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Alan Ayckbourn delivers love letter to theatre in 90th play Show & Tell at the SJT

Bill Champion and Paul Kemp in rehearsal for Alan Ayckbourn’s Show & Tell. Picture: Tony Bartholomew

ALAN Ayckbourn’s 90th play, a love letter to theatre delivered under the title of Show & Tell, opens at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, tonight.

Ayckbourn directs Bill Champion, Paul Kemp, Frances Marshall, Richard Stacey and Olivia Woolhouse in a delightfully dark farce that lifts the lid on the performances we act out on a daily basis.

The plot? Jack is planning a big party for his wife’s birthday. Pulling out all pulling the stops, he has booked a touring theatre company to perform in the main hall of the family home. Unfortunately, however, Jack is becoming forgetful in his old age, unable to remember all the details of the booking.

The other side of the story? The Homelight Theatre Company is on its knees, desperately in need of a well-paid gig – and Jack’s booking is very well paid – but pinning him down on the details has been tricky. Something does not feel quite right.

“Show & Tell is about something which has preoccupied me for the last 60 years and probably more – theatre,” says Sir Alan, now 85. “It’s a love letter to theatre.

“The play is a dark farce that reflects that real life is curling around it all the time, with the structure of a play within a play: a play of the sort we would do in my second year with the Stephen Joseph Theatre Company at the Library Theatre, like A Game Of Love And Chance, a French farce. We had such a lark with that play, done as one of our attempts to attract a seaside audience.”

Show & Tell writer-director Alan Ayckbourn in his garden in Scarborough. Picture: Tony Barthlomew

Show & Tell presents an interesting challenge for the cast, says Sir Alan. “Once it starts, they have two challenges: they have to be the persona who comes into the rehearsal room, the actor they are playing, and then the character they’re playing in the play within the play.

 “One of the things we’ll do is go from modern naturalism to French farce, but I don’t much of that leaping in and out. Once they start doing the play within the play, they do the play – and I don’t want to make the farce bad as it’s a celebration of theatre.

“They’re at the level where it’s not laughing out loud at their ineptitude, nor is it making fun of amateurs as then you’ve lost the point of the play. I’ve never tried to do that; I didn’t do that in A Chorus Of Disapproval either. The performance level should remain reasonably high.”

Come the finale, the play and play within a play elide. “There’s a moment at the very end, where the farce and Show & Tell proper coincide, when they’re taking their bow to endless empty rows, at which point a dormant member of the audience wakes with a jolt and joins in the clapping, and in doing so he encourages us all to do so as he breaks through the fourth wall. We get a Pirandelloesque flip there that I’m anxious to pull off.”

Ayckbourn’s love letter to theatre comes in the wake of a General Election where barely a breath was spent on the future of the arts. “Theatre is not a vote catcher,” reasons Sir Alan. “We need to make the arts more valued in the community. You do that by making people want to come and see it, and you don’t do it by pretending it’s something it isn’t.

“It isn’t an educational tool or an organised sing-song in an old people’s home; but it’ s something that is quite expensive to put on, and in order to put it in a space, whether small large, it depends on the financing.

Richard Stacey and Olivia Woolhouse rehearsing a scene from Show & Tell. Picture: Tony Bartholomew

“But we need to make theatre less expensive. A few years ago, when we took Private Fears In Public Spaces to New York and received wonderful reviews, I was approached by the Shubert Organization, the big boys of New York theatre, who said they would like to transfer it to off-Broadway.

“I said the cast had gone on to do other things, but they said we could use American actors, and we put a company together, but then they started saying, ‘you need an assistant director’. ‘No, I don’t,’ I said. They kept adding roles. Fight director. Movement director.”

Size of theatre. Cost of furniture and set design. The list and potential costs grew. “So we abandoned the production in the end because it was too expensive to do, when in fact it was a six-hander with a simple stage and simple sound design. The old expression ‘two planks and a passion’ came to me, and I thought, anything we do has got to go back to basics.”

That thought sparked a memory of Sir Alan directing his first production for the SJT: Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight at the Library Theatre in 1961. “I asked Stephen [artistic director Stephen Joseph] how much the budget was. ‘Technically nothing,’ he said. “And if you push me, £5’. We scraped and we borrowed, and we still did it. The only cost that came in was the actors’ salaries and stage manager’s salary,” he recalls.

“What Stephen presented, and it comes into my play Show & Tell too, is that theatre is a meeting of audience and performers, and the audience are certainly not interested in who the director is – except with the cult of the director being so important now!”

Alan Ayckbourn’s Show & Tell, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, tonight until October 5, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 1.30pm matinees on September 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26, October 2 and 3. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com. 

Alan Ayckbourn in the poster image for Show & Tell

In Focus: Rehearsed reading of Alan Ayckbourn’s Father Of Invention, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, 15/9/2024

THE first ever public performance of the AI-futuristic Father Of Invention, written by Alan Ayckbourn in lockdown, will be given in a fundraising rehearsed reading at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, on September 15 at 3pm.

Ayckbourn directs a cast of Bill Champion, Paul Kemp and Frances Marshall from his 90th play, Show & Tell, joined by Ayckbourn alumni Liza Goddard, Elizabeth Boag, Laurence Pears and Naomi Petersen. This will be the first time the Scarborough writer-director, 85, has heard the work read aloud.

“Take a look at their rollcall of Ayckbourn-written-and-directed shows – we reckon they’ve racked up an impressive 39 between them,” says SJT press officer Jeannie Swales. “We haven’t counted last year’s reading of Truth Will Out, only shows that had a full production either here at the SJT or at The Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness-on-Windermere, including Show & Tell. Mind you, that’s still not quite half of the Ayckbourn canon of 90!”

One of a handful of dramas penned by Ayckbourn in the creative cocoon of his Scarborough home during the pandemic, Father Of Invention takes its title from its central character of technology magnate Lord Onsett, who has passed away.

“Lord Onsett was an entrepreneur who made billions from the rapid acceleration of Artificial Intelligence,” says Sir Alan. “His company introduced the now ubiquitous Artificial Sentient Lifeforms, which carry out vast swathes of jobs for humanity from cleaning to security.

“His family are gathered to discuss how his enormous estate will be divided but as ever with Lord Onsett, there are a few surprises in store…”

The Stephen Joseph Theatre artwork for Alan Ayckbourn’s Father Of Invention

Leading the gaggle of familiar faces will be “our old friend” Liza Goddard, who has appeared in Ayckbourn premieres of If I Were You, Snake In The Grass, Life & Beth, Communicating Doors, Life Of Riley and The Divide.

The omnipresent Bill Champion has roles in Comic Potential, Haunting Julia, GamePlan, FlatSpin, RolePlay, A Chorus Of Disapproval, Intimate Exchanges, Woman In Mind, Absurd Person Singular, Surprises, Arrivals & Departures, Farcicals, Henceforward…, No Knowing, By Jeeves, Season’s Greetings, The Girl Next Door, Welcome To The Family and now Show & Tell to his name.

Paul Kemp has made his mark in This Is Where We Came In, Drowning on Dry Land, Private Fears In Public Places, The Champion Of Paribanou, Woman In Mind, My Wonderful Day and The Divide, this summer adding Show & Tell to that list.

York actress Frances Marshall has appeared in premieres of A Brief History Of Women, Joking Apart, Season’s Greetings, Family Album and Truth Will Out; Elizabeth Boag in Arrivals & Departures, Farcicals, Roundelay, Confusions, Hero’s Welcome, The Divide, Family Album and  Truth Will Out; Naomi Petersen in By Jeeves, Joking Apart, Better Off Dead, Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present, Haunting Julia, The Girl Next Door, Constant Companions and Truth Will Out.

All money raised from the rehearsed reading will go towards the SJT’s New Work Fund, helping the theatre to present new work on its two stages and to nurture new talent.

Ticket availability is “limited”. Hurry, hurry, to book on 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

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Feeling lonely? Ruth Berkoff shares her thoughts in solo show full of sheep, humour and a rave in The Beauty Of Being Herd

Ruth Berkoff in the guise of Hannah in The Beauty Of Being Herd. Picture: Alex Kenyon

HAVE you ever felt like an outsider? Hannah has.

Her solution? She has decided to live as a sheep. “But don’t worry, she’s thought it all through. She’s even got a raincoat. And she’d love to tell you all about it at her Big Goodbye Party. Everyone is invited,” says Leeds writer-performer Ruth Berkoff, introducing The Beauty Of Being Herd, whose tour is booked into Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, for September 12 and Terrington Village Hall on September 28.

“Fresh from the Greater Manchester Fringe, where it was nominated for Best Newcomer and Best New Writing (runner up), this is my debut show and I’m touring it around Yorkshire in September as well as to Bristol [Circomedia, October 4],” says Ruth.

“Whether you’re shy, neurodivergent, have accidentally put your foot in it or simply had to spend time with people that weren’t ‘your people’, this is a show for anyone who’s ever found it hard to fit in.”

Ruth knits Hannah’s quirky yarn together with comedy, original songs, heartfelt sharing and even a rave scene, creating The Beauty Of Being Herd in tandem with director and dramaturg Georgia Murphy, sound designer Isolde Freeth-Hale and movement consultant Izzy Brittain.

