Next Door But One – charleshutchpress

July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

REVIEW: Hannah Davies & Jack Woods, The Ballad Of Blea Wyke, Helmsley Arts Centre, July 17 ****

Hannah Davies & Jack Woods in tandem. Picture: Matt Jopling

THE Ballad Of Blea Wyke began as a five-minute commission for the Green Shoots project at York Theatre Royal in May 2022 that demanded further exploration.

Then came the Scarborough Fair Fringe premiere of the 60-minute version in June 2025.

Now, North Yorkshire slam champion poet, theatre-maker, storyteller and writer Hannah Davies and guitarist Jack Woods’ re-imagining of the selkie myth for a not-too-distant dystopian future on the North Yorkshire coast is shedding its skin anew, playing Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, and Helmsley Arts Centre, with the backing of York arts organisations Say Owt and Next Door But One.

Hannah, by the way, has been on the move too, leaving Scarborough for Saltburn-by-the-Sea, with a return to York upcoming, but the draw of the sea prevails in The Ballad Of Blea Wyke, where her fascination with the myth of seals transforming into humans by shedding their skin plays out so imaginatively.

The crashing of waves wrapped within an eerie soundscape set the haunting atmosphere in the bar seating at Helmsley Arts Centre, with a door open to the garden beyond, enhancing the sense of direct connection with the natural world (as opposed to using the HAC theatre).

Leather’O musician Woods sits to the side, complementing Davies’s lyrical word-spinning throughout with simpatico acoustic guitar, loop effects and sporadic harmonies.

Davies, in sea green dress, has a magnetic, mellifluous voice and highly original turn of phrase, allied with a grace of presence, that makes her storytelling so compelling in its combination of contemporary insight, timeless mystery and folkloric mythology in her subject matter.

In her too-close-for-comfort near-future, especially prescient in this hottest of summers, there is nothing left to fish, ice cream and buses have long gone, cities are locked down, motorways have closed, Bluetooth and sugar are taxed, the military issues permits and fines, and most people have never seen the sea.

The waters are rising, the shallows are toxic, the East Coast cliffs are crumbling, and the last grey seal is bobbing in the water “like a blubbery shuttlecock”.

In her private school, scholarship student Cerys feels out of place on her 18th birthday, and not only because of her Broad Acres accent that has the other girls calling out “Hey, Yorkshire” as she stands scowling in the canteen queue at the end of term before they “fly off to their air-cons in private jets”.

Cerys, the loner, will instead venture to the place where no-one is allowed to tread: Blea Wyke, the headland located south of Ravenscar, “the Town That Never Was” (on account of Victorian plans to convert the hamlet into a resort to rival Scarborough being abandoned after only 12 houses were built).

Born in a storm and fearless, Cerys is carrying her social worker’s case folder, containing everything about her life, her back story. Looking on from Clifftop Farm, as she wades into the sea, is a tall, wiry, weather-beaten stranger who has patched up a hole in his jacket with Gaffer Tape.

His farm is now a shell, ruined through fire and flood, landslides are commonplace, and yet still he remains, counter to the government scheme to repatriate farming families in towns.

What keeps him there? What draws Cerys to the sea? Davies’s story will hook you in, as all the while the last grey seal looks on and the love story of the farmer and selkie girl is revealed.

Davies’s imagery keeps on delighting, whether describing the selkie’s shod skin as an “oily rind” or “discarded peel” or depicting “girls with fossils for toes” and “eyes like Whitby Jet”. Humour peppers the salty sea tale too, typified by a badge that proclaims “Geology Rocks”.

Nostalgia for lost times, erosion of coast and rural tradition alike, the curse of climate change and lost nature, the need for mystery and magical realism to survive, for love and ultimately hope to prevail, are interwoven into Davies’s mystical yet earthy storytelling drama, replete with poetry and siren song, directed so harmoniously by Em Whitfield Brooks, whose PitchWitches vocal quintet had opened the Helmsley show.

Above all, The Ballad Of Blea Wyke reinforces the joy to be found in sharing stories. As Hannah told CharlesHutchPress: “Stories are embedded into us at the very core. We are all made up of our stories and by telling and sharing them we get to see and understand ourselves in others action, words and deed. Humans need connection and shared experience to thrive and I think stories do that for us all. In such a divided world we need that more than ever.”

How true. If you missed this month’s York and Helmsley performances, put this date in your diary: October 8, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, 7.30pm. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026

Hannah Davies re-imagines selkie myth in dystopian future in The Ballad Of Blea Wyke

Hannah Davies and Jack Woods: Performing The Ballad Of Blea Wyke at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, and Helmsley Arts Centre

NORTH Yorkshire slam champion poet, theatre maker and writer Hannah Davies and her regular musician, Jack Woods, re-imagine the selkie myth for a not-too-distant dystopian future on the North Yorkshire coast in The Ballad Of Blea Wyke.

Originally micro-commissioned by York Theatre Royal as part of the Green Shoots project in May 2022, the show has grown from its five-minute debut into a 60-minute performance, premiered at the Scarborough Fair in June 2025 and now heading for York and Helmsley.

Directed by Em Whitfield Brooks and presented in association with York arts organisations Say Owt and Next Door But One, this lyrical spoken-word and musical storytelling piece will be performed at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, on Friday (10/7/2026) at 8.30pm and Helmsley Arts Centre on July 17 at 7.30pm.

Chiming with her own move from York to Scarborough, Hannah relates the tale of a young woman who wants to see the sea, combining her storytelling with Pascallion and Leeather’O musician Jack’s live guitar, loops and harmonies in a haunting interweaving of story, music, poetry and song.

“I’ve spent the last few years living and working by the sea – I love it,” says Hannah. “The sound of the waves are like instant calming white noise for me. There is something both soothing and terrifying about the sea and I love the fact that it brazenly declares all of its moods without apology.”

What happens in The Ballad Of Blea Wyke? A stranger stands on a cliff. The last grey seal swims towards the shore. On her 18th birthday, Cerys breaks the city’s lockdown to seek the coastal cliffs that birthed her, the crumbling landscape drawing her back to her mythic past.

Explaining what drew her to the selkie myth of seals transforming into humans by shedding their skin, Say Owt associate artist and creative producer Hannah says: “I suffered from Topical Steroid Withdrawal between 2019 and 2023, a debilitating iatrogenic condition caused by steroids.

“I’d been through hell with that, as my skin burnt, swelled, scabbed and shed, so the image of the seal shedding its skin really resonated with me. A lot of the selkie myths are about transformation and coming back to one truest nature, and I really had to do that as I healed.”

Hannah read all manner of folk tales for research purposes: “Any I could get my hands on,” she says. “The People Of The Sea, a memoir by writer David Thomson, was really useful. In it he travels to rural Scotland and Ireland and meets all kinds of local people, who tell him a wide variety of the ancient Celtic versions of the stories.

“It was fascinating to learn so much about them and the variety of stories and forms they show up in. The selkie stories also cross over into Nordic and Norse folklore, so I read up about those too.”

Hannah continues: “I also ‘geeked out’ on plenty of nature documentaries, watching seals swimming, fighting, giving birth. 2014 film Song Of The Sea is a really lovely watch. I enjoyed that film immensely and also watched darker sea films like Lighthouse (2019) and Bait (2019), set and filmed in a Cornish fishing village.”

