Theatre Review by Phil Ryan of Trash by Tom Hunt at the Space East London

Trash by Tom Hunt directed by Kim Moakes
Produced by LittleBerry Productions

A strong ensemble piece with a slightly frantic pace the audience seemed delighted at this witty and cleverly written piece. The subject matter was well chosen and quite competently explored. A difficult ask of a director, the very large cast (and I think the cast was a little too large) Kim Moakes delivered a bold and amusing vision of a student house with an alternative twist.
Despite the rather unwieldy size of the cast there were some standout performances. These included the nicely laconic Noor Dillan-Night ably and cleverly channelling a wannabe urban revolutionary and excellent and strong physical comedy from Adeline Waybey who perfectly captured the bawdy street persona of wild child freagan Vikki. A special mention is Alexis Coward who delivered a wonderful other wordly performance as Curly Kat, brilliantly inhabiting a child-like modern hippy girl who at times appeared to be in a world of her own.
At the risk of repetition the piece did struggle at times due to the large 12 strong cast with certain parts highly confusing as so much was going on. Plus the acoustic properties of the space itself made certain sections quite overpowering. But that said much of the audience seemed to enjoy the slightly muddled and noisy interactions. And my belief is when a full capacity audience are laughing constantly and uproaringly the play must be doing something right. With elements of high farce the piece was both entertaining and funny to watch. Finally I was very heartened at the broad age range of the audience demonstrating that LittleBerry productions can deliver a mainstream piece of theatre and should go from strength to strength.

Definitely one to watch.

Phil Ryan 16th September 2012

SASS & BIDE SS13 makes strong return to the London Catwalk

 

 

SPRING/ SUMMER 2013

 

LOVESHADY

 

Sass & Bide returned to London Fashion Week after a year’s hiatus with an explosion of intricate seed beading, fluro dipped shells, contrast binds and flickers of diamante & metal form a rich tapestry of geometric detailing

The  LOVESHADY collection explores an ethereal union of gender; a romantic journey where every masculine notion finds counterbalance & softness in femininity. Silhouettes are sharp & honest and contrast the soft flow of ethereal silks, while a monochromatic palette finds fever in hot hues & metallic accents.

 

 

 

This season’s VIP front row included;

Mosshart/  Twiggy /  Poppy Delevigne  / Kelly Rowland  /  Lara Bohinc /  Miquita Oliver /  Dionne Bromfield/  Leah Wood /  Quentin Jones  /   Peaches Geldof  / Jazzy de Lisser  /  Sara Brajovic  /  Tom Hooper  / Willia Keswick  /  Portia Freeman /  Francesca Versace  / Jess Mills   /  Shingai Shoniwa/  Jasmine Guinness/    Lliana Bird

 

The Inappropriateness of Love By Paloma Kubiak | Theatre Review

Intimately showcased in the upper decks of an Islington theatre bar, The Inappropriateness of Love delves into the complexities of the emotion, capturing each character’s hope and struggle to love and be loved. 


Performed by Paradigm, a new London fringe repertory company, and written/directed by Sarah Pitard, the dark comedy explores the entangled relationships between six characters, linked together by the affable yet somewhat nerdy, Scooter.  

 

The plot is driven by Scooter’s compulsion to attend his old university friend’s wedding with a ‘plus one’, rather than face the embarrassment and reality of his impending loneliness.

 

As the story unfolds, the audience is invited to share Scooter’s experience of risk-taking and rejection when it comes to his therapist Jessica, the stilted relationship with his elderly mother and his ignorance of best friend Zoey’s feelings towards him.

 

In other serious scenes dealing with divorce, cheating and break-ups, the play is given a slight comedic uplift through outspoken, tarty receptionist Stephanie who’s dating senior manager, Darren (therapist Jessica’s ex-husband).

 

The audience warms to her character, perhaps because of her evident vulnerability and the one-night stand scene with Scooter also provides an awkward, yet funny combination.

 

In the same way Pitard wrote ‘there’s a little bit of me in all the characters’, I too was reminded of those first pangs of love for a professional figure, a doomed office romance and the tumultuous period with an older, divorced lover.

 

The Inapproriateness of Love exposes the vulnerability of the heart through thoroughly convincing acting and scenes.
For it’s premier performance this week, it’s well worth seeing at the Hen and Chickens Theatre till 29th September 2012.

www.paradigmtheatrecompany.co.uk

 

Frost Reflects on the Paralympics

The Paralympics has come and gone with a bang. Leaving Londoners a little bereft as the London Games 2012 draws to a close. It has been an exciting time to live in London.  Great Britain got a total of 120 medals. 34 of those were gold. Personally I loved the guy in the paralympics advert who, after listing all of the injuries he had acquired, which included broken ribs and fingers, ended the conversation with “nothing serious”.