Born and bred in Leeds, Ruth trained in contemporary circus at Circomedia, Bristol, and in theatre and clowning at Ecole Philippe Gaulier, France.

Now comes her first solo show, prompted in part by the consequences of suffering a brain haemorrhage in 2017. When she could not find any stories from other survivors, she decided to write her own.

“I write so that people don’t feel so alone,” she reasons. “As an ex-Samaritan, I care deeply about people feeling understood. As a four-time pantomime dame, I care passionately about people having a brilliant time at the theatre.”

Praised in the British Theatre Guide for her “warm hearted and empathic” performing skills, she takes The Beauty Of Being Herd on the road from tomorrow.

Here Ruth discusses feeling like an outsider, fitting in, sheep, clowning, the Samaritans and “the beauty of being herd” with CharlesHutchPress

“I write so that people don’t feel so alone,” says Ruth Berkoff. Picture: Alex Kenyon

What were your theatrical and creative experiences when growing up in Leeds?

“As a child I wanted to be an actor. I went to drama lessons outside of school and then got on the performing arts course at Intake High School. Intake was a state school that had an extra performing arts course for around 30 pupils in each year.

“Mel B, from the Spice Girls, famously attended Intake, leaving the year before I arrived. I stayed at Intake until Year 9 when my dad died and my acting spark faded. I did my drama GCSE at a different school, but didn’t return to acting again until I was 30.”

Did you fit in, like a sheep, or stand out like a zebra in a field of racehorses? 

“Haha. I’ve never been the best at fitting in, but I do try.”

Where do you live now? Did you choose it to fit in or stand out?

“I live deep in the city of Leeds, surrounded by buildings and roads, but I long for more nature. The area of Leeds that I live in (Harehills/Chapeltown) is such a mixing pot that I think everyone both fits in and stands out.”

What led you to studying contemporary circus at Circomedia, Bristol, and theatre and clowning at Ecole Philippe Gaulier, France? 

“At the risk of sounding morbid, it was actually another death. Deaths and big losses can really shake things up! One of my best friends died in a road traffic accident and it made me face my own mortality; I realised that when you die, people don’t talk about what was on your To Do list, they talk about what you actually did.

Ruth Berkoff with Philippe Gaulier when studying at Ecole Philippe Gaulier

“So I wrote down what I REALLY wanted to do and ‘get back into acting’ was there. I attended [Leeds company] Red Ladder’s Intro To Acting course, Red Grit, and I felt ALIVE again.

“On a recommendation from a friend, I went on the three-month Circus in Performance course at Greentop in Sheffield. I enjoyed it so much, I applied for a full-time course at Circomedia.

“In the summer holidays after my first year at Circomedia, I went to Ecole Philippe Gaulier on a four-week summer school and I fell in love with the challenge of working with Philippe, so I decided to leave Circomedia and focus full time on theatre.”

What life skills did the courses teach you?

“Circomedia taught me about consistent hard work; we trained so hard there! It also taught me about fun and the permission to explore and play; that place gave me a lot of confidence. “Gaulier taught me how to really listen to the audience and to play together. I had some beautiful moments on that stage (as well as many, many failures).”

The clown is the outsider in the circus world, the disruptive loon, like The Fool in Shakespeare’s plays. Discuss…

“The clown in the circus world is both on the outside and exactly in the centre. They say things that other people don’t put a voice to. And with an innocence. Learning clown with Philippe Gaulier was definitely an experience, it’s ironic how HARD it can be to be so simple, but Viggo Venn (winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2023, who I studied with at Ecole Philippe Gaulier) makes it look easy.”

How did you come to work for the Samaritans? All part of being warm-hearted and empathic?

“We had some brushes with suicide within our family when I was a child and as a result, I wanted people to know that they could always come to me if they needed. I learnt from a young age how to give people space to be heard – sometimes I think it’s my superpower (when I remember to use it!)

“When I was at university in Belfast, reading English and Philosophy, I joined the university listening service, Nightline, and then Samaritans. It gave me a sense of purpose. I knew I often helped people and also it was nice to be part of a secret group of people in a new city.” 

Balancing act: Ruth Berkoff on stage with Rosy Roberts when studying at Circomedia. Picture: Henry Buxtion, Circomedia

Those qualities seem to be increasingly rare in our solipsistic, me-me-me world. Discuss…

“I had to look up the word ‘solipsistic’ – every day’s a school day! Yes, we’ve got more and more solipsistic, more focused on the individual and less and less focused on community. The show discusses how this can leave some people behind.

“However, I don’t really think it’s quite as simple as ‘group’ being good and ‘individual’ being bad. Lots of great things have happened from people daring to be different, like challenging abuse and gender norms and so much innovation.

“Also, I’ve found I have to be a little selfish to make art, otherwise I would be forever reading stories to my nephews and never doing my own thing.”

What were the roots of the show? What inspired it? Would the answer lie within this revelation: “Ruth had a brain haemorrhage in 2017. When she couldn’t find any stories from other survivors, she wrote her own”?

“My brain haemorrhage definitely got me writing again. I wrote my story so that the people who had a brain haemorrhage after me didn’t feel as alone. I became the person who says the thing that others don’t dare say out loud, which can be really comforting for other people.

“I built up confidence writing and sharing the story of my brain haemorrhage. But the roots of the show are a mixture of my walks in the Yorkshire countryside, which is full of sheep, and also the feeling of not knowing how to really connect with other people sometimes. I guess it’s an exploration of loneliness. And sheep. But with a lot of humour. And a few songs.”

How did you then turn that into creating Hannah and her story?

“Hannah was created for a night called Leeds Pub Theatre. This was my first time writing for the stage (since drama GCSE). They run two events a year, each with a different theme, and this one was ‘From Darkness To Light’. 

Ruth Berkoff performing The Beauty Of Being Herd at the Cockatoo Club as part of Greater Manchester Fringe. Picture: Shay Rowan

“I wrote a monologue about someone at their first rave, talking to all these people she doesn’t know, then the sun rises. It was about that shift from ‘everything is possible!’ to ‘I think I need to leave’.

“I loved the character, I loved how she was so enthusiastic and innocent and up for it, yet lonely and unsuccessful at making friends. I wrote a few more monologues for her and at the same time, I was working on an idea of a woman who discovers strength through being with sheep. The sheep idea wasn’t quite working until I put Hannah into the story and then it was like, ‘Aha! We’ve got it!”

Is Hannah your stage alter ego or a character?

“Hannah isn’t me, she’s a different character. She’s much sweeter than me, but at the same time, I think there’s a lot of Hannah in me and all of her words did come from my head. I get her. Maybe she is my alter ego. Or one of them…”

You met director/dramaturg Georgia Murphy when you were at Ecole Philippe Gaulier. When did you first work together?

“I met Georgia on the first day of summer school in 2013. I liked her immediately. We worked together a few times at Ecole Philippe Gaulier, most notably in a clown number where I was waving at the audience (I don’t remember anything else about it – oh, other than Georgia and Steve were in a boat).

“That school, most of the time there, it was just failure after failure; that’s kind of how it works, but I always enjoyed spending time with Georgia and going on walks together and bounding through fields of flowers together.

“I knew I’d wanted to work with her from day one but she was in London and I was in Leeds and it was only when I got Arts Council England funding through the DYCP grant [Develop Your Creative Practice] that I was able to hire her.

“It was perfect because she was up north at the time, working as associate director for Bolton Octagon.”

Ruth Berkoff, right, and Georgia Murphy on stage together in student days at Ecole Philippe Gaulier with Steve Day, working on their assignment, Gibraltar. Picture: Philippe Gaulier

What drew you to working together? What do you bring out of each other?

 “I think we both have the same love for hilarity, the surreal, and we both know heartbreak too. It’s handy having the same shorthand after studying with Philippe for two years together, so that makes things easy.

“Like, Georgia can say, ‘Right, let’s play such and such game’, and I’m like, ‘Let’s go’. Also, I felt safe with her in the devising space because we’ve already been through quite a lot together. I was able to tell her what I needed, which was sometimes to go in the corner, put a timer on and rant for a minute, saying ‘This feels TERRIBLE, it’s rubbish! I can’t do it’. And once the timer went off, it was like, ‘OK, let’s crack on’.

“That was a tip I learnt from Kath Burlinson at Authentic Artists and it is so genius! Making something creative, we often come up against the inner critic. This gives it its little moment to shine, and then it’s time to get on. Georgia was understanding about that.

“I’m not sure exactly what I bring out in Georgia. I hope it’s freedom to get silly and experiment. I’m up for trying anything. And I trust her, so I guess that must be a joy for her too. I don’t know for sure though, I’d have to ask her.”

Georgia ensures the show remains playful despite covering some heavy topics. How does she do that, and why was that important in the show’s creation?

“Humour and fun and playfulness are so important, especially when you’re talking about the pain of feeling like you don’t belong. I’ve watched work that has a heavy subject matter and is presented in a heavy way, and it feels awful! Life is hard enough; we might as well laugh at it.