Blea Wyke, should you be unaware, is a rocky promontory very close to Ravenscar, between Scarborough and Whitby, where seals often can be spotted, especially during mating or pup season.

“Ravenscar was once planned as a new Victorian seaside town, which never actually got finished as the company went bust,” says Hannah. “There are hints of this in the landscape, laid pavements, drains etc. I was fascinated by this image of a half-finished ghost town and this informed the feel of lockdown and disaster in the piece and also the wider themes.”

Why is the coastline “forbidden” in The Ballad Of Blea Wyke, Hannah? “The piece is set in a contemporary re-imagining of the myth and places the events of the story in Yorkshire, in a time that suggests a post-climate collapse.

“The piece was very much influenced by the desolate feeling of lockdown and the restrictions around it and also by the type of world that we are living in, where every inch of the land is owned, privatised or restricted in some way.”

Assessing why storytelling remains so crucial to human existence, Hannah says: “Stories are embedded into us at the very core. We are all made up of our stories, and by telling and sharing them we get to see and understand ourselves in others’ actions, words and deeds.

“Humans need connection and shared experience to thrive and I think stories do that for us all. In such a divided world we need that more than ever.”

Out of curiosity, the last question has to be whether Hannah believes in the existence of selkies? “I believe in folk tales and the power they have to tell us about the lore of the land,” she says. “I definitely believe in magic.”

Hannah Davies and Jack Woods present The Ballad Of Blea Wyke, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Friday, 8.30pm, doors 7.30pm; Helmsley Arts Centre, July 17, 7.30pm. Box office: York, bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Next Door But One explores parental mental illness in Ant Stones’ My Mad Mum on primary school and library tour

Sean Cameron and Sophie Maybury in rehearsal for Next Door But One’s My Mad Mum. Picture: James Drury

IN the wake of the impactful tour of How To Be A Kid in 2025, Next Door But One and Our Time Charity are collaborating anew on a new play, My Mad Mum, to encourage conversations around mental health, identity and being a young carer.

The York community arts collective specialises in raising awareness of often unspoken topics, while Cottingham-based Our Time is the only British charity dedicated to improving the outcomes for children growing up with a parent with a mental illness.

Statistics reveal that 3.7 million under-18s in the United Kingdom have a parent who struggles with their mental health: a total more than the combined populations of Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol.

Commissioned by Our Time, playwright Ant Stones highlights that reality in My Mad Mum, a “fast-paced, fun and fearless collision of real friendships, messy families and surviving the stuff no-one warns you about as a teenager”.

Touring secondary schools in York and North Yorkshire from May, Stones’s play will reach 3,000 pupils aged 11-plus – as well as audiences at public performances at York Explore on May 13 and 14 and specific performances for young carers and those accessing mental health services – with the relatable story of Andy and Harper, played by Sean Cameron and Sophie Maybury (and understudies Adam Kane and Tasha Potts).

Everyone knows Andy and everyone knows his mum. The looks. The whispers. The rumours that follow him everywhere. Andy is used to it – or at least he pretends to be. When Harper, the new girl, arrives at school, things finally start to feel different. Finally, somebody ‘gets’ him, but as their friendship grows, their worlds crash into each other and the truth comes out, and once out, there will be no taking it back.

My Mad Mum director Kate Veysey in the rehearsal room with cast member Sophie Maybury. Picture: James Drury

Poor parental mental health and serious mental illness is an issue that affects one in three children in every UK classroom. Consequently children who have a parent with a mental illness often face unique challenges at school and at home. What’s more, for too many of them, it feels like a secret they have to carry alone.

Next Door But One’s performance, with an accompanying workshop, aims to validate the experience of these young people, raise awareness of their lives for their peers and equip teachers with this knowledge to better support their students.

Last year, Next Door But One (NDB1) and Our Time Charity toured a similar provision into primary schools with proven outcomes from How To Be A Kid on which they are looking to build: 91 per cent of young audiences felt the show helped them to discuss their feelings, emotions and mental health, while 94 per cent said the show helped them to identify a trusted adult in their life to whom they could go when they needed help.

My Mad Mum director Kate Veysey says: “The schools we are touring to really recognise the challenge we are presenting, with many of them already having Young Carers Champions and some signing the Young Carers Covenant.

“As a company we really believe that theatre has the power to bring everybody into the same important conversation and provide the knowledge and confidence to enact real change. We are delighted to continue our partnership with Our Time Charity as, with their 20 years’ experience and resources, we are able to continue encouraging vital social change in our communities.”

My Mad Mum director Kate Veysey, assistant director Matthew Harper Hardcastle (Next Door But One’s artistic director) and NDB1 company manager Jane Williamson watching a rehearsal. Picture: James Drury

Georgie Williams, Our Time Charity’s operations director, says: “For too many children, growing up with a parent who is struggling with their mental health can feel isolating and confusing. At Our Time Charity, we know that when children are given the language, understanding and safe spaces to talk, it can be life-changing.

“This production brings those experiences out into the open in a way that feels real, relatable and accessible to young people. By combining powerful storytelling with practical support for schools, we are helping to ensure that no child feels alone.

“We know that having just one adult that a child can safely talk to has a huge impact them. We give adults the tools to feel more confident to recognise and respond to children whose parent has a mental illness.

Leeds Conservatoire graduates Sean Cameron and Sophie Maybury – who both live in Leeds – are performing with NDB1 for the first time under the company’s scheme of working with fledgling professional actors within their first two years on the books.

“I got an email through the Conservatoire and that’s what then made me apply,” says Sophie, who has a BA in Acting. “It’s been fantastic because the main thing I’ve struggled with, coming out of drama school, has been the lack of sessions, especially in the north, to give you something new to learn or to refresh on.”

Sean, who has a BA in Musical Theatre, says: “I hadn’t seen an NDB1 show but had heard about their work and knew Emily Chattle and James Lewis-Knight – who run Clown Space and are associates of NDB1 – and they really sang the company’s praises. It’s been a really great opportunity and a challenge too because there’s a responsibility to make these people in the play feel represented.”

Sophie adds: “We have to get it right in reflecting their lives, showing awareness that they’re not the only ones going through their experience, so that they do feel connected, not misrepresented.”

Next Door But One presents My Mad Mum at York Explore, May 13 and 14, 5.30pm. Box office: tickettailor.com/events/exploreyorklibrariesandarchives?srch=My+Mad+Mum.

Did you know?

MY Mad Mum’s tour coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week, running from May 11 to 17. Hosted annually by the Mental Health Foundation, the core theme for the week is “Action”, urging people to move beyond mere awareness and take concrete steps to support good mental health for themselves and others.

Sophie Maybury’s Harper and Sean Cameron’s Andy in a scene from Next Door But One’s My Mad Mum. Picture: James Drury

Meet the cast:

Sophie Maybury: Born in Reading, now based in Leeds and London, having trained on BA Acting course at Leeds Conservatoire.

Recent roles include,Pargeia in Welcome To Thebes, directed by Debs Newbold at The Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds, and Nurse in Romeo & Juliet, ’directed by Sameena Hussain at Leeds Playhouse. Playing Harper, Millie and Miss Knowles in her Next Door But One debut in My Mad Mum.

