dirt and selfishness, crime and mobs and savagery.

Helena Antoniou

Photo credit Lidia Crisfulli

Expertly mixing the comedic with the macabre, the three women keep up the pace, but a special mention to Madison Clare, who plays Marla demonstrating innate comedic timing.

The forensic interview technique of Adeline Waby’s Francine, would have most human resources departments heading for the exit, whilst Helena Antoniou’s Belinda/ Barney, proves she can more than hold her own both within the play and on the stage.  

Running Time 1 hour

Box Office -Tickets are available priced £10.50 from https://vaultfestival.com/

or 0208 050 9241.

Age Guidance 12+

Twitter@BinJuicePlay#BinJuicePlay #TheSWRC@VAULTFestival

Visitors eat imitation food packaging waste, made from chocolate, at Montezuma’s ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ recyclable chocolate shop, in Covent Garden, London. The pop-up shop lets customers swap old food packaging for chocolate and treats, to celebrate Montezuma’s switch to 100% sustainable packaging across its whole range.     Photo credit: Matt Crossick

You don’t have to be a genius to realise that landfill and carbon footprints are contributing to environmental harm and global warming. However, you probably do need to be a genius to get everyone to think about day to day packaging.

Those clever people at Montezuma’s take their chocolate seriously and their environmental impact just as seriously, which is good news for us all.

Montezuma’s wants people to re-think their daily habits by saying no to waste and yes to chocolate and it’s doing so in the most appetising manner.

Montezuma’s is inviting people to experience the sweet side of eco living, with its ‘WASTE NOT, WANT NOT RECYCLABLE SHOP’ in Covent Garden. To celebrate the launch of the brand’s new sustainable packaging, the award-winning British chocolate company is opening a pop-up shop, where you can swap your unwanted packaging for tailor-made treats, designed to imitate some of the biggest waste culprits in the UK food industry – think grab-and-go salad bowls, sandwich wrappers and those iconic black sushi trays.

Montezuma Chocolate managing director Bruce Alexander at Montezuma’s ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ recyclable chocolate shop, in Covent Garden, London.Photo credit: Matt Crossick

The beautiful, bespoke treats may look like trash, but they are actually formed from Montezuma’s classic white chocolate, filled with its indulgent truffle centre, and hand painted for a realistic finish! All chocolate lovers need to do to get their hands on these decadent chocolates, is simply hand over their used food containers – proving that recycling has more than just the one benefit.

Sitting in the window of the store is a fully edible 3D artwork, made to replicate a bin overflowing with non-recyclable rubbish. The piece will highlight the unrecycled waste that ends up on landfill each year. The indulgent installation will be lit up 24 hours a day, to inspire passers-by to make more sustainable choices when it comes to food.

Photo credit: Matt Crossick

The venture comes in the wake of Montezuma’s newly designed packaging, 100% of the Montezuma’s newly designed packaging is either recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable – a first for a British chocolate company. As well as using recyclable inks, adhesives, stickers and tapes, the company’s best-selling chocolate bars will now be delivered in 100% paper and card cartons, eliminating the non-recyclable metallised wrappers. Look carefully at all the art work as each tells a different story, but you will need to look closely.

Montezuma’s WASTE NOT, WANT NOT RECYCLABLE SHOP is open between 10am and 6pm on 13th and 14th March at 67 Neal Street in Covent Garden, London but don’t worry if you can’t get there because their repackaged fabulously tasty bars can be found in Sainsburys and Waitrose amongst other retailers.