“Georgia brought in games, improvisations, Post-It notes and her general playful energy. We experimented a LOT in that space. Lots got put in the bin, but there was also some magic. And that’s the stuff we bottled up and put in the show.”

Sheep and cheerful: Ruth Berkoff in The Beauty Of Being Herd at The Kings Arms, Salford. Picture:
Shay Rowan

You write “so that people don’t feel so alone”. Develop that sentiment further…

“I know people who have taken their lives, and people who have tried. I’ve felt lonely many times in my life and sometimes, as I found at Samaritans, what you need isn’t to be told a solution, it’s just for someone to be with you, to hold your hand as you find your own way through it.

“Just someone to say, ‘I hear you. I get you’. Life can be very lonely but the more we talk about it or listen to other people talking about it, the more we realise, ‘Oh, I’m not the only one’.”

In practical terms, how can you help someone who feels so alone make the decision to come out to the theatre?

“These shows are so, so lovely. I fall in love with the audience every time. It’s a great show to come on your own to because, for a start, Hannah is on her own too, so you won’t be the only one on your own.

“I often have people come on their own to the show and somehow, as the show goes on, there’s a sense of connection that is born in the audience. I can’t explain it, but people often comment on it. And I always hang around afterwards to say hi to anyone who wants to talk.”

In a nutshell, why should someone see The Beauty Of Being Herd?

“To be entertained. To feel something. To laugh and possibly cry.”

“It’s an exploration of loneliness. And sheep. But with a lot of humour. And a few songs,” says Ruth Berkoff of The Beauty Of Being Herd

Sum up the show in six words.

“Bonkers, funny, heartfelt, many sheep facts.”

What is THE beauty of being herd?

“It’s a feeling of ‘not-aloneness’.”

What comes next for Ruth Berkoff?

“I want to keep on developing this show, get a new track for the rave scene and run more workshops for people to develop their creativity. And then I’d like to make another show. And another. And another. I’d also really like to get a team together so I’m not doing it all on my own.”

Ruth Berkoff: The Beauty Of Being Herd, Crookes Club, Sheffield, September 5, 7.30pm; Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, September 12, 7.30pm; Fire and Water, Sowerby Bridge, September 14, 7pm; HEART (Headingley Enterprise and Arts Centre), Headingley, Leeds, September 20, 7.30pm, and Terrington Village Hall, near Malton, September 28, 7.30pm. Age guide: 16+. Content warning: reference to non-consensual touch

Box office: Sheffield, trybooking.com/uk/DPPX ; York, tickets.41monkgate.co.uk; Sowerby Bridge, trybooking.com/uk/DPUO; Leeds, trybooking.com/uk/DPRY;  Terrington, terringtonvillagehall.co.uk.

One more question:

Where do the original songs fit into the show? 

“You’ll have to come and find out! I love the songs. Isolde Freeth-Hale, an artist and musician living in Bristol, and an old friend, turned my improvised songs into show tunes and they get a lot of compliments, especially The Thing About Sheep. Isolde made a sheep synth for that song, and it brings me so much delight every time I hear it.

“I don’t play any instruments in the show, I just sing. But in real life, I do sometimes play the guitar or piano.”

The tour poster for The Beauty Of Being Herd, visiting Sheffield, York, Sowerby Bridge, Leeds, Terrington…and Bristol

Did you know?

RUTH Berkoff has played pantomime dame – a traditionally male role – with Wakefield company Pocket Panto. “We did a Rural Arts tour every winter,” she says. “We went round North Yorkshire and based ourselves in Thirsk. My first year there was Cinderella in 2017-2018. It was a three-person team so I played an Ugly Sister and Prince Charming.

“The next year, the long-established dame, Jeremy [Stroughair], had had enough of being away from his family every single year, so Darren [Johnson], the writer-director, asked if I would consider playing the dame. I had a LOT of doubts about whether people would want a female dame and a lot of imposter syndrome, but what I discovered is that at the end of the day, what people want at the panto is to have a good time. And I provided that!

“I played Sarah the Cook and Queen Rat in Dick Whittington and the following year I played Mother Goose. Then I did another year in panto with Same Difference Theatre, playing an Ugly Sister and Prince Charming again in a different takeaway on the traditional Cinderella story.”

Ruth Berkoff in dame mode as Sarah the Cook in Pocket Panto’s Dick Whittington with fellow cast members Chris Arkesden and Annie Bashford. Picture: Darren Johnson

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond when crabs turn psychedelic. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 32, from Gazette & Herald

Works by Alison Diamond, centre, Ade Adesina RSA, right, and Ian Burke, left, on show at Helmsley Arts Centre

FROM African storytelling to Milton Jones’s puns, Will Young’s joyous pop to Jason Wilsher-Mills’s inflatable psychedelic crabs, Charles Hutchinson finds reasons to smile.

Triple bill of the week: Three Approaches To Relief Painting by Alison Diamond, Ade Adesina RSA & Ian Burke, Helmsley Arts Centre, until November 1

THIS exhibition brings together three separate approaches to relief printing but a shared love of hand-made printing, lino cutting and woodcut.

Ade Adesina RSA, a Nigerian artist living in Aberdeen, has won the 2023 Academies des Beaux-Arts annual prize. Ian Burke, from Staithes, and Alison Diamond, from County Durham, produce work in regional galleries and print fairs. The connection between all three is the use of relief print to achieve something personal and produce multiple images.

Anna Hibiscus’ Song: Theatrical story of self-discovery from Nigeria at York Theatre Royal

Children’s show of the week: Utopia Theatre and Sheffield Theatres present Anna Hibiscus’ Song, York Theatre Royal, tomorrow and Friday, 10am and 1pm; Saturday, 11am and 2pm

THIS is the story of a young African girl named Anna Hibiscus, who lives in Ibadan, Nigeria, where she is so filled with happiness that she feels like she might float away. The more she talks to her family about it, the more her happiness grows. The only thing to do is…sing!

Told through music, dance, puppetry and traditional African storytelling, this theatrical story of self-discovery is adapted for the stage by director Mojisola Kareem from the book by Atinuke and Lauren Tobia. Suitable for children aged three upwards and their grown-ups. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Snake Davis: Making the saxophone talk at Helmsley and Pocklington

Snake at the double: Snake Davis, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm; Pocklington Arts Centre, Saturday, 8pm

THE choice is yours: Snake Davis solo, with his multitude of saxophones, in Helmsley on Friday, or Snake’s four-piece band – sax, guitar, bass and drums – in Pocklington on Saturday.

The first gig will be an informal acoustic evening of music and chat in two parts, showcasing his musical dexterity and the stories behind his work as a sax hired gun to the stars. The second night promises “something for everybody, from floaty to dance-able, from soul through pop to jazz and world, original material and classic sax pieces such as Baker Street and Night Train”. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Milton Jones: Not short of shirts for his Ha!Milton tour

Comedy gig of the week: Milton Jones, Ha!Milton, Grand Opera House, York, Saturday, 7.30pm

THIS is not a musical. Milton Jones is tone deaf and has no sense of rhythm, he admits, but at least he doesn’t make a song and dance about it. Instead, he has more important things to discuss. Things like giraffes…and there’s a bit about tomatoes.

The shock-haired, loud-shirted master of the one-liner promises a whole new show of daftness. “You know it makes sense,” he says. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Will Young: Showcasing Light It Up’s joyous pop at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Jamie Noise

Pop gig of the week: Will Young, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 7.30pm

MARKING the August 9 release of his Light It Up album, Will Young is embarking on his most intimate tour yet, an up-close-and-personal evening of acoustic performances, stories and conversation across 50 dates.

The ten tracks are a return to embracing joyous unashamed pop music for Young, who has teamed up with new collaborators pHD, the Scandinavian pop production/writing duo with Kylie and Little Mix credits, as well as reuniting with Groove Armada’s Andy Cato and long-term writing partners Jim and Mima Elliot, for “the go-to pop album for a dance, for a cry and for a celebration”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The Beauty Of Being Herd: Ruth Berkoff’s debut show is “for anyone who’s ever found it hard to fit in”

Sheep and cheerful:  Ruth Berkoff: The Beauty Of Being Herd, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, September 12, and Terrington Village Hall, near Malton, September 28, both 7.30pm

HAVE you ever felt like an outsider? Hannah has. Her solution? She has decided to live as a sheep. “But don’t worry, she’s thought it all through. She’s even got a raincoat. And she’d love to tell you all about it at her Big Goodbye Party. Everyone is invited,” says Leeds writer-performer Ruth Berkoff, introducing her hour of comedy, original songs, heartfelt sharing and even a rave.

“Whether you’re shy, neurodivergent, have accidentally put your foot in it or simply had to spend time with people that weren’t ‘your people’, this is a show for anyone who’s ever found it hard to fit in.” Box office: York, tickets.41monkgate.co.uk; Terrington, terringtonvillagehall.co.uk.