Sean Cameron: Scottish actor who graduated from Leeds Conservatoire in 2024 with a BA in Musical Theatre. He has since toured internationally, performed as Jacob Marley in A Christmas Caro’ at Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and taken part in research & development with York company Clown Space.

What is the Young Carers Covenant?

NEXT Door But One will be performing specific performances of My Mad Mum for young carers and those accessing mental health services.

There are around one million young carers aged 17 or under in the UK and a further 600,000 young adult carers aged 18 to 25.

Caring for a family member can have a huge impact on a child’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as their ability to learn and their future life chances.

More than 139,000 children and young people are caring for someone with a long-term illness or disability for more than 20 hours every week. Shockingly, 50,000 young carers are spending as many as 50 hours a week on their caring role.

Many young carers feel they are missing out on large parts of their childhood and education. Others feel overwhelmed by the level of responsibility.

In response, The Young Carers Covenant is seeking to make a change by creating a fair future for young carers. This UK-wide commitment to young carers and young adult carers sets out ten key outcomes that young carers have said are key to improving their lives (www.carers.org/youngcarerscovenant).

Any organisation or individual in a position to take action to help achieve these outcomes is urged to sign up to the covenant, whether national governments, local authorities, schools or colleges, as well as parliamentarians across the UK.

Launched on Young Carers Action Day 2024, the covenant was drawn up by the Carers Trust and members of the Young Carers Alliance.

More details on signing up can be found at: https://carers.org/campaigning-for-change/the-young-carers-covenant.

“At least two of the schools we’re visiting on the My Mad Mum tour have signed up for the Young Carers Covenant,” says Next Door But One company manager Jane Williamson.

December 17, 2025December 19, 2025

What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 53, from Gazette & Herald

Emily Chattle’s Lowen and Ceridwen Smith’s Granbow in a magical scene in Next Door But One’s Christmas show with a difference, When Robins Appear. Picture: James Drury

FESTIVE shows, carol concerts, dancing with Anton and a musical aboard a Christmas steamer fill Charles Hutchinson’s in-box for December delights.

A different kind of Christmas show of the week: Next Door But One in When Robins Appear, Clifton Explore, December 18, 5.30pm; York Explore, December 20 and 21, 11am and 2pm

WRITTEN and directed by Next Door But One artistic director Matt Harper-Hardcastle, When Robins Appear follows two friends as they face the big changes of moving house, starting new schools and a first Christmas without Grandma, when the festive sparkle seems to be missing.

Helped by a magical Robin (played by Ceridwen Smith), 12-year-old Ellis (Annie Rae Donaghy) and Lowen (Emily Chattle) are whisked away on a heart-warming journey through their favourite wintery memories to find the magic again. Soon they discover that the real sparkle of Christmas will not be found under the tree, but in the laughter, love and unforgettable moments we share together and that can live forever in our hearts. Tickets update: Sold out, for returns only, go to: www.nextdoorbutone.co.uk.

Adam Price’s Billy Crocker, left, Alexandra Mather’s Reno Sweeney and Fergus Powell’s Moonface Martin in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Anything Goes at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York. Picture: Felix Wahlberg

Full steamer ahead of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Anything Goes, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until December 21, then December 27 to 30

CLIMB aboard the S.S. American as it sets sail in Andrew Isherwood’s all-singing, all-dancing staging of Anything Goes, Cole Porter’s swish musical, charting the madcap antics of a motley crew leaving New York for London on a Christmas-themed steamer.

Meet nightclub singer/evangelist Reno Sweeney (Alexandra Mather) and lovelorn Wall Street broker Billy Crocker (Adam Price), who has stowed away on board in pursuit of his beloved Hope Harcourt (Claire Gordon-Brown). Alas, Hope is engaged to fellow passenger Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (Neil Foster). Enter second-rate conman Moonface Martin (Fergus Powell) to join Reno in trying to help Billy win the love of his life. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Winter WonderBand: Performing Joy Illimited album at Helmsley Arts Centre

The cover artwork for Winter WonderBand’s Joy Illimited album

Christmas folk concert of the week: Winter WonderBand, Helmsley Arts Centre, tomorrow, 7.30pm

CHAMBER folk quartet Winter WonderBand comprises Saul Rose (from Faustus, War Horse and Waterson Carthy) on melodeon; Maclaine Colston (Pressgang and Kings Of Calicutt) on hammered dulcimer; Beth Porter (SpellSongs and Bookshop Band) on cello and Jennifer Crook (Broken Road and Cythara) on harp and guitar.

Together they play winter and festive-themed acoustic music and songs, traditional, modern and original, as heard on debut album Joy Illimited, released on December 1. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

The Icons Of Soul: In serenading mood at Milton Rooms, Malton, on Saturday

Christmas soul parties of the week: The Magic Of Motown, York Barbican, tomorrow, 7.30pm; The Icons Of Soul, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm

ON its 20th anniversary tour, The Magic Of Motown travels down nostalgia avenue in celebration of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Mary Wells, The Isley Brothers, The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and Lionel Richie at York Barbican on Thursday. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Two nights later, direct from the United States, The Icons Of Soul serenade Malton’s audience with soul classics and slick dance routines as they celebrate 1960s and 1970s’ vocal groups such as The Drifters, The Temptations, The Stylistics and Tavares. Be prepared to dance all night long. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

The poster for Pocklington Arts Centre’s Christmas show, Elizabeth Godber’s Jingle All The Way

Deer double act of the week: Jingle All The Way, Pocklington Arts Centre, until December 23

FROM the team behind The Elves And The Shoemaker Save Christmas and Jack Frost’s Christmas Wish comes Elizabeth Godber’s latest Christmas family adventure, co-directed by Jane Thornton with musical direction by Dylan Allcock.

Reindeer siblings Rex (Emilio Encinoso-Gil) and Rosie(Hannah Christina) are reluctant to start at a new school just before Christmas, especially when that school is the East Riding Reindeer Academy, home of supreme athletes. Santa, however, has a position free on his sleigh squad; could this be Rex’s big chance? Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Eve Lorian: Conducting Prima Choral Artists’ Family Christmas Concert at St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York

Choral concert of the week: Prima Choral Artists, Family Christmas Concert, St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York, Saturday, 4pm to 5pm

PRODUCED and conducted by Prima Choral Artists director Eve Lorian, Saturday’s concert unites her choir with the New World String Quartet, organist James Webb and pianist Greg Birch in reflective and cheerful Christmas celebrations.

Here come high-spirited festive classics, modern choral arrangements and string and organ repertoire, including works by Tchaikovsky and Rawsthorne. Box office: primachoral.com and on the door.

Festive song and dance with Anton Du Beke and terpsichorean friends at York Barbican

Dandy dancing of the week: Christmas With Anton Du Beke & Friends, York Barbican, Sunday, 5pm

EMBARK on a dazzling journey into a festive wonderland as Strictly Come Dancing judge and ballroom king Anton Du Beke joins forces with his dynamic live band, vocalist Lance Ellington and troupe of dancers for a magical evening of cherished Christmas songs, captivating dance and festive humour. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Recommended but sold out already is Robert Plant’s Saving Grace gig, Ding Dong Merrily, at York Barbican on December 23 (doors 7pm), when Plant, co-vocalist Suzi Dian drummer Oli Jefferson, guitarist Tony Kelsey, banjo and string player Matt Worley and cellist Barney Morse-Brown showcase September 26’s Saving Grace album, “a song book of the lost and found”.