A peak audience of 3.2 million viewers were watched Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage when David Weir won his second gold of the 2012 Games in the T54 1500m. The Paralympic Games 2012 Tonight programme, from 7.30pm through to 10.30pm was watched by an average of 2.5 million viewers, 11 percent share of the audience.

The early evening coverage of the swimming from the aquatics centre peaked with 1.8 million viewers – averaging 1.6 million viewers, 10 percent share, between 5.25pm and 7.00pm.

Afternoon coverage peaked with 1.4 million viewers – averaging 824k viewers, 11 percent share, between 1.00pm and 5.25pm.

The Paralympics coverage helped Channel 4 record an all-day share of 9.4 percent – up +35% on the 12 month average for Tuesdays.

Seven weeks after Channel 4 launched the critically acclaimed ‘Meet The Superhumans’ Paralympic trail, its sound track had taken the UK music charts by storm and forged an unexpected collaboration between hip hop legends, Public Enemy, and leading British Parlympians.

Channel 4 launched its biggest ever marketing campaign in mid-July to promote coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics with ‘Meet the Superhumans’, a 90 second long film, set to the track, ‘Harder Than You Think’ by, Public Enemy and showcasing the abilities of some of the leading UK Paralympians as they prepared for the Games.

In the weeks that followed the video went viral and ‘Harder Than You Think’, first released in 2007 and never having appeared before appeared in the Top 200, suddenly entered the UK Top 40; currently at number four on The Official UK Singles Chart and number one on the Indie Singles Top 20 Chart. ‘Harder Than You Think’ is now Public Enemy’s highest charting single to date in the UK.

Now swimmer Ellie Simmonds, wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft, blind footballer Dave Clarke and cyclist Jody Cundy are among a host of leading British Paralympians featured in a newly cut video by Public Enemy in tribute to the London 2012 Paralympics.

The video, titled ‘Harder Than You Think – UK Paralympics Version’, blends the herculean efforts of the Paralympians preparing for the Games – filmed by Channel 4 – with the original gritty street locations and hip hop sounds synonymous with Public Enemy.

Public Enemy’s Chuck D says: “These athletes are about self-empowerment and determination. Doing what they do….is harder than ya think.”

James Walker Channel 4’s Head of Marketing says: “Public Enemy are one of the greatest hip hop acts of all time. It’s a fantastic testament to the impact of the Paralympics that we have been able to introduce new fans to their music.”

A peak audience of 7.7 million viewers watched last night’s Channel 4 coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games closing ceremony. The full closing ceremony programme from 7.00pm to 11.10pm was watched by 5.9 million viewers, 26 percent share of the television audience.

Coverage of the final day of the Paralympic Games made Channel 4 the most watched television channel across the whole day – with a total share of 16.4 percent; versus 15.9 percent share for BBC ONE and 13.4 percent share for ITV1. Channel 4 was also the most watched channel in terms of 16-34s and ABC1s.

The closing ceremony was the second most-watched moment from Channel 4’s coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games, after the opening ceremony which peaked with 11.2 million and Jonnie Peacock’s 100m T44 win on Thursday which attracted a peak audience of 6.3 million viewers – the biggest UK audience for live Paralympic sport ever. On the same ‘thriller Thursday’ David Weir’s T54 800m gold was watched by a peak audience of 5.5 million and Hannah Cockroft’s 200m T34 win attracted a peak audience of 4.1 million. Alan Oliveira’s victory over Oscar Pistorius in the 200m T44 on Sunday was watched by a peak audience of 4.4 million viewers.

Across the Paralympics as a whole, Channel 4’s coverage reached 39.9 million people – over 69 percent of the UK population. This compares to a reach of 20.5 millon for the BBC’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.

Jay Hunt, Channel 4’s Chief Creative Officer said: “Last night’s closing ceremony was a suitably spectacular end to a fantastic London 2012 Paralympic Games and I’m thrilled that, over the course of the last eleven days, Channel 4’s coverage has engaged more people than ever before in disabled sport.”

Channel 4 released new research from BDRC Continental and YouGov over the weekend which showed that two in three viewers feel more positive towards disabled people as a result of watching coverage of the Paralympic Games.