Scarborough Crab: Jason Wilsher-Mills’s inflatable psychedlic crab installation at Woodend Gallery, Scarborough. Picture: Tony Bartholomew

Exhibition launch of the week: Jason Wilsher-Mills: Jason Beside The Sea, Woodend Gallery, The Crescent, Scarborough, September 14 to January 4 2025, Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm; Saturdays, 10am to 4pm

LOOK out for a giant inflatable installation of a psychedelic crab and colourful digital wallpaper featuring a pair of lovers inspired by Scarborough’s Peasholm Park in Jason Wilsher-Mills’s larger-than-life exhibition, a colourful explosion of artwork characters that reveals the stories of his memories of childhood seaside holidays, 1970s’ working-class experience and disability.

Scarborough Triptych, a three-panel wallpaper of argonaut characters, includes the Manchester Argonaut, inspired by Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. Wilsher-Mills, a Yorkshire-based disabled artist, will give a gallery talk on October 12. Gallery entry is free.

Setting up camp: Julian Clary is bringing his western-themed stand-up show A Fistful Of Clary to Harrogate and York

Gig announcement of the week: Julian Clary, A Fistful Of Clary, Harrogate Theatre, May 2 2025, 7.30pm; Grand Opera House, York, May 25 2025, 7.30pm

JULIAN Clary is extending his A Fistful Of Clary stand-up tour to next spring. “Oh no, do I have to do this?” he asks. “Rylan and I were going to go back-packing in Wales. Sigh.”

Yee-haw, The Man With No Shame is adding 28 dates, Harrogate and York among them. “Yes, it has a Western theme,” Clary confirms, setting up camp for his comedy. “It was only a matter of time before I eased myself into some chaps.” Box office: Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk; York, atgtickets.com/york.

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RIP Jeremy Muldowney, York performer, director, playwright, prop maker, teacher, linguist, church warden and sailor

Actor Jeremy Muldowney, with Her Majesty’s The Queen’s raven, Gabriel, when playing Noah in The Noah Project in 2012. Picture: Copyright of The Press, York

THE funeral of York Shakespeare Project founding member and stalwart Jeremy Muldowney will be held at Holy Trinity, East Parade, Heworth, York, tomorrow at 2pm.

In a Facebook statement announcing his death aged 70 on August 3, YSP’s committee said: “Jeremy was a great supporter of YSP and took part in Richard III in 2002 – our very first show – as well as eight further productions, including King John in 2006, which he directed.

“Many will also remember him as the first port of call for any prop, no matter how exotic or obscure. This was a role he first filled as early as our second play, The Taming Of The Shrew, in 2003. He returned to the committee in 2022 to help shape the new Project. A lovely man, much missed.”

Theatre@41, Monkgate, posted: “Having been part of York Shakespeare Project from its first ever production – Richard III in 2002 – to the beginning of its second act with a new production of Richard III in 2023, Jeremy embodied so much of what community theatre is about, pitching in all sorts of roles on stage and off, and finding creative ways to bring plays to life – no matter the setting or budget.

“At Theatre@41 particularly, he was involved as cast and crew on YSP’s productions of The Merchant Of Venice, Richard II, Troilus And Cressida and Julius Caesar. Our thoughts are with Jeremy’s family and friends.”

York Shakespeare Project actor and lawyer Clive Lyons commented on Facebook: “I can’t adequately express my sense of shock and loss – Jeremy was a friend, a teacher and a perfect gentleman.

“Though almost pathologically ‘nice’, he was never bland, and he wore his great learning so very lightly. Though his wisdom could be profound, in my own first YSP production, Merry Wives Of Windsor, he was Shallow. And infinitely kind, helpful and welcoming as I returned to acting in a new town among strangers after many years’ gap.

“At one rehearsal, I accidentally clobbered him in a staged fight. I was mortified – but Jeremy’s only, immediate and overwhelming concern was to reassure me.

“The more recent YSP Richard III #2, could be rather fraught backstage at times – but Jeremy’s calm, competent, good-humoured and reassuring presence in the wings just somehow made it all OK. In every best sense of the word, Jeremy Muldowney was a gentleman. And ‘was’ feels incomprehensible.”

Jeremy’s roles for York Shakespeare Project included Ratcliffe in Richard III, Prince Escalus in Romeo And Juliet, a Messenger in King John, Tubal in The Merchant Of Venice, Cicero and a Poet in Julius Caesar and Richard Scroop, Archbishop of York, in Henry IV.

In December 2006, he directed what Kenneth McLeish and Stephen Unwin’s A Pocket Guide To Shakespeare’s Plays described as “something of the runt in the litter of Shakespeare’s plays on English history”, King John, at Friargate Theatre.

The York Press review commented: “Director Jeremy Muldowney most certainly did not have such an attitude [to the play]. What others saw as unappealing as a fat chav’s tattoo, he viewed as the perfect opportunity for his debut Shakespeare show.

“Here were virgin fields to explore, and explore them he does within an idiosyncratic production where the most unlikely stage footwear, the docile slipper, is adapted for medieval, even militaristic purposes and swords have the look of toys from the children’s playpen.

“King John is not a tragedy – the king never rises before the self-inflicted fall – and so it has to fight its corner as a black political satire on the ineptitude of a regal buffoon. Rightly, Muldowney and his lead actor, Pulak Sahay, do not play for farcical laughs.”

In August 2012, Jeremy appeared in York company HidDen Theatre’s production of The Noah Project under the direction of Charles Hunt, York ghost walker, foreign student tutor and Mystery Plays enthusiast.

“Jeremy had the unique challenge of working with Her Majesty’s raven, Gabriel, and several doves in his role as Noah, and he did so admirably!” recalls HidDen’s tribute.

“Our big coup de theatre is a real raven and real doves,” said Mr Hunt at the time. “The raven is Her Majesty The Queen’s raven, Gabriel, from the Tower Of London, who now lives at Knaresborough Castle, where they have their own ravens, and the doves come from Dovejoy in Batley, where they’ll fly back to. We couldn’t get a real one to fly back to the ark, so that’ll have to be a stuffed one.”

The role of Noah was apt: Jeremy was an experienced sailor with his own boat and once sailed to America on the Golden Hind.

Beyond his contributions to the York stage scene as a playwright, director, performer and prop maker – drawing on his collection of objects, weaponry, muskets and swords for YSP – he was a teacher and linguist too.

Jeremy, of Second Avenue, Heworth, served as church warden at Holy Trinity for 30 years and worked as the learning and participation officer for more than 20 years at the York Minster Centre for School Visits, the young person’s educational service, where he specialised in looking at medieval texts.

Jeremy’s funeral will be taken by Holy Trinity’s vicar, the Reverend Michael Woodmansey, and will be streamed at the request of his family at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Oslo1PFwT0. Donations in memory of Jeremy may be made to the R.N.L.I (Royal National Lifeboat Institution).

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More Things To Do in York and beyond, from a love letter to theatre to a teatime tiger. Hutch’s List No. 36, from The Press

York actress Frances Marshall in rehearsal for Alan Ayckbourn’s 90th play, Show & Tell at the SJT. Picture: Tony Bartholomew

ALAN Ayckbourn’s 90th play and the Fangfest arts weekend lead Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations for the weeks ahead.

Premiere of the week: Alan Ayckbourn’s Show & Tell, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, September 5 to October 5

BILL Champion, Paul Kemp, Frances Marshall, Richard Stacey and Olivia Woolhouse will be the cast for the 90th play by Scarborough writer-director Alan Ayckbourn, a love letter to theatre. 

In a delightfully dark farce that lifts the lid on the performances we act out on a daily basis, Jack is planning a big party for his wife’s birthday. Pulling out all the stops, he has booked a touring theatre company to perform in the main hall of the family home. Unfortunately, Jack is becoming forgetful in his old age, rendering him unable to remember all the details of the booking.

The Homelight Theatre Company is on its knees, desperately needing a well-paid gig – and Jack’s booking is very well paid. Pinning him down on the details has been tricky, however, and something does not feel quite right. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

Mealtime mayhem in The Tiger Who Came To Tea at the Grand Opera House, York

Children’s show of the week: Nicoll Entertainment presents The Tiger Who Came To Tea, Grand Opera House, York, today and tomorrow, 11.30am and 2.30pm

JUDITH Kerr’s picture-book story The Tiger Who Came To Tea is celebrating 15 years on stage in writer-director David Wood’s 55-minute production that returns to York this weekend, exactly a year on from its last visit.

The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be? What they don’t expect to greet at the door is a big, stripey, tea-guzzling tiger in a family show packed with oodles of magic, sing-a-long songs and clumsy chaos! Age guidance: three upwards. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Allied Air Forces Memorial Day at the Yorkshire Air Museum, pictured in 2023

We will remember them: Allied Air Forces Memorial Day, Yorkshire Air Museum, Halifax Way, Elvington, near York, tomorrow (Sunday), from 1.45pm

THE Yorkshire Military Marching Band will lead the 1.45pm parade featuring standard bearers from 16 Royal British Legion and RAF Association branches in one of the biggest events in the museum’s calendar.

Representatives of the RAF will join with counterparts from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and France in honouring the bravery and sacrifices of the allied air crews who flew from the airfield during the Second World War, many of whom did not survive. The day will climax with a 2.15pm service in the main hangar, under the nose of Halifax Bomber Friday the 13th. Open to museum visitors and invited guests.