Pickering Musical Society in pantoland: Starting off the new year in Snow White at Kirk Theatre, Pickering

Booking recommended now: Pickering Musical Society in Snow White, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, January 14 to 25, 7.15pm, except January 19; 2.15pm, January 17, 18, 24 and 25

INTEREST has been “extraordinary” for Pickering Musical Society’s January 2026 pantomime, directed for the tenth year by resident director Luke Arnold. More than 1,000 tickets have sold already; January 18’s 2.15pm performance has sold out and several others are close behind.

Written by Ron Hall, the show combines comedy, spectacle, festive magic, dazzling scenery and colourful costumes and features such principals as Marcus Burnside’s Dame Dumpling, Danielle Long’s Prince Valentine, Alice Rose’s Snow White, Paula Cook’s Queen Lucrecia and Sue Smithson’s Fairy Dewdrop. Audiences are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.littleboxoffice.com.

December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

REVIEW: Next Door But One in When Robins Appear, Explore York library tour until December 21 ****

Emily Chattle’s Lowen, left, Ceridwen Smith’s Robin and Annie Rae Donaghy’s Ellis in Next Door But One’s When Robins Appear. All pictures: James Drury

ACCORDING to British folklore, “robins appear when loved ones are near”.

The beloved Redbreast is omnipresent on Christmas cards, not least on York printmaker Gerard Hobson’s exclusive illustration for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s 2025 charity card.

Mother Hutch had a corner devoted to each Yuletide’s new arrivals, and since her passing in September 2025, your reviewer has worn her favourite Robin badge on his lapel.

That lapel has a new addition, thanks to York community arts collective Next Door But One, whose cast of Ceridwen Smith, Emily Chattle and Annie Rae Donaghy hand out When Robins Appear badges at the conclusion to NDB1’s inaugural Christmas show (after 12 years of wholly inclusive, wholly accessible theatre-making for children and young people in and around the city).

Emily Chattle’s Lowen, left, and Annie Rae Donaghy’s Ellis experiencing “a different kind of Christmas” in Next Door But One’s When Robins Appear

Writer-director Matt Harper Hardcastle has penned “a different kind of Christmas show for those who have a different kind of Christmas”, in part inspired by the loss of his mother to cancer.

Enter the Robin, the harbinger of British winter birds, the messenger from the spirit world whose presence is deemed to be a comforting sign of a late loved one being close at hand.

Here, the Robin takes the form of Ceridwen Smith in magnificent gold and red, topped off with feathery plumage and tailed with natty red and pink pumps. On occasion, her hand transforms into a bird-sized Robin, again bedecked in festive livery of gold and red.

On entering York Explore’s wood-panelled Marriott Room, eyes are drawn to Emily Chattle’s Lowen and Annie Rae Donaghy’s Ellis, each looking glum, avoiding eye contact, tucked away but still in plain sight behind wooden triangular shapes with numbers that evoke both Advent Calendars and decorations in Catherine Chapman’s child’s play of a set design.

Movement director Bailey Dowler, left, writer-director Matt Harper-Hardcastle, Ceridwen Smith, Annie Rae Donaghy and Emily Chattle in rehearsal for When Robins Appear

Lowen, 12, misses her late Gran, known to her as Granbow, on account of wearing clothing as colourful as a rainbow: a habit Lowen seems to be mirroring in her get-up of pink, red, grey, amber and yellow stripes.

Ellis, also 12, is looking after her ill mum, both uncertain of her future. She feels as blue as her clothing, a mood not enhanced by moving into a new home and being unable to find her phone charger.

Both she and Lowen are surrounded by boxes: in Lowen’s case, the boxes for packing away Granbow’s belongings with her Dad (played by Smith, denoted by a hat, either worn or held in her hand when this admirable multi-tasker is playing Ellis’s Mum with the simple symbol of a pair of glasses).

Facing a first Christmas without her cherished, shining grandma, Lowen needs to find one elusive box, in particular, the one with her Dad’s fairy lights that Granbow (Smith in role number four) used to transform the cupboard under the stairs where he would retire in shy childhood days.

Emily Chattle’s Lowen with Ceridwen Smith’s Granbow in the shadow-play light box scene in When Robins Appear

At the start, Chattle’s Lowen and Donaghy’s Ellis do not know each other, but each is facing the challenge of a “different kind of Christmas”, of dealing with grief or illness, of coming to terms with changing circumstances or a change of address, above all of feeling overwhelmed.

Who should bring them together but Smith’s chatterbox Robin, chirping away ten to the dozen. What then ensues is an invitation from Robin to, first, Lowen, then Ellis, to recall a past Christmas that made them happy and then to invoke the spirit of that story into Christmas this year.

Those fairy lights and Ellis’s Mac’n’Cheese Christmas Day lunch feature in stories told with delightful interplay, typically imaginative direction by Harper-Hardcastle and highly engaging characterisation by Chattle, already such a whizz at children’s entertainment, and Donaghy, back home for Christmas in York after graduating with first class honours in contemporary theatre at East 15 Acting School and taking her first steps in London’s theatre jungle.

Joshua Goodman’s enchanting songs and Bailey Dowler’s less-is-more movement direction complement Harper-Hardcastle’s beautifully judged direction as the chameleon Smith and the Chattle & Donaghy double act – where they bring out the inner child in us all – hold the attention of children aged seven to 11 and their adults alike.

Emily Chattle’s Lowen, left, Ceridwen Smith’s Robin and Annie Rae Donaghy’s Ellis on Catherine Chapman’s child’s play of a set design

As ever with Next Door But One, whose research took in working with York Young Carers, this is a caring, considerate show, with British Sign Language to boot, that says so much in under an hour for those whose story is not the stuff of glitzy, wham-bam pantomimes.

What’s more, you will not see a better use of boxes this festive season, gradually transforming into a Christmas tree before your eyes, while an earlier shadow-play light box scene is wondrous.

NDB1 are taking When Robins Appear on the road for eight primary school performances as well as public shows in Explore York libraries that all sold out before the tour opened. The £3.50 ticket price makes When Robins Appear the best-value festive family show in York this Christmas.

It would be no surprise to see this magical Robin bobbing around again next winter.

Next Door But One in When Robins Appear at York Explore, at Clifton Explore, December 18, 5.30pm; York Explore, December 20 and 21, 11am and 2pm. All sold out. Box office for returns only: nextdoorbutone.co.uk.

On the Way Up as Emily Chattle’s Lowen and Annie Rae Donaghy’s Ellis find festive cheer in a different kind of Christmas

December 13, 2025December 19, 2025

More Things To Do in York and beyond as Carol concerts burst into festive song. Hutch’s List No. 53, from The York Press

Next Door But One movement director Bailey Dowler, left, with writer-director Matt Harper-Hardcastle and cast members Ceridwen Smith, centre, Annie Rae Donaghy and Emily Chattle rehearsing for their Explore York library tour of When Robins Appear

CAROL concerts, festive shows and a musical aboard a Christmas steamer fill Charles Hutchinson’s in-box for December delights.