Headlines from the research include:

  • Two thirds of viewers (65%) feel the coverage of the Paralympics has had a favourable impact on their perceptions towards people with disabilities.1
  • More than four in five Adults (82%) agreed disabled athletes are as talented as able-bodied athletes, rising to 91% among those who had watched Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics.2
  • Almost two thirds of Adults (64%) agreed that the Paralympics is as good as the Olympics, rising to 79% among those who had watched Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics. 2
  • Two thirds of viewers (68%) felt the coverage of the Paralympics has had a favourable impact on their perceptions to disabled sport. 1
  • Around two in three viewers (69%) said this is the first time they have ever made an effort to watch the Paralympics, while half (50%) said this is the first Paralympics they have ever watched. 67% said they watched more than they expected to.1

Since 2010, as part of Channel 4’s pledge to bring Paralympic sport to a mainstream audience and add authenticity, knowledge and experience to its programming, the broadcaster has invested over £600,000 in identifying, training and developing ten new disabled presenters and reporters who have played major roles in the channel’s coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games. 80% of viewers enjoyed the fact that there were disabled presenters on screen in Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics and almost three quarters of the audience (74%) agreed that they enjoyed the matter of fact discussions about disability.

Building on this, Channel 4 has committed a further £250,000 across the next two years, to both support and develop the existing disabled presenters across a range of television genres and to continue to identify new opportunities for disabled talent on-screen.

Shakedown announce new artists for October festival

6th October, Stanmer Park, Brighton

http://www.shakedown.co.uk/

 

Arlissa, Jacob Plant, B. Traits, Brimmer and Special K’s added to the bill for the final festival of the year

 

Dizzee Rascal, Chase and Status (DJ set) and Professor Green headline

 

Trash Mondays vs In Ya Ear go head to head in the silent disco

 

Second release tickets almost sold out!

 

LINE UP TO DATE

 

Dizzee Rascal / Professor Green / Chase & Status DJ set / Katy B / Knife Party / Zane Lowe / Stooshe / Clement Marfo and  the Frontline / Friction / Shy FX / Ms Dynamite / Union DJ’s / The Prototypes / Jacob Plant / Arlissa / B Traits / Brimmer / Special K’s

 

With just under a month to go until the last festival of the year, all eyes turn to Brighton for Shakedown, the final party of the festival season.  With some of the most exciting names in bass and electronic music already confirmed, Shakedown is set to host a South Coast party of epic proportions.

 

Joining the throng of A list artists will be Arlissa, the 19 year old UK singer songwriter whose debut single ‘Hard To Love Somebody’ is a duet with self professed fan Nas and Jacob Plant, the wildly hyped producer and DJ who is one of the hottest talents on the UK dance scene having worked with and remixed a host of household names including Jay Z, Kanye West, Tinie Tempah, Ellie Goulding Modestep and Major Lazer to name a few.

 

Having graduated from a monthly ‘In New DJ’s We Trust’ slot on Radio 1 to her own, weekly show that’s simulcast on Radio 1 and 1xtra, B. Traits is perfectly placed to bring the carnival bassline to Brighton.  Whether you’re into bass heavy house, dubstep or drum & bass, local Brighton boy Brimmer is the name delivering bass in all genres whilst Special K’s deliver their unique brand of glorious electronic pop

 

Shakedown will be headlined by the most in demand artist in the country and ultimate showman, Dizzee Rascal.  Armed with an arsenal of hits, Dizzee is an artist at the top of his game and his set will be a defining Shakedown moment.  A multitude of incredible artists including the mighty Professor Green, queen of the underground Katy B, undisputed breakout act of 2012, Stooshe, Clement Marfo & The Frontline and Union DJ’s will perform before Dizzee Rascal.

 

The Supercharged Arena will be headlined by superstar duo, Chase & Status performing an eclectic DJ set of genre defying styles. One of the most potent forces on the dance scene and famed for their incendiary DJ sets, this irrepressible duo will be armed to the teeth with a plethora of dance floor anthems and underground classics.

 

Taking to the stage before Chase & Status will be the much lauded Knife Party playing in Brighton for the first time, Radio 1’s music champion and undisputed star of last year’s Shakedown festival, Zane Lowe and multi award winning Ms Dynamite.  A hotbed of phenomenal DJ’s will also join the succession of artists including Drum & Bass heavyweight’s  DJ Friction, Shy FX and The Prototypes.