Busted: Concluding the 2024 season at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Saturday

Coastal gig of the week: Busted, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, today, gates open at 6pm

BUSTED close Cuffe & Taylor’s summer of outdoor gigs in Scarborough 22 years after first bouncing into the charts with the pop-punk energy of What I Go To School For and a year on from releasing Greatest Hits 2.0, an album of re-recorded hits with guests to mark the reunion of James Bourne, Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson.

Expect number one smashes Crashed The Wedding, Who’s David, Thunderbirds Are Go and You Said No to feature in Saturday’s set list, along with Year 3000, Air Hostess, Sleeping With The Lights. Support comes from Skinny Living and Soap. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com/busted.

William Dalrymple: Reflecting on India’s impact on the ancient world in his Grand Opera House talk

History talk of the week: William Dalrymple, How Ancient India Transformed the World, Grand Opera House, York, September 2, 7.30pm

HISTORIAN William Dalrymple, co-host of the Empire podcast, tells the story of how, from 250BC to 1200AD, India transformed the world: exporting religion, art, science, medicine and language along a Golden Road that stretched from the Red Sea to the Pacific, creating a vast and profoundly important empire of ideas.

Dalrymple explores how Indian ideas crossed political borders and influenced everything they touched, from the statues in Roman seaports to the Buddhism of Japan, the poetry of China to the mathematics of Baghdad. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Tales of a foster parent in her Peacock show at Pocklington Arts Centre

Comedy gig of the week: Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Peacock, Pocklington Arts Centre, September 5, 8pm

KIRI Pritchard-McLean has had a busy few years, hosting Live At The Apollo, fronting the BBC Radio 4 panel show Best Medicine, co-hosting the All Killa No Filla podcast, starting a comedy school and becoming a foster parent. 

After a couple of the eggiest gigs of her career in boardrooms, a show about being a foster carer has been signed off, wherein she lifts the lid on social workers, first aid training and what not to do when a vicar searches for you on YouTube. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Story Craft Theatre’s Cassie Vallance, left, and Janet Bruce: Making their Fangfest debut with  a magical and adventurous story for two to eight-year-olds, featuring music, games and puppetry, on both days at 2.30pm in the Fangfoss Hall orchard

Festival of the week: Fangfest Festival of Practical Arts, Fangfoss, near York, September 7 and 8. 10am to 4pm

THE annual Fangfest returns with its celebration of traditional and contemporary art and craft skills as creatives, businesses and charities gather next weekend.

The event features a flower festival, vintage and veteran cars, archery, Stamford Bridge History Society, music on the green, the Story Craft Theatre Company, a teddy bear trail, produce stalls and free craft activities, as well as 30 working craft exhibitors and workshops in needle felting, wood carving, spinning and embroidery. Entry to Fangfest is free; parking is £2 per vehicle in aid of Friends of St Martin’s School.

Bjorn Again: Thanking Abba for the music at York Barbican and Connexin Live, Hull, on their 2025 tour

Gig announcement of the week: Bjorn Again, York Barbican, September 28 2025, and Connexin Live, Hull, October 29 2025

AFTER festival appearances at Wilderness and Glastonbury this summer, Bjorn Again announce a British and Irish tour from September 26 to November 2 2025, taking in York Barbican on the third night and Connexin Live, Hull, a month later.

Founded in 1988 in Melbourne by Australianmusician/manager Rod Stephen, the tribute show carries the endorsement of Abba’s own Agnetha Fältskog. Designed as a tongue-in-cheek, rocked-up, light-hearted ABBA satire, the show is in its 37th year, having seen more than 100 musicians and vocalists and 400 technical crew/support staff contribute to 5,500 performances in 75 countries. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk and connexinlivehull.com.

In Focus: 60 songs, 50 years, four concerts, two nights, add up to Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve at Leeds City Varieties Music Hall

Elvis Costello: 60 songs from 50 years in four shows in two nights at Leeds City Varieties Music Hall in September

ELVIS Costello brings his new career-spanning presentation, 15 Songs From 50 Years, to Leeds City Varieties on September 2 and 3 for four unique performances over two days, all sold out.

Walking in the footsteps of Harry Houdini and beyond the long shadow of Charlie Chaplin, Frank Carson and Leonard Sachs at the Swan Street music hall, Costello will be joined at each 75-minute show by keyboard player Steve Nieve, his long-serving, Royal College of Music-trained  cohort in The Attractions and The Imposters.

Each day, the 7pm soiree will feature an entirely different repertoire to the 9.30pm set list, the songs being selected from each of the five decades of Costello’s songwriting, whether solo or in the company of Flip City; American country rock band Clover; The Attractions; Squeeze’s Chris Difford;  The Coward Brothers, with T-Bone Burnett; the Confederates; Paul McCartney; the Brodsky Quartet; The Imposters; Burt Bacharach, Allen Toussaint or the Roots.

A 15-song programme will be printed in advance of each concert with few, if any repeats anticipated but with the possibility of impromptu choices along the way. Costello. 69, and Nieve, 66, very occasionally take requests but should never be mistaken for a jukebox.

The third and fourth performances, on the second day, will “propose a deuce of delights”: two entirely different 15-song set-lists selected from half a century of popular songwriting craft.

“Leeds City Varieties Music Hall has always been known for magic, melody, mirth and mayhem,” says Elvis Costello

“The four shows are guaranteed to feature 60 different songs, but we suspect this is just the start,” predicts the shows’ publicity machine.

Those who wanted to attend all four contrasting shows in this exclusive engagement were able to obtain a special season ticket to include premium seats for each show in the front rows or boxes with exclusive use of the bar in between shows.

Asked about the involvement of his perennial cohort, Steve Nieve, Costello said: “Well, to paraphrase John Lennon, Steve Nieve will ‘leap over horses, through hoops, up garters and lastly, through a hogshead of real fire’ to bring his particular brand of musical magnificence to these performances.”

Costello added: “The City Varieties Music Hall has always been known for magic, melody, mirth and mayhem. These are all well within our grasp. By the way, had my father not taken a trumpet-playing engagement in London, just before my arrival into this world, I would have been a Chapeltown boy and this would be my hometown gig.“

In the wortds of the City Varieties blurb: “Unsurpassed in variety and voluminosity, Costello’s renowned refrains, romances, broadsides, bulletins and ballads are perfectly matched by Steve Nieve’s pulchritudinous and pulsating piano playing.

“The paragon of the profound and the peculiar, these premier performers present a penetrating pageant for perceptive and perspicacious patrons.”

For ticket updates on late availability, visit leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/costello-and-nieve-2024.

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Dancing brothers AJ and Curtis Pritchard step out together for Come What May’s love affair with Moulin Rouge

In the red: Brothers AJ, right, and Curtis Pritchard team up for Come What May this autumn

AJ and Curtis Pritchard bring the sultry, mysterious atmosphere of Paris to York Barbican on September 29 on the 24-date of Come What May.

A cast of West End performers will join the terpsichorean Stoke-on-Trent brothers in a song-and-dance show inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama Moulin Rouge.

“Come What May is going to get myself and Curtis back on stage performing together and that’s exactly what we love doing,” says Strictly Come Dancing alumnus AJ, the elder sibling at 29.

“This show embodies the big musical numbers we have all come to love with the dance routines that I love to watch, but I much prefer being on stage, which is exactly where I’ll be.”

2019 Love Island contestant, Dancing With The Stars dancer, choreographer and actor Curtis, 28, enthuses: “I’ve loved performing and entertaining an audience since my Ballroom and Latin dancing days, so this is the perfect tour for me: singing and dancing!”

“We’re ‘Irish twins’! Born 15 months apart. Everything done together,” says AJ Pritchard

Ahead of rehearsals starting in London on Sunday, he adds: “Having gone through the full show I know that you will be entertained start to finish. Come What May is going to blow you away, I guarantee it.”

In the week when sibling rivalry has been all the rage with the feuding Gallagher brothers announcing “the guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned” for the return of Oasis next summer, how do the Pritchard brothers rub along?

“To be honest, Curtis and myself always perform together, having been brought up together,” says AJ. “We’re ‘Irish twins’! Born 15 months apart. Everything done together.

“When we’re performing, Curtis is more like controlled chaos, milking a number for two hours, whereas I’ll be saying, ‘Come on, we have to go on to the next number’, and that contrast works really well because we can play to each other’s strengths.

“Myself and Curtis competed all over the world, both training to the highest levels in Latin and ballroom, representing our country. We’ve always had a competitive relationship, doing extreme, high-adrenaline sports, and also to get the best audience reaction.

“We’ve always got each other’s back,” says Curtis Pritchard. “When working, be as competitive as you like, but when you are out and about, look after each other”

“Anything fun and dangerous we like to do, both of us breaking our arms. Curtis once broke his arm and leg at the same time.”

Curtis chips in: “We’ve always got each other’s back. When working, be as competitive as you like, but when you are out and about, look after each other.”

The brothers look forward to being on the road, away from the prying lens of the television camera that has charted their deeds, whether on Strictly or  Love Island, Celebrity SAS or Dancing With The Stars.