A different kind of Christmas show of the week: Next Door But One in When Robins Appear, York Explore, today and tomorrow, 11am and 2pm; Tang Hall Explore, December 15, 5.30pm; Clifton Explore, December 18, 5.30pm; York Explore, December 20 and 21, 11am and 2pm

Equipped with the help of a magical Robin (played by Ceridwen Smith), 12-year-old Ellis (Annie Rae Donaghy) and Lowen (Emily Chattle) are whisked away on a heart-warming journey through their favourite wintery memories to find the magic again. Soon they discover that the real sparkle of Christmas will not be found under the tree, but in the laughter, love and unforgettable moments we share together and that can live forever in our hearts. Tickets update: Sold out. For returns only, go to: www.nextdoorbutone.co.uk.

Adrian Cook’s Captain, top, Alexandra Mather’s Reno Sweeney and Leo Portal’s Ship’s Purser in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Anything Goes

Full steamer ahead of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Anything Goes, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until December 21, then December 27 to 30

DITCH York’s December chills and climb aboard the S.S. American as it sets sail in Andrew Isherwood’s all-singing, all-dancing staging of Anything Goes, Cole Porter’s swish musical, charting the madcap antics of a motley crew leaving New York for London on a Christmas-themed steamer.

Freida Nipples: Hosting tonight’s Baps & Buns Burlesque at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb

Dr Lara McClure: Weird and wonderful storytelling in Christmas Presence

Cabaret night of the week: Baps & Buns Burlesque, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, tonight, 7pm

YORK burlesque artiste Freida Nipples hosts her last Baps And Buns Burlesque of 2025 at Bluebird Bakery, joined by drag queens and acrobatic acts for a night of debauched and glamorous cabaret in Acomb. Sorry to raise hopes, but this one is waiting list only at bluebirdbakery.co.uk.

You may have better luck for Christmas Presence, Dr Lara McClure’s weird and wonderful stories for the festive season, on December 17 at 8.30pm. Tickets: bluebirdbakery.co.uk.

Jingle All The Way cast members Emilio Encinoso-Gil and Hannah Christina in rehearsal with musical director Dylan Allcock for Elizabeth Godber’s Christmas play at Pocklington Arts Centre

Deer double act of the week: Jingle All The Way, Pocklington Arts Centre, until December 23; relaxed performance on December 14, 1.30pm

Reindeer siblings Rex (Emilio Encinoso-Gil) and Rosie(Hannah Christina) are reluctant to start at a new school just before Christmas, especially when that school is the East Riding Reindeer Academy, home of supreme athletes. Santa has a position free on his sleigh squad; could this be Rex’s big chance? Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Eve Lorian: Conducting Prima Choral Artists in Christmas concerts at St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York tonight and next Saturday

Choral concerts of the week: Prima Choral Artists, Family Christmas Concerts, St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York, today and December 20, 4pm to 5pm; Choirs At Christmas, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, December 16 to 18, 7.30pm

PRODUCED and conducted by Prima Choral Artists director Eve Lorian, these concerts combine her choir with the New World String Quartet, organist James Webb and pianist Greg Birch in reflective and cheerful Christmas celebrations. Here come high-spirited festive classics, modern choral arrangements and string and organ repertoire, including works by Tchaikovsky and Rawsthorne. Box office: primachoral.com and on the door.

The Joseph Rowntree Theatre plays hosts to three magical fundraising evenings of Christmas classics from Tuesday to Thursday. The Shepherd Brass Band’s brace of Gala Christmas Concerts on December 19 and 20 at 7.30pm are fully booked. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Christmas Carols composer Don Pears, left, York Guildhall Orchestra leader Fiona Love, producer Bob Whitney and conductor Simon Wright

Album launch of the week: A Christmas Selection Box, A Music Night Production with Don Pears and Singphonia Singers, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow, 7pm

THE Singphonia Singers, a group of talented performers formed by York composer Don Pears, showcases Don and Jo Pears’ festive album Christmas Carols in A Christmas Selection Box. The album will be on sale at Sunday’s concert or can be downloaded from Spotify, Apple iTunes and Amazon Music. Box office: 01904 501935, josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk or on the door.

Steve Cassidy: Performing at York’s Annual Community Carol Concert at York Barbican

Family festive fun of the week: York’s Annual Community Carol Concert, York Barbican, tomorrow, 2pm

SUNDAY is the time to don Christmas jumpers and Santa hats for York’s Annual Community Carol Concert, where Shepherd Brass Band, St Paul’s CE Primary School Choir, All Saints RC School Choir andAmber Ford join special guest Ken Humphreys for an afternoon of Christmas cheer.

Carol concert regular Steve Cassidy sings with the ensemble, while the community singing will be led by musical director Mike Pratt. The Reverend Andrew Foster and Adam Tomlinson will be on hosting duty. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

The poster for The Bootleg Beatles’ Monday concert at York Barbican, focusing on the Fab Four’s five biggest-selling studio albums

Tribute show of the week: The Bootle Beatles, 5: The Concert, York Barbican, December 15, 7.30pm

THE Bootleg Beatles follow up their celebration of songs from The Beatles’ quintet of films with another Famous Five. This time, the focus is on the Fab Four’s top five-selling albums, the Bob Dylan-influenced Rubber Soul, the experimental Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, heralding the Summer of Love and psychedelia, The White Album, with its glorious mish-mash of styles, and their grand finale, Abbey Road. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Recommended but sold out already: Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra with special guests Imelda May, Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Sumudu Jayatilaka, at York Barbican on December 17, 7.30pm.

Jools Holland: Sold-out return to York Barbican on December 17

Festive folk concert of the week: Green Matthews, Midwinter Revels, National Centre for Early Music, York, December 16, 7.30pm

FOLK duo Chris Green and Sophie Matthews complete a hat-trick of festive visits to the NCEM on Tuesday, following up A Christmas Carol: In Concert and A Brief History Of Christmas with Midwinter Revels.

Spanning several centuries, this celebration of Yuletide Past promises to warm the cockles of even Scrooge’s heart with Christmas carols, winter folk songs, tunes and weird and wonderful instruments, all complemented by Green Matthews’ trademark wit. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

Chris Green and Sophie Matthews: Returning to NCEM full of Christmas cheer

Recommended but sold out alas: Chapter House Choir, Carols By Candlelight, The Nave, York Minster, December 19, 7.30pm

IN The 60^th anniversary of the Chapter House Choir, the candlelit Nave of York Minster will play host to Carols By Candlelight, the York choir’s much-loved seasonal tradition, directed by Ben Morris.

A rich selection of carols both old and new will be complemente by the Chapter House Youth Choir, under Charlie Gower-Smith’s direction, alongside festive favourites from the Handbell Ringers. A new commission by French composer Héloïse Werner, marking the choir’s milestone, receives its world premiere. Doors open at 6.45pm.