 

Two of Brighton’s biggest cult clubbing brands go head to head to bring you the ultimate silent disco. Renowned for their larger than life parties week in and week out, Trash Mondays and In Ya Ear once again prepare for another monumental extravaganza.

 

Hed Kandi, the most stylish name in house music will be hosting the VIP Arena with a spectacular production and a host of DJ’s including Freemasons, Seamus Haji and Phil Faversham.

 

Shakedown Festival 2012 brings the most exciting names in contemporary music to Brighton for one last festival outing.  With a vast array of music talent and some great brand partners bringing their own, distinct party flavour, Shakedown is the perfect end to an incredible summer of festival fun.  Tickets are selling fast with this event looking likely to sell out so don’t miss out.

 

TICKETS £40 + bf

 

http://www.shakedown.co.uk/tickets

http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/

http://www.seetickets.com/

http://hmv.com/

http://www.viewbrighton.co.uk/

http://www.brightondome.org/

 

VIP TICKETS £75 + bf

Available now from the Hed Kandi bar on West Street, Brighton and http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/1F004787ACD2AF57

US Remembers 9/11

In New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, thousands of Americans have gathered to pay their respects to the nearly 3,000 people killed eleven years ago on the September 11th Al-Qaida terrorist attacks.
President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, joined other dignitaries at the White House and bowed their heads in a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. EDT, the time on September 11, 2001 which is when the first of two jetliners struck the World Trade Center in New York.

Afterward the president led a ceremony at the Pentagon memorial, which was struck by a plane during the attacks. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the U.S. military.

The President stood in front of an American flag and told the families of the victims that their loved ones would never be forgotten.

Families of those killed on 9/11 took part in a ritual reading of all of the victim’s names at Ground Zero, where the World Trade center towers that fell after being struck by planes. Some of the bereaved held up photos of their loved ones.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said: “My concern is that too often, we do not express our concern and our attention for those that are fighting and dying for this country. We’re continuing to lose good men and women in battle in Afghanistan. They are putting their lives on the line every day. And, every day, they are fighting to make sure that this country is protected. We cannot forget that sacrifice.”

The names of everyone who died on 9/11 can be found here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2929305/posts

 

Andy Murray Wins US Open

He may have lost Wimbledon but since then Andy Murray has been on fire. Winning gold at the 2012 Olympics and now a historical win at the US Open.  Murray defeated defending champion Novak Djokovic in five sets at Flushing Meadows 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2. The match lasted  four hours and 54 minutes

Murray has really triumphed this year, proving all of the doubters wrong. The 25-year-old Scot won a Grand Slam final at the fifth attempt having lost his 4 previous tries. Murray won the US open title 76 years after Fred Perry, the last British man to win a Grand Slam singles title.

Afterwards, he celebrated the Grand Slam win with friends at Hakkasan in New York. Murray also signed a copy of the menu for staff. He didn’t drink any alcohol. Opting for lemon soda instead.

 

 

 

Extinction is forever. Orangutans need our help. Donate now for absolutely free with a click

Extinction is forever.  Orangutans need our help.

Donate now for absolutely free with a click…

 

Jump on to Facebook and pledge your name in support of Trilogy’s campaign.  In return, they’ll donate $1* to the Borneo Orangutan Protection Foundation.  Pledge your name here, it takes seconds: http://bit.ly/Q2utJ1

 

Orangutans are one of our closest cousins, sharing over 98% of our DNA.  Like human babies, baby orangutans cry when they’re hungry, whimper when they’re hurt and smile at their mothers.

 

And they’re resourceful.  Did you know that orangutans make umbrellas out of leaves to shelter themselves from the rain?

 

Deforestation of the orangutan’s natural habitat means the leaves that form such an integral part of orangutan life are swiftly disappearing.  And our beautiful, intelligent cousins are rapidly heading towards extinction.

 

Trilogy has been supporting orangutans in South East Asia since 2009.   With your support, over $40,000 has been raised to help the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation continue their vital work.

 

This year, Trilogy wants to hit the $50,000 mark.  You can help – simply by pledging your name.

 

But don’t stop there.  Spread the word.  We’ll donate $1* for every person who pledges

The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation works hard to rescue and rehabilitate orangutans from high-risk areas and release them into wild, protected rainforest habitats.   Your support will assist the Nyaru Menteng Sanctuary, which works hard to care for over 600 orangutans.

 

* New Zealand currency.  Maximum donation $10,000. Campaign will run until 30 September or until 10,000 pledges have been made.  Rest assured – we won’t share your name with third parties.  Ever.