“Doing a show like this with a different audience every night, you can always tweak things, and every night it should be slightly different,” says Curtis. “I love performing on stage and the competitive side of that is so stimulating…feeding off the adrenaline of a live audience.

“Though they say, ‘never break the fourth wall’, let’s be honest: you can break that wall if the audience gives you something.”

The tour poster for Come What May, featuring AJ and Curtis Pritchard

The spirit of Moulin Rouge, a Luhrmann film the brothers love for its dancing and costumes, will be evoked in Come What May, capturing  the “sexy and disreputable underbelly of the city to the glamour and glitz of the Moulin Rouge, where you’ll be transported back in time to a place of dreams, adventure, and most importantly, love”.

Expect such songs as Come What May, Lady Marmalde, Your Song and Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend from the film soundtrack, together with hits from other modern movie musicals, such as The Greatest Show, Like A Virgin and The Show Must Go On.

“I will not be singing,” says AJ, “It’s not my forte! But we’ve got a fantastic band and singers. Fundamentally, Curtis and I will do what you see on the big numbers on Strictly.”

Now come the rehearsals and the tour run from September 20 to October 24, with the need to stay in tip-top condition. “If you have the best technique and really high-quality dancers, with lifts or without lifts, if you’re physically and mentally fit, the injuries don’t come,” says AJ. “You always have to be fit and ready”…come what may!

 Sisco Entertainment, Cuffe & Taylor and Live Nation present AJ and Curtis Pritchard in Come What May, York Barbican, September 29, 7.30pm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk. Also: Sheffield City Hall, September 26, 7.30pm. Box office: sheffieldcityhall.co.uk.

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Resurgent London City Ballet returns to York Theatre Royal after 30 years with Cira Robinson in role of Eve on Sept 6 & 7

Cira Robinson in rehearsal for her role as Eve in London City Ballet’s Resurgence

LONDON City Ballet is touring again after a 30-year break, returning York Theatre Royal next Friday and Saturday on the aptly named Resurgence tour.

Heading to York as part of Theatre Royal chief executive Paul Crewes’s drive to bring more dance to the city, the revived touring company will present works by acclaimed British choreographers, under the direction of artistic director Christopher Marney, former principal dancer at New Adventures and director of the Joffrey Ballet Studio Company of Chicago.

After Kenneth MacMillan’s 1972 one-act ballet Ballade, unseen in Europe for more than 50 years, Ashley Page’s Larina Waltz on its 30th anniversary, and the premiere of Arielle Smith’s Five Dances, the programme will close with Marney’s full company work Eve, premiered at Sadler’s Wells in 2022.

Taking the lead role in Eve will be Cira (pronounced Cheera) Robinson, the former Ballet Black luminary, who has renewed creative acquaintance with Marney after he choreographed her Lady Macbeth in Fabula Collective’s Human Dancing in 2020 at the New National Theatre in Tokyo and first appearing as Eve in the 2022 premiere.

“Chris let me know, maybe at the end of 2022, that he had the idea of creating a small company to play small-scale theatres, touring with just a couple of chairs and some lights, which is pretty much all you need, and it’s important to go to these theatres because not everyone can afford to go to London or Birmingham,” she says.

Marney spent two years rebuilding London City Ballet with insights from its early pioneers, selecting works for the 2024 international tour that pays homage to the company’s roots in the form of rarely seen archival footage.

“The work is child-friendly too, and everyone likes a bit of nostalgia, don’t they. York Theatre Royal is the perfect place for that.”

Cira speaks from experience, having performed there regularly with Ballet Black since 2012. “It’s like a third home to me,” she says. “I love the Theatre Royal and the city has such a historic feel, a quaint villagey feel. I don’t know if the stage is raked any more…”

…Be assured, Cira, that notoriously steep rake has gone! She smiles at that revelation but is always happy to adapt to whatever a stage demands. “For this tour, there are only 12 of us in the company touring to smaller theatres, and you just get on with it. As long as there are dressing rooms, toilets and wings, we’re ready to go!”

Describing the role of Eve, Cira draws breath, then says: “Wow! OK, OK, she’s the first woman in the world and basically this dance tells that story. She’s in this world that’s completely new, seeing birds and nature for the first time, and she’s obviously innocent.

“When she sees the Serpent, she experiences this feeling, I would say lust. The way Chris has choreographed it, one dancer (Arthur Wille) switches between the Serpent and the Man, which adds another layer.

“Like the touch of a hand. ‘What is this,’ she thinks. ‘Is it right? Is it wrong?  What is it doing to me?’. There’s a battle going on between innocence and intrigue.”

Cira thrives on working with Marney. “Chris is great because he knows what he wants but is open to the dancer’s artistry after building the first floor, especially with new pieces. In my dancing I try to be as honest as possible. I judge that honesty on how aware I am of things around me, taking Cira away and diving into the character of Eve, feeling like I’m in this world as the only woman on stage, the only woman in the world.”

Auditioned by Ballet Black in 2007, Cira left the United States for the United Kingdom in 2008, beginning a long association with the London company until retiring in December 2022, taking up the post of director of Yorkshire Ballet Seminars, who bring hundreds of young ballet students to Yorkshire each summer.

Now she returns to the stage for London City Ballet’s renaissance. “I’ve danced since I was eight. My first love of dancing was definitely its sense of expression without words. I already expressed myself enough in words, but now I could do it with joy without having to say anything,” she says.

“I always had a sense of rhythm and movement, and you learn that at the beginning it’s about repetition. I still teach at junior school, where they’ll say, ‘I want to do gymnastics’ or ‘I want to play football, but once they get past that, they find that repetition is vital – and it still is.

“I just fell in love with dancing, with my teacher saying, ‘you moved your arm beautifully’. I thought, ‘if I can do that, maybe I can get praise for more movement’.

 “Dancing is a love affair for me and it’s been the most constant thing in my life.”

London City Ballet, Resurgence, York Theatre Royal, September 6, 7.30pm, and September 7, 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Copyright of The Press, York

Making her pointe: Additional questions for Cira Robinson

What are your recollections of arriving in London to join Ballet Black?

“I auditioned in 2007, and that was the first time I got my passport. Prior to that I danced with Dance Theatre of Harlem, surrounded by dancers of colour.

“When I came here to dance with Ballet Black, I knew they catered for black and brown dancers, when there was a lack of opportunity for those dancers elsewhere. Cassa Pancho [company founder and artistic director] made a point of that.

“I had this safety of Ballet Black having people who looked like me, and I realised how important the representation of colour was, and that has grown since then.”

How did you come to work with Freed of London on creating the first brown and bronze pointe shoe for the celebrated shoemakers?

“There is the skill of ‘pancaking’, to make a pointe shoe match your skin colour, and even white dancers have to do this. I had to do it for many years, and it was something passed down as a ritual, where you’re putting make-up foundation on the pointe-shoe satin.

“You apply it in a thin layer, making the shoe softer, and while the colour would look great, after a rehearsal or two, the shoes would start to dye, and those shoes are not cheap to replace.

“I’m a Freed of London shoe wearer and have been for years. There were these swatches of fabric, and I asked, ‘could I have a pointe shoe made of that?’, and though the initial reaction was they didn’t think it was possible, I went round six or eight fabric shops, and I could only find dark or light colours, but my friend said, ‘let’s try two more’, and in the next one I found the perfect colours.”

“The next day I went into Ballet Black and told Cassa Pancho about it, who said, ‘that’s great, but you shouldn’t be doing that. I’ll do it’!”

And so, Freed of London’s brown and bronze point shoes were born. “It’s been great. Lessening the time to prepare a show, and the feedback has been phenomenal.

“That’s the thing. Once someone starts something, it forces everyone to get into gear because dancers come in many shapes and colours.”

How do you retain your physical condition through all these years of dancing?

“It’s sheer will, but there are going to be injuries, there are going to be niggles, because it’s unnatural turning out our legs, and with that, our bones and muscles take a beating. As much asdancing is my force for existing, there needs to be time for balancing the things you do.

“I’ve had shin splints and stress fractures, and with dancers our pain threshold is a bit different. We can take more pain, but sometimes you have to say, ‘hold on, I need a break, so I can come back stronger’.”

How did the chance to perform with grime star Stormzy on the main stage at Glastonbury emerge?

“Specifically through Ballet Back. Maybe Cassa followed Stormzy on Instagram. The fact that Freed of London’s brown pointe shoes had come out was something to highlight, and Stormzy made a point of wanting to highlight ballet dancers of colour dancing in those shoes and loving it.

“It was over in seconds! I’ve danced in front of big audiences, but this was like nothing I’d experienced before. The crowd went on for miles and miles.”

Describe your experience of playing Lady Macbeth in Japan under the shadow of Covid.

“It came about through Yukiko Tsukamoto. We were friends and she’d started this small performing group [Fabula Collective] and wanted me to perform as Lady Macbeth, with Chris Marney directing.

“That was in 2021. I’d never been to Japan before. We had to quarantine for 14 days, then had five days out for maybe two performances. There were just three of us in the cast, with me playing Lady Macbeth going mad, seeing the dagger before her, seeing all these hands coming out of pockets.

