MONDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2020 THISWEEKCULTURE.COM
TOM LITTLER: 15 HEROINES
I was immediately intrigued when I heard about '15 Heroines', an ambitious digitally delivered project from Jermyn Street featuring the work of fifteen well known or emerging playwrights, performed by a star studded cast.

To find out more, I spoke to Jermyn Street Theatre's artistic director and executive producer Tom Littler.

CLICK HERE to read this Caro Meets interview.

'15 Heroines' is streamed from Jermyn Street Theatre from 9-14 Nov. See the venue website here for more information and to book.



SHARLIT DEYZAC & AMY CLARE TASKER: VOILA! EUROPE
I feel fairly sure our readers will be familiar with Voila! Europe, the London-based festival of European theatre that's staged at The Cockpit Theatre, not least because we write about it - one way or another - every year.

This year, as with all festivals and theatrical endeavours, COVID-19 stepped in to make things a little bit interesting. The creative team behind Voila! Europe have risen to the occasion, though. Keen to find out more, I spoke to co-directors Sharlit Deyzac and Amy Clare Tasker.

The original plan was to have socially-distanced events happening at The Cockpit itself, as well as presenting shows online. Since I spoke to Sharlit and Amy, though, the second lockdown has been announced. However, as far as possible, online elements will be going ahead.

CLICK HERE to read this Caro Meets interview.

Voila! Europe runs from 9-21 Nov. For more information, see the festival website here.
With the COVID-19 shutdown extending and expanding, we are currently tipping the best in digital culture from across the UK - including online shows from many of our favourite performers and companies who we first discovered at the Edinburgh Festival.


THREE COMEDY THINGS>>

Always Be Comedy | 4 Nov
I'm pretty sure that last week I said something about the dark nights and us all needing to cheer ourselves up a bit because of winter setting in. Well, in that same, downbeat spirit I am beginning with a section of comedy this week; because not only is it dark, and grey, and drizzly, and damp, they've also just announced another lockdown. And, you know, you may be in agreement that it's necessary, but it's still sad to have to shelve some of the live comedy recommendations I had planned for this week. Anyway, I reckon this lot really have it in them to cheer you up a bit: the line up includes a quartet of brilliance - John Kearns, Sophie Duker, Jen Brister and Scott Bennett - plus excellent host James Gill. See this page here to book yourself in.

Jokes & Spokes: Home Edition | 3 Nov
This is a charity event to support The Bike Project, a community of refugees, cyclists, mechanics and volunteers who fix up second-hand bikes and give them to refugees, as well as offering group cycle training to refugee women. It's an annual event, which this year is happening online, and features a big name line up that includes a number of TW favourites: Frankie Boyle, Andy Zaltzman, Suzi Ruffell, Athena Kugblenu, Richard Herring, Kemah Bob and Evelyn Mok. Head this way to find out more.

Abigoliah Schamaun: Namaste Bitches | NextUp Comedy (pictured)
Scrolling through NextUp Comedy's show list a few days ago, I noticed that Abigoliah Schamaun's 'Namaste Bitches' is available to view. And I can't help wondering if that is a recent addition, because I feel sure I would have noticed it much earlier if it had been there, because she's one of our very bona fide TW favourite acts that we first met at edfringe. But perhaps I am just inattentive/getting progressively in need of a stronger glasses prescription. Anyway, if you have a NextUp subscription, definitely watch this. If you don't have a subscription, maybe now's the time, with lockdown two on the horizon. It's here.


THREE THEATRICAL THINGS>>

Clever Cakes | Little Angel Theatre | from 1 Nov
The latest online accessible show to be released by Little Angel Theatre is an adaptation of a story by Michael Rosen: 'Clever Cakes And Other Stories', they tell us, "is a collection of comical adventures about super-smart kids who triumph in a fun flip on traditional fairy tales. Little Angel Theatre will be adapting the title story, 'Clever Cakes', about a little girl called Masha and how she outwits a massive, greedy bear to escape home to her granny". Watch 'Clever Cakes' here.

The Kids Are Alright | Fuel Theatre | from 3 Nov (pictured)
This is an interesting one: Fuel Theatre is staging 'The Kids Are Alright' for specific communities, each show being performed live for residents of local housing estates, specifically those in Deptford and Camden. So if you are one of those residents you might get to see things happen in person. The rest of us, however, have opportunities to tune in via digital means, as the show is filmed on phones and broadcast via Facebook. I suspect at least some of the performances may no longer be able to go ahead in light of the new lockdown, but perhaps the earlier ones will, check here.

Kali Autumn SOLOS: Cheek To Cheek | Kali Theatre
Kali Theatre released a number of monologues over the spring and summer for access via the internet, and have now begun a new season for the autumn. The first one, 'Cheek To Cheek' - written by Sharmila Chauhan, performed by Shalini Peiris and directed by Natasha Kathi-Chandra - is already online, with three more to be released throughout November. Coming up are 'Social Distancing' by Emteaz Hussain, 'Educating Britain' written by Alia Bano, and 'Me And Ed' by Atiha Sen Gupta. See 'Cheek To Cheek' here, and check out the company's spring and summer monologues here and here respectively.


THREE EVENTS MISCELLANEOUS>>

Sherlock In Homes | Bristol Old Vic | 6-7 Nov (pictured)
"Don your deerstalker, grab your notepad and boil your kettle! It's time to Zoom in to a murder mystery from your own home. Expect high wires and even higher stakes as you play detective and attempt to unmask a murderer, in this Victorian case of dastardly behaviour and deadly death at The Bearded Lady's Circus Of Wonders. Only you can solve this case..." This sounds fun, an interactive murder mystery via Zoom. Read more about it here.

The Stories We Tell About Black Lives | Traverse Theatre Festival
A video essay from academic, playwright and screenwriter May Sumbwanyambe who draws on personal experience to explore how black people are portrayed in the media. "May draws troubling links between the ways that the lives of black people are represented in popular western culture in films like 'The Last King Of Scotland', and the ways that young Black Brits are disenfranchised by a broken justice system, misrepresented by media and institutionally discriminated against by the political class, during moments of political and civil unrest". Watch it here.

Ethical Matters: Russia, Fake News and the Future of Conflict | Conway Hall | 9 Nov
Another intriguing sounding talk from Conway Hall with Nina Jankowicz, writer of 'How To Lose The Information War'. "Since the start of the Trump era, the United States and the Western world has finally begun to wake up to the threat of online warfare and the attacks from Russia. The question no one seems to be able to answer is: what can the West do about it?" See the venue website here for information and to book yourself in.
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