Christmas stories of the week: John Osborne presents: There Will Be Tinsel, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, December 19, 7.30pm

STEP into the magic of the season with theatre-maker and BBC Radio 4 regular John Osborne, who bedecks the Rise stage in tinsel and Christmas lights for a night of festive poems and stories.. Box office: https://bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise.

December 11, 2025December 12, 2025

Next Door But One delivers a different kind of Christmas show on York library tour of When Robins Appear from Dec 13 to 21

Next Door But One movement director Bailey Dowler, left, and artistic director Matt Harper-Hardcastle with When Robins Appear cast members Ceridwen Smith, centre, Annie Rae Donaghy and Emilly Chattle. Picture James Drury

NEXT Door But One brings a different kind of Christmas show to Explore York libraries from December 13 to 21, a show for those who have a different kind of Christmas.

This York theatre company and community arts collective is no stranger to making imaginative, accessible and fun-filled theatre for children and young people since 2013, but When Robins Appear will be NDB1’s first play for the festive season.

Since touring Philip Pullman’s The Firework-Maker’s Daughter in 2021, NDB1’s audiences and community groups have been asking the company when a Christmas show might be created.

However, Matt Harper-Hardcastle, NDB1’s chief executive officer and artistic director, was hesitant initially, saying : ‘York already has an abundance of festive activity, from pantomimes and touring shows, to light displays and infamous markets. What could we offer that was different yet complementary?”

Matt wrestled with the idea for a while, but with each new project or production over the past three years, it became ever more apparent what NBD1’s inaugural Christmas production could be.

“Our 2023 tour of Operation Hummingbird, a show exploring anticipatory grief, originally intended for an adult audience, was engaging more and more young people,” says Matt. “Our extensive work with York Carers Centre would always gravitate towards navigating Christmas as the end of the year approached.

Emily Chattle, left, and Annie Rae Donaghy in a down moment in rehearsal for When Robins Appear

“Finally, primary schools wanted more theatre that was fun but could explore big topics for young people, following our tour of How To Be A Kid. So, since January, NDB1 has engaged more than 70 young people, listening to their experiences about winter and Christmas to shape a new script.

“Stories of becoming a young carer, of being in new places, of feeling overwhelmed by changes, of first Christmases without loved ones and so much more.”

Overall, however, rather than stories of sadness, what emerged were tales of incredible resilience and hope in the form of When Robins Appear. “Our show celebrates how families and individuals can create meaningful celebrations that work uniquely for them, and that something different to other people can be cherished and revelled in,” says writer Matt.

“The core message is simple: Your Christmas doesn’t have to look like a greeting card. If it works for you and your loved ones, it’s beautiful and valid.”

When Robins Appear follows two 12-year-old friends as they face the big changes of moving house, starting new schools and a first Christmas without Grandma, when the snow has fallen, the winter stars are twinkling but the sparkle of Christmas seems to be missing.

Equipped with the help of a magical Robin (played by Ceridwen Smith), Ellis (Annie Rae Donaghy) and Lowen (Emily Chattle) are whisked away on a heart-warming journey through their favourite wintery memories to find the magic again.

The poster for Next Door But One’s tour of Explore York libraries with debut Christmas show When Robins Appear

From festive food and colourful fairy lights, to joyful songs and thoughtful gifts, they soon discover that the real sparkle of Christmas will not be found under the tree, but in the laughter, love and unforgettable moments we share together and that can live forever in our hearts.

Given the subject matter, will When Robins Appear still feel festive? “The answer is a big, red-feathered ‘yes’,” says Matt. “Our show is high-energy, packed with catchy songs, an enchanting design and plenty of audience interaction. It’s a festive celebration that gently explores big feelings around change, loss, friendship and what really makes unforgettable moments!

“Co-created with children and young people from across our community – including young carers, those in care, youth theatres and disability and mental health support services – this is as inclusive and meaningful as it is magical.”

Preceded by primary school shows today (11/12/2025) and tomorrow, the ten public performances have all but sold out (all except December 21, 11am, at York Explore): affirmation of the popularity of the £3.50 ticket price.

“We aim to make a heartfelt festive experience affordable to more families in York,” says Matt. “Teaming up with our fantastic friends at Explore York means we can bring affordable theatre right to the doorsteps of families across York this winter,” says Matt.

Making her first theatre appearance back home in York since graduating from East 15 Acting School with first class honours in contemporary theatre, Annie Rae Donaghy will be playing Ellis.

“Not only is When Robins Appear a beautiful story, but it will mean something to everyone in the room watching it,” says Annie Rae Donaghy

“Auditioning for this show really meant something to me,” she says. “I really wanted to be part of it and I rejoiced because I get to have Christmas at home and share mum and dad’s fridge!”

Her motive was more serious than that. “I think this show is the right way to address this subject. It’s all very well talking about it, but if you’re not helping the community you’re performing to, what’s the point of it?” says Annie.

“It’s brought my acting career and my own story and community life together. I grew up looking after my nan, and every Christmas we spend with lots of people at the Xmas Presence party [a festive appeal set up by dad Big Ian Donaghy in 2015 to stop 60 older York residents being lonely at Christmas each year].

“Not only is When Robins Appear a beautiful story, but it will mean something to everyone in the room watching it.”

Next Door But One presents When Robins Appear at York Explore, December 13, 11am and 2pm, and December 14, 11am and 2pm; Tang Hall Explore, December 15, 5.30pm; Clifton Explore, December 18, 5.30pm; York Explore, December 20, 11am and 2pm; December 21, York Explore, 11am (tickets available) and 2pm. Sold out unless stated otherwise.

BSL Interpreted performances are on December 14 at 2pm and December 20 at 11am. Age recommendation: Seven to 11 and their families. All except babes in arms requite a ticket to attend. Box office: www.nextdoorbutone.co.uk.

Annie Rae Donaghy, second from right, performing with Jess Steel, left, Heather Findlay and Beth McCarthy at Big Ian’s A Night To Remember charity fundraiser at York Barbican on November 12. Picture: David Harrison

June 18, 2025

What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 26, from Gazette & Herald

Hannah Davies and Jack Woods: Performing The Ballad Of Blea Wyke at Shakespeare Gallery, Scarborough, on Friday and Saturday. Picture: Matt Jopling

ELECTRONIC music by the sea, best musical award winner Dear Evan Hansen and a Eurovision spoof light Charles Hutchinson’s fire.

Scarborough Fringe show of the week: Next Door But One and Say Owt present The Ballad Of Blea Wyke, Shakespeare Gallery, St Helen’s Square, Scarborough, Friday and Saturday, 7.30pm

STORYTELLING, poetry and music show The Ballad Of Blea Wyke re-tells the traditional Selkie myth, re-imagined for a not-far-into-the-future dystopian Yorkshire coast by North Yorkshire theatre-maker Hannah Davies and Pascallion musician Jack Woods.

Micro-commissioned by York Theatre Royal as part of the Green Shoots project in May 2022, the show has grown into a 60-minute performance by writer, performer, director and Say Owt associate artist Davies and guitar, mandolin and violin player Woods. Box office: scarboroughfair.uk/events/the-ballad-of-blea-wyke/

Pendulum: Electronic rock at Scarborough Open Air Theatre

Coastal gigs of the week: Pendulum, supported by Normandie, Friday; Basement Jaxx, Saturday, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, gates open at 6pm

FORMED in Perth, Western Australia, in 2002, electronic rock act Pendulum have returned from a self-imposed hiatus with the EPs Elemental and Anima, festival headline shows and now Scarborough. Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen and Paul Harding’s drum & bass group released such albums as 2005’s Hold Your Colour, 2008’s In Silico and 2010’s UK chart topper, Immersion, before shifting their focus to their Knife Party project in 2012.