“It was really interesting, showing her quick rise and drastic fall in 20 minutes, and then ultimately dying, giving so much information in that short time in Chris’s choreography.”

How did you feel about leaving Ballet Black?

“It wasn’t a difficult decision because it was something I was preparing for, after 14 years with that company, wanting to step out and explore other opportunities…and that’s when I joined Yorkshire Ballet Seminars.

“I’d come up in teach the summer seminars at Askham Bryan, at the farm – I remember it was smelly! – and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed teaching. It’s not a normal vocational school, it’s a summer intensive, residential seminar where the children are able to run around the fields.

“In 2021, I ended up getting Covid two days before I was due to teach there again, and that year Iain Mackay let me know he was retiring as the director and said I should apply. I didn’t think I was ready to be director and hadn’t thought about leaving Ballet Black yet, but I did go to a couple of meeting, thought I didn’t get the job.

“I thought, ‘OK, I’ll continue my freelance life’ and then one day I was in Derby, and the girl in front of me in the dance class broke her ankle and you think ‘that could have been me’. When I got back to the dressing room, there was a missed call from Iain [Mackay] saying the person they had chosen hadn’t worked out.

“I played it in my mind for 24 hours, thinking about  that broken ankle, and I decided I should take the director’s job. My last show with Ballet Black was on December 5 2022 and I started the directorship on the 12th…but I was also pregnant!

“Retirement. New job.  Baby. I’d been learning the ropes and then took maternity leave and started back in August 2023, still picking up skills. All those things I didn’t study for.

“Yorkshire Ballet Seminars have been held at Ashville College, in Harrogate, since 2021 and it’s been an amazing, insightful experience being the director since 2022. It’s not for the faint-hearted but I love what I do as a teacher, and the future of young dancers in this country means a lot to me, being impactful that way, especially with Yorkshire Ballet Seminars. The sessions are serious but the dancers can also be a kid there, finding their individuality.

Cira Robinson: the back story

BORN in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, where she began dancing at the age of eight.

After graduating from the School for Creative and Performing Arts in 2004, she moved to New City as an apprentice with the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble.

After a few months, she became a full member, dancing many works from the DTH repertoire under the guidance of Arthur Mitchell.

In 2008, she joined Ballet Black in London, where she created many roles with numerous choreographers from around the world, such as Liam Scarlett, Richard Alston, Antonia Franceschi, Christopher Hampton, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Christopher Marney and Gregory Maqoma, in her 14 years with the company.

Nominated in 2013 for Outstanding Classical Female at Critics Circle National Dance Awards, then Best Female Dancer nominee in 2021 awards.

In 2017, Cira worked with Freed of London and Ballet Black to create the first brown and bronze pointe shoe for the shoemakers.

In 2019, she danced on Glastonbury Pyramid stage with headline act Stormzy.

Teacher for Ballet Black Junior Ballet School and Yorkshire Ballet Summer Seminars and at open classes throughout UK.

Joined Fabula Collective in 2021 as guest artist in lead role of Lady Macbeth in Human Dancing, choreographed by Christopher Marney at New National Theatre, Tokyo, Japan.

Premiered lead role in Christopher Marney’s Eve at Sadler’s Wells, London, in September 2022. Won award for Best Soloist in Dance Production at Black British Theatre Awards.

Since retiring from Ballet Black in December 2022, Cira has become director of the charitable organisation Yorkshire Ballet Seminars.

In 2024, she returns to the stage as Eve in London City Ballet tour of Resurgence.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York & beyond when Ayckbourn delivers love letter to theatre. Hutch’s List No.31, from Gazette & Herald

York actress Frances Marshall in rehearsal for Alan Ayckbourn’s 90th play, Show &Tell. Picture: Tony Bartholomew

ALAN Ayckbourn’s 90th play and the Fangfest arts weekend lead Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations for the weeks ahead.

Premiere of the week: Alan Ayckbourn’s Show & Tell, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, September 5 to October 5

BILL Champion, Paul Kemp, Frances Marshall, Richard Stacey and Olivia Woolhouse will be the cast for the 90th play by Scarborough writer-director Alan Ayckbourn, a love letter to theatre entitled Show & Tell.

In a delightfully dark farce that lifts the lid on the performances we act out on a daily basis, Jack is planning a big party for his wife’s birthday. Pulling out all the stops, he has booked a touring theatre company to perform in the main hall of the family home. Unfortunately, Jack is becoming forgetful in his old age, rendering him unable to remember all the details of the booking.

The Homelight Theatre Company is on its knees, desperately needing a well-paid gig – and Jack’s booking is very well paid. Pinning him down on the details has been tricky, however and something does not feel quite right. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

Allied Air Forces Memorial Day at the Yorkshire Air Museum, pictured in 2023

We will remember them: Allied Air Forces Memorial Day, Yorkshire Air Museum, Halifax Way, Elvington, near York, Sunday, from 1.45pm

THE Yorkshire Military Marching Band will lead the 1.45pm parade featuring standard bearers from 16 Royal British Legion and RAF Association branches in one of the biggest events in the museum’s calendar.

Representatives of the RAF will join with counterparts from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and France in honouring the bravery and sacrifices of the allied air crews who flew from the airfield during the Second World War, many of whom did not survive. The day will climax with a 2.15pm service in the main hangar, under the nose of Halifax Bomber Friday the 13th. Open to museum visitors and invited guests.

Busted: Concluding the 2024 season at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Saturday

Coastal gig of the week: Busted, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Saturday, gates open at 6pm

BUSTED close Cuffe & Taylor’s summer of outdoor gigs in Scarborough 22 years after first bouncing into the charts with the pop-punk energy of What I Go To School For and a year on from releasing Greatest Hits 2.0, an album of re-recorded hits with guests to mark the reunion of James Bourne, Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson.

Expect number one smashes Crashed The Wedding, Who’s David, Thunderbirds Are Go and You Said No to feature in Saturday’s set list, along with Year 3000, Air Hostess, Sleeping With The Lights On, Loser Kid and Everything I Knew. Support comes from Skinny Living and Soap. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com/busted.

William Dalrymple: Reflecting on India’s impact on the ancient world in his Grand Opera House talk

History talk of the week: William Dalrymple, How Ancient India Transformed the World, Grand Opera House, York, September 2, 7.30pm

HISTORIAN William Dalrymple, co-host of the Empire podcast, tells the story of how, from 250BC to 1200AD, India transformed the world: exporting religion, art, science, medicine and language along a Golden Road that stretched from the Red Sea to the Pacific, creating a vast and profoundly important empire of ideas.

Dalrymple explores how Indian ideas crossed political borders and influenced everything they touched, from the statues in Roman seaports to the Buddhism of Japan, the poetry of China to the mathematics of Baghdad. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Tales of a foster parent in her Peacock show at Pocklington Arts Centre

Comedy gig of the week: Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Peacock, Pocklington Arts Centre, September 5, 8pm

KIRI Pritchard-McLean has had a busy few years, hosting Live At The Apollo, fronting the BBC Radio 4 panel show Best Medicine, co-hosting the All Killa No Filla podcast, starting a comedy school and becoming a foster parent. 

After a couple of the eggiest gigs of her career in boardrooms to social workers, a show about being a foster carer has been signed off, wherein she lifts the lid on social workers, first aid training and what not to do when a vicar searches for you on YouTube. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Tribute acts at the treble: Coldplay It Again, Stereoconics and Oasis Here Now re-heat the hits at Milton Rooms, Malton

Tribute gig of the week: Coldplay It Again, Stereoconics and Oasis Here Now, Milton Rooms, Malton, September 7, 7pm

THIS tribute triple bill brings together Coldplay It Again replicating the look, sound and spirit of a Colplay show, Stereoconics’ faithful versions of Stereophonics’  songs and Oasis Here Now’s devotion to the style and swagger of Oasis in their Nineties’ heyday, just as the Gallagher brothers announce their first gigs since 2009 for next summer. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Gerry Grant: Demonstrating Raku firing at Fangfoss Pottery

Festival of the week: Fangfest Festival of Practical Arts, Fangfoss, near York, September 7 and 8. 10am to 4pm

TWENTY-FIVE years on from its inception, the annual Fangfest returns with its celebration of traditional and contemporary art and craft skills as creatives, businesses and charities gather next weekend.

The festival features a flower festival, vintage and veteran cars, archery, Stamford Bridge History Society, music on the green, the Story Craft Theatre Company, a teddy bear trail, produce stalls and free craft activities, as well as 30 working craft exhibitors and workshops in needle felting, wood carving, spinning and embroidery. Entry to Fangfest is free; parking is £2 per vehicle in aid of Friends of St Martins School.

Bjorn Again: Thanking Abba for the music in York and Hull on their 2025 tour

Gig announcement of the week: Bjorn Again, York Barbican, September 28 2025, and Connexin Live, Hull, October 29 2025

AFTER festival appearances at Wilderness and Glastonbury this summer, Bjorn Again announce a British and Irish tour from September 26 to November 2 2025, taking in York Barbican on the third night and Connexin Live, Hull.