Fellow electronic combo Basement Jaxx play Scarborough this weekend as part of their resumption of live shows after ten years of “DJing around the globe”. “It’ll be great to return to the live stage: to connect to people with life-affirming energy and give people a great time,” says Felix Buxton. Cue house and garage with a punk attitude. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Raul Kohli: Exploring what it means to be British at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York

York comedy gig of the week: Raul Kohli: Raul Britannia, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Saturday, 8pm

COMEDIAN and proud Brit Raul Kohli is the son of a Hindu Indian and Sikh Singaporean, raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, where his best friend was a Pakistani Muslim.

Kohli has lived in every corner of this glorious nation and is fascinated by the diversity of these small isles. Imagine his surprise to hear from politicians and the media that “multiculturalism has failed”: the spark that lit the flame for his exploration of what it means to be British. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Qween UK: They will rock you at Helmsley Arts Centre

Tribute show of the week: Qween UK, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

QWEEN UK celebrate the works of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor in a tribute show that encompasses all the “classic” Queen songs, complemented by subtle acoustic arrangements. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Ryan Kopel’s Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen: Thrust ever deeper into a web of lies at Grand Opera House, York

Last chance to see: Dear Evan Hansen, Grand Opera House, York, June 24 to 28, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Wednesday, Friday and Saturday matinees

THE Grand Opera House will be the last English port of call on the UK tour of Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Steven Levinson’s Olivier, Tony and Grammy Best Musical award winner.

Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a teenager with a social anxiety disorder that inhibits his ability to connect with his peers. After the death of fellow student Connor Murphy, Evan (played by Ryan Kopel) entangles himself in an unwieldy fib, claiming he was Connor’s secret best friend. Thrust ever deeper into a web of lies, he gains everything he has ever wanted: a chance to belong. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Alexandra Mather’s Nicklaus in York Opera’s The Tales Of Hoffmann. Picture: John Saunders

Opera of the week: York Opera in The Tales Of Hoffmann, York Theatre Royal, June 25 to 28, 7.15pm plus 4pm Saturday matinee

ELIZABETH Watson and John Soper direct York Opera in Jacques Offenbach’s The Tales Of Hoffmann, based on three short stories by German romantic writer E.T.A Hoffmann.

Tenors Karl Reiff and Hamish Brown perform the title role on alternate nights; Hoffmann’s evil enemies will be played by Ian Thomson- Smith and Mark Simmonds and his love interests will be sung by Stephanie Wong (Olympia), Ione Cummings (Antonia) and Katie Cole (Giulietta). Hoffmann’s loyal friend, Nicklaus, will be performed by Alexandra Mather. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

York Light Opera Company in rehearsal for Neil Wood’s production of Eurobeat – Pride Of Europe

Eurovision celebration of the week: York Light Opera Company in Eurobeat – Pride Of Europe, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, 7.30pm, June 25 to 27 and July 1 to 4; 3pm, June 28 and 29 and July 5

COMPOSER, writer and lyricist Craig Christie’s high-octane, electrifying musical Eurobeat: The Pride Of Europe celebrates the vibrant energy and spirit of the continent.

Expect non-stop, infectious Eurobeat rhythms, dazzling visuals and a show to leave audiences breathless. Prepare to dance and revel in the fun of an annual European song contest where audience participation decides the winner. Neil Wood directs a cast led by Annabel van Griethuysen as hostess Marlene Cabana and Zander Fick as master of protocols Bjorn Bjornson. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Guitarist James Oliver: Playing Ryedale Blues Club gig on June 26

Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club, The James Oliver Band, Milton Rooms, Malton, June 26, 8pm

THE ever busy James Oliver Band play upwards of 300 gigs a year all over Great Britain, Europe and the USA, chalking up 3,000 so far.

Guitarist Oliver, UK Blues Awards Emerging Artist of the Year winner in 2020, has released two studio and three live albums and is working on a new record with legendary producer John Leckie. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com

Aaron Simmonds: Headlining the Hilarity Bites Comedy Club bill on June 27

Ryedale comedy gig of the week: Hilarity Bites Comedy Club presents Aaron Simmonds, Alex Mitchell and Chris Lumb, Milton Rooms, Malton, June 27, 8pm

AARON Simmonds has been failing to stand up for 32 years. Luckily he is far better at comedy than standing up, offering sharp observations grounded in his disability, but by no means limited by it.

2024 Britain’s Got Talent finalist Alex Mitchell is an autistic comic with functional neurological disorder (FND), In his Tics Towards Puffection show, he laughs at himself, his neurodivergence, disability and sexuality to reflect on difficult subjects within his own life and wider society. Host Chris Lumb manages and performs in The Discount Comedy Checkout improv group. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

June 16, 2025

Old York Theatre to perform Charlie Blanshard’s immersive debut play Jorvik at Barley Hall, York, on July 25 and 26

Oliver Strong’s Odin in Charlie Blanshard’s play Jorvik

EAST Yorkshire writer and actor Charlie Blanshard will present his debut full-length play, Jorvik, at Barley Hall, Coffee Yard, York, on July 25 and 26.

He first presented his hour-long show there on February 17 at the 2025 Jorvik Viking Festival, when it was pleasing to see a theatre piece in a festival noted for its living history encampments, workshops, tours, traditional crafts, feasts, family events, boat burning, evening entertainment and dramatic combat performances.

“That’s why I made the show,” said Old York Theatre co-producer Charlie, whose imposing 6ft 2 frame and long hair would have befitted Viking times.

“When I was studying at Rose Bruford College, I made a short Viking film called Snake-In-The-Eye, which we shot in the Allfather Hall in Valhalla, as my final work on my MA in Actor Performer Training course.

“Dr Chris Tuckley [Jorvik’s head of interpretation and learning] gave me historical advice for that project, and I reached out to him again with this play. He put me in touch with Abi at Jorvik, I presented the script and asked if there was any way I could do it at Barley Hall.”

Old York Theatre’s logo

The answer was yes, whereupon February 17’s two performances led off a northern tour that took in The Brain Jar cocktail bar in Hull and the Monks Walk Inn in Beverley, where Charlie used to work, as well as crossing the Pennines to play a Manchester cabaret bar.

Jorvik, an immersive play set directly in the aftermath of the fall of Eoforwic to the Great Viking Army and its rebirth as Jorvik, will be staged once more in the Tudor Throne Room, the great hall at Barley Hall.

What will “immersive” involve, Charlie? “Every audience member will be cast as a member of the Viking Army with plenty of opportunities to get involved if you want to,” he says. “Everyone is part of the moment. It’s not a play to be sat at the back with popcorn!”

Directed by co-producer Jack Chamberlain, Charlie takes the role of Ubbe, son of Ragnar and leader of the Viking army, playing opposite Oliver Strong’s Odin.