Founded in 1988 in Melbourne by Australianmusician/manager Rod Stephen, the tribute show carries the endorsement of Abba’s own Agnetha Fältskog. Designed as a tongue-in-cheek, rocked-up, light-hearted ABBA satire, the show is in its 37th year, having seen more than 100 musicians and vocalists and 400 technical crew/support staff contribute to 5,500 performances in 75 countries. Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10am at yorkbarbican.co.uk and connexinlivehull.com.

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Next Door But One receives ‘life-changing’ £20,000 after winning Sky Bet Ebor Festival Community Sweepstake

Next Door But One artistic director Matt Harper-Hardcastle, left, receives the “life-changing” £20,000 cheque from Sky Bet’s Steve Birch after winning the Sky Bet Ebor Festival Community Sweepstake at York Racecourse

MATT Harper-Hardcastle attended York Races for the first time on Saturday and headed home with £20,000…without placing a bet.

To explain, Matt is the artistic director and chief executive officer of York community arts collective and charity Next Door But One (NDB1), who won the Sky Bet Ebor Festival Community Sweepstake.

As part of the joint initiative between York Racecourse and Sky Bet, the sweepstake rewards good causes from across Yorkshire in acknowledgement of their hard work within the community. Each shortlisted charity was awarded a £1,000 donation to put towards a project or initiative.

This year, more than 150 entries to the sweepstake were made, leading to a final shortlist of 22, each allocated a runner in the 3.35pm Sky Bet Ebor Handicap from the sweepstake draw.

From a ceremony shown live on TV at the Knavesmire course on Thursday, Matt drew the horse names from one tombola; Pam, from Hull & East Riding Breast Friends, the charities from the other.

Matt turned out to have the magical touch, having drawn Magical Zoe for NDB1. Trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Billy Lee, the hurdler-turned-flat racer lived up to being the favourite in the betting by finishing first past the post, a victory that brought NDB1’s £20,000 grand prize. Second place went to The Clothing Bank with Menfulness taking third, securing £5,000 and £2,000 respectively.

Next Door But One, an award-winning LGBTQ+ and disability-led theatre company, delivers a programme focused on workshops and performances for and with cohorts of the community with disabilities, mental ill health, unpaid carers, women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and LGBTQ+ individuals.

In the wake of Magical Zoe’s triumph, a delighted Matt said: “This is the first time I’ve ever been to the races, so the fact that we’ve come away with £20,000 for the charity is absolutely amazing. This donation has meant that we’ve already reached our funding target for the year, which will continue to be hugely beneficial into 2025.

Next Door But One’s leadership team: creative engagement manager El Stannage, left, producer Joshua Goodman, artistic director Matt Harper-Hardcastle, associate director Kate Veysey and communications coordinator Anna Johnston

“The donation will be used for our participatory arts programme for marginalised communities. For every £20 invested, we’re able to provide a whole year’s worth of free and inclusive arts engagement for one person, so this means we’re able to make a difference to so many. The whole team would like to thank York Racecourse and Sky Bet for their support. It really is a life-changing amount of money.”

James Brennan, head of marketing and sponsorship at York Racecourse, added: “The Ebor always proves to be a very special event in our racing calendar, and 2024 proved no different as we saw Billy Lee ride to victory.

“Hosting the shortlisted good causes is always a pleasure, and we’re looking forward to following their journeys and seeing how they utilise the valuable donations they receive.”

Michael Shinners, head of sports PR at Sky Betting & Gaming, concluded: “A huge congratulations to Next Door But One, The Clothing Bank and Menfulness for placing in our community sweepstake.

“The Sky Bet Ebor Festival Community Sweepstake is an annual highlight for us, as we learn about all the amazing work that our charities and good causes support across the Yorkshire region. We hope that our donations for all of those shortlisted go a little or a long way in helping them continue their great work.”

The final 22 shortlisted Yorkshire charities, foundations and community groups were:

Active Independence; Beverley Community Lift; BIADS – Barnsley Independent Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support; Day One Trauma Support; Declan John Foundation; Hornsea First Aid Centre; Hull 4 Heroes; Hull and East Riding Breast Friends; Just ‘B’; Menfulness; MySight York; Next Door But One CIC; Noah’s Ark Centre; Norton Hive Library and Community Hub; Overgate Hospice; Rotherham Cancer Care; Sheffield Mencap and Gateway; Sheffield Steelkings Para Ice Hockey Club; The Clothing Bank; Friends of Rowntree Park, York; The Rainbow Centre, Scarborough, and Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity.

James Brennan said: “As with every year, we have seen so many worthwhile entries to the sweepstake. Choosing 22 from this extensive list is never easy but the final runners reflect a diverse group of worthy causes from across the region.

“The Sky Bet Ebor Festival is the highlight of our racing calendar with this initiative an important part of proceedings.  We always look forward to hosting the shortlisted contenders and to showcasing the amazing work they all do.”

Representatives from the 22 shortlisted Yorkshire charities, foundations and community groups for the Sky Bet Ebor Festival Community Sweepstake at York Racecourse on Saturday
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Fangfest’s celebration of practical arts welcomes 30 exhibitors, workshops, archery, storytelling and a teddy bear trail

Dave Atkin, of Woodwyrm, at work on carving wood

TWENTY-FIVE years on from its inception, the annual Fangfest returns with its celebration of traditional and contemporary art and craft skills as creatives, businesses and charities gather next weekend in Fangfoss, near York.

The festival of practical arts features a flower festival, vintage and veteran cars, archery with Aaron Shooting Archery, Stamford Bridge History Society, music on the green, Story Craft Theatre, a teddy bear trail, produce stalls and free craft activities, as well as 30 working craft exhibitors and workshops.

Among the exhibitors will be Caroline Wagstaff, ceramics and pebble glass; Josh Hemmens, of Whimbrel Designs, photography with a twist; International Feltmakers Association member Liz Riley, of Everything Felt, felting; Lorina Lynne, jewellery; Pete Thomson, of  Spirit of the Wood, woodwork; Woodwrym, wood carving and trinket boxes; Shan Williams, woven items; Crafty Alfredo, ceramic mosaics; Laura Thompson, illustrations; Tanja Entwistle, glass; and Rosie Glow, terrazzo homeware, soaps and prints.

Rosie Glow: Maker of terrazzo homeware and soaps

Most of the stalls will be in The Orchard of Fangfoss Hall, making the 2024 event more centralised than in past years.

“This year there are more opportunities than ever for visitors to learn a new craft,” says event co-organiser Lyn Grant, of Fangfoss Pottery. “Over the weekend there’ll be a number of workshops, lasting about two hours each, for the public to participate in: needle felting with Brenda Christison, of Felty and Fabulous (10.30am, Saturday); spoon carving with Woodwyrm (11.15am each morning); yarn spinning with Catherine Djimramadji (September 8, 10.30am) and hand embroidery with textile artist Hayley Mills-Styles (September 8, 2pm, upstairs at Fangfoss Pottery).

“Although these are more suitable for older children and adults, there’s a workshop specially geared for children aged five and upwards on the Sunday. Hosted by Thread and Press at 11am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 3.30pm, this is to make and sew a Barn Owl Sock Puppet, decorated and painted.”

Gerry Grant demonstrating Raku firing at Fangfoss Pottery

A small charge applies for all these workshops, which must be booked in advance. Details can be found on the Fangfest Facebook page.

One of the youngest exhibitors, photographer Josh Hemmens, of Whimbrel Designs, will demonstrate his lensball technique and talk visitors through his editing processes, wherein he transforms his original photographs into images with a modern twist. His work will be available as fine-art giclee prints, framed photographs and greetings cards.

To accompany their selection of replica medieval tiles across the weekend, Tanglebank Tiles will demonstrate designs and techniques in the medieval style. Gerry Grant will demonstrate Raku firing at Fangfoss Pottery; Laura Thompson Design and Illustration, watercolour painting.

Story Craft Theatre’s Cassie Vallance, left, and Janet Bruce: Making their Fangfest debut

Story Craft Theatre are taking part in Fangfest for the first time. York theatre-makers Cassie Vallance and Janet Bruce will perform a magical and adventurous story for two to eight-year-olds featuring music, games and puppetry on both days at 2.30pm in the Fangfoss Hall orchard. Admission is free.

On the Teddy Bear Trail, visitors and trail finders will be asked to find the nine letters attached to some of the teddies, rearrange them to form a word and collect a prize at the finish point.

On the Sunday morning, at 11.30am, Haigha Lore will be enchanting The Orchard with Anglo-Saxon storytelling, songs, music, poems and ritual, using Anglo-Saxon, Middle English and modern English to weave together poems and extracts from the 5th to the 13th century to re-imagine the lost world of the dark ages in Tales of the Kings.

Archery at Fangfest

Look out for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, with a chance to meet the team and watch some of the dogs in training.  

More information on the festival, including exhibitors, timings of activities and workshops, can be found on facebook/fangfest or on Instagram, fangfestfestival.

Fangfest Festival of Practical Arts, Fangfoss, ten miles east of York, September 7 and 8, 10am to 4pm. Entry is free; parking is £2 per vehicle in aid of Friends of St Martin’s Primary School, Fangfoss.