“The play leans heavily on the Viking mythos, rejoices in the fantastical and is delivered with the spirit of larger-than-life storytelling! We follow our protagonist; Ubbe, soaked in the blood of battle as he finds himself at a great banquet in his honour,” says Charlie.

Jorvik actor-writer Charlie Blanshard

“But in this mysterious throne room, not all is as it seems!. Jorvik is a play about loss, glory, family and celebrating life while we are still around to enjoy it. Expect big characters, song, fights and plenty of table banging.”

Defining Old York Theatre’s theatre style, Charlie says: “It’s theatre of myths and legends, legacy and mortality. We’re not focused on history; it’s storytelling about larger-than-life heroes and gods and focusing on their stories. Ultimately, we want people to come and have a good time and leave with a smile on their face.

“We tell the story in a mixture of styles, with moments of mythological verse and also modern language. It’s a mash-up to match the clash of two worlds, and every show will be different because each audience will add a unique element with their own story.

“It’s a performance that’s rooted in history and myth but lives and breathes today – and York is the perfect place to stage it because this is a city where history does live and breathe and you can experience the legends of times before.”

Born in Londesborough, in the Wolds, and raised in Hull, Charlie has been drawn to York since regular weekend family trips in his childhood. “It really does feel like home every time I come to the city. Even as a young child, it captured my imagination. From the city walls to historic pubs, you think, ‘who has walked these walls, these streets?’, ‘who has sat before in these pubs?’. It’s a city that cannot deny its history.”

Charlie Blanshard in his Viking film Snake-In-The-Eye

Old York Theatre’s motto is “Theatre company rooted in Yorkshire, for the world. Anywhere, anytime, any place”. Hence February’s debut mini-tour headed to a great hall, a cabaret bar, a cocktail bar and a pub.

“We hope to expand on that,” says Charlie. “We also want to appeal both to people who’ve been to a theatre a thousand times and those who’ve never been. So we want to break down barriers for people to go to a theatre show, as well as those who go to see Chekhov and Shakespeare, which is why we’re doing the play in cocktail and cabaret bars.”

Living in Hull on his return from London, Charlie has worked with Middle Child theatre company, based in Hull Town, and now with Old York Theatre. “I want to make work for the north,” he says. “The northern theatre scene called me back to make new theatre, bringing northern stories to northern audiences and breaking dwon that barrier of theatre being London-centric.”

Since that February tour, Charlie has appeared in York community arts collective Next Door But One’s May tour of Sarah McDonald-Hughes’s How To Be A Kid to primary schools, bookended by public performances at York Explore and Friargate Theatre, York. He played six-year-old Joe, a dinosaur-fixated dreamer, in a story of family, friends and fitting in, built around a study of young carers, mental health and social care.

Old York Theatre in Jorvik, Barley Hall, Coffee Yard, York, July 25 and 26, 7pm. Box office: yat.digitickets.co.uk/tickets

Charlie Blanshard’s Joe in Next Door But One’s How To Be A Kid in May. Picture: James Drury

May 21, 2025May 22, 2025

REVIEW: Next Door But One in How To Be A Kid, next stop Friargate Theatre, York 17/5/2025, 12 noon and 3pm

Tucking in: Becky Heslop’s Molly and Charlie Blanshard’s Joe with George Green’s Mum in Next Door But One’s How To Be A Kid. All pictures: James Drury

First published on May 16 2025

YORK community arts collective Next Door But One has been touring How To Be A Kid to primary schools and Out Of Character at York St John University this week, bookended by public performances at York Explore and Friargate Theatre.

CharlesHutchPress was among the audience of adults and children at the first of two shows in the Marriott Room, a regular, wood-panelled location at York Explore for NDB1’s work.

Sarah McDonald-Hughes’s hour-long play for seven to 11-year-olds and their grown-ups has its roots in a Paines Plough premiere in London, but as ever with NDB1, associate director Kate Veysey’s production has been informed, indeed influenced and rubber-stamped by working with communities with lived experience of the subject. In this case, young carers, young people in care and the Out Of Character theatre group, whose members have experience of mental health issues.

Hence NDB1 has teamed up with Our Time Charity to raise awareness of mental health, young carers and those in care. A play can go only so far. Our Time Charity can go further.

Becky Heslop’s Molly and George Green’s Taylor in How To Be A Kid

McDonald-Hughes’s story of family, friends and fitting in certainly plays its part in highlighting the work of a group that often goes unspoken, maybe even unknown: young carers. Young carers such as Molly (played by Becky Heslop).

She is 12 years old; her dinosaur-fixated dreamer of a kid brother, Joe (Charlie Blanshard), is six. When, spoiler alert, Nan (George Green) dies, Mum (Green again) is so grief stricken, she becomes house-bound, even bed-bound.

Molly must cook, do the dishes, make sure Joe brushes his teeth, get him ready for school, find time for homework and look after Mum. How can she still be a child under such duress?

At one point, Joe is packed off to live with his dad; Molly, meanwhile, is placed in a care home for six weeks, where she befriends Taylor, soon her bestie with a mutual love of dancing.

Charlie Blanshard’s Joe lets out a dinosaur roar in How To Be A Kid

Scenes are short, likewise sentences are snappy, to make revelations even more startling. Character changes are no less swift, with the impressively diverse George Green being the quintessence of multi-role-playing: at the last count, nine! Namely, Taylor/Abby/Mum/Nan/bus driver/social worker Michelle/teacher Miss Johnson/monosyllabic McDonalds worker/swimming pool cleaner. Everything’s gone Green, to borrow a 1981 New Order song title.

And yes, you read that right: swimming pool cleaner. Under Kate Veysey’s direction, How To Be A Kid enters a world of magic realism where Molly is at the wheel of a car, Joe beside her, in his dinosaur top, as they head off to the baths, closed at night to the public, yet magically open to them.

Veysey, whether working with Youth Theatre Royal Youth Theatre or now with NDB1 and Out Of Character, has a way of making theatre work for young and older alike, and here she elicits delightful performances from the chameleon Green, Heslop’s resourceful Molly and Blanshard’s ever-imaginative Joe, as full of wonder and humour as pathos and bewilderment.

Why should we see How To Be A Kid, CharlesHutchPress asked the cast. “Because it’s a beautifully epic, hilarious adventure rooted in reality,” said Blanshard.

“It’s fun, it’s honest and it’s playful,” says How To Be A Kid actress Becky Heslop

“It’s fun, it’s honest and it’s playful. They are the three words to describe it – and there’s lots of cake and dinosaurs and dancing,” said Heslop. “It turns a light on grief, mental health and carers in a positive way.“

“I think it’s fun that means something, an hour of escapism, where you learn something, but not in a preachy way,” said Green.

Your reviewer couldn’t have put it better, so take their word for it. How To Be A Kid is child’s play with a serious message, one that states how everything can be changed by communication. In this case by talking with mum, not staying mum.

Make that two messages, because McDonald-Hughes places great store in the power of imagination and creativity in pursuit of joy and hope. In a nutshell, the tools of theatre.

Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/york/friargate-theatre/how-to-be-a-kid/.

Next Door But One’s poster for How To Be A Kid

Tag: Next Door But One